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Plant Nursery

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How to Start a Plant Nursery

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on January 6, 2022 Updated on June 5, 2024

Investment range

$2,050 - $105,100

Revenue potential

$70,000 - $1,000,000 p.a.

Time to build

6 – 12 months

Profit potential

$65,000 - $400,000 p.a.

Industry trend

Outdoor living spaces are just as important to most people as indoor spaces. Plants and flowers of all types can make those outdoor spaces look and smell amazing. For some, going to the local plant nursery to pick out goodies to enhance their landscaping is a ritual every spring. 

Our love of everything green is why the US nursery and garden center industry is valued at an astounding $42 billion. You could start your own plant nursery, even in your backyard, and get a share of that market.

Starting a plant nursery will have challenges, and will require hard work, time, and knowledge. This step-by-step guide has all the information you need to start growing your way to entrepreneurial success.

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Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons.

Starting a plant nursery has pros and cons that you should consider before deciding if it’s right for you.

• Gratifying – Nurturing living things can bring great pleasure
• Excellent Profit – Profit margins on plants are high
• Backyard Opportunity – Start in your backyard for little money
• Seasonality – Depending on your location, you may have some downtimes
• Competition – You’ll face competition from big garden centers

Plant nursery industry trends

The nursery and garden store industry includes large garden centers as well as farm supply companies.

Industry size and growth

• Industry size and past growth – Market analyst IBISWorld values the US nursery and garden store industry at $42 billion in 2021, with an average annual growth of 2% since 2017.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/nursery-garden-stores-united-states/ )) The plant and flower growing industry alone was valued at over $15 billion in 2020, an increase of over 7% from the previous year, according to market analyst Statista.(( https://www.statista.com/statistics/1174498/plant-and-flower-growing-industry-market-size-us/ ))
• Growth forecast – Higher consumer spending on home improvements presents growth opportunities for the nursery and garden stores industry, according to IBISWorld.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/nursery-garden-stores-industry/ ))
• Number of businesses – There are almost 19,000 nursery and garden stores in the US.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/number-of-businesses/nursery-garden-stores-united-states/ ))
• Number of people employed – Close to 145,000 people are employed in nursery and garden stores.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/employment/nursery-garden-stores-united-states/ )) 

Trends and challenges

Some trends in the nursery industry include:

• The housing market affects the nursery industry since when people buy new homes they often invest in landscaping. Home sales are projected to be up almost 7% in 2022, according to Realtor.com, which is positive news for the nursery industry.
• Home gardening television shows have increased the popularity of landscaping, propelling the growth of the industry.

Some challenges also exist in the industry which include:

• Competition for US nurseries comes from cheaper imported plants. 
• The industry is affected by factors such as climate issues and infectious plant diseases.

How much does it cost to start a plant nursery business?

Startup costs range from about $2,000 to $100,000 or more. The low end represents starting a backyard nursery that sells plants to garden centers. You could also sell your plants to customers if you set up a small farm stand. The high end includes the cost of a down payment to buy or build a greenhouse and storefront. 

You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your plant nursery business. Here’s a list to get you started:

• Shovels, trowels, pruners

How much can you earn from a plant nursery business?

Profit margins will be high for a backyard nursery, around 95%, even selling plants at wholesale prices to retail garden centers. The price you charge will vary based on the type of plants you grow but should average about $7. Your volume of sales will depend on the amount of space you have for growing, and how much space the type of plants you grow require.

In your first year or two, you could grow and sell 10,000 plants. That would mean $70,000 in revenue and over $65,000 in profit, assuming that 95% margin. As your brand gains recognition, you could purchase a greenhouse and storefront and hire staff, reducing your profit margin to around 40%. If you produce and sell 100,000 plants per year and sell them at retail prices that average $10, your expected annual revenue would be $1,000,000, and you would make about $400,000.

What barriers to entry are there?

There are a few barriers to entry for a plant nursery. Your biggest challenges will be:

• You either need to have enough land for growing, or spend a chunk of money on a greenhouse and storefront
• The climate where you live may make your business seasonal
• You need extensive knowledge about how to plant and grow various species

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Step 2: hone your idea.

Now that you know what’s involved in starting a plant nursery, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market. 

Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.

Why? Identify an opportunity

Research plant nurseries in your area to examine their products, price points, and customer reviews or what sells best. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a plant nursery that offers varietal ground cover plants.

You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry such as shrubbery.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away. 

What? Determine your plant selection

You should decide first whether to specialize in certain types of plants or grow a wide variety. Your space should be a consideration since certain types of plants will require more space. Also consider how long it takes plants to grow. The faster they grow, the faster you can sell them. 

How much should you charge for plants?

Your prices will be dependent on the market for each specific type of plant. If you are selling to garden stores, your prices will be wholesale prices the stores are willing to pay. Your target profit margin should be high, around 95%.

Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price point. Remember, the price you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will likely be either be homeowners or garden center managers. Either way, you can likely find those groups on Facebook or LinkedIn. 

Where? Choose your plant nursery location

If you are starting a backyard plant nursery, you’ll be running your business from home. If you are going to open a garden store, you’ll need a space with a greenhouse and a storefront.

When choosing a location for your plant nursery, here are the factors to consider:

• Proximity to Target Market – Choose a location close to your primary customers to minimize transportation costs and ensure fresh plant delivery.
• Soil Quality – Ensure the soil at the chosen location is fertile, well-draining, and free from diseases or pests, to support healthy plant growth.
• Access to Water – The nursery should be near a reliable water source, as regular and quality watering is vital for plant growth and health.
• Sunlight Exposure – Select a site with adequate sunlight since most plants require sunlight for photosynthesis and optimal growth.
• Protection from Extreme Elements – Choose a location that can be easily protected from harsh weather conditions, such as heavy winds or frost, to prevent plant damage.
• Ease of Access for Transpor t – Consider road connectivity and transport logistics to facilitate easy shipping of plants and receipt of supplies.
• Room for Expansion – Opt for a location with extra land or space, allowing for future expansion of the nursery as your business grows.
• Local Regulations and Zoning Laws – Ensure the chosen location adheres to local zoning laws and regulations related to land use, water rights, and business operations.

Step 3: Brainstorm a Plant Nursery Name

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

• Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
• Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better 
• Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
• Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
• Including keywords, such as “nursery” or “plant nursery”, boosts SEO
• Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Jim’s Nursery” over “Jim’s Shrubs”
• A location-based name can help establish a strong connection with your local community and help with the SEO but might hinder future expansion

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these. 

Find a Domain

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Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.

Step 4: Create a Plant Nursery Business Plan

Here are the key components of a business plan:

• Executive Summary: A concise summary outlining the key elements of the plant nursery business, including its mission, goals, and financial projections.
• Business Overview: An overview detailing the nature of the plant nursery business, its mission, vision, and the specific products it intends to offer.
• Product and Services: Clear description of the variety of plants and services the nursery will provide, emphasizing unique offerings or specialty items.
• Market Analysis: Thorough examination of the target market, including demographics, trends, and potential customer needs for plant-related products.
• Competitive Analysis: Evaluation of competitors in the plant nursery industry, highlighting strengths and weaknesses to inform the business’s competitive strategy.
• Sales and Marketing: Detailed plan outlining how the nursery will attract and retain customers, including pricing strategies, promotions, and marketing channels.
• Management Team: Introduction to the key individuals who will lead and manage the plant nursery, emphasizing relevant experience and skills.
• Operations Plan: A comprehensive outline of the day-to-day operations, including sourcing plants, managing inventory, and ensuring quality control.
• Financial Plan: A detailed financial forecast, including startup costs, revenue projections, and a break-even analysis, providing a clear picture of the business’s financial viability.
• Appendix: Additional supporting documents and information, such as resumes of key team members, market research data, or any other relevant details that enhance the business plan.

If you’ve never created a business plan yourself before, it can be an intimidating task. Consider hiring an experienced business plan writer to create a professional business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business! 

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you are planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to plant nurseries. 

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state. 

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your plant nursery will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely. 

Here are the main options:

• Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
• Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.
• C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.
• S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just need to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have. 

Form Your LLC

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Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN. 

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you are completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

• Bank loans : This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
• SBA-guaranteed loans : The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
• Government grants : A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
• Friends and Family : Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
• Crowdfunding : Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like Fundable and WeFunder enable multiple investors to fund your business.
• Personal : Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Starting a backyard nursery shouldn’t require any financing, but if you want to open a garden center with a greenhouse, a bank loan will probably be your best option. Friends and family might also be a good possibility. 

Step 8: Apply for Plant Nursery Business Licenses and Permits

Starting a plant nursery business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments. Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as, health license and permit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits. 

You may also need state-level licenses and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more. You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements. 

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

For peace of mind and to save time, we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state, and provide them to you to make sure you’re fully compliant.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account . Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your plant nursery business as a sole proprietorship. 

Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account. 

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

• General liability : The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
• Business Property : Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
• Equipment Breakdown Insurance : Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
• Worker’s compensation : Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
• Property : Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
• Commercial auto : Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
• Professional liability : Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
• Business owner’s policy (BOP) : This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of any of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business. 

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks. 

You can use industry-specific software, such as epicor , acctivate , or Planting Nursery , to manage your plantings, inventory, billing, purchasing, and staff. 

• Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero . 
• If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial.

Develop your website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.

You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google. 

Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:

• Local Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses, such as landscapers, garden centers, and home improvement stores, to cross-promote your plants and expand your customer base.
• Local SEO  — Regularly update your Google My Business and Yelp profiles to strengthen your local search presence.
• Educational Workshops: Host workshops on gardening, plant care, and landscaping to engage the community and position your nursery as a knowledgeable resource, fostering customer loyalty.
• Seasonal Promotions: Create seasonal promotions and discounts to attract customers during peak planting times and encourage repeat business throughout the year.
• Community Events Sponsorship: Sponsor local events or community festivals to increase brand visibility, enhance community relationships, and draw attention to your nursery.
• Loyalty Programs: Implement a loyalty program offering discounts or freebies for repeat customers, encouraging customer retention and word-of-mouth referrals.
• Social Media Engagement: Utilize social media platforms to showcase your plants, share gardening tips, and engage with your audience, building a loyal online community.
• Demo Gardens: Establish demo gardens at your nursery to allow customers to see mature plants in a natural setting, inspiring them to make purchases and providing practical ideas for their own gardens.
• Email Marketing: Build an email subscriber list to share newsletters, exclusive promotions, and gardening advice directly with your audience, keeping your nursery top-of-mind.
• Customized Plant Bundles: Offer curated plant bundles for specific gardening needs, making it easier for customers to create cohesive and attractive landscapes.
• Customer Testimonials: Showcase success stories and testimonials from satisfied customers, instilling confidence in your nursery’s quality and expertise.

Focus on USPs

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your plant nursery meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire. 

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your plant nursery business could be:

• Organically grown plants to beautify your lawn
• Varietal ground covers to accent your yard
• Lovingly homegrown flowers to brighten your curb appeal

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a plant nursery business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in plant nurseries for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections. 

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in plant nurseries. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. 

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small with a backyard nursery, you may not need any employees. But if you purchase a greenhouse and store you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a plant nursery business would include:

• Gardeners – plant and care for plants
• Store Clerks – make sales, customer service
• General Manager – order supplies, staff management, accounting
• Marketing Lead – SEO strategies, social media, other marketing

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need. 

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent. 

Step 13: Run a Plant Nursery – Start Making Money!

If you have a love of gardening, starting your own plant nursery will be a great way to do what you love and make a healthy profit at the same time. Plant nurseries are a $42 billion industry and can be very lucrative ventures. 

You can start in your own backyard with just a few tools and your green thumb, and eventually purchase your own greenhouse and storefront. Now that you know what’s involved in starting a plant nursery, you’re ready to start your entrepreneurial journey and plant your way to success! 

• Plant Nursery Business FAQs

Absolutely! Planting and growing your offerings costs very little, so you can sell them for a large markup. You can even sell your plants at wholesale prices to large garden centers and make a healthy profit.

Even a backyard nursery is a business, so depending on where you live, you may need business licenses and permits at the state and local levels. Check with your local governments for requirements.

You can start a plant nursery with very little space. You’ll just be limited to the number of plants that you can grow. You can plant things like ground cover and produce a lot of plants in a small space. A 50 by 50-foot plot can hold up to 8000 ground cover plants pots.

The types of plants to consider growing in a nursery depend on factors such as the local market, climate, and customer preferences. Popular options include flowering plants, succulents, herbs, vegetable seedlings, shrubs, and trees.

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• Decide if the Business Is Right for You
• Hone Your Idea
• Brainstorm a Plant Nursery Name
• Create a Plant Nursery Business Plan
• Register Your Business
• Register for Taxes
• Fund your Business
• Apply for Plant Nursery Business Licenses and Permits
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get Business Insurance
• Prepare to Launch
• Build Your Team
• Run a Plant Nursery - Start Making Money!

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How To Start a Home-Based Plant Nursery: Checklist

By alex ryzhkov, home-based plant nursery bundle.

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Welcome to our latest blog post on how to start a successful home-based plant nursery business! With the gardening industry experiencing a surge in demand for eco-friendly and locally sourced products, now is the perfect time to launch your own plant nursery.

According to recent statistics, the plant nursery industry has seen steady growth over the past few years, with more consumers becoming environmentally conscious and seeking sustainable gardening solutions. By following our checklist of 9 essential steps, you can set up a thriving plant nursery that caters to this growing market.

From conducting market research and developing a solid business plan to setting up a strong online presence and implementing efficient delivery logistics, this article will guide you through every aspect of starting a successful plant nursery business. Stay tuned for valuable insights and tips to help you kickstart your entrepreneurial journey in the gardening industry!

• Conduct thorough market research.
• Create a detailed business plan.
• Secure funding for the business.
• Ensure legal compliance with all regulations.
• Set up the location for operations.
• Establish an efficient supply chain management system.
• Build a strong online presence.
• Implement effective delivery logistics.
• Stay open to continuous learning and adaptation.

9-Steps To Start a Business

Before launching your home-based plant nursery business, it's important to take several key steps to ensure success:

• Market Research
• Business Plan Development
• Funding Acquisition
• Legal Compliance
• Location Setup
• Supply Chain Management
• Online Presence
• Delivery Logistics
• Continuous Learning and Adaptation

Before starting your Home-Based Plant Nursery business, it is essential to conduct thorough market research to understand the local demand, identify target customer demographics, and analyze competitors in the gardening industry. By utilizing surveys, focus groups, and existing data, you can gauge interest in eco-friendly gardening products and tailor your offerings to meet the needs of your potential customers.

Tips for Conducting Market Research:

• Utilize online survey tools to gather feedback from potential customers about their gardening habits, preferences, and interest in eco-friendly products.
• Visit local gardening events, farmers' markets, and community gatherings to observe trends, talk to gardening enthusiasts, and gather insights into what products are popular in your area.
• Research your competitors by visiting their websites, social media pages, and physical stores (if applicable) to understand their product offerings, pricing strategies, and customer engagement tactics.

By investing time and effort into market research, you can gain valuable insights that will help you make informed decisions about your Home-Based Plant Nursery business, including selecting the right products to offer, pricing them competitively, and creating effective marketing strategies to reach your target audience.

Creating a comprehensive business plan for your Home-Based Plant Nursery is a critical step in laying the foundation for a successful venture. Your business plan will serve as a roadmap, guiding you through the various aspects of your nursery, from the initial setup to long-term growth and sustainability. Here are the key components to include in your business plan:

Your business model should outline the core operations of your Home-Based Plant Nursery, including the types of products you will offer, your target market, pricing strategy, and unique selling proposition. Define how your nursery will differentiate itself from competitors and attract customers.

Your marketing strategy will detail how you plan to promote your Home-Based Plant Nursery and attract customers. Consider including your online marketing approach, social media strategies, partnerships with local gardening clubs or organizations, and any promotional events or activities you plan to host.

Developing realistic revenue projections is essential for understanding the financial viability of your Home-Based Plant Nursery. Consider factors such as sales forecasts, pricing strategies, variable costs, and fixed expenses to estimate your revenue potential over the short and long term.

Outline the day-to-day operations of your Home-Based Plant Nursery, including inventory management, supply chain logistics, customer service processes, and staffing requirements. Detail the physical setup of your nursery, including greenhouse structures, storage facilities, and workspace layout.

Tips for Business Plan Development:

• Research your target market thoroughly to understand the needs and preferences of your potential customers.
• Seek feedback from experienced nursery owners or industry experts to refine your business model and marketing strategy.
• Regularly revisit and update your business plan to adapt to changing market conditions and business needs.

Securing adequate funding is essential for the success and growth of your Home-Based Plant Nursery business. Explore various financing options such as small business loans, grants, or angel investments to meet your financial needs. By preparing a compelling pitch and financial projections, you can attract potential investors or lenders, focusing on the eco-friendly and community-oriented aspects of your business.

To increase your chances of securing funding for your Home-Based Plant Nursery, consider the following tips:

Tip for Funding Acquisition:

• Highlight Your Unique Selling Proposition: Emphasize the eco-friendly and sustainable aspects of your business in your pitch to attract investors who align with your values.
• Utilize Local Resources: Look for grants or small business loans offered by local organizations that support green initiatives and community-oriented businesses.
• Build Relationships with Potential Investors: Attend networking events and pitch competitions to connect with angel investors who may be interested in supporting your Home-Based Plant Nursery.

By showcasing the potential impact of your business on the environment and the local community, you can make a compelling case for why investors should invest in your Home-Based Plant Nursery. Remember to tailor your pitch and financial projections to highlight the unique value proposition of your business and its potential for growth.

When starting a Home-Based Plant Nursery business, it is essential to ensure that you are operating within the legal boundaries set by your local government and industry regulations. Obtaining all necessary permits and licenses is a crucial step in establishing your business and avoiding any potential legal issues in the future.

1. Business License: One of the first steps in legal compliance is obtaining a business license for your Home-Based Plant Nursery. This license allows you to legally operate your business within your jurisdiction and ensures that you are complying with local business regulations.

2. Nursery Certification: Depending on the type of plants you will be selling, you may need to obtain a nursery certification. This certification confirms that your nursery meets the necessary standards for plant propagation and sales, ensuring the quality and health of your products.

3. Environmental Clearances: If you are planning to deal with organic products or environmentally sensitive plants, you may need to obtain environmental clearances. These clearances ensure that your business practices are in line with environmental regulations and sustainability standards.

Tips for Legal Compliance:

• Research the specific permits and licenses required for operating a Home-Based Plant Nursery in your area.
• Keep detailed records of all legal documentation and renewal dates to stay compliant at all times.
• Consult with a legal professional or business advisor to ensure that you are meeting all legal requirements for your plant nursery business.

