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Textbook A Growing Business Freelance Gardening Course A K Harris Ebook All Chapter PDF
Textbook A Growing Business Freelance Gardening Course A K Harris Ebook All Chapter PDF
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The Author’s Story.
This is to inspire you that you can take this new career path.
But the author takes no responsibility for failures of potential
gardening businesses.
The author has 20 years’ experience, and began her career in
the land-based industries in the UK, aged 17. Studying
Forestry and Countryside Management at agricultural college
to start with. As the only female in a large group, she
endured a lot of sexism and bullying but completed the
course with good grades and proceeded to study agriculture.
Some of the worst bullies on her course didn’t complete the
course. The land-based industries are hard work. She went
on to study agriculture and work on farms in England and
Wales.
When the Foot and Mouth Crisis wiped out the UK
agricultural industry, she went into casual gardening as well
as working in a horticultural nursery to gain plant
knowledge, and from there, proceeded to work on estate and
mobile gardening teams, supervising trainees even back
then, while studying an advanced certificate in horticulture
as an evening class.
She proceeded to take a few tied cottage gardener-
caretaker jobs in succession, but didn't enjoy working for the
big country houses very much, returning to team gardening,
as well as taking on school caretaking.
From there it was back to agricultural college for a year to
complete her agricultural qualifications and then onwards to
the Channel Islands to work on the flower nurseries as well
as market gardening and freelance gardening. Unfortunate
circumstances left her injured and unable to work for some
time, before she returned to work through volunteer
gardening and subsequently running her own gardening
business and doing sub-contract on a team, supervising and
training trainees as well.
The author has always studied in her spare time, and has
qualifications in business and accounting, computing and
writing among many others. She currently lives in Europe,
and travels, working as a freelance writer, caretaker, and
gardener, as well as doing work placements on house
renovations, smallholdings, and heavy ground clearances.
She is multiple disabled, including a broken spine.
Introduction and Course Aims.
This short book is aimed mainly at the UK market of potential
gardeners as a majority of my career has been in the UK,
Channel Islands and France, but from experience the book
can be useful in other countries in Europe as well as in the
USA and New Zealand, as a lot of gardening and techniques
are universal.
This book is based on garden maintenance for a business,
rather than landscaping, which is the construction of
gardens. Many people get confused by the difference
between gardening and landscaping. Landscapers create
gardens and gardeners tend gardens.
I am a gardener, although as a gardener it is hard to avoid
getting involved in some landscaping, such as building walls,
fences, features, paths and steps. I have experienced some
of that, and that is why specialist college courses for this
kind of thing are very useful in your spare time. If a
householder who you garden for asks if you can build this or
that, and you can, then you get to earn extra money and get
the job before another firm can. But this course is for
gardeners rather than landscapers.
Gardening tends to be gardening, wherever you may be,
although I was once told by a Norwegian man that they don't
have gardeners there! I have not been to Norway but I don't
believe there is a country without gardeners.
My aim is to help, inspire and encourage potential gardeners
who are thinking about going into business, especially if they
feel daunted by it. See this book as a stepping stone and an
inspiration rather than a Bible. You aren’t daft, and the fact
that you are reading this proves that. A gardening business
is quite straightforward.
The gardening in industry in the UK is worth billions. UK
people love their gardens and like to see them tended even
when they are too unwell or busy to tend them themselves,
all you have to do to benefit from that is be the right person
for the job.
Gardening is creative, demanding, hard work, fun, varied,
and not the most well-paid or glamourous work. If you are
prepared for all that, then go ahead. Even if you aren't sure,
it's worth trying, try it as a volunteer activity if you aren't
sure. And don't be put off by those glossy gardening shows,
that isn't how we really work all the time. Although I have
been involved with Chelsea displays, that’s not how day to
day gardening is and you won’t magically create new
gardens within days like on the television shows. Mud and
aching muscles is the delightful reality.
Going self-employed, going into business, is freedom,
freedom balanced by losing your guaranteed wage from your
employment, the wage that pays the bills, which is what puts
many people off.
But going self-employed also loses you the stress of the daily
commute, the rigid hours, the job where you are constrained
and have to meet someone else's requirements. When you
are self-employed, you will have to work hard to keep your
bills paid and your clients happy, but it is more than
manageable and it gives you space, freedom and authority.
You don't have to book days off work in advance any more,
imagine that! And when you are self-employed and you've
worked hard, don't take your work with you in your leisure
time, remember to relax and forget about work, you've
earned it. Set a boundary. Go fishing.
