Lighting – City Beautification https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk business blog Fri, 11 Apr 2025 12:41:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-business-blog-32x32.png Lighting – City Beautification https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk 32 32 How to Grow Your Landscaping Business to a Million Dollars a Year https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/how-to-grow-your-landscaping-business-to-a-million-dollars-a-year/ Fri, 11 Apr 2025 12:41:22 +0000 https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/?p=198 Growing a landscaping business takes more than just hard work and good tools. If you’re aiming to reach one million dollars in yearly revenue, you’ll need to build a strong foundation, focus on your best services, and attract the right clients. You don’t need to do everything at once or spend a fortune on big […]

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Growing a landscaping business takes more than just hard work and good tools. If you’re aiming to reach one million dollars in yearly revenue, you’ll need to build a strong foundation, focus on your best services, and attract the right clients. You don’t need to do everything at once or spend a fortune on big campaigns. Small, smart steps done consistently can take you from mid six figures to seven.

This guide breaks down a simple process that helps you move forward with clarity. From choosing the right name to improving your website and building trust with customers, every part matters. You’ll also learn why keeping clients and employees happy plays a big role in long-term success.

It’s not just about getting more jobs—it’s about building the kind of business you enjoy running and clients want to work with. Let’s look at the key steps that can help get you there.

Start with a Strong Business Foundation

Before your landscaping business can grow past the six-figure mark, you need a solid foundation. This starts with your company name. If your business has a generic name like “Four Seasons Landscaping” or “Coastal Lawn Care,” that’s okay. But if you’re just starting out, try choosing a unique name that people will remember. This helps you stand out when people search or talk about your services.

Next, focus on the type of service you do best. Whether it’s small backyard makeovers, big commercial lawn care, or high-end installations with patios and pools—pick one and become great at it. Don’t try to offer everything to everyone. When you say yes to the wrong projects, you have less time for the right ones.

Finally, brand your trucks and equipment. When people see your name on the road or at a job site, it sticks in their memory. It also builds trust and brings in new local jobs.

Build a Website That Works for You

A website isn’t just a digital business card. It’s your number one tool to get more work. Make sure your homepage is focused on the service you want most and include the name of your city. If you want to be known for landscape design in Carmel, Indiana, your homepage should clearly say that.

Add an About page that talks about your story—how you started, your team, and what makes your business different. People want to know who they are hiring, especially for large and expensive projects.

On your Contact page, use a form to collect key details. This helps you pre-qualify leads so you don’t waste time on jobs that don’t fit your service or budget range.

Also, include separate pages for each service you offer. This helps you show up in search results and gives people the information they need. Use photos, and if you can, videos or drone footage. These visuals build trust and make your business look more professional.

Set Up and Use Your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is a must for local businesses. It helps you show up in Google Maps and search results. Choose your main category carefully—it should be the service you want to get more of. If your main focus is design, set your category as “landscape designer.” If it’s general maintenance, select “landscaping.”

Once your profile is live, keep it updated. Post once a month with photos and updates from recent projects. Mention your city name when possible—it helps boost visibility.

Add new pictures regularly. When people see fresh, high-quality images of your work, they feel more confident reaching out. This is also an easy way to keep your listing active, which Google likes.

Your reviews matter too. Aim for a rating above 4.3 stars and collect as many reviews as you can. If your score is low or you have few reviews, many people will skip over your business completely.

Keep Your Clients and Team Happy

Growing your business doesn’t only mean getting new clients. It also means keeping the ones you have—and your employees too. This starts with doing high-quality work. It sounds obvious, but many businesses struggle here. If you do bad work, you’ll get bad reviews, and people will stay away.

Good work leads to happy clients who will come back or recommend you. Make sure the whole job—from first call to final result—is smooth, friendly, and well-managed.

Use email or text to keep in touch with past clients. Offer them seasonal services like snow removal, leaf cleanup, or holiday lights. These small jobs can turn into extra money fast.

For your team, treat them well. Pay fair wages, give feedback, and show that you care. A worker who feels respected will do better work and stay longer. Even something as small as buying lunch once in a while can make a big difference in morale.

Focus on What You’re Best At

If you want your business to grow fast, stop saying yes to jobs that don’t fit. When you do everything—lawns, pools, snow, lighting—you risk being average at all of it. But if you choose one path and focus, you can become the best in your area for that service.

Let’s say your strength is building patios. Focus on design-build projects and turn down small lawn jobs. This frees up time and energy to find clients who need the work you really want to do.

When you get clear on your focus, your marketing becomes simpler. Your website, Google profile, and truck branding can all match. This builds a strong image that clients understand and trust.

Over time, saying no to the wrong jobs leads to more of the right ones—and helps you grow your business the way you want.

