Landscape Business Planning Guide

[Team Gopher]

Here is some great reading material.

LANDSCAPE BUSINESS PLANNING GUIDE

RISK MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS PLANNING
The most significant risk facing small businesses, particularly startups, is the risk that they will not survive.
According to the United States Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov), as many as 80% of small businesses fail within their first two years.
This business planning guide aims to reduce the risk of failure or landscaping businesses through the creation of a well-conceived business plan, optimizing the chances of survival, and ultimately, prosperity.

Download this pdf file.

[Phil Nilsson]

Business planning is good but in spite of it ... how many people are really prepared to deal with the complexities of running a business? It takes more than a plan ... many simply can't handle the stress, uncertainty, flying solo, the level of self confidence needed and etc. Of the 80% or so that fail, my guess is that at least half of them had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they quit their job to go into business. You need a tremendous amount of "resolve" to make it in business.

Franchised business has the opposite statistics ... 90% succeed! Why? Franchises offer a "support group" to lean on whereas independents are "on their own".

Before you go into business ... know that it's a jungle where only the "strong" survive. If you are not ready, willing and able to put 300% into it ... keep your day job!

[BCSteel]

No one can put in more than 100% as that is the limit. 300% would require 2 more people to give their total lives to your business and that isnt going to happen. I'd just make sure to give my 100% and leave it at that. Partners suck.

[SodBuster]

Great disipline generates enormous strength. It's the crack of dawn and I'm ready to take on the day. Let's get it on.

[Phil Nilsson]

Business planning connects directly to life planning. What do you expect? What do you need? The answers often come down to the amount of money you need to earn but it goes way beyond that because your business "life" is only one part of your life. Spend too much time on business and too little time with the other aspects of your life and expect problems. Business failure at around 80% takes on another dimension because a good deal of business failures "hinge" on a breakdown of one kind or another in a person's personal life.

If you intend working completely solo ... success is entirely in your hands ... but even if you employ others it's still "your show" and the question is just how big a show you want to deal with.