How to Create a Landscaping Business Plan

Hardly a dull-as-bricks doc that doubles as a doorstop, a business plan is more like a stone path. That leads to a tranquil garden. Full of blossoming potential.

Overworked metaphors aside, creating a business plan for your landscaping company really doesn’t have to be a soul-crushing exercise. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It’s an opportunity for you to set the course for your future–and that of your team. Writing a business plan is the chance to take the devotion and attention you normally put into creating beautiful outdoor spaces for your customers, and turn it inwards.

What do you want to achieve? What impact will your company have on the world?

Running a successful landscaping business goes beyond just getting jobs done, though it can be tough to see the forest for the trees when you’re immersed in grueling conditions and juggling endless demands sixteen hours a day.

Never fear. We’re here to help you realize what’s possible. With this overview, you won’t just define your vision for a thriving lawn care business, you’ll have an executable plan to actually build one.

What is a landscape business plan?

A landscape business plan is a map for the future that lays out the financial, operational, sales, and marketing strategies for the company over the next 5 to 10 years.

Why does my landscaping company need a business plan?

Believe it or not, most landscaping companies are operating without a well-defined business plan, which might lead you to question the purpose of putting in all the effort to create one in the first place. After all, everyone else seems to be doing okay…

But there’s the first clue towards your answer. Other companies might be getting by, and that’s fine for them, but you know you’re capable of more than just okay. Much, much more.

Still unsure? Here are a few other reasons why a thoughtfully written business plan is a total game changer:

• A mental image for the future - even one that feels clear and exciting - is a small fraction as effective as a written plan for keeping you on course when the going gets tough.
• A business plan facilitates faster decision-making when you come to forks in the road (and there will be many)
• Providence is real. The universe has a funny way of helping you when you painstakingly put pen to paper and write a detailed picture of the business you truly want. Without this... you're smoking hope dope.

What should I include in my landscaping business plan?

1. Executive Summary - highlights of your business plan
2. Company Overview - key details about your company and culture
3. Market Analysis - industry, competitors and customers
4. Marketing & Sales Strategy - how you’ll land jobs
5. Operations Plan - how you’ll execute those jobs
6. Financials & Revenue Forecasting - how much you’ll make from those jobs

It’s worth mentioning that these are the main sections typically found in business plan templates. Unless you need a formalized structure that appeals to investors, feel free to customize your plan and call your sections whatever you want. Instead of “Company Overview,” you could use something like “Our Why” or “The Reason We’re Here.”

Below, we’ll take you through the thought process to get to a finished plan.

How do I write a landscaping business plan?

1. Conduct market analysis: Who’s your competition?
2. Work out what matters: What’s your company’s WHY?
3. Study your numbers: Where are your profit margins?
4. Decide how you’ll close jobs: What do you need to bring in the door?
5. Set an operational path: How will you get the work done?
6. You’ve got your plan - now summarize it!

Here are more details on each step, as well as which section of your business plan the answers relate to.

Step 1. Conduct market analysis

Analyzing the landscaping industry in your region forces you to step back and see the bigger picture before you delve into figuring out where your company will fit in best.

For this section, you want to understand who your competitors are and who your ideal customers are. This will require some research to uncover:

• What’s the outlook for growth of the overall landscaping industry?
• Which specific services are in demand?
• Who are the highest profile companies offering those services?
• Which landscaping businesses do you admire?
• What kind of potential clients are the best customers?
• Where can you find them?

Your answers to these questions will make up the third section of your business plan: Market Analysis.

Step 2. Work out what matters

Now that you understand the landscape (literally!), figure out what makes your company distinct from all the others out there. Beyond just the fact that you’ll have a business plan, and they won’t.

Some of the questions to consider in this step include:

• Which landscaping services will you focus on? Examples include: landscape design, lawn maintenance, snow removal, and outdoor carpentry.
• What can your company do better than anyone else?
• What does your brand stand for?
• Beyond just landscaping, what larger purpose does your company serve?
• In other words, what motivates you more than money?

Your answers to these questions will form the second section of your plan: Company Overview. (Or whatever you decide to call it.)

Step 3. Study your numbers

Many landscapers skip crunching the numbers before starting their business. This is a mistake, because knowing your revenues, profit margins, budget and cashflow go a loooong way towards helping you complete the sections on sales, marketing and operations. (Which is also why we recommend writing this section now.)

That being said, what should you do if you don’t have historical data to work from?

If you don’t know your numbers – either because you haven’t been tracking them or your dog ate them – do your best with whatever you’ve got. Estimated guesses are okay for new entrepreneurs. You’ve gotta start somewhere, after all.

Try to puzzle together the following financial projections:

• What are your anticipated annual operating expenses, both fixed and variable?
• What sort of net and gross profit margins are you aiming for?
• What’s your target annual revenue over the next 5 to 10 years?

Your answers will help you build out the last section of your plan: Financials & Revenue Forecasting.

If you don’t have a formal financial plan in place, now’s the time to rectify that. This Budget Quick Tool is a great place to start.

Step 4. Decide how you’ll close jobs

Now you’re really getting into the weeds. Based on the figures you settled on in the previous step, write your sales and marketing plan by describing how you’ll convert leads into jobs.

If you can determine the following, you’ll be well on your way:

• What’s your average job size?
• How many jobs do you need to complete to meet your revenue and profit margin targets?
• How many estimates do you need to do to land that many jobs?
• How many leads?
• How are you going to attract prospective customers?

The answers to these questions will underpin the fourth section of your plan: Sales & Marketing.

Step 5. Set an operational path

At this stage, you’ve essentially identified where you’re going. Now you’ll start piecing together the high-level plan to get there.

Without getting bogged down in the nitty-gritty, sketch out the following:

• What’s your BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goal)?
• Who will you need on your team?
• What systems do you need to implement?
• How will you keep track of progress?
• How will you instill a sense of accountability within your team?

These answers will help you round out the fifth section: Operations Plan.

Once you’ve completed this step, you’ve also laid the groundwork for your annual strategic planning, where you’ll break your BHAG down into executable actions. (The planning never ends… welcome to being a business owner.)

Step 6. Summarize it!

Alright, you made it to the final step, which is also the easiest. There isn’t anything to figure out here, you’ve basically got your plan worked out, you just need to create an overview of it.

It should include brief statements that cover the highlights of the other sections.

It may be the last piece you write, but it will ultimately be the first section of your plan: Executive Summary.

Do’s & Don’ts of creating a landscaping business plan

How do I turn my plan into action?

As Mike Tyson has famously said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. A plan is only as good as your ability to implement it. Act like everyone else, and you’ll end up exactly as they are: average.

What differentiates elite painters from the rest is their ability to execute. But that’s definitely easier said than done, and not something you need to tackle alone.

As part of Breakthrough Academy’s coaching program, we’ll help you develop a Master Business Plan that includes everything you need to bring your goals to fruition, including an at-a-glance dashboard to keep tabs on your finances, sales and projects.

Want a hand with your business plan? Learn more about Breakthrough Academy’s coaching program for elite landscapers.