I knew a gardener who would sometimes go fishing. He
wouldn’t tell anyone, he would set out in his van as if he was
working, nice and early, not discussing the day with anyone
in advance, and he would simply go fishing. He worked hard
enough and had enough big contracts for no one to notice or
mind and also for him to totally deserve it.
The aims of this course are to provide an understanding of
running a gardening business and working in horticultural
trades. To give you insight into the good and bad aspects of
the business and way of life. To describe things that will help
and hinder you if you choose to run a gardening business,
and what will help you with success, reputation, health and
safety, accounting and general good practice.
Exercise: Start this course by thinking of all the gardening
tasks you possibly can. Then consider which can be done all
year round and which are done at certain times of the year.
What might you need for these tasks, how long do they take?
Now cheat and look it up, do some research, find things out,
use the modern technology of the internet to help you with
the ancient art of gardening. This is it, you are going into
gardening, and you are already learning the trade.
Character and the nature of the work
On sub contract, there were three of us, all seasoned
gardeners. Myself and my male colleague and our boss. All of
us had back problems, the boss was taken to hospital when
his back gave way. My colleague took painkillers with his
meals, and I was about to receive the diagnosis of a broken
spine. As we stand there, chatting away, we agree that
gardening is a brutal job, a harsh job, and we wonder why
we are in this career sometimes. But really, we know why we
are in this career. It is a job where you can use skills and
strengths of all kinds, and it is freedom and a life that is
never boring.
Exercises:
Imagine you are a client who wants a gardener. If you
interviewed a few gardeners, what would be your reasons
for choosing one? Would it be their rate? Their reputation?
Their appearance and attitude when you interviewed them?
Their references? Or a combination of those things?
Now imagine you are one of the gardeners that they
interview? How would you prepare for the interview?
People Skills.
You have to be assertive about money and payment. Some
clients will mess you around. Stop work for them if they
don't pay, even if they keep making promises and excuses.
Be polite but firm. If you let people get away with things and
use you, you will have stress and you won't thrive as you
could. When you let a customer go for not treating you with
respect, you are likely to see them advertising again for a
gardener every few months.
On the other side of things, be accommodating and helpful
wherever possible, find a balance, be a good gardener, a
good worker, polite and reliable, but make sure you are paid
and treated accordingly. Be polite to clients even on a bad
day. But don't keep clients who don't treat you with respect.
And very importantly, make sure your clients know when to
expect you or when you may change day. It builds your
reputation for reliability. Make sure everyone has a slot in
your diary, keep a few flexi-slots for if you need to move
people around, and if you end up with spare time, either go
down the beach or use those hours on a contract that can
take a few more hours.
Where to work.
Have a work area, and stick to it. If you take jobs miles
away, you will be spending money getting to them. The best
thing to do is have 'rounds' within your convenient area, and
build those up. I have never known that not to work.
If you are a good hard worker and do well with your
customers, then don't worry at all about competitors, don't
worry how many business cards you see, how many adverts,
they are not you, and you are establishing your niche. Each
gardener can only take on so much, some take on too much
and let people down, so there are more than enough gardens
for you.
Don't go for commercial contracts unless you are really
ambitious or experienced, they are hard work and stress and
have to be done certain ways and to certain deadlines. From
experience it can leave you mowing long wet grass in
torrential rain, things like that, and you don't get the same
gratitude as you get from domestic clients, even though
commercial money is tempting. With commercial contracts,
you have to bid. So, if you feel confident to proceed that way,
make sure your estimating and calculating skills are good,
firstly to get the bid and secondly so that you don't lose
money.
If you are going to work with another gardener, be careful
with the tricky laws around partnership, unless they are a
spouse or family, when it can be a bit more flexible.
Exercise. This one is almost a dare. Contact gardeners who
advertise locally, pretend to be a potential client. See how
they respond to your contact, how quick, how friendly they
are, work yourself into a client role, even get some quotes
and potential time periods for work and how soon they can
do the work.
For example, tell them that you have a medium sized lawn, a
bit long, how much will they charge and when can they do it?
Tell them you are just initially phoning round for quotes.
Most gardeners who take their work seriously will respond
within a day or two, and see if they can book you in within
the next week, not this week, they will be booked if they are
doing well and it's during the season, but the next week or
so. Most will be polite at least, and friendly if they are happy
in their work.
Exercise. Think about clients contacting you, and the
impression you will give them. Then consider your prices as a
new gardener in an industry of good and bad gardeners.
Don't make your price too high, and don't make it too low,
remember, the self-employed hourly wage that you charge
has to have your tax and social security taken out of it and if
you charge too low, you will have to work harder to break
even.
Finances and paperwork.
