Starting a Business Articles

How to Start a Commercial Tree Service

These tips are perfect for entrepreneurial folks who hope to start a tree service. Make sure you consider this advice before you start!

Thinking about opening a tree service? We tell you what you need to know to get started.

Tree Service

Competitive Environment for Commercial Tree Services

Commercial tree services work in a highly competitive business environment. Tasked with maintaining the tree and landscape needs of businesses and corporations, commercial tree companies aggressively pursue clients capable of delivering lucrative, long-term contracts.

Breaking into the local commercial tree service market won't be easy. You will be up against established commercial tree services that have preexisting relationships with many of the clients you hope to acquire.

To capture market share, you'll need to find ways to differentiate yourself from the competition and offer a value proposition that isn't currently available to commercial tree and landscape customers. Competing on price won't work. Instead, you'll need to focus on offering a scope and quality of services that will appeal to area businesses.

Commercial Tree Startup: Competitive Analysis Tips

As you move toward launching a commercial tree service, you will discover that the startup phase is characterized by planning and analysis. A comprehensive business plan is a must for any emerging small business, but especially for commercial tree services and other startups located in extremely competitive industries.

Effective business planning involves competitive analysis. If done properly, competitive analysis will identify the major players in the local commercial tree and landscape business, and identify vulnerabilities that your startup can exploit to gain a foothold in the marketplace.

Gathering information about your competitors can be a challenge. You'll need to exercise creativity and patience to collect data that has real value from a competitive analysis standpoint. Internet searches, white papers, marketing collateral, customer interviews, trade shows and other information sources are all valid information sources that are worth pursuing.

Best Tree Service Business Plans

How good is your tree service's business plan? If you aren't completely confident in the quality of your business plan, it could be because you haven't invested enough time and effort in its creation.

A shoddy business plan is a major misstep for a startup tree service. The evidence overwhelmingly supports the fact that your startup can't achieve long-term success without an accurate business plan.

Before you do anything else, perform a reality check on your startup business plan � and if it's lacking, drop everything and head back to the drawing board.

Don't Overlook Competitors

Before you open a tree service in your area, it's a smart move to determine what the competition looks like. Use the link below to generate a list of competitors near you. After clicking on the link, type in your city, state and zip code to get a list of commercial tree services near you.

Gain a knowledge of how existing firms have positioned themselves in the marketplace, and then design your business in a way that sets you apart from the others.

Getting Advice from Experienced Entrepreneurs

If you are seriously contemplating launching a tree service, it's a smart move to talk to somebody who is already in the business. If you think your local competitors will give you advice, you're being overoptimistic. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.

Fortunately, somebody who runs a tree service on the other side of the country will be much more likely to talk with you, after they realize you reside far away from them and won't be stealing their local customers. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs In my experience, you may have to call ten business owners in order to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.

How would you find a tree service manager in another community?

It's not that hard. Just use the handy link below and enter in a random city/state or zipcode.

Business Brokerage for Tree Service Entrepreneurs

Sooner or later, every entrepreneur confronts the choice to start a business or buy an established company. Unless you have specific business objectives that require a startup approach, you're probably better off trying to buy an established tree service.

Although you could navigate a business acquisition on your own, most prospective tree service owners enlist the services of a business broker.

By leveraging the skills, expertise and network of a first-rate business broker, you eliminate the hassles commonly associated with the business buying experience.

Consider Buying a Franchise

The probabilities on your becoming a successful entrepreneur greatly improve when you opt to franchise and leverage their successful brand and track record.

As part of your process in starting a tree service, you would be wise to check out whether purchasing a franchise might alleviate your startup process.

The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.

More Startup Articles

These additional resources regarding getting started as an entrepreneur may be of interest to you.

LLC Advantages

How to Get a DUNS Number

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary