Landscaping Business Booming? It’s Time to Hire Your First Employee

Photo by Mikes Photos from Pexels

So, your landscaping business is off the ground and your client base is steadily growing. If business is good then life is good. However, suddenly the workload is more than one person can handle on his or her own. Suddenly it is time to hire that first landscaping employee. There are many things to consider when hiring an employee, especially a first employee. Here are the top five qualities to look for in your very first employee.

 

1. Self-Starter

It is ideal for every employee to be a self-starter who needs minimal supervision. However, it is an essential quality for your first employee. If you are searching for that first employee then that means that you need someone to share a heavy workload with. You need help with scheduling, labor, invoicing, and all the rest. Therefore, for this division of labor to work efficiently you must be able to trust your first employee to be a self-starter. In short, you need someone who is capable of working independently.

 

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP?

 

2. Landscaping Experience

Ordinarily, a new employee can be expected to come in with minimal experience so long as he or she is trainable in the relevant skills. The issue with the first employee hire, however, is that it is almost always must fill an immediate need. Therefore, you want a first employee who has at least a general background in landscaping and lawn maintenance.

 

3. Knowledgeable about Different Landscaping Contracts

Your first employee’s experience should include a general understanding of the different types of jobs that can come up. Residential work is common. However, landscaping companies are just as often contracted to commercial projects. If they’re fortunate, those jobs can involve regular maintenance of office parks and the like. There is also the possibility of municipal work with local government agencies in restoration efforts. A basic understanding of the differences between these types of jobs can lead to smoother planning, preparation, and communication.

 

4. General Understanding of Plant Health

Anyone can dig a hole and put a plant in the ground. However, not everyone can put that plant in prime conditions to grow and flourish. Customers often have very demanding cosmetic requests for landscaping projects, especially when it comes to planting new plant life. This includes everything from flowerbeds to privacy trees and hedges. Your first employee doesn’t need to have a degree in horticulture. However, he or she should understand the basic things that particular plants need to thrive. Moreover, they should understand how to effectively place plants within particular environments.

 

5. Reliability and Communication Skills

And finally, the simplest yet most important quality for this first employee to demonstrate is reliability. Good communication skills are directly tied into reliability. If the employee can’t effectively communicate and schedule with clients, then he or she can’t be considered reliable. If you find a reliable and trustworthy employee then all the rest will fall into place. That’s because you will know that he or she will always do what you expect of them. And with this new help your business can continue to grow.

The post Landscaping Business Booming? It’s Time to Hire Your First Employee appeared first on Business Opportunities.

source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/09/20/landscaping-first-employee/