Selecting a suitable location for your Home-Based Plant Nursery is a crucial step in ensuring the success of your business. The location should not only support the growth requirements of your plants but also be easily accessible to your customers. Here are some key considerations for setting up the perfect location for your nursery:

Tips for Location Setup:

• Consider the amount of sunlight and shade the location receives throughout the day to ensure your plants have the optimal growing conditions.
• Make sure the location has access to water sources for irrigation and plant maintenance.
• Choose a location that is easily accessible to customers, whether it's a visible storefront or a location with ample parking space.

When setting up your location for the Home-Based Plant Nursery, you will need to prepare the land for planting and organizing the retail space for displaying your plants and gardening products. Here is a breakdown of the key components of the location setup:

• Land Preparation: Clear the land of any debris, rocks, or weeds that may hinder plant growth. Make sure the soil is fertile and well-drained to support healthy plant growth.
• Greenhouse Structures: If necessary, procure greenhouse structures to create a controlled environment for certain plants that require specific growing conditions. Greenhouses also provide protection from harsh weather elements.
• Retail Space Organization: Organize the retail space in a visually appealing manner to showcase your plants and gardening products. Create different sections for various plant types and ensure easy navigation for customers.

By selecting a suitable location for your Home-Based Plant Nursery and setting it up effectively, you can create a welcoming environment for both your plants and customers. This will help establish your nursery as a go-to destination for high-quality plants and expert gardening advice.

One of the critical aspects of running a successful Home-Based Plant Nursery is establishing strong relationships with suppliers for plants, seeds, gardening tools, and organic fertilizers. Your supply chain plays a vital role in ensuring that you have access to high-quality products that meet the standards of your business and values.

Here are some key steps to effectively manage your supply chain:

• Identify Reliable Suppliers: Research and identify suppliers who offer a wide variety of plants, seeds, gardening tools, and organic fertilizers. Look for suppliers who prioritize sustainable and ethical production methods to align with your business values.
• Establish Clear Communication: Maintain open lines of communication with your suppliers to ensure smooth operations. Clearly communicate your requirements, expectations, and delivery schedules to avoid any misunderstandings.
• Quality Control: Regularly inspect and test the products you receive from your suppliers to ensure they meet your quality standards. Quality control is essential to maintain the reputation of your Home-Based Plant Nursery and keep your customers satisfied.
• Negotiate Contracts: Negotiate contracts with your suppliers to establish favorable terms and conditions for pricing, payment terms, and delivery schedules. A well-defined contract helps in managing expectations and avoiding any disputes in the future.
• Build Strong Relationships: Cultivate strong relationships with your suppliers based on trust, respect, and mutual benefit. Strong relationships can lead to better deals, priority in supply, and collaboration on new product offerings.

Tips for Effective Supply Chain Management:

• Regularly assess the performance of your suppliers to ensure they continue to meet your standards.
• Keep abreast of industry trends and new suppliers to diversify your supply chain and stay competitive.
• Invest in technology solutions to streamline your supply chain processes and improve efficiency.

Developing a professional website and leveraging social media platforms are essential steps to market your Home-Based Plant Nursery effectively. In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for reaching a larger audience and increasing sales.

When creating your website, make sure to showcase your plant nursery's products, services, and expertise in gardening. Include high-quality images of your plants, gardening tools, and accessories to entice customers. Ensure that your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with clear information on pricing, delivery options, and contact details.

Tips for Developing Your Website:

• Optimize for Mobile: Make sure your website is mobile responsive, as many customers browse and shop on their smartphones.
• Include E-Commerce Capabilities: Implement an online ordering system to allow customers to purchase plants and gardening products directly from your website.
• Implement SEO Strategies: Use relevant keywords related to plant nursery business to improve your website's visibility on search engines.

In addition to your website, leverage social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to promote your Home-Based Plant Nursery. Share engaging content, such as planting tips, gardening inspiration, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your nursery. Engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages promptly.

Utilizing e-commerce capabilities on your website will make it easy for customers to place orders online, further expanding your reach. By implementing SEO strategies, you can increase your website's visibility on search engines, driving more traffic to your site and ultimately increasing sales.

Remember to regularly update your website with new products, promotions, and gardening resources to keep customers engaged and coming back for more. Continuously monitor your online presence and adjust your strategies as needed to maximize your Home-Based Plant Nursery's success in the digital marketplace.

Organizing a reliable and efficient delivery system for your Home-Based Plant Nursery products is essential, especially if you are serving customers beyond the local area. Whether you choose to partner with local delivery services or invest in your transportation methods, ensuring timely and secure delivery is crucial for customer satisfaction and business success.

Here are some key steps to consider when setting up your delivery logistics:

• Partner with Local Delivery Services: Collaborating with established local delivery services can help streamline your delivery process and reach a wider customer base. Look for reliable partners who have experience in handling fragile items like plants and can ensure timely deliveries.
• Invest in Your Own Transportation Methods: If your Home-Based Plant Nursery business is expanding rapidly, it might be worth considering investing in your transportation methods. This could include purchasing a delivery van or setting up a dedicated delivery team to handle orders efficiently.
• Implement Tracking Systems: Utilize tracking systems to keep customers informed about the status of their orders. This transparency not only builds trust but also allows customers to plan for the arrival of their plants.
• Optimize Packaging: Proper packaging is crucial to ensure that plants arrive in pristine condition. Invest in sturdy packaging materials and provide clear instructions for handling plants during transit to minimize the risk of damage.
• Offer Delivery Options: Provide customers with a range of delivery options to cater to their individual needs. Consider offering express delivery for urgent orders or scheduled delivery for customers who prefer a specific delivery time.

Tips for Effective Delivery Logistics:

• Regularly communicate with your delivery partners to ensure consistency in service quality.
• Consider implementing a feedback system to gather customer input on their delivery experience and identify areas for improvement.
• Stay updated on industry trends and technology to continually enhance your delivery logistics processes.

Continuous Learning And Adaptation

As a Home-Based Plant Nursery business owner, it is essential to stay informed about the latest trends in sustainable gardening and continuously seek feedback from customers to improve your product offerings and services. By offering workshops and consultation services, you can establish your nursery as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source in the gardening community.

Continuous Learning: To stay ahead in the competitive gardening industry, it is crucial to keep yourself updated on the latest sustainable gardening practices, new plant varieties, and eco-friendly products. Attend industry seminars, workshops, and trade shows to network with other professionals and gain valuable insights into emerging trends.

Adaptation: In the dynamic world of gardening, it is important to be flexible and willing to adapt to changing customer preferences and market demands. Keep an eye on your competitors and be open to adjusting your product offerings and services to meet the evolving needs of your customers.

Tips for Continuous Learning and Adaptation:

• Subscribe to gardening magazines and online blogs to stay updated on industry trends.
• Join gardening forums and online communities to engage with fellow gardening enthusiasts and share knowledge.
• Attend local gardening events and workshops to expand your skills and knowledge base.

Starting a home-based plant nursery business can be a rewarding venture for those passionate about plants and sustainability. By following the 9 steps outlined in this checklist, you can successfully launch and grow your nursery while meeting the increasing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly gardening products in your local community.

Remember to conduct thorough market research, develop a comprehensive business plan, secure funding, ensure legal compliance, set up a suitable location, manage your supply chain, establish an online presence, organize delivery logistics, and continuously learn and adapt to meet the needs of your customers.

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Plant Nursery Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Plant Nursery Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their plant nursery businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a plant nursery business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Plant Nursery Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your plant nursery business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Plant Nursery

If you’re looking to start a plant nursery business, or grow your existing plant nursery business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your plant nursery business in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Plant Nursery Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a plant nursery business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings is the other most common form of funding for a plant nursery business.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a plant nursery.

If you want to start a plant nursery business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below we detail what should be included in each section of your business plan:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of plant nursery business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a plant nursery business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of plant nursery businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the plant nursery industry. Discuss the type of plant nursery business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of plant nursery business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of plant nursery businesses:

• Houseplant Nursery : this type of plant nursery business focuses on providing a selection of popular houseplants for indoor growing.
• Landscaping Nursery: this type of nursery focuses on outdoor plants and supplies for lawn care and landscaping.
• Tree Nursery: this type of nursery specializes in providing a selection of trees for purchase.

In addition to explaining the type of plant nursery business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews, number of products sold etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the plant nursery industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the plant nursery industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section:

• How big is the plant nursery industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your plant nursery business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: homeowners, apartment renters and landscapers.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of plant nursery business you operate. Clearly, apartment renters would respond to different marketing promotions than landscapers, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most plant nursery businesses primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other plant nursery businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes landscapers and local plant swaps. You need to mention such competition as well.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other plant nursery businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be plant nurseries located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of plants do they grow and sell?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better quality and selection of plants?
• Will you provide services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a plant nursery, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of plant nursery company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to a plant nursery, will you provide custom landscaping services, educational programs or any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your plant nursery company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your plant nursery located in a busy retail district or shopping plaza, or is it visible from a busy highway, etc. Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your plant nursery marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your plant nursery business, including tending plants, growing or transporting plants, and helping customers.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to sell your 100th plant, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your plant nursery business to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your plant nursery business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing plant nursery businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing plant nurseries or successfully running small businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your plant nursery business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a plant nursery business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your nursery location lease, blueprints of your nursery design or an inventory list.  

Putting together a business plan for your plant nursery business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the plant nursery industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful plant nursery business.  

Plant Nursery Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my plant nursery business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of plant nursery you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a plant nursery that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of plant nurseries?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Plant Nursery business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.  

Click here to see how Growthink’s professional business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

• Sample Business Plans
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Plant Nursery Business Plan

Do you feel tired in the caught-up rat race, and just want to follow your passion for nature? Well, a plant nursery is an amazing idea that would help the environment while keeping your pockets full.

But to start a successful plant nursery or get funding you will need a solid business plan to guide you through the way.

Need help writing a business plan for your plant nursery business? You’re at the right place. Our plant nursery business plan template will help you get started.

How to Write a Plant Nursery Business Plan?

Writing a plant nursery business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

Introduction of your Business

Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers. Then include a short description of all the other sections of the business plan.

In short, it is a summary of the whole business plan, which is why entrepreneurs choose to write this section at the end after having the full knowledge of the business plan.

You can introduce your business like this with the help of Upmetrics:

Marketing & Sales Strategies

Outline your sales and marketing strategies—what marketing platforms you use, how you plan on acquiring customers, etc.

Financial Highlights

Briefly summarize your financial projections for the initial years of business operations. Include any capital or investment requirements, associated startup costs, projected revenues, and profit forecasts.

Call to Action

Summarize your executive summary section with a clear CTA, for example, inviting angel investors to discuss the potential business investment.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will be like business name, type of the business, location, business history, and future goals of the business.

Business Description

Describe what kind of plant nursery business you run and the name of it. You may be running one of the below types of plant nurseries:

• Tree nursery : Focusing more on the plantation and sale of trees for both residential and commercial customers.
• Indoor plant nursery : This kind of business specializes in indoor and houseplant settings.
• Aquatic plant nursery : Focuses on growing and selling aquatic plants commonly utilized in ponds and water gardens.

For example, here is the business description for a nursery with the help of Upmetrics:

Describe the legal structure of your plant nursery, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or any other. Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.

List the names of your nursery’s founders or owners. Describe what shares they own and their responsibilities for efficiently managing the business.

Business History

If you’re an established nursery, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved, etc.

Additionally, If you have received any awards or recognition for excellent work, describe them.

Future Goals

It’s crucial to convey your aspirations and vision. Mention your short-term and long-term goals; they can be specific targets for revenue, market share, or expanding your services.

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

Target market

Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.

Market size and growth potential

Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market.

For instance, in 2022, the market size of the Nursery and garden Stores industry in terms of revenue was $50.3 billion .

Competitive Analysis

Identify and analyze your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and describe what differentiates your plant nursery services from them. Point out how you have a competitive edge in the market.

Market Trends

Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends. For example here is how you should mention the market trends:

Regulatory Environment

List regulations and licensing requirements that may affect your plant nursery business, such as business registration, insurance, environmental regulations, state and federal regulations, etc.

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your plant nursery business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

Describe your products and services

Mention the plant nursery products or services your business will offer. This list may include:

• Fertilizers
• Pots and containers
• Landscape designing
• Garden Decor
• Delivery services

Quality measures

This section should explain how you maintain quality standards and consistently provide the highest quality service.

This may include regular maintenance of plants and quality fertilizers.

Additional Services

Mention if your plant nursery offers any additional services. You may include services like delivery services, landscape designing, consultation, planting, etc.

In short, this section of your plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.

Marketing Strategies

Discuss your marketing strategies to market your services. You may include some of these marketing strategies in your business plan—social media marketing, Google ads, brochures, email marketing, content marketing, and print marketing.

Sales Strategies

Outline the strategies you’ll implement to maximize your sales. Your sales strategies may include direct sales calls,  partnering with other businesses, offering referral programs, etc.

Customer Retention

Describe your customer retention strategies and how you plan to execute them. For instance, introducing loyalty programs, personalized service, discounts on repeat orders, etc.

Overall, this section of your plant nursery business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

Staffing & Training

Mention your business’s staffing requirements, including the number of employees or gardeners needed. Include their qualifications, the training required, and the duties they will perform.

Operational Process

Outline the processes and procedures you will use to run your plant nursery business. Your operational processes may include seeding, cultivation, plant care, inventory management, etc.

Equipment & Machinery

Include the equipment and machinery required for the plant nursery, such as cultivation & planting equipment, pest & disease control, tools & implements, etc.

Explain how these technologies help you maintain quality standards and improve the efficiency of your business operations.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your plant nursery business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Founders/CEO

Mention the founders and CEO of your company, and describe their roles and responsibilities in successfully running the business.

Key managers

Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities.

For example, you can write down your management team like below with the help of Upmetrics:

Organizational structure

Explain the organizational structure of your management team. Include the reporting line and decision-making hierarchy.

Advisors/Consultants

Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.

So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your plant nursery business, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

Profit & loss statement

Describe your projected revenue, operational costs, and service costs in your projected profit and loss statement. Make sure to include your business’s expected net profit or loss.

Cash flow statement

The cash flow for the first few years of your operation should be estimated and described in this section. This may include billing invoices, payment receipts, loan payments, and any other cash flow statements.

Balance Sheet: Create a projected balance sheet documenting your plant nursery’s assets, liabilities, and equity. For example, see the below-projected balance sheet for a nursery with the help of Upmetrics:

Break-even point: Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.

This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.

Financing Needs: Calculate costs associated with starting a plant nursery business, and estimate your financing needs and how much capital you need to raise to operate your business. Be specific about your short-term and long-term financing requirements, such as investment capital or loans.

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the plant nursery industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your plant nursery business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

This sample plant nursery business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful plan for your plant nursery business, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our plant nursery business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a plant nursery business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful plant nursery business. It helps to clarify your business, secure funding, and identify potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your plant nursery company.

How to get funding for your plant nursery business?

There are several ways to get funding for your plant nursery business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

• Bank loan – You may apply for a loan in government or private banks.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) loan – SBA loans and schemes are available at affordable interest rates, so check the eligibility criteria before applying for it.
• Crowdfunding – The process of supporting a project or business by getting a lot of people to invest in your business, usually online.
• Angel investors – Getting funds from angel investors is one of the most sought-after startup options.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your plant nursery business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your plant nursery business plan and outline your vision as you have in mind.

What is the easiest way to write your plant nursery business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any plant nursery business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

How detailed should the financial projections be in my plant nursery business plan?

The level of detail of the financial projections of your plant nursery business may vary considering various business aspects like direct and indirect competition, pricing, and operational efficiency. However, your financial projections must be comprehensive enough to demonstrate a complete view of your financial performance.

Generally, the statements included in a business plan offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.

What key components should a plant nursery business plan include?

The following are the key components your plant nursery business plan must include:

• Executive summary
• Business Overview
• Market Analysis
• Products and services
• Sales and marketing strategies
• Operations plan
• Management team
• Financial plan

Can a good plant nursery business plan help me secure funding?

Indeed. A well-crafted plant nursery business plan will help your investors better understand your business domain, market trends, strategies, business financials, and growth potential—helping them make better financial decisions.

So, if you have a profitable and investable business, a comprehensive business plan can certainly help you secure your business funding.

What's the importance of a marketing strategy in a plant nursery business plan?

Marketing strategy is a key component of your plant nursery business plan. Whether it is about achieving certain business goals or helping your investors understand your plan to maximize their return on investment—an impactful marketing strategy is the way to do it!

Here are a few pointers to help you understand the importance of having an impactful marketing strategy:

• It provides your business an edge over your competitors.
• It helps investors better understand your business and growth potential.
• It helps you develop products with the best profit potential.
• It helps you set accurate pricing for your products or services.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Plant Nursery Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Agriculture Industry » Crop Cultivation » Plant Nursery

Are you about starting a plant nursery? If YES, here is a complete sample plant nursery business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE .

Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a plant nursery . We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample plant nursery marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for plant nursery businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

It is without doubt that starting a plant nursery can be a very sure way to use your love of plants and gardening to gain or make money. When people think of a plant nursery, the local garden centre usually comes to mind. But it is important to note that most garden centres produce very few of the plants they sell.

Instead, they buy their plants from specialty nurseries, which actually grow the plants. There are many specialty plant nurseries starting from tiny backyard nurseries to very large regional wholesale nurseries, who might supply retailers in several states.

One awesome fact about the business is that the industry is still very much open to contain a large variety of farms and individuals. The best way to achieve brand awareness and make substantial money in the plant nursery business is to choose a niche and specialize in plants that are in demand and can be container-grown to save space.

A relatively new development in container growing – called the “pot-in-pot” system, gives farmer the chance to grow  larger trees and shrubs without the back-breaking hand digging and high water consumption needed by field growing, and for smaller plants, container growing saves time, water and transplanting.

One’s need or a supplier’s need of having your own plant nursery is being able to buy wholesale at deep discounts. There are hundreds of wholesale nurseries that specialize in what are called in the trade “plugs, liners & whips”, which are different types of plant starts.

If you think this sound like the kind of business you would want to start, then you can begin to look into writing a business plan. If the idea of writing a business plan sounds scary, then you may want to work with a sample business plan like the one below;

A Sample Plant Nursery Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

It is worthwhile to note that businesses in the plant nursery industry grow nursery plants, such as trees and shrubs; flowering plants, such as foliage plants, cut flowers, flower seeds and ornamentals; and short rotation woody trees, such as Christmas trees and cottonwoods.

