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Cover of Garden Services as a Side Hustle: Lawns, Hedges, Pruning and Running a Small Garden Business

Garden Services as a Side Hustle: Lawns, Hedges, Pruning and Running a Small Garden Business

Hybrid Learning Solutions · e-book

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About this book

A practical, South African guide to starting and running a small garden maintenance service, for young people looking for a first income, domestic and garden workers who want to work for themselves, retired people with gardening skill, horticulture and landscaping students who want to earn while they study, and small garden services that want to price and run better. Twelve chapters follow a young man in Mamelodi starting with a borrowed mower, a former nursery worker in Paarl who prunes roses and shrubs two days a week, and a team of three in East London with a bakkie, a trailer and two townhouse complex contracts, with advice from a landscaper of forty years in Gqeberha: what clients really want and what a garden service earns and costs; a starting tool kit, buying second-hand, fuel mixing and sharpening; working safely, with protective equipment, machines, heat, ladders, power lines, snakes and bees; lawns, mowing heights and the one-third rule; pruning, roses and hedges, and checking for nesting birds; soil, compost, mulch, water restrictions and invasive plants; weeds, pests and sprays the safe and legal way; garden refuse, dumping and protected trees; finding clients, site visits and written quotes; costing a visit, setting prices, invoicing and tax in general terms; employing helpers fairly, with the minimum wage, UIF and the Compensation Fund; and growing through winter work and complex contracts. Every calculation is worked, from a two-stroke fuel mix and a bag of lawn food to the cost of a refuse load, an hourly rate and a costed complex contract. Labour law, tax and the rules on pesticides, refuse and trees are taught in general terms, dated, so you always check with the department, SARS or the municipality. 26 diagrams and photographs, worked examples, practice exercises with answers, and a business file: a services list, a tool and maintenance log, a safety checklist, lawn and pruning calendars, a site visit sheet, spray and refuse records, a quote and service agreement, a cost-per-visit sheet and price list, an invoice and cash book, a team and route plan, a business plan, a glossary, where to get help, and 144 Exam prep questions. A Skills Series title. No mower, tool or product brands are named or recommended. Lecturers: a free Facilitator Guide (session plans built around a business file, supervised practical work on the college grounds, no spraying or tree work in class, teaching notes and every answer) is available to colleges registered with HybridE. To register your college, contact Thandeka on 073 431 6763.

What is inside

  1. Chapter 1: Is a Garden Service for You?
  2. Chapter 2: Tools and Equipment
  3. Chapter 3: Working Safely
  4. Chapter 4: Lawns
  5. Chapter 5: Pruning, Hedges and Beds
  6. Chapter 6: Soil, Compost, Mulch and Water
  7. Chapter 7: Weeds, Pests and Sprays, Safely
  8. Chapter 8: Garden Refuse and the Rules
  9. Chapter 9: Finding Clients and Quoting
  10. Chapter 10: Pricing, Costing and Getting Paid
  11. Chapter 11: Working with a Team
  12. Chapter 12: Growing the Business
  13. Appendix

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