How to Start a Landscape Design Business

Like landscaping, landscape architecture is a seasonal business; however, there is an important different between the two. Most landscapers provide clients with basic lawn services that help keep the property well-groomed. On the other hand, landscape architects are primarily concered with the design and layout of a lawn, such as where to place ponds, flower-beds, patios, and stone walkways. A good landscape architect can dramatically increase the value of a property.

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Start a landscape design business by following these 10 steps:

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

We have put together this simple guide to starting your landscape design 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 Landscape Design 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 landscape design business?

Costs to start a small to medium-sized landscape design business vary. However, in general, you will spend between $5,000 and $10,000 on startup costs. Most of the money goes towards a high-end computer and design software. Starting out, you will also spend a significant amount of money on advertising in your local community.

What are the ongoing expenses for a landscape design business?

Ongoing costs for the design business are minimal. You’ll cover utilities and a new computer every few years.

There are also ongoing costs for design software upgrades.

Ongoing expenses for landscaping include maintenance of tools, upkeep of the office and store, and office supplies. Expect to pay between $5,000 and $10,000 per month for maintenance and recurring expenses in a mid-sized company. For a small company, your ongoing costs may only be a few hundred to $1,000 per month.

Who is the target market?

Preferred clients are corporate clients or customers who have signed seasonal or “evergreen” contracts. Large revenue projects are ideal. Bad clients are typically those that do not have the budget for ongoing landscaping work, those who want piecemeal projects with a high overhead, and those with accounts that have extended Net payment terms. An extended net payment term such as “Net-60” means that the client has up to 60 days after completion of the job to pay you for your services.

Landscape architects typically work with medium to larger companies. However, many designers start out with homeowners and small businesses.

How does a landscape design business make money?

They make most of their money by charging clients for design projects. These projects can be charged at either a flat rate or a per hour rate.

How much can you charge customers?

Landscape designers and architects charge by the hour or per project. To simple design for a residential home may cost, on average, $4,000 to $5,000. On a per-hour basis, you should charge clients between $50 and $150 per hour.

If your design company also does construction and maintenance, there are usually 2 rates for landscaping: the maintenance rate and the construction rate.

The maintenance rate is for basic lawn and grounds maintenance. The construction rate is for constructing lawn features, small structures, and building patios or laying brick and stone.

A good maintenance rate is $44.13 per man-hour.

The construction rate for residential should be set at $54 per man hour or at least 20% higher than the maintenance rate.

Corporate rates should be set at least 20% to 25% higher for both maintenance and construction.

How much profit can a landscape design business make?

Design can be a high-profit business, but it all depends on the client and how tight your contracts are. Some clients routinely go out of scope and end up costing the business more money than the initial project quote.

Profit should be priced in at at least 10% of cost (minimum), for both the design and the construction businesses. Some companies operate at a 15% margin, but this is rare, especially for a smaller company.

How can you make your business more profitable?

You can make your business more profitable by narrowing your scope of operations towards a background of limited space and teaching landscaping principles to individuals or companies who have their own on-site maintenance team.

You could also offer additional services, bring in a professional master mason who can lay stone, or a bricklayer to lay brick. Partner with a master carpenter and offer custom woodworking and lawn features.

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 landscape design 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 landscape design 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.

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FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our How to Start a Business guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best Business Formation 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 landscape architecture firm. 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. For more information about local licenses and permits:

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.

Service Agreement

Landscape architect businesses should consider requiring clients to sign a service agreement before starting a new project. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and intellectual property ownership. Here is an example service agreement.

Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your landscape architect business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.

OSHA Regulations

Because landscapers may interact with harmful chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides, it is important to reference to OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) rules and general standards for chemicals:

  • Standard 1910.1200 states that employees be adequately informed of all potential hazards when working with chemicals
  • Standard 1910.132 states that the necessary personal protection equipment be provided to the employee working with chemicals, such as safety glasses, a face mask and suitable gloves

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 Landscape Design Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Landscape Design 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 landscape design business

The easiest way to start this business is to go to networking events and hand out business cards. If you’ve started with another design firm, you might be able to pick up strategies the company has used to maintain its client base.

Direct mail also works well, but it is better for corporate accounts. Get a list of names of companies that have used design services in the past and offer them more value for the same price.

How to keep customers coming back

To differentiate yourself from the rest of the companies in your area, consider specializing. Every market is different and has unique needs. For example, large corporations often have a certain look they’re going after when designing outside spaces. Residential neighborhoods, which cater to Home Owners Associations, will want a different look and feel to their grounds.

If you become familiar with a single market, you are more likely to succeed in that market because you’ll understand their unique needs and wants on a deeper level than a company that tries to be a generalist.

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?

This is very much a hands-on business. Business owners who start a landscape architect business should be very good with math and comfortable working around computers. A lot of the designer’s job is spent at a desk. However, many architects make it out into the field with the contractors and so they must be comfortable working with their hands and getting dirty.

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 landscape design business?

Day-to-day activities of the business include a variety of tasks. Client intake forms, invoicing, and meeting with new clients are a given, but the business must also coordinate with contractors, monitor its supplies carefully, and keep clients updated about the project.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful landscape design business?

At minimum, you will need a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. Master’s degrees are available too. In addition to education, you will want to start as an apprentice to get a feel for the industry and how it works. Becoming a Landscape Gardener apprentice will teach you about the construction and landscaping side of the business, but is not necessary to do design work.

Apprenticeships usually take several years to complete. You can also take school-based apprenticeships.

To work as a landscape engineer, you must be comfortable working indoors in front of a computer all day.

If you decide to work with the construction crew, you will be outdoors in all types of weather conditions. You must be physically fit, able to lift heavy loads, and able to do manual labor for at least 6 to 8 hours per day. You must be able to work flexible hours and work in a team environment.

What is the growth potential for a landscape design business?

Small landscape design firms can be operated as “one man” operations but there’s no reason a business owner could not hire an entire team of designers and contractors, turning it into a comprehensive design and construction company.

In fact, larger companies are typically full-service landscapers who also design and build custom lawn features as well as maintain properties.

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 landscape design business?

Landscape design businesses depend largely on their reputation. Also, because the business is inherently seasonal, businesses that survive are those that secure “evergreen” contracts. Cash flow management is important. You will have to manage the company’s funds to stay afloat during the off-season when work is light or non-existent.

How and when to build a team

Hire help as soon as you can. The design side of this business requires you work long hours. The construction aspect of this business is very labor intensive. So you’ll need all the help you can get. Ideally, you’ll start with a team of at least 3 to 5 people. Larger companies can employ 10, 20, or more employees.

Useful Links

Industry Opportunities

Real World Examples

Further Reading