These plants can either be grown under cover or in an open field. It is a known fact that the industry has survived poorly in the past five years. The influx of low-cost cut flower imports from Colombia and Ecuador has without argument had a direct negative effect on domestic farmers, reducing the revenue of the industry.

We believe that in the coming years, the revenue of the industry will reduce, held down by the weak demand from florists and nurseries and by import competition.

We all know that the economy of the united states is no longer in a recession, weak discretionary spending will continue to strain flower sales throughout the year. It is also important to note that businesses in this industry are located throughout the United States, and their distribution varies slightly from the population distribution.

Most products of the plant nursery industry grow better in some climates and a concentration of growers has developed in a given area. Demand in the industry we believe is moved by consumer income, home sales and new home construction, and commercial real estate construction.

The success of individual companies rests on anticipating demand for various types of plants, efficient distribution, and competitive pricing. Bigger ventures in the industry have economies of scale in distribution, and little businesses in the same industry can compete successfully by raising specialty plants or serving a local market.

2. Executive Summary

Ostrander Nursery is a new plant Nursery in the heart of Oregon that is dedicated to provide quality choice for individuals searching for plant and garden supplies, as well as serving contractors who need a reliable source of products.

We at Ostrander Nursery hope to offer a wide variety of plants, trees, vegetable plants, along with a selection of garden supplies.

We believe that most of the plants we will be selling will be grown in our greenhouses. We also believe that with a suitable and convenient location, Ostrander Nursery will successfully market its products to the residential customer, as well as contractors and renters.

We at Ostrander Nursery would love to see and acknowledge a five to ten percent increase in our customer base annually, which will serve as a factor to dictate our success. Our marketing strategy includes providing a knowledgeable staff, affordable prices, a great location, and top notch customer service.

We also plan to experience a growth rate of 20% in sales for the second year of operation and build upon that as our Nursery grows. We believe that with adequate, creative marketing and a quality choice of plants and garden supplies for our customers, we will be able to achieve success and make our presence known in the nursery community.

Ostrander Nursery has been the long time dream of owners Oscar and Alexander Grant for many years, and has been a project in the making for the last five years.

Oscar and Alexander Grant, two brothers with a precise goal and visions, will manage all aspects of the Nursery. Alexander, we believe will manage the staff and be involved with the ordering of merchandise, while Oscar will be in charge of the ordering of the garden supplies and tree stock, as well as the maintenance of the greenhouses.

3. Our Products and Services

We at Ostrander Nursery plan to offer a wide variety of bedding plants, shrubs, trees, and vegetable plants along with many garden accessories such as fountains, stepping stones, garden tools, fertilizers, and potting soils. We believe that most of our plants will be grown on-site in state-of-the-art greenhouses. First and foremost, we plan to buy full grown plants for our first few months of inventory.

Our main source of revenue stream at Ostrander Nursery will come from the direct sale of plants and trees from our outdoor and indoor greenhouse facility.

We hope to carry a number of seasonal and year round (perennial) species. We also plan to sell to both individual customers and landscape contractors. We will also generate secondary revenue streams by organising the transportation or big orders of trees and plants on behalf of individual customers and landscape contractors.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision at Ostrander Nursery is to become one of the leading ventures in the Plant Nursery Business and in the whole world, starting from the United States.
• We at Ostrander Nursery are very much dedicated to provide a wide variety of plants and trees in an aesthetic setting. We understand that the customer service we provide is extremely important, because we want each customer to have a pleasant shopping experience, and it is the intention of our staff to answer questions with expertise and to offer advice when we feel it is needed.

Our Business Structure

Ostrander Nursery has been a long time dream of brothers Oscar and Alexander Grant, and has been a project in the making for five years.

We believe and hope that our opening date will be within next year March, Oscar and Alexander Grant is seeing the dream of operating a nursery to become the leading figure in the industry. Located in the outskirts of Salem, Oregon at 98983 Orchards Heights Rd, opposite the famous Sundance Lavender farm.

We also plan to focus on providing quality bedding, hanging, and vegetable plants, along with a variety of potted trees. Our major aim at Ostrander Nursery is to serve both residential customers and landscaping contractors, and provide a variety of garden accessories such as ponds, statues, potting soils, fertilizers, and garden tools.

Outlined below are the portfolios we wish to start Ostrander Nursery with:

Chief Executive Officer

HR and administrative Executive

• forest nursery worker
• forest assistant nursery
• greenhouse worker

Marketing and Sales Manager

Security guard

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

• His in charge of Overseeing all other executives and staff within the organization.
• He is Tasked with board of directors and other executives to determine if company is in accordance with goals and policies.
• Charged with encouraging business investment.
• He also promotes economic development within communities.
• His in charge of directing the organization’s financial goals, objectives, and budgets.
• Implement the organization’s guidelines on a day-to-day basis.
• Preside over quality control.
• In charge of Hiring, training, and terminating employees.
• In charge of developing and implementing strategies and set the overall direction of a certain area of the company or organization.
• Provides visionary and strategic leadership for the organization.
• Collaborate with the board of directors to develop the policies and direction of the organization.
• He makes sure that the members of the Board of Directors have the information necessary to perform their fiduciary duties and other governance responsibilities.
• He also Provide adequate and timely information to the Board to enable it to effectively execute its oversight role.
• Directs staff, including organizational structure, professional development, motivation, performance evaluation, discipline, compensation, personnel policies, and procedures.
• In charge of overseeing the running of HR and administrative tasks for Ostrander Nursery
• Monitors office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
• Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
• Stays updated on job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Builds the ventures reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
• States job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Organizes staff induction for new team members
• In charge of training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• In charge of arranging travel, meetings and appointments
• Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.
• In charge of overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Tasked with defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries out staff induction for new team members
• In charge of preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• In charge of financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• In charge of developing and managing financial systems and policies
• In charge of administering payrolls
• Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the company
• Serves as internal auditor for the company

Forest Nursery worker

• Plants, sprays, weeds, fertilizes, and waters plants, shrubs, and trees, using hand tools and gardening tools.
• Plants crops, trees, or other plants.
• Applies chemical solutions to plants to protect against disease or insects or to enhance growth.
• Harvests plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
• Marks agricultural or forestry products for identification.
• Harvests agricultural products.
• Records information about plants and plant growth.
• Maintains operational records.
• Feels plants’ leaves and note their colouring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
• Evaluates quality of plants or crops.
• Sells and delivers plants and flowers to customers.
• Transports animals, crops, or equipment.
• Sells agricultural products.
• Operates tractors and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and spray fields and plants.
• Operates farming equipment.
• Fills growing tanks with water.
• Inspects plants and bud ties to assess quality.
• Digs, cuts, and transplants seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.
• Cuts trees or logs.
• Ties and bunches flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders.
• Packages agricultural products for shipment or further processing.
• Regulates greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems.
• Operates irrigation systems.
• Digs, rakes, and screens soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting.
• Prepares land for agricultural use.
• Dips cut flowers into disinfectant, count them into bunches, and place them in boxes to prepare them for storage and shipping.

Forest assistant nursery

• Moves containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.
• Sows grass seed, or plant plugs of grass.
• Cleans work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
• Cleans equipment or facilities.
• Maintains inventory, ordering materials as required.
• Maintains inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
• Hauls and spreads topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.
• Prepare land for agricultural use.
• Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
• Builds agricultural structures.
• Cuts, rolls, and stack sod.
• Provides information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products.
• Advises others on farming or forestry operations, regulations, or equipment.
• Folds and staples corrugated forms to make boxes used for packing horticultural products.
• Traps and destroys pests such as moles, gophers, and mice, using pesticides.
• Captures or kills animals.
• Grafts plants and trees into different rootstock to reduce disease by inserting and tying buds into incisions in rootstock.

Greenhouse Worker

• Grafts plants.
• Inspects facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
• Negotiates contracts such as those for land leases or tree purchases.
• Positions and regulates plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
• Prepares soil for planting, and plant or transplant seeds, bulbs, and cuttings.
• Provides information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns.
• Assigns work schedules and duties to nursery or greenhouse staff, and supervise their work.
• Determines plant growing conditions, such as greenhouses, hydroponics, or natural settings, and set planting and care schedules.
• Determines types and quantities of horticultural plants to be grown, based on budgets, projected sales volumes, and/or executive directives.
• Identifies plants as well as problems such as diseases, weeds, and insect pests.
• Manages nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
• Selects and purchases seeds, plant nutrients, disease control chemicals, and garden and lawn care equipment.
• Tours work areas to observe work being done, to inspect crops, and to evaluate plant and soil conditions.
• Applies pesticides and fertilizers to plants.
• Confers with horticultural personnel in order to plan facility renovations or additions.
• Constructs structures and accessories such as greenhouses and benches.
• In charge of Identifying, prioritizing, and reaching out to new markets for our agriculture produce, processed food, new partners, and business opportunities within the agro – allied industry
• In charge of Developing, executing and evaluating new plans for expanding increase sales of all our agriculture produce and processed foods
• Tasked with documenting all customer contact and information.
• Represents the company in strategic meetings
• Aids to increase sales and growth for the company
• In charge of protecting the farm and its environs
• Controls traffic and organize parking
• Tasked with giving security tips when necessary
• Patrols around the farm on a 24 hours basis
• Presents security reports weekly

6. SWOT Analysis

Ostrander Nursery is a standard plant nursery started to be exceptional and not as a trial and error, which is why conducting a proper SWOT Analysis became a necessity. We at Ostrander Nursery believe that getting our things right from the start would mean that we have succeeded in creating the foundation that will help us establish a successful plant nursery.

We at Ostrander Nursery plan to offer a large number of products, we have no plans for failure but a well situated plan that will help us to maximizing our strength and opportunities and also make our threat and weakness an advantage for us. Properly explained below is a summary of the result of the SWOT analysis for Ostrander Nursery;

According to our SWOT Analysis, our strength rest on the fact that we have built and established a well based rapport with a handful of major players (agriculture merchants) in the agro – allied industry; both suppliers and buyers within and outside of the United States.

We have also purchased some of the latest modern machines, tools and equipment that will helps us manage our plant nursery. We also have experienced and best hands for the business in the whole industry

The SWOT Analysis perceived that the time it will take to gain customers and boost our brand will be our major weakness. It explained the unimaginable competitive industry and how industry players are keen on their advertising strategies.

• Opportunities

The opportunities that we at Ostrander Nursery have are the amount of homeowners, and industries that will come for our plants and also industries that will come for the raw materials from our plant Nursery.

One of the threats that was perceived during the SWOT Analysis is the probability of global economic downturn that will affect us negatively, bad weather cum natural disasters (draughts, epidemics), unfavourable government policies and a new competitor ( a plant nursery that cultivates few or almost all the crops we cultivate ) as our nursery within same location.

We believe in our strength and know that we will overcome any available threat with ease through handwork and consistency.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trend

It is a known fact that most businesses in the farming industry are no longer relying only on non – organic farming. They have now added both organic crop cultivation and non – organic crop cultivation and despite that organic food are costly; they are steadily increasing in demand.

Also we all know that the agricultural industry is as old as man’s survival on planet earth, but that does not in any form make it over saturated or filled; ventures in the industry keep exploring new ideas technologies in order to improve cultivation processes and also food preservation process; mechanized farming has without doubt increased the level of foods and crops that are being produced. The industry will always be needed for the survival of man and his family.

Farmers are now growing crops in large numbers in a country where such crops could never survive before now and in locations where there are little or few farming land due to the advancement of technology. Individuals can now make use of rooftops (basement) of their houses to plant crops even at large quantity.

8. Our Target Market

Our target market strategy at Ostrander Nursery will be relying on becoming an attractive choice for homeowners and landscape contractors in the city of Salem Oregon. We believe that the target markets we are going to be chasing are the residential consumers searching for a large variety of plants and trees to beautify their residences.

We also believe that the Landscape contractors will be attracted by competitive prices and a diverse inventory. We understand that individuals will want to shop at our location because of the superior customer service we hope provide. We at Ostrander Nursery would like to see a five to ten percent increase in customers annually, and the profile of our customer consists of the following demographic information:

• Male and Female.
• Married and Single.
• Combined annual income in excess of $50,000.
• Age range of 25 to 80 years, with a median age of 40.
• Own houses or townhouses valued at over $150,000.

Our competitive advantage

There are approximately more than 17,000 businesses that operate one or more facilities that sell plants and trees to both individual customers and contractors.  It has been estimated that in each of the last five years, the plant nursery industry has generated in excess of $27 billion while providing jobs to more than 150,000 people.

Aggregate payrolls in each of the last five years have exceeded $3.5 billion. This goes to show that the industry is a matured industry, and the future expected growth rate is expected to mirror that of the general economy.

We at Ostrander Nursery believe that we have one of the most extensive and affordable plant and flower selections in the entire State of Oregon, and a very knowledgeable staff ready to give out unparalleled customer service. We believe that contractors looking for a reliable nursery will find we at Ostrander Nursery very supportive and easy to work with. The ease and convenience of our location is a very big plus and a competitive advantage to us.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Our main source of revenue stream at Ostrander Nursery will come from the direct sale of plants and trees from our outdoor and indoor greenhouse facility. We hope to carry a number of seasonal and year round (perennial) species.

We also plan to sell to both individual customers and landscape contractors. We will also generate secondary revenue streams by organising the transportation or big orders of trees and plants on behalf of individual customers and landscape contractors.

10. Sales Forecast

We at Ostrander Nursery have been able to analyse what our sales or the income we will be generating in the next three years. We have put plans in place and we believe in our strength and the way we plan to run Ostrander Nursery, and we believe we will achieve these goals and figures.

We have also perfected our sales and marketing strategies to help us achieve our aim and goals, we have employed experienced hands and individuals we believe can help us be what we want, when we want.

Our sales projections was analysed from two main revenue streams: the general public, and contractors. We believe that our sales projections for the upcoming year will be based on a modest growth rate for sales. We are Ostrander Nursery being a new plant nursery business we are projecting a growth rate of 20%, believing our advertising will bring in new customers daily. Outlined below are the sales projections of Ostrander Nursery:

• First Year -: $650,000
• Second Year -: $1,100,000
• Third Year -: $3,000,000

Note : it is worthwhile to note just like we stated above that this forecast was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the believe that none of the threats we mentioned above will be a hindrance or may likely appear.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We at Ostrander Nursery plan to make use of a number of marketing strategies that will allow our Plant Nursery to easily target individuals within the target market. We believe that these strategies will include traditional print advertisements and ads placed on search engines on the Internet.

We believe that we need a functional marketing and advertising strategy to be able to boost our business. Which is why we will also use an internet based strategy. We believe that this is very important as many people seeking local retailers, such as plant nurseries, now make use of the Internet to conduct their preliminary searches.

We at Ostrander Nursery also plan to register our business with online portals so that potential customers can easily reach the business. Ostrander Nursery will also develop our own online website showcasing the operations of the business, our inventory, hours of operation, and other services offered by the business.

Finally, we will also develop ongoing relationships with landscape contractors that will need inventories of trees and plants from Ostrander Nursery in bulk on a regular basis. In time, these contractors will become an invaluable source of business for us at Ostrander Nursery.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We at Ostrander Nursery believe that our marketing strategy will be based on becoming an option for contractors and the general public to fill their plant and shrubbery needs. We also intend to maintain an extensive marketing campaign that will ensure maximum visibility for the business in our targeted market. Below is an overview of the publicity and advertising strategies for Ostrander Nursery:

• Establish relationships with landscape contractors within the target market.
• We hope to place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms; we will also advertise Ostrander Nursery Consultants  on financial magazines, real estate and other relevant financial programs on radio and TV
• Ostrander Nursery will also sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• We also plan to make use of various online platforms to promote the business. All these will make it easier for people to enter our website with just a click of the mouse. We will take advantage of the internet and social media platforms such as; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our brand
• We also plan to mount our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Salem, Oregon
• We at Ostrander Nursery also plan to engage in road show from time to time
• We also plan to distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas all around Salem
• We plan to make sure that all our workers wear our branded shirts and all our official vehicles are well branded with our company’s logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Our strategy at Ostrander Nursery will based on serving our customers with expert service and product knowledge, to build our marketing plan to reach homeowners, renters, and contractors, to focus on satisfying the needs of our customers, and to focus on providing quality plants at affordable prices.

Ostrander Nursery believe that to get the right pricing for our plants, we need to make sure that we choose a good location for Plant Nursery, choose a good breed / seeds that will bring forth bountiful harvest, reduce the cost of running our plant nursery to the smallest minimum and make sure we attract buyers to our business, as against taking our plants to the market to source for buyers.

With this, we would have successfully removed the cost of transporting the goods to the market and other logistics from the equation.

• Payment Options

We at Ostrander Nursery after our extensive research and thorough discussion understand efficiently that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at different times and ways. We plan to make sure that we provide them with payment options that will make their transactions less stressful and very open.

Listed below are the payment options we at Ostrander Nursery plan to making available to our customers;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft
• Payment via POS

We have also chosen to partner with a known bank in the United States in order to give our customers the best they can ever get in the agricultural sector of the United States.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

Our major objectives at Ostrander Nursery is to maintain an average gross margin at or above 50%, generate an average of $1,000 of sales each business day of each month, and realize an annual growth rate of 10% in Year 2. We believe that these objectives and goals are very much reachable.

Which is why we are being very detailed about all information penned down in our business plan? We have also decided on the possible factors to spend our start up capital and they include:

• The price for incorporating our farm in United States of America – $750.
• Our budget for key insurance policies, permits and business license – $4,000
• The cost of acquiring / leasing a nursery facility and land – $55,000
• The budget for preparing the soil (for planting et al – $25,000
• The price for acquiring the required working tools and equipment / machines / tractors et al– $600,000
• The price of Launching an official Website – $600
• The budget for paying our workers for 1 year – $500,000
• Other business requirements (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,000
• Miscellaneous – $5,000

From our detailed cost analysis above, we will need $1,192,350 to start Ostrander Nursery and make the nursery ready to serve the needs of our customers. Here also are the few equipment we believe that are necessary in starting Ostrander Nursery:

• Propagation Containers
• Tillers and spades
• Wheelbarrows
• Compost bins
• Irrigation systems
• Hoes and Hand held pruners
• Harvest baskets
• Rain collection barrels

Generating Funding / Start-up Capital for Ostrander Nursery

We at Ostrander Nursery understand that having the required finance for your business; will go a long way to make sure you achieve your desired goal. Finance basically is a very crucial factor when it comes to building any business, and building a successful business is not a one day job but a continuous job that requires consistency and hard work.

