Garden design or ‘Outdoor room’ designing is hugely popular. Everyone wants to make the most of their little patch of greenery, but if you’re busy or just manage to kill every plant you touch, then it’s best to leave things to the experts.
However, if you’d like to become one of those experts yourself and turn your gardening prowess into a profitable business, then we have a selection of some of the best gardening franchises on offer.
Why go for a franchise?
Setting up a gardening business on your own is one of the most challenging business models you can go for. Not only do you have all the usual start-up stumbles such as trying to pull in customers and dealing with the competition, but gardening is also massively influenced by the weather. During the winter you’re going to be much quieter than in the busy spring and summer periods when there simply won’t be enough hours in the day to deal with all your clients’ jobs. A wet spell could bring your business to a complete halt for days or even weeks at a time – do you have the financial cushion to cope with those down-times when there’s no money coming in?
It’s also an intensely physical career, so you’re going to need to be physically strong and healthy. Again, a bout of ill health could stop your gardening business in its tracks.
While a franchise cannot help with the physical demands of gardening (we might be able to recommend a good gym you could join, though), it can help you create a business model that takes into account the seasonal fluctuations by advising you on what kind of gardening service is the most profitable all year round. That could be anything from garden design through to hard landscaping.
Franchise support means you’ll also get that vital help and advice when it comes to marketing your business, drumming up customers and, most importantly, keeping them coming back to you time and time again.
Is a franchise expensive?
Franchises range in price from low initial investments up to substantial capital investments over a period of time. However, some lenders specialise in providing five-year loans to help entrepreneurs buy into their chosen franchise. They usually provide up to 70% of the investment total required, with the franchisee providing the other 30% from their own funds.
What we would advise is to plan carefully and avoid maxing out credit cards or personal loans to buy into a franchise. It’s worth waiting for a little longer until you have all the financing in place (as well as a little extra as a cushion for the initial start-up period) before applying for a franchise. Investments can be substantial, but then again so can the rewards.
Why is a franchise better than starting my own business solo?
We’ve already spoken about the support network you get, but there’s one other strong influencer when it comes to choosing a franchise – the brand identity. With your own business, you’re literally starting from scratch. A good reputation takes a long time to establish, and your customers will be looking for that reassurance that they’re dealing with a name they can trust. With a franchise, you have exactly that from the outset.
Take, for example, one of our top picks for gardening franchises, Daniel Moquet. This popular landscaping and driveway specialist started in France 40 years ago and built up a solid reputation as the country’s leading experts in driveways, patios and hard landscaping. In 2005 they began offering franchises across Europe and now has over 200 branches in France, Belgium and Spain. They have an unrivalled reputation when it comes to quality of work, design excellence, and customer satisfaction. The firm took the top franchise ranking in France in 2017 and has won various awards including the Gold Medal for Best Franchise Network.
Big investment, but a big return
While you will most definitely need to talk to a lender to finance a Daniel Moquet franchise (the initial investment is £45,000, with franchise fees of £17,700 and a total investment of £250,000) the potential returns after two years could easily top half a million pounds. There’s plenty of support too, with 20 days’ pre-training in the field, followed by a six-week training course at the company’s headquarters.
Continuing assistance and annual training, along with technical consultancy services and help with networking, advertising and business management means you get a lot for your money. In the UK, you’ll also be at the vanguard of the franchise, as Daniel Moquet is only just starting to move into the UK. That means you’ll have the pick of the territories on offer.
Why is a driveway franchise better than a standard gardening franchise?
While the weather heavily influences gardening franchises, it is possible to design and lay a driveway or carry out hard landscaping even when conditions aren’t ideal. The cost of installing a driveway is higher than other gardening services too, so the revenue stream is more stable. It is a more complex business model, but one that’s well worth looking at if you love something that will challenge you mentally more than lawn management and garden care business models. However, if you’d like to find out what other garden design franchises are on offer, take a look at our Garden Design: Grow Your Own Franchise article.
Conclusion
To create the perfect garden, you need a good base to work from, and that will inevitably involve some hard landscaping. Driveways and patios are an integral part of garden design but are not always within the remit of some gardening designers. It’s a skilled job that requires a detailed understanding of not only hard construction but design concepts as well. Daniel Moquet is regarded as the experts in this field in France and across Europe, and have been delivering exceptional hard landscaping and driveway services for 40 years.
Now, they’re looking to move into the UK with franchises that could yield a return of over half a million within two years. While the initial investment levels are higher than other gardening franchises, the returns are exceptional. Investors are willing to provide financial backing, and as long as you’re prepared to commit time and effort into the franchise, it has the potential to be one of the most profitable gardening franchises on offer.
The Editorial Team, Point Franchise ©
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