My Client: Gardener and Landscaper
My client took early retirement a couple of years ago and soon began to get itchy feet. He used to run and work as a gardener and landscaper many moons ago and soon began gardening for himself again, something he realised he had missed doing and had had little time to do whilst working.
He enjoyed gardening and using his creative nature and gardening know how again and was soon agreeing to help out friends, neighbours and family with their gardens and the seed was planted.
He soon decided to go back to his ‘roots’ and take up gardening as a living again, he started up his own business, initially as a small part time job to fill his spare time, but word of his work, expertise and creativity got around and he soon found the business going from strength to strength.
Why he works with me:
As my clients business grew, he found it harder and more time consuming to keep on top of the day to day administration that comes with running a business, along with keeping on top of his new and regular bookings, consultations etc. This was starting to effect his time with his family and had started to take the enjoyment out of what he did.
However, as a growing business, he still wasn’t sure how much work he would have for an in house secretary/administrator and he didn’t want to risk taking on a full time or even part time employee and going through the headache of the associated legal requirements of doing so, plus, with no premises and no real idea of how well the business would continue to do, he contacted me.
He needed a flexible arrangement, where he could turn to me if and when required. Not only because of the uncertainty of his work load at the beginning but also due to the work being seasonal, in the quiet periods he didn’t want the pressures of having to find the money to pay a permanent employee.
How I help him and how we work:
Diary Management
The first point of call was organising and setting up a diary system, to which we both have access to. We use Google calendar to do this.
Keeping on top of regular customers visits, customer maintenance visits which are more sporadic and booking appropriate slots for new consultations so that regular customers were not affected were my clients initial priorities.
As time has gone on and the business continues to grow, bigger blocks of time need to be scheduled for customers requesting bigger jobs and garden makeovers, again without having a detrimental effect on existing regular customers.
The business has also expanded to other areas, due to recommendations (he really is very good) so that also became a factor in how the diary was managed. Scheduling customers in the differing areas appropriately, reducing travelling times, travelling costs and providing the customers with set days, weeks and times so they know when to expect my client.
My client also has ad hoc contract work, which can come in at any time, having an efficient and up to date diary system allows my client to know when he is able to fulfil these visits at a glance.
As well as managing customer visits, consultations and meetings, I also ensure that entries are put on and reminders set up in respect of customers who are awaiting quotes by a certain date and when my clients own business bills are due etc.
Invoicing
As my clients business grew, he found it harder to find the time at the end of each month to produce invoices and keep on top of invoicing for one off jobs.
I introduced the use of an online customisable invoice system, whereby I can easily produce the invoices for my client with his business logo etc and keep on top of the payments received.
I created a couple of separate spreadsheets (having separate spreadsheets works best for my client) that we both have access to via Dropbox, where he can simply put the number of hours worked for each customer visited at the end of each day, it takes no time at all and leaves his evenings free to spend with his family.
The way in which I have set it up allows me to take a look at the end of each week and/or month and produce the invoices for him. He doesn’t have to worry about trying to free up a whole week at the end of each month and the customers receive their invoices as agreed and on time.
I then keep track of payments received and update the invoice system. I have access to my clients bank account and am able to keep track of payments this way, although many customers email when they have paid.
Credit Control
This sounds scarier than what it is, credit control is merely me acting as the go between for my client.
Some customers forget that they haven’t paid their latest invoice. I have a set day each month, after all payments should have been received, that I check my clients invoice records, those that are still marked as outstanding I contact. I simply give them a call or email gently reminding them that a payment is still due and find out when it can be expected. The customer is then aware of the oversight and my client is updated on the current status of the payment. I then keep an eye on these outstanding payments, for example, his contract work can take longer to be received due to the contractor waiting for a third party payment, I am able to find this out, find out when to expect payment and make a note to contact the contractor again if this date passes.
This arrangement enables my client to maintain his friendly relationship with the client without the awkwardness of having to ask for money. It enables my client to get on with what he does best without having to worry about chasing up his money or trying to keep on top of who has and who hasn’t paid and all whilst keeping the business looking and running professionally.
Expenses
I have created a spreadsheet, which we can both access through Dropbox, where I keep a record of expenses paid out for customer materials, which are itemised and added on to customer invoices, when the customer has paid their bill, I ensure that the cost of any materials are paid off of the appropriate source from which they were originally purchased.
The fact that I keep a record of and handle this side of the expenses gives my client one less thing to worry about and keep an eye on, freeing up his billable hours.
My client also, like most business owners, has personal expenses. I created a spreadsheet to keep a record of these, which we again, both have access to via Dropbox. My client can now easily record any expenses that he directly incurs such as paying out for materials, tools, fuel costs etc.
I set reminders and ensure this is kept up to date on a regular basis so it is easily accessible when it comes to handing everything over to his accountant. This has enabled my client to easily record his expenses in a quick and convenient format.
Email Management
New and existing customers do request quotes, ask for initial visits, extra visits and send general enquiries via email.
I have created folders for my clients regular customers and contractors in Google mail, enabling my client to see at a glance if any customer has sent mail, especially the contractors, who tend to request work via email.
I check the email account every other day and respond to any customer emails, whether it be a friendly email assuring them that their email has been received and my client will be in touch, confirming that their request to rearrange a scheduled visit has been received and altered (which I do in the diary) or answering customer queries where I can.
I flag up any emails that I have been unable to answer and that need my clients attention and delete any pesky spam emails that have found their way in and check and empty the spam folders etc.
This means that my client is able to go into his email, see at a glance what he needs to attend to and he doesn’t have to spend hours sifting through, deleting and/or trying to prioritise emails.
Advertising
Occasionally I have been asked to do tasks that would fall under the header of advertising, however, my client has never had to officially advertise, all his work has been gained through word of mouth and recommendations.
I have however, designed and ordered his business cards and flyers, researched advertising prices in his towns local magazine and local newspapers as well as looking in to prices and guidelines for online advertising and looked in to ‘trade’ shows and local shows.
General
I of course do other ad hoc duties as and when required, which have even included purchasing Christmas cards for my client to send to customers, booking tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show and renewing my clients magazine subscriptions, association memberships etc.
My client and I talk once or twice a week, depending on the level of work, to touch base and ensure that we are both on the same page and that he is aware of anything coming up and he can let me know about any changes, special circumstances, special rates etc.
The Result:
My client now has far more time to concentrate on what he does best – creating and maintaining beautiful gardens. He is able to provide a top rate service to his customers, keep on top of all the paperwork and still have a life!
He is now organised, knows what he is doing and when, gets paid on time and can continue to enjoy his passion for all things horticultural.
The flexibility I provide enables my client the freedom over the quieter months that he needs. Over the course of an ‘in season’ month he earns significantly more than what he pays out for my services and he always has the flexibility to budget or increase when and where necessary without the worries of paying an employee’s tax, national insurance and holiday/sick pay.
I love what I do and the variety of tasks each day brings, if you would like to discuss how we could work together do get in touch. If the services you require aren’t listed above, drop me a line to discuss your requirements or take a look at the other services I offer.