Ostrander Nursery is a privately owned farm that will be solely finance by the owners and their immediate family. Outlined below are the possible means we plan to raise funds for Ostrander Nursery

• Raising part of the start – up capital from personal savings
• Raising part of the start – up capital from family members and friends (soft loans and gifts et al)
• Raising a larger chunk of the start-up capital from the banks (loan facility).

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Oscar and Alexander Grant are the founders and operators of Ostrander Nursery. Oscar has worked in the nursery industry for over fifteen years (with 10 years managing Age rock Nursery). While Alexander has a degree from the University of Oregon in agronomy and has worked for the Green Nation Agency as a plant specialist advising the local population on the purchase and care of a wide range of plants.

We believe they have the adequate experience and combine knowledge to lead Ostrander Nursery to limelight and success.

We also understand that the plant nursery industry is highly competitive, and how important it is to maintain a high level of customer service, offer quality products, and give our prospective clients a large variety of choices when shopping for plants and trees.

We believe that our business approach will be to offer a diverse selection of plants, trees, and garden supplies. We also believe that exceptional customer service will be important in meeting the needs of our target markets. Healthy plants will be a top priority at Ostrander Nursery, and we will display the plants artistically.

We also believe that our immediate geographic market which is the capital of Oregon has the adequate population we need to flourish and that a 100 mile geographic area would want our services, as we become a well known nursery. We also believe that what will make us successful and attract enough clients for us will be based on the following services:

• Sell products of the highest quality with excellent customer service and support.
• Retain customers to generate repeat purchases and make referrals.
• Continue to expand daily sales by adding to the variety of plants we sell.
• Communicate with our customers through creative advertising.

Checklist/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check: Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
• Leasing, renovating and equipping our facility: Completed
• Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with banks, financial lending institutions, vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

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How to Start a Plant Nursery in 14 Steps (In-Depth Guide)

Updated:   January 17, 2024

BusinessGuru.co is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The plant nursery industry hit a benchmark of $10,224.59 million in 2022 . With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9% evaluated from 2022 to 2028, now is a great time to dip your toe in the water.

You may have noticed the empty storefronts and vacant lots around your neighborhood and wondered if a plant nursery could thrive there. The good news is that starting a plant nursery business doesn’t require huge upfront costs or investments. With some key planning around inventory, staffing, and marketing, you can launch and grow a successful nursery.

This guide explains how to start a plant nursery. It offers insight into topics such as registering an EIN, obtaining business insurance, forming a legal business entity as an LLC, and more. Here’s everything to know about retail nurseries.

1. Conduct Plant Nursery Market Research

Market research is essential to opening wholesale nurseries, small nurseries, or really any sort of floral business . It provides details about where to purchase plants, top tools to grow plants, the best platforms to sell plants, and information on your target market.

Some details you’ll learn through market research among successful nurseries include:

• The top revenue-driving customer segment is homeowners enhancing their home’s curb appeal with plants, trees, and flowers.
• The housing market boom has led to more existing home sales, driving further growth for plant nurseries as new homeowners invest in landscaping.
• While demand is consistent across regions, you’ll want to research state-specific trends and customer demographics to select an optimal location.
• The southern Atlantic region has the most nursery stock in production according to the USDA, pointing to higher business costs but also more customers.
• Research zoning laws, weather patterns, competitive saturation, and population data for your shortlist of locales.
• Focus your initial inventory on the most popular flowers and plants in your area based on regional climate and buyer preferences. You can further specialize over time in native plants, roses, trees, etc.
• Connect with your state’s nursery association such as the Washington State Nursery & Landscape Association for insights on key growth areas and inventory guidance.
• Trade shows like Cultivate also help you spot emerging plant trends.

Leveraging this industry analysis and customizing for your locale sets you up for success – now it’s time to put down roots and start growing your plant nursery!

2. Analyze the Competition

Starting a plant nursery requires careful analysis of your brick-and-mortar and online competition. Understanding the competition helps you understand the local market and what it takes to build a successful plant nursery.

Some ways to learn about local competitors include:

• Walk through nurseries within a 20-mile radius of your potential location to gauge product selection, pricing, promotions, store design, and customer service.
• Take photos for later reference, jot down notes, and consider posing as a mystery shopper.
• Look up each location’s website and social media presence as you visit in person, taking note of followers and engagement.
• Review sites like Yelp to see customer commentary about competitors, including areas needing improvement you can capitalize on and strengths to emulate or outperform.
• Search for media coverage of local nurseries as well to spot inventory uniqueness, events, community involvement, and any recognition that builds customer trust.
• Look for clues on sourcing special or exotic plants and trees that set them apart.
• Many nurseries now offer e-commerce for remote buying and pickup/delivery.
• Review photos, product descriptions, shipping costs, delivery timelines, prices, and digital presence for these e-tailers who may steal local customers.
• Compile your competitive research into a grid detailing location, website, social following, product range, pricing, events/services, strengths, weaknesses, and any gaps you could fill with your differentiated offerings.
• Use this intel to shape your business plan around ideal inventory, events/services, community involvement opportunities, and leveraging digital channels to stand out.

This 360-degree view arms you with everything needed to grow a thriving plant nursery in your area. Now it’s time to dig in and nurture your competitive advantage!

3. Costs to Start a Plant Nursery Business

Launching a profitable plant nursery requires careful planning and analysis of both initial start-up costs as well as ongoing operating expenses. Understanding realistic budgets in the planning phase sets your business up for financial viability down the line. Let’s explore typical costs to factor into your nursery’s forecasts.

Start-Up Costs

Before even buying your first seed, significant upfront investments build out your nursery’s physical structure and acquire the prerequisite inventory:

• Land Purchase/Lease – Leasing cropland or pastureland averages approximately $135 per acre annually. For a small operation, plan for 1-5 acres, translating to $3,500 – $15,000+ to buy or $135 – $675 per year to lease.
• Greenhouses – Typical per-square-foot costs range from $3-$8 according to industry reports, meaning a 1,000 sq. foot building would carry $3,000 – $8,000 in materials and labor. Glass covering pushes the price tag higher than plastic polymer options.
• Inventory – Perennials run around $2 – $8 per plant, shrubs $10 – $50, and trees nearing $100 or beyond depending on maturity and type. For a diverse starter crop of 500 plants, budget $2,500 – $5,000.
• Supplies – Outfitting your operation with propagation trays, pruning shears, fertilizers, carts, shade cloths, and other necessities results in upfront yet recurring expenses as items wear out. Expect approx. $3,000 initially.
• Permits/Licensing – Budget $500 – $1,500 covering these permits/licenses. Additionally, selling nursery stock requires a state nursery license costing ~$250 per year.

Ongoing Costs

Once built and planted, continuous costs keep your nursery growing season after season:

• Labor – Average hourly wages for nursery workers come in at around $12.20 according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 3 full-time staff working 40-hour weeks year-round, plan for $175,000+ in annual compensation costs.
• Inventory – To keep showrooms stocked as plants sell, expect to reinvest 10-30% of sales revenue back into new inventory every year. Local conditions and best-sellers shift this fluctuating expenditure.
• Facilities – Electricity, irrigation infrastructure upkeep, equipment maintenance, and insurance premiums stack up in

Plant nurseries can be fairly expensive based on what you want in the beginning but it’s a more accessible business than some others in the agricultural space, such as cattle farms or hemp farms .

4. Form a Legal Business Entity

Deciding on the right legal structure establishes your nursery’s framework for liability protections, taxes, and operational flexibility. Weighing options like sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations and LLCs (limited liability companies) allows customizing to your specific gardening venture. Let’s dig into key considerations for plant nurseries to inform your entity choice.

Sole Proprietorship

Sole proprietors report business income/losses on personal returns, avoiding corporate taxes. This simplicity suits nurseries with one owner decentralizing control. However, founders assume unlimited financial liability, placing personal assets at risk. Sole proprietors also struggle to attract investors to scale.

Partnership

General or limited partnerships enable multiple owners to combine resources and expertise under a shared business vision. This joint accountability and tax pass-through approach works for small nurseries, yet unlimited liability gives some partners pause. Disagreements can also muddy decision-making compared to central ownership models.

Corporation

Establishing a C corporation creates a distinct legal entity protecting owners’ assets if the company faces lawsuits or debts. Many nurseries, however, are small “pass-through” entities where corporate taxes apply on company earnings, then shareholders also owe taxes on distributed dividends. This double taxation hinders bootstrapped operations.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

For most plant nurseries, forming an LLC blending aspects of partnerships, corporations, and sole proprietors proves the best option. LLCs limit founders’ financial liabilities without double taxation. You get flexibility around management structure and equity sharing attractive to partners and investors.

5. Register Your Business For Taxes

With your LLC formed, next up is obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS to identify your nursery for federal tax purposes. This unique nine-digit number functions like a business equivalent to your SSN.

Thankfully securing an EIN takes just minutes online. Simply navigate to the IRS EIN Assistant site and select “View Additional Types” under “Apply Online Now”. Choose “View Additional Types including Non-Profit/Tax-Exempt Organizations and Agriculture (Farmers/Ranchers)” and then select “Nursery” from the business category dropdown.

Answer eligibility questions like ownership structure and address details. Specify whether you need the EIN solely for federal taxes or also require state tax ID numbers used in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, and a few other locales. These state tax IDs support reseller permits, sales tax exemptions, and employer registrations.

Upon submitting your EIN application, an IRS representative connects via video conference to verify your identity and ownership documents. Once approved, your EIN appears immediately onscreen for downloading/printing alongside the next steps for reporting payroll taxes, income, expenses, etc.

If only need a federal EIN, the online process takes less than 15 minutes with no fees. For those needing integrated state tax IDs, some states charge nominal admin fees around $20-$30.

6. Setup Your Accounting

With your nursery underway, properly tracking finances and taxes becomes essential for profitability and IRS compliance. Implementing small business accounting best practices from the start prevents headaches down the road as your customer base blooms.

Open a Business Bank Account

Start by separating personal and business finances. Open a dedicated business checking account ensuring all nursery income flows through this account, retaining paperwork for deposits. Likewise, pay all nursery expenses via the business account. Comingling finances triggers tax nightmares.

Accounting Software

Leverage streamlined accounting software like QuickBooks to categorize income and costs. Connect bank/credit card accounts for automated data syncing. QuickBooks helps track plant inventory, sales, payroll, and fixed and variable expenses in easy-to-reference financial reports complying with IRS rules. Plans start around $25/month with discounts for annual subscriptions.

Hire an Accountant

Consider retaining an accountant to handle payroll, taxes, financial statements, and balancing your books. Expect fees between $200 and $800 monthly depending on the level of involvement. At minimum enlist help preparing year-end nursery profit/loss statements and tax documents.

Rates often range from $500 – $2,500 annually but prevent mistakes raising IRS red flags. Having auditor-ready books also proves useful when applying for small business loans to grow your budding operation.

7. Obtain Licenses and Permits

With your LLC formed and finances set up, securing requisite licenses and permits lets you operate fully above board as an accredited plant nursery business. Find federal license information through the U.S. Small Business Administration . The SBA also offers a local search tool for state and city requirements.

For starters, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program mandates permits for monitoring water use/runoff around your nursery. Monitor discharge from greenhouse irrigation and chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides entering storm drains or local watersheds. General NPDES Permits for pesticide applications cost $500 initially with $250 annual renewals depending on nursery size and impact.

Nearly every state also oversees specialized nursery registrations and certifications beyond sales tax licensing. For instance in Oregon, complete a Certified Nursery License through the Oregon Department of Agriculture for just $260 annually. This demonstrates compliance with quarantine and growing standards for nursery stock bought/sold across state lines.

Some counties also require Agricultural Operation Registration linking your nursery business details to land-use codes and water regulations. For example, Santa Barbara County charges around $200 to register and then $50 for annual renewals.

Additionally, many locations enforce Clean Air Act compliance via Air Quality Permits regulating greenhouse smokestack emissions from natural gas heaters. Expect one-time application fees of up to $5,000+ covering onsite inspections and equipment assessments before approval.

Finally, confirm local building permits, fire codes, and zoning laws for any greenhouse construction, particularly involving electrical, lighting, ventilation, or temperature control infrastructure on commercial nursery properties.

8. Get Business Insurance

Business insurance shields your nursery from unforeseen costs stemming from property damage, customer injuries, employee incidents, and other liabilities that could otherwise bankrupt your growing operation.

Without coverage, severe weather destroying greenhouses or spoiling inventory plants could cost tens if not hundreds of thousands in repairs and replacement vegetation. Customer injuries from tripping over hoses or getting struck by falling pottery generate towering medical bills and lawsuit settlements without protection. Even a workplace injury to one of your groundskeepers brings major financial risk.

Start shopping for customized policies after officially registering your nursery’s EIN. Coverage areas to evaluate include:

• General Liability – Protects against customer bodily injury or property damage claims on your premises with $1 million minimum limits. Costs approximately $600 annually.
• Product Liability – Covers damages or harm stemming from selling mislabeled plants, toxic fertilizers, etc. Adds 10-15% onto premiums.
• Property – Reimburses cost to repair/replace inventory, structures, and nursery equipment after incidents like fires, frozen pipe leaks, or theft. Typically runs $500+ annually pending property value.
• Workers Compensation – Federally mandated for businesses with employees, this covers lost wages, medical care, etc for workplace injuries. Varies widely based on state, payroll size, and job duties but expect a minimum of $1,500 per year.

Package policies with higher deductibles help cut down on premiums initially. An independent insurance broker also tailors protection across multiple carriers. Investing in adequate coverage gives added peace of mind so you can focus on raising your healthy nursery.

9. Create an Office Space

While much of your nursery operation stays outdoors nurturing inventory, securing some indoor administrative space proves essential for daily planning, meetings, and avoiding distractions. Weigh options like home offices, retail spaces, or coworking sites to best suit your budget.

Home Office

Launching from a spare bedroom or basement keeps costs minimal – often $100-200 for a desk and office basics. Home offices also enable proximity for popping back to quickly answer emails between tending plants outside. Just beware of distractions from kids, pets, or housework that hamper productivity. Ensure your homeowner’s insurance covers business use of the space.

Coworking Space

Shared coworking spaces like WeWork provide office amenities with more professional meeting space for sales calls and investor meetings. Open desk memberships start around $300 monthly and private offices from $600 per month.

Coworking also brings networking opportunities with other small business owners. Just confirm coworking locations comply with all insurance/zoning requirements for plant-related businesses.

Commercial Office

Renting modest commercial office space enables the most flexibility for your administrative needs. Expect to pay $20+ per square foot in most markets, making this better for established nurseries. Commercial offices also give dedicated room for clerks handling paperwork and sales calls. Weigh lengthy leases against more flexibility offered by monthly coworking space memberships.

10. Source Your Equipment

A thriving plant nursery needs more than just seedlings and sprouts – the right equipment also proves essential. Whether buying new or used, or temporarily renting, numerous options exist for outfitting your operation without breaking the bank.

While buying shiny new gear seems attractive when launching, premium prices strain startup budgets. Still, some key equipment merits new investments for durability like commercial steel greenhouse frameworks from manufacturers like Rough Brothers averaging $15-$25 per square foot.

Buying Used

Gently used equipment offers major savings for many non-structural elements like watering cans, hauling carts, generators, or propagation lighting rigs. Scout deals on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for local deals. Budget about 50-75% less than new equivalents. Verify desired supply volumes before acquiring to confirm capacity.

Rent specialized soil aerators, debris removal tools, commercial wood chippers, and other seasonal use equipment as needed. Weekly rental rates around $100-500 per unit prove cheaper than buying outright. Useful for supplementary projects without adding permanent toolshed clutter.

Lease-to-own financing spreads equipment costs over monthly payments rather than huge upfront payouts. This helps launch nurseries access essentials like solar panels, expensive irrigation infrastructure, and greenhouse environmental controls while slowly building ownership equity. Just confirm all maintenance requirements and buyout terms before signing longer-term agreements spanning years.

11. Establish Your Brand Assets

Cultivating a recognizable brand helps your nursery blossom amid fierce competition. Defining visual identities, contact tools and digital properties sets the foundation for marketing everything your operation grows.

Getting a Business Phone Number

Centralize calls via a dedicated business phone number instead of relying on personal mobiles. Services like RingCentral offer toll-free and local number options with professional voicemail greetings starting at $30 monthly. Automatic call routing also forwards calls seamlessly when out of the office tending to gardens.

Creating a Logo and Brand Assets

A polished logo encapsulates your nursery’s personality while making memorable first impressions on social channels and signage. Looka’s logo generator crafts custom icons, monograms, and other designs tailored to gardening for $20.

From your logo, create complementary letterheads, color palettes, and fonts for websites, business cards, and brochures. Matching assets establish visual continuity. Opt for earthy green, floral color pops mirroring the vibrancy of your botanical wares.

Business Cards and Signage

Business cards offer portable opportunities to spread brand familiarity during industry events, deliveries, or client meetings. VistaPrint’s budget 500 card order costs under $20.

Window signage and custom metal/wood plaques also make retail nursery storefronts shine. Promote grand openings, and seasonal sales and highlight your brand for drive-by visibility that establishes community trust.

Purchasing a Domain Name

Your domain becomes the digital “storefront” for customers discovering your website. The .com version of your nursery’s name proves important for SEO and memorability. Use domain sites like Namecheap for affordability at under $15 annually.

Building a Website

While beginners can launch sites via Wix’s drag-and-drop builder for free, hiring web developers on Fiverr costs only $5+ per basic informational page if seeking premium plant e-commerce functionality.

As your nursery grows, ensure branding keeps pace through scalable logos, contact tools, and an online home spreading your roots far and wide.

12. Join Associations and Groups

Expanding your professional network with fellow green thumbs unlocks invaluable mentorship, troubleshooting advice, and industry secrets as you grow your nursery. Tap local associations, trade events, and online communities to plant seeds for long-term support.

Local Associations

State-level nursery and landscape associations like the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association , and Oregon Association of Nurseries provide critical networking. Browse educational conferences, certification courses, and member directories to discover mentors. Annual dues average $500.

Local Meetups

Attend home and garden shows like the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival or Santa Rosa Harvest Fair to connect in person with other nurseries and suppliers. Chat up stall neighbors while scouting displays for inventory inspiration. Use Meetup to find more informal plant swaps and garden tours as well.

Facebook Groups

Thousands of niche Facebook communities create space for troubleshooting, advice, and inspiration between events. For instance, the Greenhouse Tech Team and Greenhouses & Gardens groups share thousands of collective years of growing plants. Post questions to tap collective wisdom on boosting your yields and operations.

13. How to Market a Plant Nursery Business

Effective marketing helps your nursery business bloom year-round by raising awareness and attracting new customers. Leveraging digital channels, community events and customer referrals keeps your operation top of mind across every season.

