A poison ivy removal business charges clients to remove poison ivy and other poisonous plants from those customers’ homes and yards. This service is valuable for keeping the community safe and the business can be run from home, making it attractive to many entrepreneurs.
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Start a poison ivy removal business by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Poison Ivy Removal Business
- Form your Poison Ivy Removal Business into a Legal Entity
- Register your Poison Ivy Removal Business for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Poison Ivy Removal Business
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Poison Ivy Removal Business
- Get Poison Ivy Removal Business Insurance
- Define your Poison Ivy Removal Business Brand
- Create your Poison Ivy Removal Business Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your poison ivy removal 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:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
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 Poison Ivy Removal 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 poison ivy removal business?
The cost involved in opening this business is extremely minimal. You can run the business from your home, so there is no need to lease a separate space. And you can remove poison ivy while wearing gloves, goggles, and using tape and trash bags, so no special equipment is necessary. Therefore, you could start this business for $5,000 or less: $500 of that money would go towards having a professional website designed, and $1,000 would go towards buying the basic equipment you need. The remaining $3,500 should be invested in some traditional advertising via newspaper, radio, business cards, and fliers.
What are the ongoing expenses for a poison ivy removal business?
The ongoing expenses for this business are also minimal. You may pay $100 or less for the annual hosting of your website, and you’ll need to buy fuel as needed to travel around your community. Otherwise, your primary cost is buying more equipment each month (trash bags, goggles, gloves, and so on), and that typically costs $500 or less.
Who is the target market?
While everyone benefits from removing poison ivy and other poisonous plants, your target market is typically younger (25-39) homeowners. This is a demographic less likely to be familiar with poison ivy and more likely to have the disposable income to hire someone to remove it.
How does a poison ivy removal business make money?
A poison ivy removal business charges money for the removal of poison ivy and other poisonous plants. The exact fee structure is up to you, although many such businesses charge by the hour and count their travel time into the amount of time they bill.
How much can you charge customers?
How much you can charge varies, with some experts charging $40 an hour and some charging $75 an hour or more. Be sure to let the client know that the hour counts the time it takes you to travel to their home or business and that they are responsible for paying you back for any tolls you may cross.
How much profit can a poison ivy removal business make?
Obviously, the exact amount of profit you make depends on how many clients you have and how much you charge them. If you worked “full time” (forty hours or more per week) at $50 an hour, then you could make over $100,000 in a year. The real profit margin will be determined by how many clients you have and how far you are willing to travel within your region to expand your service area.
How can you make your business more profitable?
One overlooked way to increase profits is to raise your prices. Many professionals start by charging a low price to entice customers. However, after you have established your business, it is fine to raise your prices. As mentioned before, you may consider offering customers a price for ongoing maintenance: this is a particularly lucrative option when it comes to serving schools and corporations with larger campuses. Finally, you may consider expanding your overall services: if you are able and willing to perform landscaping or other forms of lawn care in addition to removing poisonous plants, you’ll increase your potential profit.
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 poison ivy removal 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 poison ivy removal 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.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
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:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
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 poison ivy removal business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state 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.
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.
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 poison ivy removal business
As mentioned earlier, a professional website is a must so customers can get all of your contact info, research your prices, and see testimonials and examples of your handiwork. And ads on the newspaper and radio are important in spreading your name far and wide, while selectively mailing information about your business to certain businesses and neighborhoods is a must. Be sure to have a social media account on something like Facebook: this lets you build your brand, increase customer engagement, and effectively enjoy the benefits of free advertisement.
How to keep customers coming back
One unfortunate reality of advertising is that you must convince someone there’s a problem before you can sell them a solution. Use your website and social media accounts to post images of the painful rashes that people who have been poisoned experience, emphasizing how painful and annoying it is and how it could be avoided. Additionally, your social media account represents a great way to hold contests and advertise referral bonuses intended to get you more customers. In terms of retention, one option you may consider is selling your services as a monthly or quarterly maintenance: that is, customers pay for ongoing service instead of just calling when they need you.
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: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, 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 business is perfect for those with a lot of poison ivy or poisonous plant removal experience. This may include avid gardeners and even hikers who are familiar with the identification of, removal of, and treatment for various poisonous plants.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a poison ivy removal business?
A typical day at a poison ivy removal business is pretty straightforward. Part of your day is spent communicating with current clients and following up with previous clients. You will also spend part of your day writing and receiving emails and creating advertising in order to get more customers. With any luck, the majority of any given day will be spent driving to homes and businesses, removing poison ivy, and other poisonous plants, and then disposing of them.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful poison ivy removal business?
Any gardening experience (personal or professional) can be helpful, as can any experience with landscaping, greenhouses, or any other business that increases your knowledge of plants. A formal education in something like botany is not required, but it can be extremely helpful. Beyond this, one of your main assets is knowing your community very well so that you can gauge areas likelier to need poison ivy removal and drive there quickly when called.
What is the growth potential for a poison ivy removal business?
The growth potential for this job is steady. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs involving the plant industry as a whole grew by the thousands. Given the specificity of a poison ivy removal business, the growth potential may be gauged better by how much poison ivy and other poisonous plants are in your region.
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 poison ivy removal business?
Be sure to research the prices of your competition. Some general lawn care companies will charge a premium to also remove poison ivy, so you want to make sure your prices are low enough (and your services thorough enough) to lure in customers. Make sure you have a good-looking website and social media accounts (more on that later) to increase your accessibility, particularly for young homeowners.
How and when to build a team
Many people start this job on their own as a way of increasing their profits. However, if you are regularly receiving too many requests to easily handle, then you may consider hiring a partner or small team so you can better service your community.