How to Start a Gardening Class Business

Many homeowners and renters with available outdoor space are choosing to cultivate fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens in these areas. Gardening classes employ master gardeners to teach courses on gardening techniques, materials, and methods to class participants.

Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.

Northwest ($29 + State Fees)

DIY: How to Start an LLC

Start a gardening class business by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Gardening Class Business
  2. Form your Gardening Class Business into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Gardening Class Business for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Gardening Class Business
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Gardening Class Business
  7. Get Gardening Class Business Insurance
  8. Define your Gardening Class Business Brand
  9. Create your Gardening Class Business Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your gardening class business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Gardening Class Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state’s business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability

It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a gardening class business?

Costs for opening and running a gardening class business can be kept to a minimal, but there are some essentials that you’ll need to get started and remain in business. This business requires gardening supplies, both for the instructor and for the students. You can stick with the basics to begin, but you will likely need to restock the supplies of tools, fertilizers, pots, buckets, soil mixes, watering cans, and other gardening essentials. You’ll also want to create or rent a space in which to hold your classes. If you have space on your property, you may be able to create a permanent gardening classroom that works for classes year round. Chairs, workbenches, hoses, and a wheelbarrow or two are all good investments.

You’ll need to spend some money on advertising, internet and phone access, a website and monitored hosting, business cards, signs and posters, and any business licenses specific to your area. You will also need comprehensive insurance, as you’ll be interacting with the general public and asking them to engage in hands-on learning.

What are the ongoing expenses for a gardening class business?

Most ongoing expenses will be the tools and materials for explaining your gardening techniques. Lumber, soil, pots, and gardening tools are some examples. Additionally, you’ll need to pay for internet and phone service, website hosting and maintenance, and some advertising.

Who is the target market?

Your target market will consist of individuals, 30-60 years old, who wish to increase their knowledge and understanding of gardening or farming.

How does a gardening class business make money?

Gardening class businesses make money from the fees paid by students or participants to take your classes.

How much can you charge customers?

The costs to run this type of business can be fairly small, but you will need to factor in materials costs for each class. Make sure you charge an amount that more than covers operating costs, yet isn’t so expensive that it deters potential customers. Research the costs for similar hands-on seminars or classes in your area to help gauge appropriate and competitive rates.

How much profit can a gardening class business make?

A gardening class business can earn a reasonable amount of profit, most likely in the area of $7500-$10,000 annually.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Once you’re established as a successful and knowledgeable teacher and gardener, you can look into teaching some more niche aspects of gardening, farming, and horticulture. Grafting, cloning, and pollinating or building planters and greenhouses might be too advanced for some, but will be interesting classes to offer in order to gauge student interest. You may also consider opening your own gardening shop, where you can offer students the same products you use in your classes.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your gardening class business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.

This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.

In practice, this means that if your gardening class business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.

FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a travel photography business.

Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply.

  • Check with your town, city or county clerk’s office

Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.

Find out what types of insurance your Gardening Class Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Gardening Class Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a gardening class business

Marketing and promoting this type of business requires some general advertising formats, as well as some more specific and partnered methods. To begin, create a website and social media accounts for your business. These forms of communication and promotion can be relatively inexpensive and will provide you with at platform to begin communicating with potential students and other gardeners. Opening lines of communication to introduce yourself and what you can offer will serve you well, as word of mouth recommendations are very powerful advertising tools. You can also register students for your classes through your website.

Next, you’ll want to have some business cards, flyers, and road signs printed to communicate the time and place where you’ll be holding your classes. You can also ask local garden and farm supply businesses if you can leave cards or flyers at their counters or in their windows. This will allow you to approach partnerships with local businesses, as well. By asking them for advertising space, you can in turn advertise these businesses to your students through your classes. You might also be able to make a deal to purchase class materials through them at a discounted rate or even offer classes at the store locations. Your partnerships with local businesses can significantly help your overall reach and business success.

