I love my job, but I really like "doing my own thing" at the hours I choose, when it comes to making money. I was wondering if it would be profitable to offer a flower bed cleaning/maintenance service.....No mowing (well, maybe small yards) or designing (well, maybe on a small scale) I live in a small town that is growing leaps and bounds, with a lot of new construction and retirees.
What would be a reasonable price to charge? Have any of you done this before? I also have a small backyard nursery, that could provide some sales..... any feedback, or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Has anyone tried cleaning flower beds as a business?
I knew of a gal who had a landscaping service that offered "seasonal maintenance" to some of the larger homes in Austin. She'd change out the annuals and trim up the existing shrubs with the seasons four times a year. No grass mowing, just picking out plants to perk up the yard and pool areas. 'Knew she had a steady income and referrals. Had a guy that worked with her planting......she's since moved on with husband's transfer. No idea what she charged, but seemed like a great job for someone who loves plants. Make up some flyers and distribute them in the new subdivisions to see if there's any interest once you decide on a fee scale. You might even start out asking a homeowner if they'd buy your annuals if you agreed to plant them. Then get referrals from that homeowner for other gardens. From there, you'd have a baseline of what you'd be able to charge for specific services. I'd love to have someone maintain a flower bed in front of my house seasonally. I always buy a hodge podge of stuff...and half of it bakes away during the summer. Good luck to you!
Sandi
Thanks for the encouragment, Sandi! I'm almost 50, and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up!!! I'm not afraid to tackle a new career path....I've done it several times! I've just got to talk my other half into it!
Jamminspoons...
Sounds like a good idea. I know we get people that drive around the neighborhood to mow lawns but you can't get them to clean out flowerbeds!!! Seems nobody out here wants to get down on their hands and knees and do some serious weeding or condition the soil in flower beds. (not even me!!!)
I hired a guy last year to weed the flowerbeds. I have commelia communis (or something similar to that) which grows rampant - it has a pretty little flower but it's a weed and it takes over!!!) The flowerbeds looked nice and clean for about three days then I had a gob of weeds sprouting again - he ended up leaving bits and pieces of that weed in the soil - and it grows from any little piece - and more often than not when he used the shovel to loosen the soil he cut off the top of the weeds and left the roots intact to boot!!!
If you ever decide to venture to south Texas let me know...I'll be your first customer!!!
~ Cat
I have some friends who live in Mission, and some on South Padre....I love to visit down there, just don't get away that often.
You might try calling some of your local real estate offices. When you are driving through neighborhoods and you see a realtor sign, you might glance at the front door or windows and if you see some notices posted, if so, they are probably bank owned/foreclosed homes. You can call the realtor and see if they could use your services. Some banks require the realtors to have flower beds cleaned up and mulched. They usually try to use the same vendor if they do a good job and it would probably be sporatic but repeat business. I say sporadic because in Texas foreclosures happen the first Tuesday of every month and a realtor may get 1 new listing or may get 20 and some banks rehab and clean up a property while others sale them just like they find them. I hope this helps. Take care, Mike
jammi,
What a GREAT business idea! How true it is you can find anyone to mow your lawn but no one to clean up the beds!!!! That is genius I think! I LOVE your town also...it is growing by leaps and bounds, eh? Been a couple years since I visited but it is so pretty with all the old homes.
There is certainly a need for it. At least in my area, most landscaping services WILL NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT, clean the beds. They advertise weeding and cleaning but they don't really do it. Most figure that throwing mulch over the bed, is enough of a deterrent, and there's some truth to that.
It may also that the economics aren't there to justify such detail oriented labor.
Come on down! I need help desperately. I don't trust anyone but myself, usually, to clean flower bed and under my hibiscus. Usually anyone you get breaks off the tops and throws on some mulch and calls it a day. At this point in my life that looks as if I'm just going to have grin and bear the weeds..........
Ann
I had a couple of teenagers help me with this last year and I don't think I could have done it without them. There was a learning curve (got the weed and plant mixed up and was pulling the wrong one ! *giggle) but over all I was happy with them. And at 5.00-6.00 an hour I could afford them.
If I could get just one good cleaning of beds, etc. that would be all I need for the year.Last year I was recovering from some drastic surgery (lower GI tract) and now I'm all better (crossed fingers) so the small weeds got to be really big weeds and really need digging up. DDH helped by spraying Roundup but that doesn't last forever especially if you don't get the whole big weed. Guess that's what I'm going to have to get him to do, again, along w/moving some bushes that are just too big for where the former owners planted them. I would pay a whole lot more than 5-6 $/hour just to get it all done.
Ann