Essential Gardening Business Equipment

There’s a lot to think about when you’re starting to run a business, but one key element is getting yourself equipped with all the items you need to successfully run a business. If you’re starting a gardening business from scratch, you’re likely to need a number of essential items to get you started.

If you’re selling your services as a gardener, handyman or landscape designer, then there are several key essentials that you’ll need to have at hand. For example:

• Gardening tools, such as a trowel, spade, shears, fork, kneeler, watering can, wheelbarrow and secateurs.
• Garden products, such as compost, lawn care items, paving and soil.
• Plants, such as flowers, trees, shrubs and seeds.
• Large pieces of equipment, such as a lawnmower or hedge cutter.
• Gardening wear, such as gloves and other safety items.
• Garden design tools, such as a drawing board and laptop to create designs on.

If funding is initially an issue, you could always hire gardening equipment, especially the big items that you may only use occasionally or on certain jobs, as this is one way of helping to spread the cost and free up cashflow.

Setting Up An Office

If you’re selling items, are working from business premises or from home, you’ll probably have to have some kind of office set up in order to manage enquiries, sell goods and keep on top of admin. Some of the office items you may need to purchase include:

• Computers.
• Printers.
• A fax machine.
• A telephone and answering machine.
• Desks and chairs.
• Work tables.
• Lights.
• Filing cabinets.
• A scanner or photocopier.
• Stationery items.
• Shelves.
• Cupboards.
• Drawers.
• Display stands, for displaying products or photos of gardens you’ve designed or worked on.

Gardening Business Pricing Calculator
Work out what to charge for gardening work so you cover your costs and make a profit: turn your hours, materials and overheads into an hourly rate and a job price.
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Obtaining Items

One way of obtaining items in the first instance is to buy them from an office wholesaler, but it can seem quite costly when funds are tight. Office equipment and other items are tax deductible, but if you want to avoid a huge outlay, there are other options to consider. Pieces of equipment can, for example, be rented or hired for a set period of time. This method could help you get going without having to spend too much before you’ve earned much with your business and, in some instances, you can decide to buy the equipment you’re hiring for a discounted rate. In the case of computers or laptops, this means you get the added advantage of testing out certain makes before you commit to buying.

There are also refurbished computers available from many companies, which can help reduce the cost of buying brand new. If you need lots of desks, chairs or large filing cupboards, then look out for details of office clearances where lots of items may be going cheap. There are various companies selling secondhand furniture, including some charities, and if you don’t mind not having everything matching, you could set yourself up in a very creative and quirky manner.

Or, if you’re after specialised gardening items, then perhaps you could ask to borrow them from friends or family or approach a firm and ask if they’ll let you borrow them for a short period. It may be a bit of a rare situation, but if you’re able to offer free promotion back to the companies in question, it may be allowable.

There’s an awful lot to do when you’re equipping a business premise or shop, but it can also be a lot of fun. Take time enjoying the process of laying out and designing your work area and make sure it’s functional and will work for you. If the layout doesn’t work at first, then move it around until it does. After all, you’re probably going to spend a lot of time working here over the coming months, so you better get it right if you can!

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Gardening Business Pricing Calculator lets you work out what to charge for gardening work so you cover your costs and make a profit: turn your hours, materials and overheads into an hourly rate and a job price. Try it now →