Up And Running

[Collegiate]

I HAVE STARTED A ON THE SIDE LANDSCAPING BUSINESS THIS SPRING. I AM MOVING TOWARD GOING FULL TIME WITH THIS AND I HAVE THE DRIVE TO DO IT. SO, THIS IS WHAT IM LOOKING FOR:

* PRICE TO GET LISCENSED, GENERALLY?
* BEST COMPANIES FOR INSURANCE AND PRICING FOR THAT?

I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. I STARTED WITH A FRIEND BUT AS THE SEASON CAME TO AN END WE DECIDED TO SPLIT YARDS AND WORK SEPERATELY B/C THE "BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP" WAS STARTING TO EFFECT OR FRIENDSHIP. I WANT TO GROW THIS BUSINESS AND REALLY BE SUCCESSFUL. JUST NEED TO REALLY GET A GRASP ON THE MONEY ASPECT(PAYOUT) FOR THESE TYPE OF THINGS.

THANKS!!

[Southpaw]

Welcome Benjamin,

I hope you do well and I agree that partnerships can be tedious. Here is some feedback from another new person in this biz.

Go to the county seat in which you live and apply for "ficticious entity" license. In other words, it's a document that assures you that you are not already using the same name that somebody else already registered. In turn, nobody else can use your chosen business name. It really means nothing else and it doesn't cost much. Be careful when you say you are "licensed" though. Pesticide licensing or contractor licenses are completely seperate things.

As for insurance quotes, pick an agent that represents several different carriers. This way, they can guide you with several choices, not just what they sell for one insurance company. I paid only $500 for a 2 mil aggregate and 1 million each occurrence general liability policy. Once you get these two things on your list out of the way, there will be many more things to consider. Good luck to you!

P.S. Please release the caps lock on your typewriter. Use capital letters for emphasis and only then infrequently.