5 Mistakes to Avoid if you're a Self Employed Gardener! | UK

If you want to setup a gardening business and become a self employed gardener then you should try to avoid these 5 things. I set up on my own and I'm learning all of the time and I've done some of these things myself so I'm trying to pass on my experience in my journey so far to try to help you make the right decisions so you can start out on the right track.
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#selfemployedgardener #grasscutting #pricingagardeningjob

[@Grahams-Grass]

👍 I always start at the furthest one away and work towards home that way after a long day your not stuck in the traffic ...

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Tip Tip! 👌

[@laurencechapman1990]

Some great advice here. I live in Herefordshire which is 3rd least populated county in England, so 30-45 mins travelling time in a day is quite common really. Gradually trying to build a client base within 10-15 mins drive of home which is about a 6 mile radius of my house.

[@garysmith5966]

Keep up the good work mate. I really enjoy your videos. Good luck with the arrival of the baby.

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

I appreciate that thanks Gary 👍

[@MICHAEL-wg2lh]

Love your content mate , you got a good way about you and not fake at all 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Cheers, that helps with the on screen confidence! Haha

[@ivanstraw9207]

This is awesome stuff! Loving the videos. Could you maybe do a video on some of the challenges (and positives) of setting up your own business?

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Aha cheers mate. Hope all is well for you! Yeah thats a good one to do. Will add to the list. We'll have to meet up sometime, once things have settled with the baby arrival I'll probably come down to york

[@DavidManifestation]

stay away from the hourly rated job, there no profits always charge per job you will be happier at the end, you will be able to go faster and get more done, I'm David a gardener of over 37 years now

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Exactly! Thanks for commenting David👍

[@robertveres6735]

I just start my own business and have my first customer and she was surprised when she asked me about my charge. She asked daily or hourly rate? I said you pay for my service. Anyway a bit under priced myself but that was my first ever customer . Lesson learnt. I watch a lots of gardeners all around the world mostly from USA and in my opinion €1.80 a minute is a price what you have to charge that’s including travel time. Will see in the future😎 anyway good luck for all the gardeners many happy returns

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Its difficult sometiems to calculate how long youll be at a job. Lawn cuts are fairly straight forward. With one off work you win some you lose some id day. All the best for this season Robert

[@robertveres6735]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 you are right man. I was totally wrong with my first one🤣 and lots of customers asking a bit more in here and there if you don’t mind 😂 and just added up the day.

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@robertveres6735 it's difficult. Haha yeah you always get customers, can you just cut that bit back there...etc! The odd bit I don't mind as it keeps them happy but if it's too much I do say, I will have to add a bit onto the price. Most people are fine though and don't take the piss!

[@jackwise9177]

Great advice, your channel is great

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Appreciate it mate cheers

[@Darren.73]

Good tips

[@garyjenkins3570]

Hi mate how about a van set up video , they are usually a good watch and very helpful , all the best with the channel

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Cheers Gary, yeah will add to the list. Was going to do something similar on the tools I have so could tie in the two 👍

[@carlwaylett7013]

Just started watching your videos 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Hope you're enjoying them 👍

[@aaron6841]

Your next vid could be 5 mistakes for a new allotment holder? /Gardener? Love your channel mate keep up the good work!

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Yeah thats a good idea mate, probably will do cheers 👍

[@aaron6841]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 Do you offer pesticides and fertilizers for customers what do you use? That might be a good vid ? good luck with the baby mate

[@mattwalker8230]

Good tips. I'd also add about having a waste plan. If I quote a job like grass cutting I'll include it, but with some big jobs like big hedge cutting and clearance, customers don't always realise how expensive and time consuming it can be to get rid of waste, so do that as separate price so they have the option. :-) keep up the good work, autumn's always busiest period for me 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Yeah thats what I do. Probably should have included it, as you say a lot of people might not do it separately and lose out on jobs because of it - great point!

[@mickeyhughes7244]

Spot on 👍🏼

[@djripsaw1]

I'd like to see a video on what processes you do month from month

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Hi there mate, thanks for commenting. How do you mean the processes?

