How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business: With Companion CD-ROM [Paperback]

Lynn Wasnak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2009

If you enjoy working outdoors and want to incorporate your creativity into your work, operating a small nursery, landscaping, or lawn service may be the perfect business for you. In fact, many operators combine all three of these elements to make an ideal year-round business. This is an ideal home-based business and can be started with just a few thousand dollars. This guide provides readers with an understanding of the basic concepts of starting their own service business. This new book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the nursery and landscape business. You will learn everything from the initial startup decisions to working with clients. If you are investigating opportunities in this type of business, you should begin by reading this book. If you enjoy working with people and working outdoors, this may be the perfect business for you. Keep in mind that this business looks easy but, as with any business, looks can be deceiving. This complete manual will arm you with everything you need, including sample business forms; contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; setting up your office; plans and layouts; and dozens of other valuable, timesaving tools of the trade that no business should be without. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through every detail that will bring success. You will learn how to draw up a winning business plan (the companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in Microsoft Wordâ„¢) and about choosing a name, equipment, equipment maintenance, selling your other services to your present customers, how to attract and bid on residential and commercial accounts, contracts and billing procedures, advertising, insurance, legal matters, basic cost control systems, market research, getting new clients, tax laws, pricing, leads, sales and marketing techniques, and pricing formulas. You will learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to hire and keep a qualified professional staff, how to meet IRS requirements, how to manage and train employees, how to generate high profile public relations and publicity, and how to implement low cost internal marketing ideas. You will learn how to build your business by using low and no cost ways to satisfy customers, as well as ways to increase sales and have customers refer others to you. You will learn about basic accounting and bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting, and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. This manual delivers innovative ways to streamline your business. Learn new ways to make your operation run smoother and increase performance. Successful entrepreneurs will appreciate this valuable resource and reference it in their daily activities as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can easily be applied to their operations. The companion CD-ROM contains all the forms found in the book, as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL); Pap/Cdr edition (November 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601382286
• ISBN-13: 978-1601382283
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars First Impression?, February 15, 2010

By 

M.B. "Matt" (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

At first glance I didn't think this book looked all that impressive, but after taking a closer look, I found I was wrong. I've always enjoyed landscaping and this book's got all the bases covered. I was surprised, first of all, by how easy it was to read.

The layout of the book was easy to follow as well. I found the step-by-step process a great help in determining right off if pursuing a landscaping business was right for me (everything is divided up into six simple sections for easy reference).

Most of all, the case studies of actual real life people were a benefit. And the business plan process will be a great help in my brainstorming. I don't know if landscaping is right for me, but I do know that this book had opened my eyes to a lot of aspects I never could have even considered on my own, I give it Five stars! It's a must read if you're thinking about going into business for yourself! It provides all the details you'll ever need, -from A-Z!

5.0 out of 5 stars A grade-A pick for anyone trying to break into this business venture, February 15, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

Your lawn is your first impression to the world. "How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business" is a guide to breaking into the lucrative lawncare and landscaping business for those who enjoy the great outdoors and working with plants and lawns. A business guide, the Atlantic Publishing Group gives readers a vivid introductory dive into the basics of lawncare as a business and how to get started. "How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service" is a grade-A pick for anyone trying to break into this business venture.

4.0 out of 5 stars A beneficial necessity for anyone looking to start a business of their own: review by A.Shrum, January 27, 2010

By 

A. Shrum "AngelAtTwilight" (Lake City, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

How to Open and Operate A Financially Successful Landscaping, Nursery, or Lawn Service Business: With Companion CD-ROM is a beneficial necessity for anyone looking to start a business of their own. But, don't let the cover fool you. This guide can be used as a reference for any kind of business. Complete with 290 easy-to-read pages, it is a realistic portrayal of what developing a business truly means. It is broken down into nine sections with step-by-step instructions. The format helps in strategizing and creating a distinct "personality" for your business, ultimately becoming the anchor that will bring in your customers.
The author is very responsible in explaining not only the background of business development and management, but also the details on financing and hiring as well, going into such distinct detail as to what equipment will work best for your particular goals. From the opening sentence, we can be assured that nothing is sugar-coated: "This book does not sell dreams - rather, it shows you, step by step, how to make your personal dream for working for yourself in the outdoors come true." It explains how "passion" is a great first step, but cannot be the only driving force.
Taking a very holistic approach to entrepreneurship, the book even examines how knowing yourself and your limits before you open your business will be beneficial in the long run. And, to help give you a better understanding of what that truly means, it's equipped with a Personality Quiz (my favorite part!). The layout of the book flows seamlessly, from the basics all the way down to the "nitty gritty" details. The resource section in the back of the book is an excellent tool for aspiring business owners. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to be profitable with their business.