Referral Rewards

Promoting any small business presents challenges, but luckily plant lovers boast one of the most enthusiastic customer bases who readily share brands they love. Satisfied shoppers proudly showcasing their gardens make exceptional brand advocates. Offer referral rewards like 10% off their next purchase for every new customer they bring your way. Word of mouth goes far.

Digital Marketing

You can also foster digital growth through:

• Google Ads – Target local searches for terms like “flower nursery” and “landscaping plants”. Expect to pay $2+ per click.
• Facebook/Instagram Ads – Create beautiful social campaigns showcasing inventory. Focus ad sets on gardeners within a 25-mile radius.
• YouTube Channel – Publish weekly vlogs sharing planting tips and virtual nursery tours to build subscribers over time.
• Blogging – Craft SEO-optimized blogs around topics like “Best Shade Perennials” for site traffic.
• Email Newsletters – Send monthly availability updates, specials, and growing advice to contacts.

Traditional Marketing

Don’t overlook traditional approaches either:

• Direct Mailers – Distribute catalogs and fliers to local homes highlighting seasonal plants. Expect at least $0.50 per piece.
• Flyers – Place eye-catching promotional flyers on community boards at local garden centers and hardware stores.
• Radio Spots – 15-second radio ads on local gardening shows raise awareness affordably.
• Billboards – While pricier, roadside digital boards attract drive-by notice.

Track impression volumes, clicks, and conversion rates across efforts to refine your marketing mix over time. As your most successful channels take root, increase spending to accelerate nursery growth. Leverage any built-in audiences and prosecutorial knowledge to establish your nursery as the foremost regional authority.

14. Focus on the Customer

While lush gardens begin from tiny seeds, thriving plant nurseries stem from cultivated customer relationships nurtured through exceptional service. How you make shoppers feel while browsing inventory directly impacts sales and referrals.

Create a welcoming retail environment for self-service shoppers to dig through your diverse plant offerings. Greet everyone who enters and offer personalized guidance identifying specimens suiting their landscaping vision or gardening skill level.

Make suggestions for outdoor layouts and complementary plantings to express expertise. Share tips on proper sunlight, watering needs, and blooming timelines to set expectations.

When customers require special ordering for rare finds, expedite requests promptly and update timelines transparently to exceed expectations. Follow up post-purchase to ensure desired growth while troubleshooting any issues that arise.

Leverage your customer’s passion for gardening to request social shares when seedlings mature into jaw-dropping garden focal points. Enable people to easily tag your brand across platforms when posting plant pictures.

Providing exceptional assistance through every stage of the customer lifecycle – from initial questions to years of accumulated growth – roots your nursery in community hearts and wallets for the long haul.

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12 Tips for Starting a Nursery Business from Home

Follow the best practices when selling plants at a farmers market or online.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Starting a nursery business from home, whether small or large, means knowing the best ways to propagate and sell plants.

I purchased my one-acre homestead for its location, mature trees, and potential to grow rows and rows of vegetables. It was an added benefit when I discovered that my backyard neighbors, who had 40 years of experience growing edibles and ornamentals, were so generous in their sharing of knowledge. They have shared advice from growing seedlings to improving sales of produce, plants, and eggs.

For a little more than a decade, Demi Stearns has had two plant sales a year. I offered to help her post her events on Craigslist and Facebook, which helped skyrocket her already profitable sales. Starting a nursery business from home and selling plants between $0.50 and $4.50, Stearns has been able to make more than a $1,000 in a weekend due to her marketing skills.

Following her example, here are her dozen tips to improving your plant sales:

Improvement #1:  Be Prepared

Preparation begins a few months before a plant sale, and this also means organizing your sales space. You will want to have everything ready so that you can talk to your customers.

Keeping a table and chairs by your entrance invites customers in. Keep a master list (alphabetical) of your plants and prices. You won’t remember everything, especially if you have a few dozen species with unique prices.

Improvement #2:  Be Colorful

Color coordinate your plant sale signs for posting around your neighborhood. Stearns uses neon pink and green. They are visible even on cloudy days. The signs are posted one and two blocks away from the sale in all four directions. Avoid using cardboard for a backing as it will absorb water if it gets rained on. Use some kind of plastic such as old election signs. Paint the background hot pink and letter as large as possible. Black acrylic paint and black sharpie markers hold up for years.

In your yard, use a lot of colored signs for your plant groups. Have Orange Justicia signs read in highlighter orange and Pink Jacobinia in hot pink. Use a plastic backing here as well. Do a good job the first time and your signs will pay for themselves over time. Your prices can be adjusted on these signs from year to year to adjust for inflation.

Improvement #3:  Do Your Research

Research plants you grow on the internet, or visit your library, before starting a nursery business from home. Have a printer make colored copies of information on all the plants you’ll be selling. Cover them all in plastic sheets and tape them so that moisture cannot get in. By being able to answer all questions (light, space, water requirements) customers will be more likely to purchase plants for specific locations in their yard.

Improvement #4: Label All Your Plants

Use a Sharpie pen on a popsicle stick. Cheap convenience stores carry the packages of 100 to 150 for around a dollar. Yes, it can get tedious. Turn on some music or a baseball game on the radio. People will be bringing home your plants and may not be familiar with them. They will appreciate the convenience of being able to purchase a specimen and remember it the future.

Improvement #5:  Be Passionate

Sell plants that you are passionate about and that fill a specific niche. Stearns grows a variety of flowering perennials. Pentas (red, pink and rose) are a favorite as well as Pink Jacobinia and Thryallis. People like both sun and shade plants. Stearns grows both nectar and host plants for butterflies. Since she also plants vegetable and flower seeds for her vegetable garden, she will occasionally sell any extra flower or vegetable plants like tomatoes, kale, collards, and marigolds.

Improvement #6:  Start Them Yourself

Cutting beds are important for propagation. Stearns’ beds are easily accessible but still have to be fenced off from her chickens. Label your cuttings and look after them. There are some plants like Thryallis, Bahama Cassia, and milkweed that grow best from seeds. A greenhouse, however simple, is great to have for germinating seeds indoors . Your profits go up when you can propagate your own plants for starting a nursery business from home.

Improvement #7:  Don’t Mind Asking

For 11 years, Stearns has had two plants sales per year—a weekend in late May to early June and a weekend around the beginning of November. During the sales, she leaves a sign by the entrance gate indicating that she would appreciate any size pots that people have. People are generous and leave her large plastic bags of all assorted sizes of plastic pots, which she uses for the plant sales. By not having to purchase pots, your margin of profit goes up.

Improvement #8:  Generate Soil

Mulching your yard will eventually give you the best soil for crops . Stearns has had tree trimmers leave many piles of chipped leaves and branches over the years. She also collects bags of raked oak leaves from the neighborhood. These all decompose and leave a beautiful dark soil. Several relatives have cows, so she also has access to cow manure to mix with her yard soil. The plants benefit from this mixture, and the process reduces your overhead.

Improvement #9:  Think Convenience

Plants in small pots are easier for people to see on a table. Stearns has reinvested some earnings and bought several pairs of sawhorses to make tables for the small plants. It’s also good to leave a lot of small cardboard boxes under the table for people to put their smaller plants in. Providing a large pot of plastic shopping bags for people to put their gallon or larger-sized plants in will be appreciated by many customers.

Improvement #10:  Advertise Freely

Craigslist and people who know how to save seeds  in your area can help keep people posted on current plant sales. Stearns says she has really appreciated this form of free advertising, as it is directed to the people who are truly interested.

Improvement #11:  Hire Help

Stearns has also hired her friend’s teenagers or older children (nephews, granddaughters, and neighbors) for the bigger spring sale. They get to use their muscles and math skills and the shy ones will get to test their public speaking skills to some very sweet “plant people.”

Improvement #12:  Enjoy

“Have a good time,” is Stearns’ final tip. You will find that plant people are wonderful around.

Do you have any other tips for starting a nursery business from home? Let us know in the comments.

Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA, is a pet and garden columnist and grows mostly edibles on his one-acre homestead due to the generous knowledge provided by his green-thumbed neighbors. His goal is to be self-sustainable through his permaculture landscape. Please search “Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan” on Facebook to learn more about gardening with children.

Originally published in Countryside July/August 2016 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

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Garden Nursery Business Plan Example

Published Aug.31, 2014

Updated Apr.23, 2024

By: Cynthia Turner

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Table of Content

Nursery garden business plan for starting your own business

The plant and greenhouse industry is blooming! IBIS World reports $40 billion in 2018 sales, an enormous number with plenty of room to grow. The sales figures include stock, bedding and garden plants, sod, mushrooms, flowering foliage in pots, and many other products.

Of particularly good news for the budding entrepreneur who is intending to open a new operation is the fact the average horticulture operation has higher sales than the average U.S. farm. This is an industry ripe for innovation whether through the use of technology or through creative thinking. The first step towards startup is the development of a customized, professional nursery garden business plan.

Executive Summary

2.1 the business.

People appreciate nice landscapes around homes, apartments, and commercial buildings. They want well-kept parks, nicely maintained natural preserves, and highways bordered with hardy sod and local wildflowers. As the green movement grows, there is also a demand for more products like native varieties which require less watering and care, and plants that offer other benefits like high oxygen production and soil anchoring.

2.2 Management

The business plan for plant nursery will address the ”hows and whys” of the operation. It should include all information relevant to startup that will guide decision-making, keep the company on track to fulfill its mission, and entice investors or lenders. Typical company information includes:

The experience level of the entrepreneur and other managers is critical because this is a highly specialized industry catering to well-defined markets. Whereas most consumers and commercial operations need paper, for example, the products sold by the operation are directed at a segmented market.

2.3 Customers

The overall theme of the nursery will influence the product line. Will the nursery cater to customers who want native plants to create natural ecosystems, green products suitable for particular climate zones, a variety of landscaping items, and/or indoor foliage? Will other items be offered for sale too, like flower pots, garden tools and decorations, and fertilizers?

2.4 Target of the Company

These are a few of the topics covered in the enterprise proposal. Developing the project is a critical first step towards successful startup. The process ensures the entrepreneur has carefully thought through critical details. The finished document can also be used to support requests for funding or financing from private investors, financial institutions, and government agencies.

Company Summary

3.1 company owning.

Garden nurseries can be started in areas that are suitably zoned. The entrepreneur should demonstrate that land use regulations are researched and appropriate licenses obtained. The entrepreneur may need funding for land purchase and building and greenhouse construction. Nurseries need an irrigation system, storage buildings, heavy equipment for moving and delivering inventory, a warehouse, sales office, and so on. How much startup capital is needed? When is the nursery expected to start making a profit after accounting for costs?

3.2 Why the Business is being started

The status of local water supplies is a critical issue. What is the source of water? Are there permit requirements? Many areas are going through a drought and installation of efficient watering systems is mandatory.

3.3 How the Business will be started

The options are unlimited and include perennial and annual flowers, shrubs, trees, sod, other products like Christmas trees, agricultural seed products, starter plants, maintenance supplies, and so on. Will plants be grown in containers or rootballed, or sold as bare root or a mixture of production methods? Will the operation deliver to the customers’ sites? If so, it is important to have the right type of delivery equipment available.

The detailed start-up requirements, start-up funding, start-up expenses, total assets, total funding required, total liabilities, total planned investment, total capital and liabilities as forecasted by experts, is given below:

Services for Customers

If you are thinking about opening a nursery, you must first decide the services which you’ll be providing. Mentioning them clearly in the form of a nursery plant  business plan experts for plant nursery is preferable as it can give you an idea about the things which will be needed in starting nursery plant business.

We know it’s confusing to decide which sort of plants and products to showcase, so that everyone can find the things of their interest. Therefore, we’re providing here a sample business plan for plant nursery of a startup, Flora Mart, so that you can get idea about services which can prove profitable these days.

Services listed in nursery plant business plan of Flora Mart are as:

• Bedding Plants: Flora mart will keep seasonal bedding plants by amassing different colored flowers and leaves to create visually appealing flower beds.
• General Vegetation: We’ll be selling seedlings of general indoor and outdoor plants such as spider plant, Dracaena, Jade plant, African Violet, Boston Fern etc.
• Seeds: We’ll keep seeds of all almost types of carnivorous plants, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
• Landscaping Services: We’ll be providing professional gardeners to set up lawn and vegetation according to customer’s land and space.
• Garden Accessories: We will be keeping all the things that one can need in landscaping and gardening such as water sprinkler, pressure sprayer, seedling trays, lawn mowers, hand diggers, electric dust blowers, hydroponic trays, soils, grass patches, organic & inorganic fertilizers, plastic and sand-made pots of every size and shapes, hanging plant containers and garden stones.
• Purchasing through App & Delivery Services: Customers can also avail our services by making a purchase using our app and get it delivered to their door.

Marketing Analysis of business for plant nursery

Landlord business plan writing, 4.1 market trends.

In other words, the entrepreneur who wants to start a commercial nursery or greenhouse has many options. The key is to develop an operation capable of generating revenue year round for maximum profitability. For example, the owner could sell spring, summer, and fall flowers and shrubs, pumpkins and fall varieties in October, and Christmas trees in December. These are the types of topics covered in the business plan for plant nurseries.

4.2 Marketing Segmentation

Just owning a nursery isn’t sufficient to generate desired profits. To be successful, you must have to analyze your target customers before you actually start your business for plant nurseries. It can help you in devising policies and in adorning your place.

Also your plant nursery requirements can vary according to your target market. For instance, if you aim at targeting companies then it’ll be good to create a fine reception space and keeping formal and eye-refreshing indoor plants.

Target groups of Flora Mart are given here:

The detailed marketing segmentation of our target audience is as follows:

4.2.1 Home Owners: The first group of our customers will be the people living in our city, Seattle. This group of general population is expected to purchase our products, seeds, and seedlings as well to avail our gardening services to adorn their in and outdoor space with natural beauty.

4.2.2 Institutes: The second category includes research and educational institutes who can buy our plants and will also avail our landscaping services to create refreshing view in their departments.

4.2.3 Companies: Our third target category includes companies and offices who always leave a big space for a beautiful lawn and eye-catching entrance. They are expected to make big purchases with us.

4.2.4 Event Organizers: Our last category to target will be the event organizers in restaurants or in homes. For beautifying space naturally for parties, weddings and other events they’ll be needing our plant beds, prepared grass patches, and our landscaping services.

The detailed market analysis of our potential customers is given in the following table:

4.3 Business Target

Defining measurable, realistic and achievable goals before starting a business plan for plant nurseries can keep you working in a high spirit. Assessing your performance after the time you had set to achieve your goals can also help in bettering the coordination among you and you employees.

Business Targets set by Flora Mart are:

• To earn net profit margin of $20k per month by the end of the first year
• To maintain an average client rating score of 4.5 out of 5 at the end of first year
• To increase our sales by 20% every 2 months

4.4 Product Pricing

Our prices will be just comparable with the other business for plant nurseries running in our vicinity. However, we’ve priced our gardening services a little bit higher because we’ll hire highly experienced staff for it.

Business plan writer for Canadian government

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Plant Nursery Marketing Strategy

5.1 competitive analysis.

Before you think about how to start a business plan for plant nurseries, you must first research what your competitors are doing. Only in that case, you’ll be able to do something different.

To take a lead upon its competitors, Flora Mart will introduce app and delivery system so that customers can choose the plants while sitting at their location and get it delivered in almost no time. Secondly, Flora mart will be providing landscaping services for events and ceremonies which no one in the vicinity is providing. Lastly, the business will ensure exceptional customer service – valuing the client’s satisfaction more than anything else.

5.2 Sales Strategy

The business strategy services you’ll be adopting in order to sell your services must also be covered in your business plan for plant nurseries.

We’re listing some effective measures from sample garden center business plan of Flora Mart which will be taken to bring the target customers to its site.

• Company’s services will be advertised in magazines and local newspaper
• Strong presence on the web and social media will be ensured
• On every shopping above $80, free delivery within 10km distance will be provided
• 20% discount will be offered on our landscaping services for the first two months

5.3 Sales Forecast

Our sales are forecasted in the following column charts:

The detailed information about sales forecast is given in the following table:

5.4 Sales Monthly

5.5 Sales Yearly

Personnel plan

Before starting a plant starting a nursery business plan it’s essential to create an effective personnel plan to ensure that you’ll be hiring the right persons while paying them a fair amount. Because it is something that can affect your starting a nursery business plan in the long run.

The personnel plan developed by Denzel Sean, the owner of Flora Mart, is given in this starting a nursery business plan .

6.1 Company Staff

• 2 Accountants to maintain financial records
• 1 Web Developer to run company’s app and websites
• 2 Drivers for providing Home Delivery
• 4 Gardeners to cultivate plants
• 1 Horticulturist to supervise hard-to-grow plants
• 1 Landscaping Expert to set up lawn design ideas
• 1 Sales Executives to market and to find new ventures
• 3 Assistants to do day-to-day tasks
• 3 Cleaners to clean the facility
• 1 Receptionist

6.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial Plan

The last step in making an effective nursery project plan is to make a detailed fianancial plan listing accurate statistics of your investments, expenses, and expected profit margins. For the sake of completeness its good to include at least 3 year forecast in your nursery business model. Your plan should cover details of how you’ll be managing your financial goals and increments in your employee’s salaries within the expected profits. It should also give a clear idea of amount that you can need to increase your product line. Moreover, the strategy to be followed if you fail to generate enough revenue for your starting a nursery business plan must also be included in the financial plan.

7.1 Important Assumptions

7.2 Brake-even Analysis

7.3 Projected Profit and Loss

7.3.1 Profit Monthly

7.3.2 Profit Yearly

7.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

7.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

7.4 Projected Cash Flow

7.5 Projected Balance Sheet

7.6 Business Ratios

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Ownr Blog  > Ownrship 101  > Business Stages  > Before You Start  > How to Start a Plant Business

How to Start a Plant Business

Houseplants are on-trend, and if you’ve got a passion for potting and find joy in watching things grow, starting your own plant business might just be the ideal adventure for you.

You’ll need to have an entrepreneurial spirit, not be afraid of drumming up business for yourself, and be good at time management for this. And while you don’t need any formal training, you’ll want to get familiar with the different types of plants you grow and sell so you can keep them in tip-top shape.

If you’re an entrepreneur who thinks they’ve got what it takes to make it in the plant game, here’s what you need to know about how to start a plant business.

• What is a plant care business?

A plant care business describes pretty much anything that has to do with growing, selling, or maintaining plants that are indoors; outdoor plants primarily fall under the general landscaping industry. Essentially, a plant company either grows and sells, designs, or maintains live plants.