How to keep customers coming back

Since you’re relying on positive student experiences to draw more students in and retain existing ones, you should strive to give students a meaningful and insightful class curriculum. Give each class your best effort, but always leave a little for the next class. Interlock the information so that students will need to return to future classes to complete their training. Keep in contact with your students, both during and after the classes have concluded. These personalized relationships will then help foster new and expanded student experiences.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPressWIXWeeblySquarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Do you have gardening experience and a knack for talking to small and medium-sized crowds? Do you enjoy explaining and demonstrating gardening work to others? If so, teaching gardening classes could be an excellent fit for you. This type of business venture looks to help individuals become more adept at gardening, in exchange for a reasonable fee. Small business experience or teaching experience are also beneficial for starting up such a career. Gather your materials and organize some lessons and see your students’ gardening dreams come to life.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a gardening class business?

A gardening class business needs class participants in order to be successful. Your biggest concern, then, will be connecting learners with the classes you are offering. This means catching their attention through numerous types of advertising and marketing campaigns. Social media posts, print and billboard ads, managing a website and related blog, joining online and regional gardening forums and organizations, and communicating and networking with people at any opportunity are all excellent ways to attract students. Additionally, you’ll be preparing for current and upcoming classes, which requires gathering and storing various gardening materials and designing lessons. Finally, you’ll be studying some yourself to stay on top of the latest trends, products, and techniques, even if you consider yourself a knowledgeable and experienced gardener. More knowledge is never a bad thing.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful gardening class business?

Since you’ll be explaining the ins and outs of gardening and horticulture, it’s critical you have significant experience and knowledge in growing numerous different species in various conditions and climates. You should have hands on experience and a track record of success. You should also be excited about sharing your knowledge with others. Your enthusiasm will be an important factor in attracting new students and retaining prior learners.

You should also have some experience talking to crowds, either through public speaking or as a teacher or instructor. While you can always improve your delivery and lesson plans, it is important to be able to connect with your students and convey the ideas and techniques you’ll be demonstrating from day one. This type of experience will also help you when planning for classes, as you’ll be able to reflect on what materials will be needed and determine the scope of learning for each class. Planning for classes maximizes the effectiveness of the lesson and gives you more of a professional rapport with your student clients.

Finally, since you’ll be running your own business, you should have some experience, knowledge, or training relating to small business management techniques. You’ll need to regularly consider your budget and bottom line, the best ways to advertise, market, and promote, and how to turn teaching into earning. Although your gardening know how will be your biggest wealth of knowledge, understanding how to successfully run a small business is just as important.

What is the growth potential for a gardening class business?

Gardening is a popular and healthy trend. More and more people are choosing to grow fruits and vegetables or beautify their outdoor spaces with flowers. This also means greater numbers of consumers are looking for advice and insight on how to be more successful in their gardening endeavors. By positioning yourself as a knowledgeable and experienced, yet approachable, gardener you can create a teaching environment full of eager students. Factoring in the location in which you’ll be operating, there is considerable room for growth in this market.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a gardening class business?

Teaching gardening can be rewarding and fun. It can also require quite a bit of work. You’re sure to run into competition, either from other gardening classes near you or from internet tutorials, which are quite popular. The key is to market yourself as specific to an area, climate, or gardening style. There are unique types of gardening and farming that work best for certain regions. Consider what information will most affect your clientele and focus on improving yields for these areas or techniques. You might also want to focus on specific plant species you know some gardeners have trouble growing. By offering something different, you’ll be able to attract greater numbers of students. Of course, you can still offer introductory or novice classes, as well, but niche horticulturist options are recommended.

How and when to build a team

As you begin your business venture, you may be able to go it alone or with one other helper or co-teacher. An assistant is always a bonus, especially in a hands on teaching scenario. Until your business is thriving and attendance is consistent, though, you likely won’t need many other employees, if any.

Useful Links

Further Reading