Don’t Ignore the Small Stuff

A lot of business owners think only big changes matter. But small habits also play a huge role in reaching the million-dollar mark. Answer calls quickly. Show up on time. Say thank you. These little things build trust and respect with clients.

Check your online presence often. Make sure your website works on phones, your business hours are correct, and your reviews are growing. Fix any broken links or outdated info.

Ask your team for ideas, too. They’re the ones doing the work every day. A simple tip from an employee can save time or make a customer happier.

Growing a business isn’t just about taking big steps. It’s also about doing the small things well, every single day.

Build a Brand People Remember

Your brand is more than just a logo. It’s how people feel about your business. When someone sees your truck or hears your business name, they should know what to expect.

Make your brand feel professional but also personal. Use clean designs, consistent colours, and clear messaging. Show your face and your team online. Tell your story—people connect with people, not just services.

Use the same tone in your website, emails, and social media. If you’re friendly in person, sound friendly online too. This creates a connection and helps clients trust you before they even call.

And remember, branding is long-term. You won’t see results overnight. But over months and years, a strong brand builds loyalty, brings in better clients, and helps your business grow faster.

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How to make money with knowledge of landscaping and yard improvement https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/how-to-make-money-with-knowledge-of-landscaping-and-yard-improvement/ Sun, 02 May 2021 15:06:23 +0000 https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/?p=41 Since 2012, I had to work with all sorts of professional sawyers, mowers and gardeners. I selected professionals - two people, we talked and decided to take action.

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Since 2012, I had to work with all sorts of professional sawyers, mowers and gardeners. I selected professionals – two people, we talked and decided to take action. We bought two mowers “Partner 454”, one professional saw “Husqvarna 365” (in a pawnshop), and the second, the Chinese “Champion” was inherited. The remaining equipment and tools can be easily rented. For example, a garden roller for rolling the lawn can easily be rented from the store and the evening after work, return.

How it works, or how we got started

The first job is pruning and taking down trees. After researching the procedure for obtaining an official permit through the municipality, I advertised using all known groups and websites. Little by little, orders began to appear: two or three a month. In other words, a person wanted to take down a tired dry tree, but the municipality and the private sector billed them.

We sawed the cuttings into small pieces of wood for a small additional fee, and the customers gladly took them for themselves. The removal is always negotiated separately.

Additional income from cooperation

Work with homeowners associations and companies turned out to be very profitable. They always order from 3 to 20 trees, and it is possible to earn money within a couple of days.

Some people don’t want the whole tree, but one branch. In this case, several addresses are gathered, a truck lifter is hired, and a detour is done.

In the remaining time you can, for example, hang an air conditioner, cut down a lamp post, get the ball from the roof – the money can be earned on anything. The demand for tree trimming is year-round.

Is mowing grass profitable?

The next earning item is grass mowing. Two trimmers that easily fit into a car, a can of gasoline and a bay of fishing line are all you need to make money.

Again, going to small orders from grandmothers mow in the yard, as well as large orders, such as mowing the entire area homeowners associations or children’s parks. The main thing is not to inflate the price.

There is one secret here: trimmers are Chinese, but consumables are professional, namely Husqvarna T35 and Husqvarna T45 reels. Special oil for two-stroke engines is also “Husqvarna” or “Stihl”, because cheap oil warms up and you have to take long breaks. It is also better to choose a blade with a “Square” section and, preferably, not the cheapest one.

Lawn mowers for mowing the lawn were taken for rent. There is much less demand for them.

Lawn planting and installation of an auto irrigation system

There are almost no people in the city who are ready to do this work, and to invite specialists is not at all affordable to local residents. The work includes digging, adding sand, fertilizer (and materials are a separate cost), leveling the layer of soil, seeding the lawn (at the choice of the customer), and watering. The main thing is not to skimp on lawn seeds. At this time, there are no grass planting projects that do not grow or do not make money.

Another prerequisite is to pay attention to soil composition and discourage the customer where planting doesn’t make sense.

The accompanying service of combing out last year’s lawns also brings a small income, but it is very labor-intensive: for 5 hours on average it turns out qualitatively combed 4-5 acres.

Arrangement of automatic irrigation

At the moment, I have experience in two small projects. Due to the fact that in my work I have had to create irrigation systems in parks and traffic circles, I have gained a lot of experience. On this, as it turned out, you can make good money. The main thing is to make a pressure calculation. Once we chose a smaller pipe, 25 mm, instead of 32 mm. As a result, we bought the right one, and re-pipe, as not enough of the flow capacity.

Model shrub shearing

Here in the business are gasoline scissors, we took them from work (with permission). Clientele – music schools, private parks, well, the rich residents. The price depends directly on the amount of work. In the notebook about 15 addresses, 3 times during the season we get a call that makes us richer.

The most interesting is the project of cutting large trees (ash trees) under the ball.

The business is complicated, so it’s expensive. Sometimes even a Karagach (aka elm) tree can make a real sweetheart.