[@loll1974]

Great video i just undervalued myself i charged 20pounds per hours for 8hys = 160 it was hard work big garden clearance and i still felt guilty taking the money .Well explained video

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

I just find an hourly rate too restricting. Plus, why should an hours heavy digging be the same as an hours light pruning? You live and learn though and it may work for some people, everyone's different

[@tiffpickford9722]

It’s good that you are sharing your experiences. I charge per hour and every minute I’m on the job is paid for. If it’s say 3hrs 45mins and we’ve finished everything then I have to charge for 4 hrs which is then doubled up to 8 as there are two of us. Then on to the next job.. It works well for me and you should start seeing an income very close to the VAT threshold. Employment is tricky but I got very lucky with the lad that works for me. To maximise your income if you are solo then I would just concentrate on grass cutting and hedges on a priced basis. I don’t like cutting lawns and leave that job to my employee as I just love pruning, weeding and dead heading. I think everyone has their strengths and that’s what you should follow. Good luck with your gardening business 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Thanks mate, great comment. I always like to hear how people run their own business. Sounds like you're doing really well

[@tiffpickford9722]

I have a set amount of clients which I visit on a two weekly or 4 weekly visit and they pay me per hour. The only way I can increase my income is to employ or use other self employed gardeners. If you clients are all private clients then you have to be careful that your income doesn’t go through the VAT threshold as this will mean a 20% increase on their invoice. It’s a tricky one I have deliberated over the years. At one point I had two employed and 3 part time self employed but that was difficult to manage and keep up the standards that I had already set. So I would say I could be more successful and build my business further as the work is definitely out there. It is finding that balance of really loving your job and making a reasonable living or pushing it to a very profitable business with employees and becoming a manager of people rather than working in gardens. One thing I was given advice on is don’t focus on what other people are doing focus on what you are doing. People can bullshit about their rates and their businesses. I suppose sharing your business on this platform will afford you good and bad comments. Sorry for the long winded rant. Good luck and I hope you prosper and most of all be happy with your choices. 👍👍

[@tonybarney5293]

First mistake I made was buying a cheap mower , some of my lawns are enormous ,and the mowers were only lasting 6 months , I relented and paid £1300 pounds for a professional mower and it’s lasted 4 years with a yearly service

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

I got lucky last year with my £60 mower. It's my spare now, I've gone for one of the cobra ones this season. Spent big on a good stihl kombi.

[@TheCurtisdavies]

hi mate can I ask what mower you bought

[@Jordan.E]

Great video! I usually just explain the higher cost for the first visit as it will take be longer to bring the garden to my standard then every visit after I can maintain it... I usually breakdown the quote too explaining what's included every visit plus the ad-hoc stuff like pruning, I tend to factor a few courses of weed&feed throughout the year too as I find it adds a bit more value to the customer knowing I'm not just there to mow and go

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Yeah good stuff mate. Each time I quote I literally tell them everything I'll do that way there's no confusion! Haha Quite a few times the first visit need a bit of a job doing to it as you say so it's a good way of earning a bit extra. Which weed and feed do you use?

[@Jordan.E]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 I use miracle grow 4in1 at the moment, good results but not very cost effective... I'll be trialling out a new company I found online soon called "agrigem" on my own lawn then might set up an account to bulk buy

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@Jordan.E same as me I think. Do you include that on most lawns then within the overall price?

[@Jordan.E]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 I'd estimate how much I'd use through the year and divide that by the amount of visits... If it works out to just a couple of quid then I'd just apply it within the job, larger lawns I'd add it on to the nearest £5 Some of my gardens I don't bother with at all though, like where they park on the grass or have dogs that leave highly concentrated nitrogen patches lol

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@Jordan.E ah right yeah cheers. Few of those 'dog' gardens on my round!

[@MrCrazydogy]

Nice video. How do you usually deal with weeds that are inbetween tiles or in tight gaps in general? Cheers!

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

I have a scraper tool which gets in between

[@TezzaSuzanne]

Hey, thanks for the videos. When you say "don't do extras"... Imagine I have a regular 2h every fortnight, and they ask to dig a new border either within that or add an extra hour to do it, do you say "no, I'll price it separately"? I'm anxious it will loose me the client or give me a bad reputation for being greedy. Painting a fence seems easy to do separately, but digging a border seems to me to be part of gardening! I do agree it's harder work though. Am I being too nice?

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

It's a tricky one. I don't have any jobs where they're a dedicated amount of time so to speak so it's easier for me. If I had a job similar to yours where I dedicate 2 hours to a job, if they want a boarder digging and they are happy for other things not to get done, it may be difficult to say no. If you're anxious you may lose the customer I'd just say get it dug and then forget about it. Easy for us youtubers to say things but I always like to tell people it's your business and do what YOU feel is right. There are jobs where I go against my own advice as it FEELS the right thing to do

[@adrianhoward7253]

Brilliant top tips, do you give your customers a time that you’ll be there, I’ve stopped doing that; because of the hassle; now it’s before dinner or after dinner just in case. What’s your plans over the winter period;

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

It varies but I'm similar to you. If I MUST give a time I try to keep it AM or PM. A couple of older customers with access through the garage I'm sort of stuck to a time but it all works well enough. I'm buying a power wash soon so hoping to do driveway/patio cleans. I have a driveway clean booked for October so once I start to advertise that I'm hoping to get some bookings. I have 4 air B&B properties which is carrying on albeit monthly rather than fortnightly and just hoping I get a steady trickle of garden jobs come through as well