• Realities of running a plant care business

Plant care is a nifty business idea, especially since millennials seem to be obsessed with houseplants . But there are a few benefits and drawbacks you should consider before you get started.  

• Benefits of an indoor plant care business 

There are a lot of fast-growing small businesses out there, but one of the biggest benefits to establishing a plant care business is you don’t need a large amount of capital to get started.

So long as you’re not going the retail or wholesale growers route, you can cut expenses on location by working in your own space or at your clients. This means your biggest cost concerns are going to be start-up supplies, back-end costs (like the cost of your accounting program), and insurance. 

• Drawbacks of an indoor plant care business

While plant care is an expanding niche, it is a luxury business. That means when times get tough, you’re likely to be at the top of the list for budget cuts. This could make securing a sustainable income a challenge.

There is also the added drawback of dealing with bug infestations. They can kill plants quickly, ruining your work fast and possibly damaging your reputation—and it’s usually not your fault.

• How to start a plant care business

If your heart is set on starting a plant care business, you’ve got a green thumb and you’re ready to go, here’s what you’ll want to do:

• Build a business plan

Your business plan is a crucial component of the set-up of the business. It outlines what your company does and who it serves.

If you are planning on seeking funding to jump-start your business, you’ll want to pay particular attention to hammering out a comprehensive executive summary . You’ll also want to focus on components like your budget and finances, and your marketing plan. Potential funders will want to know how much you’ll expect to make and how prospective customers are going to come across your products or services.

Even if you’ll be the only one looking at the business plan, it’s important to flesh it all out. It acts as a roadmap to help keep you on track as your business moves along and grows.

• Conduct a market analysis

Before you get too far into starting your plant business, you want to take a peek at the industry and see what everyone else is doing. Do a market analysis and figure out what services are currently available and where there might be a gap for you to fill.

You’ll also want to look at what’s popular with plants. For example, if you’re looking for nursery stock, what are local people buying. Likewise, if you’re creating terrarium designs, are customers looking for succulent plants or something a little pricklier? 

• Set up your business back end

To keep costs on the lower side, you can opt to do your own bookkeeping and client management. That means you’ll need to set up:

• An accounting system
• A CRM database
• Some form of project management system
• A business bank account

You’ll also need to look into making your business official (like using Ownr to set up your corporation ) and securing insurance, which is important both when you’re working in a clients’ space, and you’re selling retail goods. They may sound “boring,” but they’re important steps to take as you start on your plant-filled adventure.

• Purchase basic supplies

Your basic supplies will depend on the type of plant care business you opted to start. If you’re designing terrariums and containers, your startup supplies might look like cactus plants, succulents, and other goodies you’ll use to decorate with. 

If you’re maintaining plants, your start-up supplies might be more in the fertilizer, tools, and plant food area. You’ll want to make sure that you have everything you need for the kinds of plants you plan to work with.

• Start marketing your business

It doesn’t matter what kind of start-up you’re building, marketing is crucial, so you’ll want to get started quickly.

If you’re dealing with an in-person business, like plant maintenance, where you’ll be at your client’s premises, consider making a set of memorable business cards or flyers to drop off around your neighbourhood ( safely , of course).

You’ll also want to think about:

• Building a website
• Taking gorgeous photos of your products
• Opening social media accounts

Don’t forget to make an actual marketing plan, or you may risk ending up with one hand in all the marketing cookie jars.

• What kind of plant care services can you offer?

If you’ve itching to get growing but aren’t sure what type of plant care services, here are five ideas to get you started: 

• 1. Run a nursery business

When it comes to a plant start-up, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a plant nursery business. Retail nurseries grow plants from seeds or saplings with the intention that they’ll end up in the homes of happy plant lovers. And online plant nurseries are a fast-growing industry !

Unless you’re running one of the massive wholesale nurseries out there (which might not be a good beginner task), you’ll probably want to focus on growing a select variety of plants. Once your plants are ready to find new homes, you can sell them to a landscaper or plant designer, at a local plant show, or directly to the end customer.

The big downside for start-up nursery owners is you’ll need plenty of space to grow your plants. And since you’ll likely be starting the plants from seeds, you’ll need to be patient until they grow to a size where you can sell them. 

• 2. Plant upkeep and maintenance

So you like to work inside with plants, and you actually remember how often you need to water them—maybe indoor plant care and maintenance is for you. This is a great option for those entrepreneurs with a green thumb who want to keep their start-up costs lower.

With maintenance and upkeep, you can offer regular services like watering, trimming, cleaning, polishing, pruning, and even potting and repotting. This field also opens up doors for you to go beyond individual clients. Many businesses decorate their corporate spaces with plants but don’t have the time (or a dedicated person) to maintain them.

• 3. Floral design services

If you have an eye for design and a desire to create wedding favours for happy couples, then floral design might be for you.

Many floral design businesses start off with retail plant shops where they sell plants, flower bouquets, and custom designs to clients. But if you don’t want to budget for the retail space, you can reduce your costs by offering a custom-only or small-scale local retailer with an online shop.

You won’t get street walk in traffic that way, but you can work some magic on your social media accounts to bring in potential customers. 

• 4. Indoor landscaping

Plants truly increase the beauty of the world around us, so business owners and individuals alike are increasingly turning to indoor landscaping to brighten up their space. If you have an eye for making stunning indoor plant displays, this could be the perfect business for you.

With an indoor landscaping business, you’ll design plant displays to tie a space together. You could even pair landscaping and maintenance services to turn your onetime customers into regulars. 

• 5. Terrarium and container design

If you like to work with smaller plants like cacti and succulents, then designing terrariums and plant containers could be a good fit. This is the ideal set-up for someone who wants to work at home and run an online retail shop, as you don’t need a public retail space to do your work.

If you offer online sales, you’ll need to work out the best shipping options, but you could also opt to sell your designs to local plant shops as an in-between. This is a great opportunity to put together beautiful displays that make people happy.

• Tips for starting a plant business
• Start small

You don’t have to go to the local plant nursery and buy out their entire fertilizer supplies. While you want to have a stock of fertilizer, pesticides, and other supplies on-hand, consider keeping a small stock to start off with until you know what you need. That way, you won’t blow the budget right out of the gate.

• Take a customized approach

Plant care requires a little more customization than some other service-based businesses out there. It’s a luxury service, so you’ll want to take some time to get to know your potential customers and their preferences, so you can customize the service you provide to their needs. 

• Focus on quality

It’s okay if you don’t offer every service that’s related to plant care, and it’s okay if you don’t work with every type of plant available. Focus on providing a quality service to your clients. This also means working with suppliers that provide you with goods and services that you trust. Specialization is a great quality of a niche business, so focus on giving it to your all in one specific area.

This article offers general information only, is current as of the date of publication, and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While the information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by RBC Ventures Inc. or its affiliates.

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How to Start a Plant Business

Last Updated: August 10, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Melinda Meservy and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure . Melinda Meservy is a Plant Specialist and the Owner of Thyme and Places, a botanical boutique offering plants and gifts in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before starting her own business, Melinda worked in process and business improvement and data analytics. Melinda earned a BA in History from the University of Utah, is trained in lean and agile methodologies, and completed her Certified Professional Facilitator certification. Thyme and Places offers indoor plants and containers, a fully stocked potting bench, and tips on plants to suit your space and lifestyle. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 19 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 569,757 times.

Setting up a plant nursery business can be an overwhelming venture, but it can be extremely rewarding if you have a passion for greenery and a firm knowledge of how to grow and cultivate plants. There are three distinct types of nurseries. Backyard growers sell plants that they cultivate in their home, and usually sell plants in their front yard like a garage sale several times a month. Retail growers rent or buy brick-and-mortar shops where they sell to the public. Wholesale growers focus on cultivating a lot of plants at once and sell to other vendors and shops. Choose which kind of nursery you want to open based on your knowledge, time availability, and whether you want to work full-time or part-time on your plants.

Planning Your Business

• If you’re trying to appeal to investors or a bank for a loan, they’ll want to see an estimate of your costs.
• Retail stores need to pay rent or a mortgage. Calculate this cost based on averages for available commercial properties in your area.
• Every business needs general liability insurance. If you plan on hiring employees, you’ll need to buy insurance for your workers as well.

• Business licenses always have a fee attached to them. This can range from $25-1,000 based on where you are.
• Make sure that you’re getting a home-business license if you’re going to operate a backyard nursery.

Warning: If you’re in the United States, you need to apply for a federal agricultural license if you want to import or export plants to/from other states. [3] X Trustworthy Source U.S. Small Business Administration U.S. government agency focused on supporting small businesses Go to source

• Botany tends to be a more scientific field, while horticulture focuses more on practical growing methods. Horticulture may be more helpful, but they’ll both be useful fields to learn more about.
• If you’re enrolling at a college or university, consider double-majoring in business. The business degree will provide you with a ton of useful information on how to run a business.

• Order some business cards with your name and company logo. Print a few mission statements with the logo and include your mission statement. These will be incredibly helpful when you’re starting out as you try to network and appeal to customers.
• Most nurseries work with a few different varieties of plants. If you’re absolutely certain that you want to focus on a specific species or style of plant, emphasize it in your statement and logo.
• For example, a business statement might start, “Peach Orchard Nursery is a local Nebraskan plant nursery that focuses on succulents and cactus plants. Our goal at Peach Orchard is to bring the absolutely highest-quality plants to the public using eco-friendly growing practices.”

Running a Backyard Nursery

• A high-end sprinkler system can cost quite a bit of money, but it can save you quite a bit of time and effort when it comes to watering your plants.
• You’ll probably need shears, sprayers, punnets, and pots. Most backyard nurseries don’t sell ceramic pots, so only purchase the materials that you need to grow the plants.
• Purchase your seeds from a reputable dealer and keep the receipts. Some states and countries regulate nurseries, and they may want to know where you got your seeds.

• Succulents are an excellent focus if you’re in an area with a lot of younger people or college students. They’re easy to take care of and they’re relatively cheap, so they’re a good choice for a younger market.
• Flowers, like roses and orchids, are always a safe bet. Just check to make sure that there aren’t already a bunch of flower shops in your area.
• Track your growing cycles so that it’s easy to figure out when your plants are going to be ready. This will make it easier to figure out when you need to host some sales.

• A sample ad might say, “Next Saturday, from 10 am to 4 pm, there will be a flower sale at Happy Hyacinth Plant Nursery!” Include your address in the posts so that people know where to go.
• Include photos of your plants in your adverts and posts! Showcase a few beautiful flowers or plants to show people what you’re selling.
• If you think your area has a lot of potential buyers, consider taking out some ads in the local newspaper or on your local radio stations.

• Host your sales as often as you have enough inventory to sell. For some nursery owners, this is once a month. For other owners, this may be once a week. It all depends on how often you have plants for sale.
• Succulents usually cost somewhere between $10-20.
• Flower prices can vary wildly from species to species. Usually they fetch $5-20.
• Snake plants, spider plants, money trees, and jades range from $10-100 based on their size. The bigger the plant, the more expensive it usually is.

• A lot of nurseries save some time and energy by giving each species of plant the same price. For example, if you’re selling a smaller succulent and a larger succulent, it may be easier to simply list all small succulents as $5 and all larger succulents as $8.
• Keep some change on you. You’ll need to give out change if people show up with bigger bills.

Tip: If you sold out and you’re happy with the money that you made, keep your prices the same to ensure people keep coming back. Otherwise, raise them to make more money or lower them to sell more inventory. If you’re underselling and you can’t lower your prices any further, use more marketing to get the word out.

Operating a Retail Store

• Look for shops with big windows, and good natural ventilation.
• If you can, try to get a shop that will let you use the roof. A roof can provide you with space to grow plants on location!
• Most retail shops rent their spaces. Unless it’s a large corporation, it’s rare for a business to own their building.

Warning: Do not rent a shop with carpet under any condition. You’re going to be watering your plants to keep them healthy while they’re available, and it’s impossible to keep carpeting from growing mold and developing a nasty and unhealthy aroma if it’s always getting wet.

• You’ll need soil, shears, wheelbarrows, and spades to run your off-site nursery. Set it up in a nutrient-rich yard or lot near your home to make it easy to monitor and transport them.

• Retail shops rarely specialize in certain types of plants unless they’re in major cities, and there’s a lot of competition.
• A majority of retail nurseries grow most of their plants. Some of them grow all of them, but it can be hard to grow the variety of plants necessary to appeal to everyone. A lot of nurseries make up for this by buying the plants they’re missing and marking the prices up.
• You can purchase from backyard nurseries and then mark the price up to make a profit.

• Buy reclaimed and upcycled furniture if you can. Some plant-buying customers care deeply about sustainability, and it’s good to be environmentally-conscious.
• Many nurseries grow in a different location and bring the plants they want to sell to the store every week or so.

• It’s perfectly reasonable to run a nursery on your own—especially if you’ve got a smaller space that can only accommodate 5-15 customers at a time.

• If business is slowing down after the opening rush, start doing some local marketing. Post ads in the local paper, and put out signs on the sidewalk in front of your store.
• Retail nurseries in temperate climates often shut down in the winter. Some owners sublease their space to rent it out in the off-months as a concert hall or reception space.

Starting a Wholesale Nursery

• If you can, sign some contracts to sell to a store or vendor before you begin planting. This will take a lot of the pressure off early and will lock in the type of plant that you’re growing.

• The type of soil that you use is dependent upon the plant, flower, or tree that you’re growing. Monitor the soil closely by getting it tested regularly by an environmental engineer. Consider hiring aerial seeding contractors once every 6 month to coat your field with growing nutrients and seed preservatives.
• For example, if you’re growing snake plants and a store expects a shipment of 20 plants once every month, plant 3 different sites of 30-35 seeds in intervals where you’ll have a new set of mature plants once every 30 days or so.
• Depending on what you’re growing, you’ll probably need a massive water supply. Contact your local utility company to see what the rules are regarding large water usage in your area.
• Cover crops and plants with awnings during dry spells if your plants are getting too much sun.

Tip: Always overplant. You’re going to lose some of your plants, whether it’s due to the weather, predators, or insects. Have a few extra plants available to compensate. Some seeds may simply fail to sprout regardless of how much care you take to treat your plants right.

• Wholesale nurseries rarely sell plants directly to the public, but you can certainly take your excess inventory to a street fair, farmer’s market, or garden show to sell it off.

Community Q&A

• Look for discarded plant containers at construction projects to avoid having an out of pocket expense if you are going to grow container-grown shrubs or trees. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Be aware that plant certifications, both for individual species and overall plant health, are required in many jurisdictions. Be prepared to document seed sources and have your plants checked by a certifying agent for diseases, noxious weeds, and pests based on the legal requirements. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Look for seed sources you can harvest and germinate locally. This will require more labor and a longer period for the plants to reach a marketable size, but will save you money on the purchase of seedling plants. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrocremades/2019/02/13/how-to-start-a-business/#2186e6496e1a
• ↑ https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits
• ↑ https://www.acs.edu.au/info/business/small-business/start-a-plant-nursery-.aspx
• ↑ https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-212.pdf
• ↑ http://pubs.cahnrs.wsu.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/publications/tb13.pdf
• ↑ https://sba.thehartford.com/business-management/managing-risk/what-you-need-to-know-before-you-lease-commercial-property-for-your-small-business/
• ↑ https://www.theenglishgarden.co.uk/expert-advice/gardeners-tips/how-to-start-your-own-nursery/

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Profitable Plants

High-Value Crops for Small Growers

Backyard Plant Nursery

Starting a backyard plant nursery can be an excellent way to turn your love of plants and gardening into cash. It’s one of the best ways to “bootstrap” a few hundred dollars into a good income.

When people think of a plant nursery, the local garden center usually comes to mind. Most garden centers produce very few of the plants they sell. Instead, they purchase their plants from specialty nurseries, which grow the plants.

You’ll find specialty plant nurseries ranging in size from tiny backyard nurseries to giant regional wholesale nurseries, which might supply retailers in several states. That’s the beauty of the plant nursery business – there’s room for everyone – from “mom & pop” part-timers to corporate giants. And it might surprise you to find out how many corporate giants started  as backyard growers with just a “shovel and a wheelbarrow.”

The secret to making good money with a backyard plant nursery is to specialize in plants that are in demand and can be container-grown to save space. A relatively new development in container growing – called the “pot-in-pot” system, allows growers to produce more giant trees and shrubs without the back-breaking hand digging and high water consumption required by field growing. For smaller plants, container growing saves time, water, and transplanting.

Growers in small towns or rural areas can also make a good income, focusing on wholesale plant sales to retail nurseries and landscapers around their region. For example, a local grower specializing in ornamental grasses sells her entire year’s production to retail garden centers in a city 90 miles away.

Buying wholesale at deep discounts is one of the best “perks” about having your plant nursery. Hundreds of wholesale nurseries specialize in what is called in the trade “plugs, liners & whips,” which are different types of plant starts. All you’ll need to do is re-plant them in a larger pot – say a 5″ or 6″ size – and wait a year or so for the plants to grow to saleable size. The profit margins are impressive – you’ll find starts for 25 cents that can be re-sold in a year for $5 – a 2000% markup!

Wait – it gets even better! Once you’ve got your “mother” plants, you can quickly propagate more by cuttings or root division and reduce your plant costs to zero. For example, This can make a difference with ground covers and ornamental grasses because most buyers need dozens of plants, not just one or two.

Ground Covers

With profits of up to $20 per square foot, it’s easy to see why a ground cover nursery could provide you with the ideal backyard nursery crop. With today’s high labor costs and water shortages, ground covers are becoming the smart way to landscape. Requiring no mowing, minor maintenance, and conserving water, ground covers can pay for themselves in a year or two. As a living mulch, they can also protect the soil from erosion and keep it cool and moist – reducing the need for watering.

In addition to being a high-value crop, ground covers are easy to grow, easy to propagate, and easy to sell. Most ground covers are sold in one-gallon pots, so four pots only take one square foot of growing area. A backyard plot of 50 x 50 feet can hold eight thousand plants, which can be sold for $3 each wholesale or $4 to $5 retail. In Start Your Own Backyard Plant Nursery , you’ll learn about the most popular ground covers – how to set up your container nursery – how to propagate for free growing stock – how to wholesale your plants to landscapers and garden centers – and how to have “Retail Saturdays” that can bring $5 a plant.

Ornamental Grass

Ornamental grasses are enjoying a surge of popularity today. They range in size from low-growing six-inch tufts to 20-foot-tall giants. Landscapers love them because they can be used in many ways – as ground covers, specimen plants, borders or near ponds, privacy screens, and rock gardens. An additional plus is that these low-maintenance perennials add striking form and color to the landscape much longer than flowers – some even lasting through the winter dormant season.

