Starting a landscaping businesses shares common steps with what everyone has to do to start a new business. And one of the first steps in preparing to starting your own business is to write a business plan.
It's a shame but, most people often procrastinate on writing their business plan.
Either they don't know how to write a business plan or they are just intimidated by the whole process.
So, understanding the basic steps of what you need for your landscaping business's business plan will help you get ready for this important step.
A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success. This living document generally projects 3-5 years ahead and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues.
Your business plan is the document that you will take to the banks to get a small business loan. It takes money to start a landscaping business. You are going to need a truck and trailer, power equipment, hand tools and let's not forget about the help you will need to get your jobs done on time. Then you have to have a place to keep everything. The funding will help you get that basic infrastructure in place before you have the revenue to pay for those costs.
Your business plan is the document that will demonstrate to the ones that may give you the capital you need, that you have a solid business concept. It will also show that the market can support your business and that you have a realistic plan for building the business and make sufficient profits to pay back the money and of course the interest. They are going to want a handsome return for there investment.
Just because you might have the funding, to start your landscaping business doesn't mean you should skip writing a business plan. The process of writing your plan will force you to think through the whole process.
You will have to create a detailed cost/benefit analysis which will call for you to gather real-world cost values for the equipment you will need, the insurance you have to buy, the space you need to lease and to pay the workers you will need to support the business.
The research alone is priceless when starting a new business. You actually need to take it to the next step and document the market for the next five years. Is the market strong enough to grow your landscaping business? I also found out what my competition was charging. I went to work for them, it sure helped in pricing my services.
If in the process you discovered that you don't have a sufficient market, to grow your business it is better to know now, than after you take the leap. The process of building your business plan is a major step to make your dream of a landscape business, into a reality. The dream comes first, making it concrete, (knowing exactly what you want and how you are going to get), then getting up off your ass and doing the work. (That's the way it works)
Ok! So, you don't know how to write a business plan. That's not a big deal. There are plenty of resources on-line, books in the library, will guide you step by step through how to research each section of your business plan and then how to go about writing that plan in a way that will be understandable and reasonable to your backers. I also have some .gov links that will be helpful, just below.
If you live in a big enough town go check out the local small business association. A lot of the time retired businessmen and woman volunteer their time to help people just like you.
People like to talk about themselves, their family and their business. So take advantage of that fact. Don't be too proud to ask for their help. They know what you are going through seeing your vision for a great landscaping business go from dream to reality and they know how to guide you through this important part of your planning and preparation.
When your business plan is done you will be glad that you took the time to complete the process. Part of the document is a five-year plan. Your roadmap of how you are going to take your landscaping business from a vision to a successful business.
Your business plan will have to go through some revisions and changes as you go along. But, just having a map to start with can be a huge help in launching your landscaping business on it's road to success.
Small Business Associations Videos
Small Business Associations Learning Center
Write Your Business Plan
It's a shame but, most people often procrastinate on writing their business plan.
Either they don't know how to write a business plan or they are just intimidated by the whole process.
So, understanding the basic steps of what you need for your landscaping business's business plan will help you get ready for this important step.
A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success. This living document generally projects 3-5 years ahead and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues.
Your business plan is the document that you will take to the banks to get a small business loan. It takes money to start a landscaping business. You are going to need a truck and trailer, power equipment, hand tools and let's not forget about the help you will need to get your jobs done on time. Then you have to have a place to keep everything. The funding will help you get that basic infrastructure in place before you have the revenue to pay for those costs.
Your business plan is the document that will demonstrate to the ones that may give you the capital you need, that you have a solid business concept. It will also show that the market can support your business and that you have a realistic plan for building the business and make sufficient profits to pay back the money and of course the interest. They are going to want a handsome return for there investment.
Do It Anyway
Just because you might have the funding, to start your landscaping business doesn't mean you should skip writing a business plan. The process of writing your plan will force you to think through the whole process. You will have to create a detailed cost/benefit analysis which will call for you to gather real-world cost values for the equipment you will need, the insurance you have to buy, the space you need to lease and to pay the workers you will need to support the business.
The research alone is priceless when starting a new business. You actually need to take it to the next step and document the market for the next five years. Is the market strong enough to grow your landscaping business? I also found out what my competition was charging. I went to work for them, it sure helped in pricing my services.
If in the process you discovered that you don't have a sufficient market, to grow your business it is better to know now, than after you take the leap. The process of building your business plan is a major step to make your dream of a landscape business, into a reality. The dream comes first, making it concrete, (knowing exactly what you want and how you are going to get), then getting up off your ass and doing the work. (That's the way it works)
So, You Don't Know How
If you live in a big enough town go check out the local small business association. A lot of the time retired businessmen and woman volunteer their time to help people just like you.
People like to talk about themselves, their family and their business. So take advantage of that fact. Don't be too proud to ask for their help. They know what you are going through seeing your vision for a great landscaping business go from dream to reality and they know how to guide you through this important part of your planning and preparation.
When your business plan is done you will be glad that you took the time to complete the process. Part of the document is a five-year plan. Your roadmap of how you are going to take your landscaping business from a vision to a successful business.
Your business plan will have to go through some revisions and changes as you go along. But, just having a map to start with can be a huge help in launching your landscaping business on it's road to success.
Helpful Links
Small Business Associations Videos
Small Business Associations Learning Center
Write Your Business Plan
Entrepreneurship Series - Business Plan Writing 101
Published on Jun 16, 2015
Wharton Entrepreneurship Workshop, “Business Plan Writing 101,” featuring Patrick FitzGerald, C’97, Managing Director of DreamIt Ventures. FitzGerald discusses what is required to write an effective business plan
Thank you for stopping by and reading my post "Starting a Landscaping Business - Writing Your Business Plan". I think that I have enough links to the small business association and with the video you should have a good idea of what it is going to take to write your business plan.
Keep Smiling
reuben
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