A Day in the Life: What It Takes to Run Your Own Gardening Franchise

If you’re considering investing with a gardening franchise, you need to be aware of what an average day in the life of a franchisee will look like. What will you be doing on a daily basis? What will your career look like? Though there’s no guarantee any two days will be the same, read on to see more about what your day could look like.

Brits love gardening. It’s estimated that around 24 million people in the UK enjoy gardening, so if you’re thinking of starting your own gardening business, you’re in good company. But, just like most other sectors, the gardening & lawncare industry has taken a hit during the pandemic.

While things have been difficult recently, gardening businesses can look forward to happier times ahead. Businesses are beginning to return to normal and, as many Brits have taken up gardening as a lockdown hobby, many gardening franchises are seeing massive interest.

If you’re looking to get involved in this sector, you can expect to be a part of this economic rebound. But what exactly does an average day in the life of a gardening franchisee look like? And what tasks will you be doing on a day-to-day basis?

A Day in the Gardening Sector

Here’s what a regular day for you could look like:

• Morning meetings: First things first, you’ll need to have a few early meetings just to make sure your employees and colleagues are all working together. If you’re not having team meetings, you might be talking to some of your suppliers. As the owner of your own business, you’ll need to be using the good communications skills you have to make sure your business is running smoothly.

• Merchandising and marketing: How you market your business can often be the difference between a business succeeding and failing. On a weekly, maybe even daily basis, you’ll need to be looking at your competitors, KPIs, and statistics to see how your business is performing. If you need to boost your sales, you might need to try marketing your business differently.

• Addressing customer enquiries: As a gardening franchisee, you’ll need to be speaking to potential customers all the time to deal with their very specific needs. There is an almost endless variety of specific products, tools and equipment that you could be dealing with. You won’t be able to guess your way into sales, you’ll need to know your products, know the industry, and be able to deal positively with as many enquiries as needed.

• Maintaining positive relationships: As a part of your local highstreet or community, the business you do will be as important as ever in helping give a boost to your local economy. Maintain positive relationships with your colleagues, customers and tradespeople, many of whom will have also lost a lot of their business. 

• Maintaining standards: Whether you are keeping your store clean and tidy, or updating your till software, keeping your business up to standard is an important task. Although your franchisor will likely help you update parts of your store, you’ll also need to make it a key responsibility to stay informed about the ways in which your industry is changing.

Advantages of joining a gardening franchise

Opening your own gardening business can be a profitable and rewarding endeavor. Here are three other advantages to opening a home improvement franchise.

• You’re in demand: More people have turned their hand to gardening than ever before. Whether your customers are growing plants, running allotments, or making improvements around the house, your services will be as in-demand as they’ve ever been.

• You’ll have lots of satisfaction: As consumer habits change towards greener, more sustainable ways of living, people are looking for ways to upgrade their homes. You’ll be playing a big role in helping them achieve exactly that.

• You’ll be a part of a big business: Rather than starting out on your own, by being a franchisee, you’ll be able to count on the support of your franchisor and franchisee network. If you need advice or have questions that need answering, you won’t be on your own.

Challenges of joining a gardening franchise

• Working hours: Depending on the size and scale of your business, you might find yourself having to work long hours. When you decide to become your own boss, you may be hoping that you’ll be working to your own schedule. But, depending on your franchise agreement, you might find yourself working longer shifts than intended. Be clear about what you’re looking for when discussing your franchise agreement.

• Customer-facing roles: Working with the public can be fun. But it can also sometimes be difficult and draining. Make sure that you keep a positive mentality at all times and remind your colleagues frequently to laugh off whatever bad encounters they may have.

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Become a franchisee in the gardening sector

If becoming a franchisee for a gardening and home improvement business still sounds good, you’re almost certainly a great match for some of the businesses operating in this sector. If you want to take the next step, here’s a couple of opportunities for you to explore.

1. Lawnkeeper

Having been providing lawn services for residential and commercial clients for over 20 years, Lawnkeeper is one of the leading gardening and home improvement franchises in the UK. With an investment of £25,000 + VAT, you’ll be given a full package of any equipment needed plus full marketing support.

2. Colourfence

Colourfence is seen as the best general garden fencing product on the market today. Providing fencing that is attractive and fit for purpose without the expensive and time consuming annual treatments, Colourfence guarantees its fences for 25 years. 

To open your own business as a Colourfence franchisee, you’ll need to make a total investment of £35,000. As part of your franchise agreement, you’ll be given a detailed training programme that will involve a mixture of sales, management, administration, technical, and practical skills. 

Invest in a gardening business and become a franchisee today

If you’re looking to invest in a gardening business, you can find out more about what you’ll need to put together a successful business plan for your gardening franchise. Or, if the gardening industry isn’t quite right for you, browse a full list of franchise opportunities on the UK franchise directory.