Most people think of Pampas grass – the “queen” of ornamental grasses – when ornamental grasses are mentioned. Yet there are hundreds of other ornamental grasses, most hardy in the north. In addition to the perennial grasses, there are about 25 annual ornamental grasses, which are grown from seed and have decorative flowers that can be dried for bouquets.

Ornamental grasses are easy to grow and are bothered by few insects or diseases. Most can be propagated by dividing the root clump as it matures and enlarges.

Because ornamental grasses are so popular, many specialty nurseries sell all they can produce. In Start Your Own Backyard Plant Nursery, you’ll learn which plants are “hot,” how to set up a small-scale nursery, how to grow and market ornamental grasses, and where to find wholesale seeds and starts.

Landscaping Trees and Shrubs

Deep in the Appalachian mountains, a semi-retired farmer named Sam Davey decided to try growing high-value landscaping plants instead of low-value row crops. After a few years, his six acres contained thousands of azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese maples, firs, spruce, and junipers.

Each year, his stock is sold out, without any paid advertising. Most of his plants are sold to residents, who appreciate quality plants at affordable prices. The rest go to landscapers and two nearby retail garden centers. As for profits, he will only admit that he’s making more money than ever before in his life. If he wanted to, he could grow out his existing seedlings and retire, set for the rest of his life.

Further west, Jack & Karen Cooper have filled their Arizona acre with deciduous trees such as cottonwood, maple and birch. They started with one cottonwood tree; from that one plant alone, they have grown and sold thousands of trees.

Jack prefers to sell wholesale in large quantities, working directly with landscapers and retail nurseries. He sells most of his trees bare-root, and then the retailers re-pot the trees in 15-gallon pots for resale. His acre is laid out like a cornfield, with rows three feet apart and tree seedlings spaced one foot apart in the rows. Using this method, he can grow about ten thousand trees on his acre and net about $50,000 after expenses.

Many backyard nurseries have also specialized in container-grown landscaping trees and shrubs. It’s surprising how many pots will fit in a small area – even the larger three and 5-gallon sizes. One grower has had great success with unique varieties of Japanese maples and charges up to $150 for a single plant. That’s one of the secrets of success for a small nursery – find a “niche” where you can specialize. Start Your Own Backyard Plant Nursery also covers landscaping trees and shrubs, with tips on the best high-value plants for specialty growers, hard-to-find sources for tree and shrub seedlings, and even where to get free pots.

Start Your Own Backyard Plant Nursery  has detailed growing and marketing information for the best and most profitable crops for small growers: Ground Covers, Ornamental Grasses, Landscaping Trees and Shrubs, Flowers,  and Herbs.

“You’ve done everything for the potential grower except weed the garden! I’ve wondered how to market, how to set prices, and what to try. Your book answered all my questions and made me feel that, with a little work, we can do anything.” Linda Lee …Texas

Here’s Why a Plant Nursery is a Perfect Spare-Time Business

It’s something anyone can do. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, how old you are, or how far you got in school … you can easily do this. All you need is a small growing space and a few hand tools.

You can work on your schedule. If you can spare an hour daily, you can start a backyard plant nursery. Container growing means you spend less time watering, weeding, and transplanting.

You’ll be doing something you love. If you love growing plants, you’ll look forward to tending your nursery, and it won’t seem like work at all!

You can turn it into a full-time business. With just a tiny investment, you can start a backyard plant nursery in your spare time and, if you choose, expand it to a full-time business. Say goodbye to the 9-to-5 rat race and produce a solid income growing plants for profit.

It’s a low-tech business. You don’t have to be a horticultural expert to do this. Just follow the simple steps in the guide, and you’ll be set. You would be amazed at how many million-dollar plant nurseries started with little more than a shovel and a wheelbarrow.

“On our very first plant sale day, it was like a tornado hit. They cleaned us out before noon! Took in over $3,500 in just three hours.” Roger D … Illinois

Here are a few secrets you’ll learn in “Start Your Own Backyard Plant Nursery.”

• How to grow 3,000 high-value plants in just a 32′ x 32′ space.
• How and when to re-pot to double or triple your profits.
• “Ten Commandments” for a successful plant nursery.
• Pro grower’s formula for perfect potting soil.
• Ten best herbs to grow for ground covers.
• How to get free advertising for your nursery.
• Set up a low-cost misting system and propagate plants for free.
• There are four ways to produce “value-added” plants for extra profits.
• How to sell a $3 plant for $20 using “hypertufa”
• How to pre-sell your plants.
• They are drying ornamental grasses for extra income year-round.
• Wholesale sources for over 7,000 plants, plus wholesale grower supplies.

Your guide is packed with good information and has encouraged me to start growing plants on my small acreage. It was easy to read, and I especially liked how it was laid out step-by-step. I was able to use one of your sources to find Japanese maple seedlings for just 50 cents each!” Chris Cooper – Idaho

Order Now and Start Growing!

Start your own backyard plant nursery covers all the essentials to take your plant business from startup to profitable.  each chapter contains valuable information, trade secrets, helpful advice, and expert tips. there has never been an easier way, or a better time, to set up your backyard plant nursery. the guide will show you step-by-step how to get started., the new second edition is now available. it is 180 pages long and includes over 50 pages of added information, including how to grow and market the most profitable flowers and herbs and an expanded resource chapter with more wholesale plant sources. , you can buy the e-book or a printed copy from amazon.com. the e-book is just $4.95 and is delivered as an instant download, so you can start reading now on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. the printed book is just $14.95., just click the button to order it from amazon:.

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Plant Nursery Set Up – Tips For Starting A Plant Nursery

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Starting a plant nursery is a huge challenge that requires dedication, long hours, and hard work, day in and day out. It’s not enough to know about growing plants; owners of successful nurseries must also have a working knowledge of plumbing, electricity, equipment, soil types, labor management, packing, shipping, and much more.

Let’s learn more about basic nursery business requirements.

How to Start a Plant Nursery

Nursery owners face substantial challenges and risks including, but not limited to, floods, freezes, snow, drought, plant diseases, insects, soil types, increasing expenses, and an unpredictable economy. Needless to say, there is much to consider when starting a plant nursery business. Here are just a few major points:

• Types of plant nurseries: Consider the various types of plant nursery businesses. For instance, retail nurseries tend to be smaller operations that sell primarily to homeowners. Wholesale nurseries are usually larger operations that sell to landscape contractors, retail outlets, growers, distributors, and municipalities. Some plant nursery businesses might specialize in certain types of plants, such as ornamentals , native plants, or shrubs and trees , while others might be strictly mail order. 
• Do your research: Study up before you spend a lot of money. Invest in books and magazines. Visit other places to look at their plant nursery setup. Join professional groups or organizations. Work with the Small Business Center in your area to learn about hiring practices and other specifics of running a small business. Attend seminars, take classes, and learn all you can about the art and science of plant production.
• Basics of starting a plant nursery: Where will your nursery be located? Successful nurseries are usually located in convenient areas where people can stop on their way home from work, often near urban areas. Be sure there is adequate space, a dependable source of water, an available labor source, and access to transportation. Consider possible competition from nearby nurseries.
• Nursery business requirements : Investigate the requirements of plant nursery set up, such as state or local permits, licenses, or certificates. Talk to an attorney and a tax accountant. Consider zoning, labor relations, environmental issues, inspections, and taxes. Think through your goals, mission, and objectives. A business plan is nearly always required by lenders.
• Money : Starting a nursery typically requires a substantial capital investment. Do you have money to start a business, or will you need loans? Are you buying an existing business, or are you starting from scratch? Will you need to construct buildings, greenhouses, or irrigation systems? Will you have cash flow to tide you over until the business begins to turn a profit?

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10+ Best & Profitable Plant Nursery Business Ideas [2023]

Our list of 10+ best plant nursery business ideas:, bonsai and succulent nursery, organic vegetable and herb nursery, examples of successful businesses:, native plant and wildflower nursery, more resources:, fruit tree nursery, ornamental grass and flowering shrub nursery, related business ideas:, rare and exotic plant nursery, online plant nursery, plant rental and leasing business, plant propagation and seed production business, plant care and maintenance business, more helpful resources about llcs:.

I'm Nick, co-founder of newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

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How to Start a Nursery Business

Nurseries are popular, successful businesses in this day and age. They offer early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education, and could be the perfect place for you if you enjoy working with children. However, if you’re thinking of starting your own nursery school, there’s a lot that needs to be taken into consideration first.

In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about starting a nursery business, including the qualifications required. We’ll also provide a free business plan template that you can use.

The contents of the guide are as follows:

Why Start a Nursery Business?

• Starting a Nursery Business Plan – Market Research, Choosing Your Premises, Financial Planning, Marketing and Branding

What Qualifications Do I Need to Open a Nursery?

How do i run a good nursery business.

Starting your own nursery business can be extremely rewarding – the benefits include:

• The ability to influence and be involved in children’s early development , which lays down the foundations for the rest of their lives. Early years are really important – find out more in our article here – and helping to give children the best start makes for a fulfilling career.
• High demand and the potential for great success . The Department for Education’s 2019 report showed that there were 1.7 million childcare places offered in that year in England, with the great majority being from group-based nurseries rather than school-based ones. Few places go spare – only 19% of group-based nurseries’ places were available in 2019 – because more parents are able to work, as a result of changes in employment conditions, and new government childcare schemes.
• Freedom to work for yourself . Starting your own nursery gives you the freedom to be your own boss, and if you decide to do it from home, you don’t even have the hassle of travelling.

However, there may be some drawbacks to consider. Like any start-up business, there are risks to starting a nursery: you need a really good business plan, great organisational skills, and a passion for the industry. Additionally, you have to be prepared for things to go wrong – insurance policies are particularly important, so that you don’t find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

If you plan to set up a nursery business, you don’t need any formal childcare qualifications, unless you want to be involved in the day-to-day managing of the nursery. Managers must have at least two years’ experience as a qualified nursery nurse, one to two years’ experience in a supervisory role, and a relevant nursery qualification.

However, there are a lot of other considerations that you will need to keep in mind, from registering your nursery to safeguarding requirements and health and safety regulations.

Registering Your Nursery

Your nursery will need to be registered the specific regulator in your country:

• England – Ofsted. Follow the link to this page for more information.
• Wales – CSSIW (Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales). Look at this page for more information. 
• Scotland – the Care Inspectorate. Follow this link for more information.
• Northern Ireland – the Health and Social Services Board (HSSB). Follow the link to this page for more information.

In order to apply for registration, you must be aged 18 years or older, have the right to work in the UK, and must undergo a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check . The DBS check ensures that you have no criminal convictions that make you unsuitable to work with children; it costs around £50. You will also need to fill in a health declaration booklet , detailing any health problems that you have and any medication you are taking.

Once you are registered with Ofsted, they will carry out inspections of your nursery at least once every three years, to ensure that it conforms with the 14 national standards for childcare . You will be graded on this.

Below is an overview of the relevant information contained in the 14 national standards.

You must comply with local child protection procedures, and ensure that all staff are also aware of how to safeguard effectively – including the symptoms of children at risk, and what to do to report it. You will also need to create a written procedure detailing what to do if allegations are made against a member of staff, as well as the person in your organisation that everyone with concerns should go to. Additionally, you should have a system of attendance showing the times of arrival and departure of every child at nursery, and a system where you can identify that children are being collected by the correct person.

Need Safeguarding Training?

You and your nursery staff will need at least Level 1 Safeguarding – our Safeguarding Children in Education course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need. We also offer higher-level safeguarding training, including Advanced Safeguarding Children (Level 2) and Designated Safeguarding Lead Training (Level 3) – visit our safeguarding course library to browse our available courses.

You will need to complete a risk assessment of your premises, and ensure that you review it if there are any significant changes or you have reason to suspect it is no longer valid. Your risk assessment will need to include an action plan to identify how and when you will minimise any existing risks. For help completing your risk assessment, have a look at our Health and Safety in Schools Checklist – much of this information will also apply to you.

Additionally, it’s really important that all your staff know what to do in an emergency. This includes fire safety measures and evacuation procedures , how to report injuries , how and when to administer medicine, how to handle hazardous substances, and how to carry out manual handling. At least one staff member on the premises must have paediatric first aid training at all times.

You will require policies about health and safety and ill or infectious children, and a procedure for what to do if a child becomes ill while they are at nursery. You should also have a no smoking policy.

Food Safety

If you will be preparing food and drink for children in your nursery, you will require appropriate training – there must be one trained member of staff on duty at all times. A Level 2 Food Hygiene course would be an appropriate qualification. All other members of staff must ensure that they also follow safe food hygiene practices; you should create a food hygiene policy with sections covering everything they need to know, from cross-contamination to temperature control and accidents. Don’t forget about allergens – we have created a handy poster of the 14 named allergens that you could give to staff:

Documentation

You will need to ensure that you keep records relating to the children you care for – these must cover everything that your staff need to know in order to safely and effectively care for each child. After a child has left your nursery, you will still need to keep these records for a reasonable period of time (PACEY recommends this to be six years after the child has left your setting).

When handling records, you will need to follow data protection regulations. Failing to comply with data protection law can lead to serious consequences. If you need training in this, have a look at our Data Protection for Schools course.

Equal Opportunities

All staff must actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practices. You will need an equal opportunities policy that follows the current legislation and guidance on the topic – take our Equality & Diversity Training to update your knowledge. Your equal opportunities policy should be available to all staff and parents.

For more information about the 14 national standards, have a look at the Department for Education’s guidance . If you will be looking after babies, there are additional criteria in that document which will apply to you.

Starting a Nursery Business Plan

When setting up a nursery, the first thing you need to do is create a business plan. This will help you to stay on track and within budget, as well as showing any prospective lenders that you know what you’re doing.

In this section, we will detail everything you need to think about and consider including in your business plan. We will also provide a business plan template for you to fill in.

Need More Help to Start Your Business?

If you need more help to write your business plan, and you could do with advice on finding investors, accessing support, marketing and operations, try our Starting a Business course . Once you complete the training, you’ll be confident and prepared to set up and run your nursery business.

Market Research

One of the first things to think about is whether there is actually demand for a nursery in your local area. Look at the childcare providers around you which might be your competition, including other nurseries and childminders. How many of them are there? Are they full, or do they have lots of spare places?

An easy way to find this information out is through your local authority, which will have a list of all registered childcare providers. You could also contact the other providers to ask whether they are over-subscribed. If the market is already saturated in your area – in other words, if there are already plenty of nurseries, with plenty of places – then starting your own may not be such a viable plan.

Other things you should consider are the services the existing nurseries offer, and what their fees are. This will give you guidance as to what you could provide, and for how much: if their service is limited in some way, could you be more flexible? Think about the length of their opening hours, the ages they provide for, group sizes, and activities – for example, could you offer regular trips to the park, or foreign language lessons? Could you cater for broader age ranges? You could ask your friends, family, and acquaintances what they would like in a nursery, or even contact the local authority about what provision they feel is lacking.

In terms of fees, you need to think about how many parents in your target market will be relying on government support or subsidies – research the average wage and other demographics in your area, and think about whether you would register your nursery for the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme, or make your fees reasonable for those paying individually.

Choosing Your Premises

The premises you run your nursery from can hugely influence its appeal to your target market. Initially, you should decide whether you want to run the business from your home, or whether you will acquire new premises.

Running a Nursery from Home

You can run a nursery in your home if planning permission is granted – you will need to contact your local authority about this, and it may take some time. If you decide to do so, be aware that the minimum space requirements set by the government might limit your capacity: you need 3.5 square metres per child under two years old, 2.5 square metres per child aged two years, and 2.3 square metres for children aged three to seven.

Acquiring Other Premises

If you decide to acquire other premises, consider:

• Location: whether the venue is in an area that covers your target market. Are there plenty of family homes and lots of schools? Is it an area where parents will be able to afford your fees, or access them with subsidies? Are there lots of other nurseries nearby, and are these already full or not?
• Access: is there parking outside or nearby, for both staff and parents? What are the transport links like – is there a nearby bus stop or train station? Are there pedestrian crossings so that parents can cross the road safely and easily?
• Outdoor facilities: is there enough space outside for a playground? Can the grounds be enclosed, so that they are safe?
• Indoor facilities: is there the potential to install all the necessary facilities, including toilets (one for every 10 children over the age of 2), kitchen facilities, changing areas, and a telephone? Is the building well-lit and adequately ventilated? Is there enough space to have separate areas for all the activities you plan to run, as well as for storage for equipment?
• Potential hazards: are there multiple floors? Are staircases child-friendly? Would you be able to prevent children from accessing the kitchen?
• Future expansion: is there scope for expansion in the future?

You might decide to convert a building into a nursery, purchase an existing nursery building, or share space with a building such as a retirement home or indoor play centre (something that is becoming popular!). If you choose to share space, bear in mind that this might limit your ability to be flexible in opening hours and expand your business.

Financial Planning

Financial planning is key to any successful start-up. You will need to spend time working out each of the following:

You will have two types of costs: start-up and running . Your start-up costs involve:

• Setting the nursery up, including buying the premises (if you choose to do so), and any building conversion costs.
• Installing facilities such as a professional kitchen and outdoor play equipment/ground surfacing.
• Buying furniture, toys, books, first aid kits, office equipment, uniforms, and signage.
• Registering your nursery.
• Initial staff training.

Start-up costs could total up to £100,000, but you could cut costs by buying things second-hand, doing as much as you can yourself, or deciding to be part of an existing nursery franchise.

Running costs will include ongoing expenses, such as:

• Rent or mortgage payments.
• Staff wages. The average salary for nursery staff is £19,000; paying their wages will make up the bulk of your running costs.
• Your own salary.
• Utilities (including council tax, water, gas, and electricity).
• Food and other disposable resources.
• Regular maintenance.
• Ongoing staff training.

You need to project how much money you expect to make from your business, in order to find out whether or not it is going to be profitable. First, consider how much you are going to charge by looking at other nurseries’ fees to compare. You might be able to charge more if you are going to offer more services – for example, you could charge extra for snacks, meals, trips out, and other activities. Government childcare payment schemes cover the childcare rather than these extra things, so all parents could be charged for them on top of the regular fees.

Then, think about how many children you will need to have in your care, paying the fees you have decided upon, to be able to cover all your outgoing costs and give you the profit you want. You will need to make a profit for your business to be sustainable. Create a cashflow forecast for the first year of your business, anticipating what money will be coming in. Remember that the number of children in nursery can fluctuate throughout the year, so you might not be able to rely on consistently filled places in every season. Also think about whether you’re going to offer part-time, as well as full-time, places, and the difference in cost between these.

