If the garden services sector attracts you, you should make sure that you know as much as you can before you start. You may think it's straightforward to cut the grass and trim the hedges, but the more you know about the work you take on, the better placed you are to provide a wide range of useful services to your customers. What do you know about feeding lawns, or encouraging growth in hedging, or keeping borders clear of weeds?

Private and commercial customers are looking for three key things in a gardening service:

• Value for money

• Reliability

• Knowledge

You must provide a service that's worth the price you're charging, you must turn up on time and work for the hours you're contracted to carry out, and you must have enough gardening knowledge to give advice when asked.

If this all seems a bit daunting, don't be put off. There are mentors out there who have the landscaping and horticultural experience you need to get your business off to a flying start. Working with you from the first concepts of your business to helping you get the right customers and growing your business in the right direction. They can help with practical issues such as choosing and looking after your tools, getting the best deals on plants, and soft and hard landscaping, and they can be on call to help you sort out problems or provide on-the-job training so that you can promote your services with confidence.

If you're thinking of setting up a garden services business, make a point of finding a mentor who can set you off in the right direction. It's an initial investment that will pay off in the long-run.