[@adrianhoward7253]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 I do pressure washing too I spent a fortune on gear from a firm called spina clean in north Hampton . I get the hod job that I do on a weekend that pemote a bit more for winter months also cutter cleaning with a sky vac. Witch is good money 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@adrianhoward7253 which pressure washer you got? Haven't thought of gutter cleans...maybe a bit high for me 😬

[@adrianhoward7253]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 Gutter cleaning no ladders it’s done with vacuum and carbon fibre poles/ it’s called sky vac google it. / pressures washer is a Honda pump and turbo Lance. Awesome bit of kit both of them 👍

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@adrianhoward7253 ah right ok yeah I'll google that thanks.

[@adamlittlewood1453]

Great video. What would be the optimal amount of gardens per day would you recommend.

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Depends what you're doing in them. You can do more grass cuts than full garden maintenance jobs. Grass cuts only realistically anywhere between 4 to 6 or 7 depending on the size. That's just me. I couldnt be out all day doing gardens until 6/7pm

[@adamlittlewood1453]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 thanks for the reply much appreciated. You have inspired me to make the decision of going for it and moving forward with my own business.

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@adamlittlewood1453 good stuff. Best of luck with it

[@TheCurtisdavies]

@@adamlittlewood1453good luck 🙌🏼

[@conormilton5163]

Do you charge for taking away any rubbish? Like a rubbish disposal fee? Maybe not it it's just one bag of grass but maybe a slightly bigger job with a bit of debri I suppose you'd have too? I'm recently starting a grass cutting business and just looking for some advice

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Yeah, £20 per dumpy sack. The big tonne sacks

[@FromLawtoGardening]

You have no idea how many hours I have spent traveling from site to site 😂🙈

[@DjDolHaus86]

I'm still charging one old lady £10 an hour because that was my rate 12 or so years ago and I've never had the heart to bump it up. Fortunately it's a tiny garden and I do a few neighbours nearby so it's not a completely wasted trip

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

She'll love you mate. You do what works for you 👍

[@DjDolHaus86]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 she makes a mean cuppa and always has homemade cake so it balances out 🤣

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@DjDolHaus86 tea and cake is probably worth a fiver isn't it especially homemade!

[@DjDolHaus86]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 exactly

[@MohamedFareedh]

I am sorry but I need to ask this question. I bought a strimmer a month back and it had a whole spool but the other day when I was doing the edges. I realised the spool had run out. Can anyone confirm that this is normal or is my strimmer not working properly?

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Yeah mate absolutely fine. I probably have to renew my line every 4-6 weeks approx. You can buy different quality and thickness so it lasts longer as well.

[@MohamedFareedh]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 ahhh thank you for replying. I myself have started a gardening business in the last two months and I am really enjoying it. As your next video, I would love to see what sort of equipment did you buy to use when you first started. All I own is a flymolawner and a basic strimmer. It seems fine for now as I only do it part time.

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@MohamedFareedh No problem. Yeah, that is on my list to do 👍 I bought some new, some 2nd hand. I didn't buy a leaf blower at first but I wished I had. It saves so much time and gives a lovely neat finish for any stray blades of grass etc. Really useful. Good luck with it 👍

[@MohamedFareedh]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 thank you mate!

[@TheCurtisdavies]

11:05… I disagree here mate, in my eyes 10 mins is still chargeable & you should never do free jobs, customers will just take whatever then can get, great content though really enjoying your vids 🙌🏼

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Fine lines for me. If the same customer constantly asked me to do these little bits for 5 or 10 mins then I'd add money on. But if it's someone who litterally asked me as a one off, depending on the job of course I might do it. I've become a bit more battle hardened since this video 2 years ago though and a lot less tolerable 🤣🤣

[@mickeyhughes7244]

I have fixed prices for jobs, based on sq/m..subscriptions are the way forward..never work an hourly rate ...also half day and full day minimum prices..if someone feels that's too expensive, then move on. I have a lawn care business..so just lawns

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

Good stuff mate totally agree 👍

[@mickeyhughes7244]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 really enjoyed your honest upload...prices are never talked about where I believe they should be..our equipment isn't cheap and we work professionally to high standards

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@mickeyhughes7244 I have quite a lot of pricing videos. Obviously all just ball park figures but I feel like when I started, there was nobody really giving actual examples. People either agree or disagree but it gives a starting point. I'm wrong a lot of the time too! Haha

[@mickeyhughes7244]

@@TheGreyGardener1990 great stuff. I've just subscribed

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

@@mickeyhughes7244 Great. Hope you enjoy the channel 👍

[@jamiestanden7980]

I wish you'd make your videos a bit louder

[@TheGreyGardener1990]

This was one without my mic I think.