Hi Jordan

If you love gardening then it's a great idea. You are going to be working for a long time, so do what you enjoy. Not only are there the affluent people you have already identified, there are also more older people who need a helping hand with their gardens. There is also a growing number of professional people who are being required to work longer hours and so have less time to maintain their garden.

Tips

1. get some training - at local college
2. get some practical experience - is there any formal gardens nearby where you might be able to get work experience?
3. do you know a retired or experienced gardener? - a useful source of information
4. keep things simple to start with - garden maintenance
5. try to stretch your working year as long as possible - maybe by offering to paint garden furniture, sheds, fences, decking in autumn and/or early spring
6. give people surprises (nice ones!) - at the beginning of the year grow some bedding plants and give them away to your clients - just imagine arriving at someone's house and opening the back of your van and asking your client to pick some for their garden - they would be delighted and will tell all their friends - and they would get to see how good you are at growing plants
7. get the small things right - be reliable, turn up on the right day at the right time - be pleasant - be presentable - you never get a second chance to make a first impression!
8. start small and grow steady - build your clients by recommendation/referrals and don't go for expensive advertising
9. borrow tools and equipment to start with if you can from family/friends - hire if you need to - buy when you start making some money - gradually invest in equipment each year
10. keep tight control of your cash - sods law says money will go out faster than you expect and come in slower than you think

Good luck with your venture.

If you have any questions or queries about any of the above or about setting up in business, please just ask.

Kind regards

Gordon

www.astonaccounting.co.uk