Although a small gardening business is one of the easiest
businesses to set up, there are a few considerations before
you proceed. Do you have money aside and a contingency
plan for bad weather and winter? Do you have a plan, a goal
of earnings per week in the summer and what to put away
for winter and the future? Do you have a business plan and
budget for getting the business running and purchasing the
necessary equipment?
What money and resources do you need in order to start a
gardening business? Well you will be pleased to know that in
the case of a small one-person enterprise, you usually don't
need a lot. It depends on what you have, where you live,
what transport you have, and what quality of equipment you
want.
If you are looking at something bigger than a one-person
business or if you are looking at a more specialised or niche
business, you may need more funds, and also an accountant.
I was always a small enterprise, and I kept my own
accounts, but the guy I did sub-contract for would take on
big commercial contracts and have big machinery and so he
needed an accountant.
One of the most off-putting things about becoming self-
employed is finances, funding yourself and relying on
yourself for your work at all times, and keeping records and
dealing with the tax office. It can seem daunting, but
honestly, it isn't that bad. You can do a book keeping course
if you want to. But one thing you must do is register as self-
employed or for a change of occupation with the tax office,
let them know what you are doing, and as soon as possible.
It is fairly simple, you can do a lot online and get all the
information that you need online too.
The paperwork isn't too bad for a small gardening business.
Do simple invoices, there are plenty of free templates that
you can copy, or even just a paper receipt book as long as
you record everything properly. Keep a day book of all the
work you did and what you earned. Keep it handy and
update every day, even if it rains, put 'rained off' in it. Keep
the day's work and earnings one side of pages and the
expenses, fuel, new tools etc, on the other side.
At the end of the month you can add it up, and at the end of
the tax year, all you do is add the months up, earnings and
expenses, deduct the expenses, and you have your net tax
figure. If your business is a bit bigger, you may need an
accountant or a smart family member to help with the
paperwork. I did some accounting qualifications despite my
learning difficulties, and have been able to keep my own
accounts.
Remember, there's no holiday pay, no bank holiday pay,
there are no company pensions, no sick pay - even the DWP
won't pay you sickness benefit for months and then
grudgingly if they do - which is why good health and safety
practice is vital in your work. You will have to work hard to
make your way and afford time off. You are reliant on
yourself in a potentially harsh and dangerous industry.
One of the best things that you can do before you launch is
see what enterprise schemes your local authority is running.
Almost all local authorities run schemes for prospective new
business starters, these can be financial and planning
courses and support for start-ups, or networking and advice
days at the chamber of commerce, and most are free to join.
Planning, finance, and knowing your trade are the
foundations of running your business.
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itse Fjodor Pavlovitš, joka itsekin autteli, nähtävästi pelästyneenä ja
aivan kuin päästään pyörälle joutuneena. Mutta sairas ei tullut
tuntoihinsa: kohtaukset tosin loppuivat joksikin aikaa, mutta
uudistuivat sitten taas, ja kaikki päättelivät, että käy samoin kuin
viime vuonnakin, kun hän vahingossa niinikään putosi vinniltä.
Muistettiin, että silloin oli pantu hänen päälaelleen jäitä. Jäätä oli
kellarissa vielä, ja Marfa Ignatjevna ryhtyi puuhaamaan, kun taas
Fjodor Pavlovitš illemmällä lähetti hakemaan tohtori Herzenstubea,
joka heti saapuikin. Tutkittuaan sairasta huolellisesti (hän oli kaikkein
huolellisin ja tarkin lääkäri koko kuvernementissa, iäkäs ja
kunnianarvoinen mies) hän tuli siihen tulokseen, että kohtaus oli
tavallisuudesta poikkeava ja »voi kehittyä uhkaavaksi», että nyt hän,
Herzenstube, ei vielä ymmärrä kaikkea, mutta ryhtyy huomenna, jos
nyt käytetyt keinot eivät auta, toisenlaisiin toimenpiteisiin. Sairas
pantiin makaamaan sivurakennukseen, Grigorin ja Marfa Ignatjevnan
asunnon vieressä olevaan huoneeseen. Sitten Fjodor Pavlovitš sai
pitkin päivää kokea onnettomuuden toisensa jälkeen: päivällisen
valmisti Marfa Ignatjevna, ja liemi oli Smerdjakovin valmistamaan
verrattuna »kuin likavettä», kana taasen oli niin kuivaksi käperretty,
että oli aivan mahdotonta saada siitä puremalla mitään irti. Marfa
Ignatjevna vastasi herran katkeriin, joskin oikeutettuihin
huomautuksiin, että kana oli muutoinkin jo ylen vanha ja että hän ei
ole ollut keittäjän opissa. Illaksi ilmestyi uusi huoli: Fjodor
Pavlovitšille ilmoitettiin, että Grigori, joka jo toissa päivänä oli
sairastunut, oli nyt joutunut kokonaan vuoteen omaksi, ristiluitten
kohta oli kuin halvaantunut. Fjodor Pavlovitš lopetti teenjuontinsa
mahdollisimman aikaisin ja sulkeutui yksikseen lukon taakse
taloonsa. Hän oli kauhean ja levottoman odotuksen vallassa. Seikka
oli semmoinen, että juuri tänä iltana hän odotti Grušenjkan melkein
varmasti tulevan; ainakin oli Smerdjakov jo aamulla aikaisin miltei
vakuuttanut, että »he lupasivat jo epäilemättömästi tulla».
