Facing the challenges

There will always be challenges, both generic and unique, to any enterprise or industry sector. John Gabriele points out the trick in overcoming those challenges lies in being able to read the landscape and plan for contingencies.

- 

Some factors are ultimately outside a landscaper's control, and no matter what we do in terms of forward planning, these types of impacts can be extremely challenging.

For the most part though, we can plan to minimise the risk to business sustainability and growth.

The shape of things to come

According to Landscaping Services in Australia - Market Research Report (2015-2030), the market size of the Landscaping Services industry in Australia in 2025 is $7.4bn. The sector is composed of some 17,563 businesses, and has grown at a compound average growth rate of 2.0% between 2020 and 2025.

The report can be found online at ibisworld. com/australia/industry/landscaping-services/335/, and it's the kind of data which can be extremely useful in business planning for your enterprise.

The right questions

It's been said the landscape industry in some areas has become oversaturated with new startups entering the sector, largely driven by the low barrier to entry. Not only are you competing against fellow professionals, but also against unlicensed operators. It seems anyone with a ute, a shovel and a dog is a landscaper.

These informal competitors often undercut prices, posing a challenge for established, licensed businesses. There are many players who are driving down pricing for their services while costs are continuously increasing, and this isn’t good for the industry overall. It's certainly not good for individual enterprises. How you set yourself aside from the pack will determine your success in a competitive market. To do so requires some strategic thinking, so the question to be asked is: does your attitude and the attitude of your employees accurately reflect the image of your business? And more importantly, the expectations of your client group?