Finally, give some thought to how you’re going to collect your fees from parents. You need to ensure that fees are paid regularly and on time – if lots of parents pay you late, you can easily run out of money. It is best to set up standing orders or direct debits for this reason.

Insurance is included in your running costs, and it’s worth mentioning which insurance you should consider acquiring before you start your nursery. This includes:

• Public liability insurance. This covers the cost of potential injury or sickness experienced by a member of the public (such as a child) on your premises – for example, staff administering non-prescribed medication, allergic reactions, and injuries on your play equipment.
• Employer’s liability insurance. This covers the cost of potential injury or sickness experienced by a member of staff while on your premises. You will need to display your certificate of this insurance clearly in your nursery.
• Professional indemnity insurance. This covers you if you give out expert advice to parents or children which turns out to be wrong.
• Commercial property insurance. This covers your property (and potentially the contents of your property) in the event of fire, flood, or theft.
• Business interruption insurance. This pays you a certain amount if your business has to close for a period of time.
• Personal accident cover. If you are heavily involved in the business, personal accident cover is advisable – if you have an accident and can’t work, it will give you financial compensation during this time.

If you plan to organise trips, make sure that your insurance policies cover staff and children when they are away from the nursery premises.

Looking at all the costs you have in front of you, think about how you’re going to fund the business. You might have your own savings, or the potential of a ‘soft loan’ from family or friends. Your local authority might be able to provide you with some funding – look on their website or get in touch with them for more information. Additionally, you could acquire a loan, whether that is from the government (e.g. The Start Up Loans Company ), or from private equity funding sources.

Marketing and Branding

Marketing and branding are important parts of your business plan – they involve making your business known, and giving it its own style.

To create your own professional brand, consider speaking to a branding consultant. They can help you to design your logo, colour scheme, and uniform, along with giving you advice on the way you communicate, and policies. Your brand is important in showing potential customers why they should come to your nursery.

The next step, marketing your business, could involve:

• Placing bold signs outside your premises , so that potential customers in your area notice you.
• Creating a website , which includes your location, contact details, and the services you offer (at the very least). You might be able to create your website for free, but if you want lots of traffic to come to your site, it could be worth talking to an SEO specialist to help you get it listed on major search engines. It could also be worth working with a website designer, if you want to make it look extra professional – they should be able to consider SEO too.
• Using social media accounts , including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This helps to attract new customers – however, remember to get parents’ permission before posting pictures of children.
• Leafleting and hanging banners . These methods are still effective!
• Giving tours of the nursery, or holding an open day . This will create trust between you and your prospective customers, and show off your premises to everyone who is interested.

Marketing is never finished – it is a continuous process, because the children at your nursery will gradually grow up. Make the most of every marketing opportunity.

Now that you know what to write in your business plan, download the template – which you can edit on your computer or print out – using the button below:

Back to Top

Now you know what you need to do, you might be wondering what you could do to make your nursery the best that it can be. In this section, we will provide you with some tips and advice for maximising the success of your business.

Choosing the Right Staff

It is extremely important to choose the right staff to work in any business, but particularly when you work with children and families. When choosing your staff, think about:

• Whether they have patience and enjoy working around children . They will be required to do this day in, day out, so it’s key that they have the right attitude and share your vision.
• Whether they are trained in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) . Some children that pass through your nursery may have special needs, and you will need staff who can adequately provide care to them.
• Whether they can manage behaviour effectively . Those who care for children might experience a wide range of behaviour incidents, and they need to be able to respond in a way that promotes the children’s welfare and development.
• Their qualifications . At least half of your staff will need a Level 2 qualification that is relevant to the care or development of children – or be working towards this – and others should possess Level 3 qualifications. You can use the government tool to check whether someone’s qualifications are applicable to your setting. Additionally, consider taking on apprentices – they will have less experience, but will be rewarding and inexpensive to train.

Keep in mind that there are minimum staffing ratios for nurseries: there must be one adult to every three children under the age of two, 1:4 for those children aged two, and 1:8 for children aged three to seven.  Trainees or apprentices under the age of 17 do not count as an adult in your adult to child ratios. There must also be a minimum of two staff on duty at all times.

Pay and Training

Once you have hired your staff, paying them what they are worth and investing in training and development will ensure that you have high staff retention rates, as well as improving the quality of your nursery, morale, and productivity.

While all staff will require induction training within their first week – including safeguarding, food hygiene, and health and safety training – you should also think about courses they could take for their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

For example, staff who have achieved Level 3 qualifications could be upskilled by completing Level 5 qualifications, allowing them to take on more managerial responsibilities in the nursery. Staff wanting to increase their skills might also take Challenging Behaviour Training . There are plenty of courses related to childcare and other aspects of the work environment that your staff could take, and you should ensure that they do complete extra training every year, as well as keeping on top of their compulsory safety training requirements.

Creating a Good Learning Environment

Your nursery school will not only provide childcare – it should also help children to develop their emotional, physical, social, and intellectual abilities. You should follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) development structure, providing activities and play opportunities that support children’s:

• Personal development
• Language and communication
• Mathematical development
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development.

You can use the EYFS handbook to help you to meet these goals.

Staff will need to support children in carrying out activities, listening to them and talking about what they are doing. They should also be able to teach children what is right and wrong, and encourage positive behaviour – for tips about how to do this in the early years, read our article .

In addition, you should have furniture, equipment, books, and toys that help to make your nursery an accessible and stimulating environment.

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

Finally, you can make sure you are running a good nursery business by working with parents and carers to meet children’s needs as best you can. This involves sharing relevant information with them, having an established complaints procedure, and valuing their feedback and opinions on your nursery. By building trust between you, you can ensure that they are satisfied, and your reputation will be great as a result.

We hope you’ve found our guidance on how to start a nursery business helpful, and we wish you luck if you plan to get started. If you need further information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to see how we could help – you might also find the range of courses we offer, alongside our other resources on the Hub , of use.

Further Resources:

• Education Training Courses
• How to Become an Early Years Practitioner
• Promoting Positive Behaviour in Early Years: A Guide for Nurseries
• How to Become a Childminder in Your Own Home
• Professional Development in Early Years Education
• How To Apply For A DBS Check When You’re Self-Employed

Post Author

Her favourite article is How to Support a Child with Autism in the Classroom

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Starting a Nursery Business: Cost Analysis

Today’s post is going to be a bit geeky.  I hope you can get past that because I think one of the most important parts of running a successful nursery business (or any business) is good financial management.  No matter how much you enjoy gardening you don’t want your business to lose money.  Planning on the front end for the expected costs will help to give you some idea about your potential profit before you even start.

What Are the Costs With Running a Nursery Business?

Greenhouses.

Many plants can be grown seasonally without the use of a greenhouse so if you are just starting out don’t think that this is a necessity.  Winter sowing is a great way to grow many plants without use of a formal greenhouse.  What you do need is a place to start the seeds or cuttings.  Our seeds are started indoors on a wire shelf with heat mats and under lights.  If a greenhouse is in your budget it is a very good thing to have.  It helps with hardening off plants, growing the plants, and giving the plants a protected place from animals.  The downsize is the expense.  Formal greenhouses are expensive but you can build very cheap hoop houses from materials like PVC pipe, Cattle Fence Panels, a little lumber and some plastic.

Plant Materials

Do you use seeds or cuttings?  Seeds are very cost effective.  A single packet of seeds could give you 10 plants or it could produce 100’s.  It depends on the variety but in most cases the seeds will cost you around $2-$4 per packet.  Analyze how many plants you get from this to help determine the cost per plant.  If you are doing cuttings from plants you already have then your cost for this number will be determined by other materials like rooting medium, rooting containers, and rooting hormone cost which is more complicated to get an exact figure but is very low.

Putting it all together – Figure the Production Cost Per Plant 

Cost of soil.

Now divide the cost of your soil by 128.  This gives us how much it costs to fill each pot which in this example is $4 / 128 which equals about $0.03 per pot.

Cost of Seeds

Together the cost per germinated seed and the cost per pot will be about $0.50.  I set my prices at about $3.50 per potted 3″ organically grown plant which nets me $3 per plant profit.

Determine the Sales Goal

Keep track of all your expenses as some of them will be tax deductible business expenses.

More from the  Starting a Nursery Business Series  from Growing The Home Garden

More from growing the home garden, can you start a plant nursery with no money, starting a nursery business: consider the workload.

One of the many things to consider when starting your own nursery business is the workload.  You probably really enjoy gardening (or else you wouldn’t even consider a nursery business!) but do you realize how much work goes into producing a plant for sale?  We aren’t just talking about one plant either.  We’re talking about lots of…

Starting a Nursery Business: Other Expenses That Add Up

Beginning a nursery business: finding a plant supply, beginning a nursery business: producing your plants.

If you plan to sell plants you have to have plants to sell right?  So how does one go about getting a supply of plants for a nursery business?  As plant retailers we really have only two options: produce the plants on our own or buy them from someone else and resell the plants.  Both options have…

Beginning a Nursery Business: Where to Sell Your Plants?

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Election latest: Rishi Sunak warns of Labour 'supermajority' as election campaign enters final 48 hours

With just 48 hours to go until polling day, Rishi Sunak has repeated the warning that Labour could achieve a "supermajority", allowing the party to raise taxes, which he claims is in its DNA.

Tuesday 2 July 2024 07:28, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election week

• PM repeats warning of Labour 'supermajority' as campaign enters final 48 hours
• Explained:  Why 'supermajority' warnings don't add up
• Sky News Daily:  Five things main parties aren't talking about
• Live reporting by Faith Ridler

Expert analysis

• Rob Powell:  PM's talking like Labour's already won
• Ed Conway:  The science and security of the exit poll
• Matthew Thompson:  What's a good result for the Lib Dems?

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges:  Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid | Reform | SNP
• Trackers:  Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage:  Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts:  Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more:  Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo
• How to watch election on Sky News

Nothing says two days from polls opening like a 2.45am start on a campaign battle bus.

By 5am the pack of bleary-eyed reporters following the Tory campaign were shivering in the refrigerated section of an Ocado distribution centre near Luton.

Here, we were shown the "grid" – something best described as a giant metal frame populated by hundreds of R2-D2-like "bots" that whizz around within 5mm of each other picking up crates of food and dropping them at stations where human workers finish the job of sorting the products for delivery.

We're told the prime minister especially enjoyed this visit, hardly a surprise given his Silicon Valley "tech bro" credentials.

There is perhaps a parallel electoral universe where Rishi Sunak spent more of his campaign at sites like this talking about high tech, high productivity investment and how it feeds into his vision of what a modern UK economy looks like.

But that’s not where we are.

Instead, today will likely again be taken up with attempts to punch holes in the Labour campaign and unsettle voters about the prospect of a Starmer majority.

By Paul Kelso , business correspondent

Hulme Grammar School in Oldham doesn't feel like a bastion of privilege, but the children whose parents pay around £15,000 a year for them to attend are nevertheless among an elite minority.

A selective fee-paying school, Hulme is one of around 2,500 independent schools that educate 7% of the school population, a minority that is the target of one of Labour's few unapologetically tax-raising policies.

If elected, Labour says it will end the VAT exemption on fees, making them subject to 20% tax, raising an estimated £1.6bn the party says will be used to hire 6,500 teachers in the state sector that educates 93% of children.

Private school parents fear the increase will be passed on directly, pricing some children out, while industry bodies claim some schools will close.

It's the final week of election campaigning and leaders are leaning on all the old favourites in a bid to woo voters.

Sir Keir Starmer's hammering home the need for change, Ed Davey is auditioning for a future series of Total Wipeout, and the PM has been warning voters not to hand Labour a "supermajority".

It's a term the Tories have been banding about for weeks - but what does it mean, and why does Rishi Sunak think it'll work?

What's the PM getting at?

"Supermajority" is being used by Mr Sunak to refer to the scale of the Labour victory being projected by many pollsters - with some saying they could top the 419 seats won by Tony Blair in 1997.

That gave Labour a majority of 179, but with the Tories tipped to do even worse than they did back then (165 seats), Sir Keir Starmer could end up enjoying the biggest parliamentary advantage on record - well over 200 seats according to some projections.

Mr Sunak has said such a "supermajority" would make it harder for the Labour Party to be held to account in the Commons.

Is he right to sound the alarm?

Well, no - because the concept of a supermajority is meaningless in British democracy.

It's a familiar phrase in US politics, where a supermajority of two-thirds really does matter in some votes. 

For example, Congress is required for particularly significant legislation like impeaching a president to hit that two-thirds threshold.

In the UK, a governing party only has to hold more than half of the 650 seats in the Commons, whether that be 326 or much more.

A majority of one could be just as effective as something much bigger - as long as the majority party keeps its MPs in line.

Some have argued the "supermajority" concept isn't without merit, for example in referendums, but it's certainly not relevant to this election despite the Tories' best efforts to make it so.

Whether it's healthy for parliament to be as dominated by one party as it could be from 5 July is another question - but whatever the majority Labour might have, there'll be nothing super about it.

Sir Keir Starmer has said a big majority would be "better for the country", as the Tories continue to urge voters to proceed with caution and not hand Labour a "blank cheque".

With just 48 hours to go until polling day, Rishi Sunak has repeated the warning that Labour could achieve a "supermajority", allowing the party to raise taxes, which he claimed is in its DNA.

In an interview with The Times, Sir Keir said he needed a "strong mandate" to reform the planning system and improve the economy.

Asked if he was saying the bigger a majority, the better, he told the newspaper: "Better for the country. 

"Because it means we can roll up our sleeves and get on with the change we need."

This follows weeks of warnings from the Conservatives of a Labour "supermajority", in a bid to prevent bleeding votes to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

Speaking at a campaign event in Leicestershire, Mr Sunak said: "Once you've given Labour a blank cheque, you won't be able to get it back.

"And that means that your taxes are going up: your car, your pension, your savings, your work, you name it, they will tax it thousands and thousands of pounds.

"It's what they always do. It's in their DNA."

On Tuesday, the prime minister is expected to say: "If just 130,000 people switch their vote and lend us their support, we can deny [Keir] Starmer that supermajority."

Good morning!

We are in the last 48 hours of the general election campaign - and the gloves are well and truly off in the race to secure the keys to Number 10. 

Here's what you need to know today:

It's been an early start for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , who has already been packing people's shopping at an Ocado distribution warehouse this morning;

That won't be the last we see of him today, with a number of last minute visits planned in the South East on Tuesday; 

Mr Sunak is telling voters that they have the power to dictate the future of Britain, with as few as 130,000 votes set to determine the result of Thursday's election;

Meanwhile, there's also no slowing down in the Labour camp.  Sir Keir Starmer will be in the Midlands as his party warn of the risk of waking up to five more years of Conservative government;

Labour are today pushing plans to use High Street opticians like Specsavers to cut NHS waiting lists, as it's revealed patients are losing their eyesight while they wait for treatment;

And  Sir Ed Davey continues his 1,343-mile five-day tour of constituencies from John O'Groats to Land's End ahead of Thursday's general election today.

We'll be discussing all this and more with:

• Maria Caulfield , Conservative candidate, at 7.15am;
• Labour's Wes Streeting at 8.15am;
• SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn .

Follow along for the very latest in the general election campaign.

That's all from Politics Hub for tonight.

Scroll down to read our 10pm bulletin to catch up on all the day's political news.

Be sure to join us tomorrow as the final 48 hours of campaigning get underway.

Around ten days ago, Harry Potter author JK Rowling wrote a 2,000-word essay in The Times about how she could not vote for Labour or Sir Keir Starmer, based on their position on gender recognition (read more here ).

Speaking to the same paper tonight, Sir Keir has said he is hopeful he can meet with the writer - who has been critical of trans women accessing single-sex spaces.

In a social media post at the end of last week, Rowling said: "Do biological males with gender recognition certificates have the right to enter women-only spaces? 

"It's a simple yes/no question."

Asked about this by The Times, Sir Keir said: "No. They don't have that right. 

"They shouldn't. That's why I've always said biological women's spaces need to be protected." 

Asked if he will he meet Rowling? "I've indicated a willingness [to do so]."

He adds: "Hopefully we can get that organised."

It's 10pm. Here is your round up of what happened today as we entered the final lap of the election race.

• Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker spoke candidly about his expectation the Tories would lose the election (see our 19:19 post for more );
• He also went into detail about why he thinks he should be the party's next leader (read his explanation in our 19.30 post );
• We've heard from  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , who promised to "work his socks off" for the British people;
• And we've also explained what the "supermajority" the PM keeps warning about actually is - and what it means in practice (spoiler: it's not really a thing,  see our 14.50 post for more );
• Political correspondent Rob Powell  has dug into why Mr Sunak keeps talking like he's lost the election, suggesting it may do little to help the Tories get their voters to the polls on Thursday ( see 14.30 post ).
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer  was at a campaign event in Hitchin today, where he has urged the British public to "vote for a summer of change" with his party;
• He was also asked by our political editor Beth Rigby if he worries about his popularity, and potentially having the "longest wedding and shortest honeymoon" with the British public;
• Sir Keir said his record speaks for itself, claiming his "track record as a leader is clear" - and Labour is a changed party.
• And, in typical Liberal Democrat fashion, Sir Ed Davey partook in a spot of bungee jumping today - his message was to encourage people to "try something new" and vote for his party;
• He then took part in an outdoor Zumba class;
• Political correspondent Matthew Thompson - who has spent much of the campaign with Sir Ed - has explained what a successful day at the polls would look like for the Lib Dems ( see 15.35 post ).

Tomorrow will see us heading into the final 48 hours of the campaign.

Join us again as we keep across all the important updates as they happen.

During the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge , Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker spoke about his plans to stand as leader for the Conservatives should his party be defeated on Thursday.

He also spoke candidly about his belief the Tories would lose the election.

In response, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, said: "It is incredible that less than sixty hours until polling booths open, Tory ministers are undermining the prime minister by boldly flaunting their leadership ambitions on national television.

"From COVID cronyism to trips to the bookies, these Tories always put self-interest and their own ambition ahead of serving their country.

"What this shows is that if the Conservatives are given another five years, the chaos will just continue."

Pollsters at Savanta have asked 2,287 people how they intend to vote on 4 July.

The results suggest the gap between the Conservatives and Labour is down to 15 points - the narrowest in a month.

The Tories are up to 24% of people - their highest score in a month.

The full results - along with the change on the week before - are as follows:

• Labour 39 (+1) 
• Tories 24 (+3) 
• Reform 13 (-1) 
• Lib Dems 10 (-1)  
• Greens 4 (-2) 
• SNP 3 (+1) 
• Other 7 (=)

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