Rauhattoman ukon sydän löi kiivaasti, hän kuljeskeli tyhjissä
huoneissaan ja kuunteli. Täytyi kuunnella tarkasti: Dmitri Fjodorovitš
saattoi olla jossakin väijymässä Grušenjkaa, ja kun Grušenjka
koputtaa ikkunaan (Smerdjakov oli jo toissa päivänä vakuuttanut
Fjodor Pavlovitšille neuvoneensa Grušenjkalle, miten oli
koputettava), niin täytyi avata ovi mahdollisimman pian eikä pitänyt
ensinkään tarpeettomasti häntä pidättää sekuntiakaan eteisessä,
ettei hän, josta Jumala varjelkoon, vain pelästyisi jotakin ja pakenisi.
Huolta oli Fjodor Pavlovitšilla, mutta ei koskaan vielä ollut hänen
sydäntään elähdyttänyt suloisempi toivo: saattoihan nyt melkein
varmasti sanoa, että tällä kertaa hän ehdottomasti tulee!…
Kuudes kirja
Venäläinen munkki
1.
— Mitä sinä nyt, älä vielä itke, — hymyili vanhus pannen oikean
kätensä hänen päänsä päälle, — näethän, että vielä istun ja
keskustelen, kenties elän vielä kaksikymmentä vuotta, niinkuin
minulle eilen toivoi tuo hyvä, herttainen nainen Vysegorjesta, jolla oli
tyttönen Lizaveta sylissä. Muista, Herra, sekä äitiä että Lizaveta-
tyttöstä (hän teki ristinmerkin). Porfiri, oletko vienyt hänen lahjansa
sinne, mihin minä sanoin?
Aljošasta oli omituista, että vanhus kysyi niin lujasti sekä ilmeisesti
tarkoittaen vain yhtä veljeä, — mutta kumpaa: siis juuri tuon veljen
takia hän kenties olikin sekä eilen että tänään lähettänyt hänet pois
luotaan.
— Älä utele. Minä huomasin eilen jotakin kauheata… oli kuin koko
hänen kohtalonsa olisi eilen näkynyt hänen katseestaan. Eräs hänen
silmäyksensä oli sellainen… niin että minä sillä hetkellä
sydämessäni kauhistuin sitä, mitä tämä mies valmistaa itselleen.
Kerran tai kahdesti elämässäni olen nähnyt joillakuilla samanlaisen
kasvojen ilmeen… joka ikäänkuin ilmaisi näitten ihmisten koko
kohtalon, ja voi! se kohtalo tuli heidän osakseen. Minä lähetin sinut,
Aleksei, hänen luokseen, sillä ajattelin, että veljellinen muotosi on
avuksi hänelle. Mutta kaikki on Jumalan kädessä ja samoin kaikki
meidän kohtalomme. »Ellei maahan pudonnut nisun jyvä kuole, niin
se jää yksinänsä; mutta jos se kuolee, niin se tuo paljon hedelmätä.»