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Landscaping as a business https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/landscaping-as-a-business/ Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:32:49 +0000 https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/?p=61 Today, the issue of landscaping and additional landscaping is more relevant than ever. From Western countries came to us the fashion for beautiful gardens with relief and many plants of different types.

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Today, the issue of landscaping and additional landscaping is more relevant than ever. From Western countries came to us the fashion for beautiful gardens with relief and many plants of different types. Lawns and classic flowerbeds are no longer popular, especially if we are not talking about a personal yard, but the territory of organizations, parks and squares.

Not surprisingly, today is actively developing a line of business to provide services to landscaping and landscape design. After all, to improve the territory, you need knowledge and experience, and even a lot of effort goes into maintaining a presentable appearance of the territory. So those wishing to have an area of presentable appearance are increasingly turning to professionals in the field of landscape design.

Landscaping agencies – a fairly new trend in business environment. Stable demand, high profitability and minimum start-up capital makes a business project attractive, especially for start-up entrepreneurs.

Landscaping as a decorative element

Under landscaping understand the work associated with planting of plants and aimed at improving the territory and the environment.

There are several methods of landscaping:

  • Arrays. Continuous plantings of trees and shrubs, which occupy large areas. It can be a single plant or a combination of several species.
  • Group plantings. Used when creating transitions from large arrays to open areas. Also can be single-species and mixed.
  • Row alley plantings. These are plantings along roads and boulevards.
  • Single plantings.
  • Hedges. Created usually from a single species of shrubs or climbing plants.

Vertical gardening

Vertical gardening is a completely new trend used in both interior design and landscape design. It is based on the use of climbing, climbing and ampelous plants, as well as on auxiliary constructions. Such landscaping allows you to give a wall or even an entire house an unusual, fresh and original look.

Landscaping for commercial buildings

It is used on internal and external surfaces of residential or office premises, fences, decorative constructions. Wall with vertical greenery can be part of a landscape composition or a separate decoration. To date, vertical gardening in our country has not yet become popular, so by offering such a service, you stand out from the competition.

Landscaping, as a rule, is a large order and requires the performer to be responsible and have the capacity to implement large-scale work. You will often have to hire additional workers. And you’ll also definitely need the ability to find a large supplier quickly.

Customers

As a rule, many people associate design with the decoration of the areas of private houses. And although it is better to start with such projects, this sphere is not limited to them. The services of landscapers and designers are often used by large firms and city organizations. In every city there are parks, squares, and areas that require your attention. The advantage of such projects is that landscaped areas, as a rule, require periodic professional care. However, as mentioned above, you should start with small private orders. After all, large organizations use the services of firms that have a good portfolio.

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Urban planning https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/urban-planning/ Fri, 30 Oct 2020 15:03:20 +0000 https://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/?p=35 The next area interested in landscaping is, of course, development. For a commercial real estate developer, landscaping costs are about 5% of the project budget, and the condition of the surrounding areas ultimately affects the pool of tenants, the cost of rent and the company's image.

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The next area interested in landscaping is, of course, development. For a commercial real estate developer, landscaping costs are about 5% of the project budget, and the condition of the surrounding areas ultimately affects the pool of tenants, the cost of rent and the company’s image.

City authorities can offer a developer additional territories for landscaping, for example, a park next to a new business center or residential complex. Such costs become an investment in the future for the city and for the developer, since they affect the company’s reputation.

For new infill developments in the city and landlords of existing buildings, the presence of adjacent street improvements affects the demand for space. According to a study by the Center for Urban Economics, the average vacancy rate dropped from 14% to 6% on landscaped streets and from 10% to 8% on undeveloped streets over the year.

Street improvements are critical for all types of businesses whose profits depend on foot traffic. This street retail, services, catering, that is, all small and medium-sized businesses focused on direct contact with the client. The volume of pedestrian traffic, the audience is the first thing that interests such a tenant when he chooses a place in the city. On well-appointed streets, the number of banks and communication centers has decreased by 18% – these areas of services are increasingly leaving for online commerce. In their place came grocery stores (+26%), beauty salons (+23%), pharmacies (+16%), clothing stores (+10%) and catering (+9%).

When the profitability of a business is related to the number of people walking down the street, the question arises of how to increase that number and expand the audience. The intensity of the pedestrian flow is influenced by the ease of movement on the street and the presence of points of attraction – centers of business and cultural activity, municipal institutions, tourist and sports facilities, public spaces, etc. The first problem is solved by the improvement: a study of Moscow streets in a year after the improvement showed an increase in pedestrian flow by an average of 14%, and on weekends the flow increased by 56%. The emergence of new points of attraction can initiate business, and it does not necessarily require large investments. So a barbershop built a wooden patio to play table tennis instead of a parking lot, and now the street has a local recreational area that appeals to locals and potential customers.

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