You wouldn’t build a house without a plan right? Well, with business its the same thing, planning provides the foundations that you can then build your business upon.

Online:

SBA Articles About Business Planning

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html

Free Online Business Plan Program and Start-Up Articles

http://www.diybizplan.com

They also have an overview of the process of starting a busienss and articles on the registration process with links to additional resources here:

Starting a Business Overview
http://www.diybizplan.com/default.php?act=11&catid=74&id=83

Business Registration Overview
http://www.diybizplan.com/default.php?act=11&catid=74&id=68

Business Legal Structure – Single Owner
http://www.diybizplan.com/default.php?act=11&catid=74&id=69

Financing Your Buisness
http://www.diybizplan.com/default.php?act=3&catid=75

More articles on Starting a Business

http://www.startupbiz.com

Offine:

Check with your local

SCORE Office – voluneteers who mentor entrepreneurs

http://www.score.org

SBDC Office – Help with Business Planning, Financial Projections and Identifying Loan / Financing Resources

http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html

I hope this helps

dwadholm

Steps to Starting a Business -
http://www.developer-resource.com/starting-a-business.htm

Other sites you might find helpful are:
SBA – http://www.sba.gov/
SCORE – http://www.score.org
Small Business Resource – http://www.small-business-software.net
Business Link – http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home

Goodluck!

Everyone wants to be rich, but so few are prepared to work for it.

You must hire or know how to maintain and fix your own equipment.

Yearly contracts with a one price yearly is a bad way to go as the end figure scares away people that are frugal but still desire lawn care.
If you do go yearly then you will get calls to do it better time and time again.
No employees can get the day off before a holiday as this is always the busiest time.I have found that females are better suited for landscaping and lawn care.

Try not to commit to gardening of pretty raised beds that you did not create yourself as the faults of the creator will become your own.
A separate billing and rate for gardening is wise and will pay off in the end for you and as well the home owner as this can be and will be a very talked about and picky item on your workload.

Always remember that the billing of time for hedge trimming and whipper snipping is 3 times the rate of simple mowing as it is a very meticulous and tedious chore.If you forget this then the good work you do may actually increase your own workload without proper compensation and to change rates in mid season is a bad practice .
Always try to hire people that will be presentable,smile,not curse,and do not smoke dope when working.One ciggarette but can lose a client.

Old ladies and fellas like to brag about thier landscapers but seldom do.Yet the same people will surely talk bad about anything negative as it is a hobby of the elderly.[no offence mom,but its true]

Always fertilize in the fall and the spring but never in the heat of summer.All digging of weeds should be on an hourly basis and never guarantee it,because you cannot.
Go old school and airate, try plugging as well as dethaching as a way of keeping creeping weeds like crabgrass and creeping charlie at bay.
Always water and fertilize your soil before laying sod down.Always.

Never tell your employees your rates.

If you cut grass before it is allowed to seed then you must seed it.
Grass may burn but a three leaf clover never does,it is always green and beats out weeds.
Always pay your employees a good wage as an extra dollar an hour can make or break your healthy business.They will also steal less and show up for work on time more because you have shown them that you care about them.
Billing can be done by the amount of gas used .
If you bag the grass toss the weedy stuff but save the good healthy grass trimming and use it for a compost to use for patching and turning of lawns.
Recommend the planting of flowers [crokus,hostas etc...]around evergreens not grass as it will make your labour costs go up with snipping.
Always wait untill the first string of weeds come up before removing leaves from under hedges as it is a natural protector to keep weeds out and keep the soil moist.
Never agree to take a hedge down low unless it is in the fall or the very early spring or you will get complaints.
Always give xmas cards .
Never ask for water or beverages .
Do not ask to use thier washrooms.
Always leave the place better than you left it.Leaf blower.
If your vehicle leaks fluids never park it in thier driveway.

Advertising is crucial but beware as you can bite off more than you can chew.
If your doing a good job and practice good work values than the magnetic ad on your trucks should be sufficient.Always make the phone number bigger than your name.
Word of mouth is always better than the yellow pages but both show results.
If you post ads on billboards/pinboards then make sure your damned smiling face is on it as people like to know who they are calling.

Have an extra everything.
Never spill gas on a lawn or driveway while filling equipment.

When in doubt the best lawn food is a 1-1-1,5-5-5, or a 10-10-10
To do ph testing of soil is wise .
All steel mowing decks should be cleaned totally and sprayed underneath with a zinc infused primer before every season.
Your mower blades are always dull,so sharpen them frequently and balance the blades to ensure a shorter,more reliable,and better work day.
All snippers should use a square or hex line,never round,never.

I could go on for hours.
I wish you luck.