Pane tämä mieleesi. Mutta sinua, Aleksei, minä olen ajatuksissani
monesti elämäni aikana siunannut kasvojesi tähden, tiedä se, —
lausui vanhus hiljaa hymyillen. — Ajattelen sinusta näin: sinä menet
pois näiden seinien sisältä, mutta maailmassa sinä tulet olemaan
niinkuin munkki. Sinulla tulee olemaan paljon vastustajia, mutta
vihollisesikin sinua rakastavat. Paljon onnettomuuksia tuopi sinulle
elämä, mutta ne juuri tekevät sinut onnelliseksikin, ja sinä siunaat
elämää ja saatat toisetkin siunaamaan, — mikä on tärkeintä
kaikesta. Niin, sellainen sinä olet. Isät ja opettajani, — kääntyi hän
lempeästi hymyillen vieraittensa puoleen, — en koskaan tähän
päivään saakka ole sanonut edes hänellekään, minkätähden tämän
nuorukaisen muoto on ollut minun sielulleni niin armas. Nyt vasta
sen sanon: hänen kasvonsa ovat olleet minulle kuin muistutus ja
profeetallinen ennustus. Elämäni aamunkoitossa, kun olin vielä pieni
lapsi, minulla oli vanhempi veli, joka kuoli nuorukaisena, vain
seitsemäntoista vuoden ikäisenä, minun nähteni. Myöhemmin
elämäni varrella tulin vähitellen vakuutetuksi siitä, että tämä veljeni
oli kohtalossani ikäänkuin ylhäältä annettuna tien viittaajana ja
ennakolta määrääjänä, sillä jos hän ei olisi esiintynyt elämässäni ja
jos häntä ei ollenkaan olisi ollut olemassa, niin minä kenties en
milloinkaan, niin ajattelen, olisi astunut munkin säätyyn enkä tälle
kallisarvoiselle tielle. Tuo ensimmäinen ilmestys oli jo lapsuudessani,
ja nyt, kun matkani on kallistumassa loppuun, se on ikäänkuin
toistunut silmieni edessä. Ihmeellistä on, isät ja opettajat, että vaikka
Aleksei ei ole kasvoiltaan kovin paljon hänen näköisensä, vaan
ainoastaan jonkin verran, niin hän on näyttänyt minusta siinä määrin
tuon toisen kaltaiselta henkisesti, että usein olen pitänyt häntä
ikäänkuin samana nuorukaisena, veljenäni, joka on tullut
salaperäisen matkani lopulla jonkinmoisena muistona elämän
syventämiseksi, niin että suorastaan olen ihmetellyt itseäni ja
tämmöistä omituista haaveiluani. Kuuletko tämän, Porfiri, — kääntyi
hän palvelijamunkkinsa puoleen. — Usein olen nähnyt kasvoillasi
jonkinmoista katkeruutta siitä, että rakastan Alekseita enemmän kuin
sinua. Nyt tiedät, miksi näin on ollut, mutta minä rakastan sinuakin,
tiedä se, ja monta kertaa olen surrut sitä, että sinä olet pahastunut.
Mutta teille, rakkaat vieraani, tahdon kertoa tuosta nuorukaisesta,
veljestäni, sillä ei ole ollut minun elämässäni mitään kalliimpaa ja
liikuttavampaa. Sydämeni on liikutettu, ja minä katson tällä hetkellä
koko elämääni aivan kuin eläisin sen kaiken taas uudestaan…
*****
2.
Elämäkerrallisia tietoja
Ja hän oli vielä paljon muutakin, mitä ei jaksa muistaa eikä kuvata.
Muistan, miten kerran menin hänen luokseen yksin, kun hänen
luonaan ei ollut ketään. Oli kirkas iltahetki, aurinko oli menossa
mailleen ja valaisi koko huoneen vinosti lankeavalla säteellä. Minut
nähtyään hän kutsui minua luokseen, minä astuin hänen luoksensa,
hän tarttui molemmin käsin olkapäihini, katseli kasvojani lempeästi ja
rakkaasti; ei sanonut minulle mitään, katseli vain tuolla tavoin noin
minuutin verran. »No», sanoo, »mene nyt, leiki, elä minun
puolestani!» Läksin silloin ulos ja menin leikkimään. Mutta elämäni
aikana olen sitten monesti muistellut kyynelsilmin, kuinka hän käski
minun elää hänen asemestaan. Hän puhui vielä paljon tuollaisia
ihmeellisiä ja ihania, vaikka meille silloin käsittämättömiä sanoja.
Hän kuoli kolmannella viikolla pääsiäisen jälkeen täydessä
tajussaan, ja vaikka hän jo oli lakannut puhumasta, niin hän pysyi
samanlaisena viimeiseen hetkeensä asti: katselee riemuissaan,
iloisin silmin, etsii meitä katseillaan, hymyilee meille, kutsuu meitä.
Kaupungillakin puhuttiin paljon hänen kuolemastaan. Tämä kaikki
järkytti minua silloin, mutta ei kuitenkaan kovin suuresti, vaikka minä
itkinkin paljon, kun hänet haudattiin. Olin nuori, lapsi vain, mutta
sydämeen jäi kaikki lähtemättömästi, tunne jäi piilossa elämään.
Aikanaan oli kaiken määrä herätä ja antaa vastakaiku. Niin kävikin.