The man who helps me out started off doing grass cutting. He has his own garden so knew the basics of gardening. He now has a long list of older gardening customers and does digging, pruning, planting and leaf clearing using customers' tools. In the winter he does interior decorating for many of his gardening customers.
I think it’s a fab idea and I would respond. I wouldn’t mind you using my tools. I’m always telling my sister to contact our local college for garden help. She can’t manage the garden but can’t afford to pay £20 for 30mins work either. Our mum pays that and by the time he’s unloaded the lawn mower from his trailer and then allows time to get it back on the trailer he literally just has time to cut the grass. He says he has lots of work and rushes to get to the next job. That’s not a bad income
Thanks. I really hope I can find people like this, I'm sure there's plenty around.
I would agree to not have a £20 min charge. If you just want a bit of help for 20 mins from someone local, it's too much. I know travel, petrol etc is involved, but it's off putting.
Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about upsetting the competition, unless you are in a small village. I have a student friend of mine to do heavy work - moving compost, wood, digging etc - as I have seriously hurt my back doing these things in recent years. The student charges about £12 an hour, but he is just beginning and doesn't know much about gardening yet. But he is great at cutting hedges, heaving out rocks etc. He is immensely strong. I have recommenced him to neighbours and he has a pretty healthy trade near me (North London). Esp on allotments.
He uses all my tools, and my neighbours'. We wouldn't expect otherwise. He's a young man without a car. He brings just rain gear if needed and his own gloves.
I think your idea is a good one. Just make it very clear up front that you would need to use the owners own tools. No problem. I never so much as glance at fliers or cards through the letterbox and I have a 'No Junk Mail' sign up, so it irritates me when people ignore it. Recommendations through neighbourhood groups, social media (like this forum), U3A, community gardens etc is the way to go.
Thanks for telling me this. Its exactly how I pictured/hoped things could pan out. Not such a crazy idea after all Thanks again.
Just to say thank you to everyone! Rather than answering to all of you. So grateful for all the insights and experiences. I can see this is very possible now. Just the kick of confidence I need to get started and word of mouth is the way I'm going to go.
Good luck with the project. Thinking about it, I have several friends doing similar things in London. Check back in with us and let us know how it goes.
When i was made redundant a few years back i spent the entire Summer doing gardens. Used my own kit (electric mower, battery hedge trimmer etc) which people didn't mind. Started off with an offer to clear and prepare a garden for a work colleague of my wife, just to stay busy. Pretty soon i was maintaining her nan's garden weekly, did some jobs for her dad (conifer trimming, shrub clearance) and also picked up 10-12 regular maintenance jobs for her friends, friends mothers nieces aunty etc, all by word of mouth. Best Summer of my life. The money was enough to keep the wolf from the door for a while. However to make it your living you have to work seriously hard and do a good job. Mistakes will be pounced upon by anyone with any knowledge and your word of mouth work will dry up. Don't let that put you off though. My 'clients' were grateful for the help and liked that i didn't charge the earth and that i was flexible. I had to stop as i recieved a good job offer and couldn't turn it down. Felt guilty but i recommended a friend of my mothers who gardened with his grandson as my replacement. They still work for several of my clients today. In many ways i wish i had carried on but the job offer (and the money) was too good to turn down.
Gardening. The cause of, and solution to, all of my problems.
Posts
In the winter he does interior decorating for many of his gardening customers.
Ahhhh.. feeling excited! Thanks again xxx