This month Simon Jago describes a normal day to help us find out what being a Clean Cut gardener is really like.

6.00am

It’s a Thursday so I’m up early for my BNI Networking group; it’s a great place to get new leads and I enjoy the discussions around the teapot with like-minded business owners.

6.30am I arrive at the meeting and say ‘hi’ to the doorman who is there to greet people and who is also a customer. We are doing his hedge next week and we discuss the finer points of the job.

6.45am After grabbing a cuppa I spend 10 minutes chatting to one of the visitors who has what he describes as ‘a jungle of a garden’. I give him my card and we agree I will go and quote.

8.30am The meeting is over and it was really buzzy with over 30 referrals passed between the membership, including one to me from the visitor.

9.00am I am on the road and off to work, today is a mowing around day so we have 22 lawns to cut. Because I was at BNI I meet the team on site; they have already cut three lawns and I endure the usual ‘part-timer’ accusations with a smile!

9.30am I check the database while the lads do the next lawn. We had three leads in overnight, so I make some calls and arrange to go and see the jobs later today.

10.00am It’s heads down until lunch as we have 10 lawns to get through before we can take a break. On the sixth garden I notice the hedges are a little ragged so I speak to the owner who agrees. I quote her on the spot and we book the job in for next week. It’s so important to look for these little opportunities – they make the difference to our profits!

1.00pm Lunch. Whilst grabbing a sandwich I check the database again: two more leads! We did a leaflet drop recently and it is really paying off which is great.

2.00pm

I leave the guys to the remainder of the lawns and head out to do some quotes. The first is for a patio that needs power washing; I estimate it will take the guys about two hours and quote accordingly. I love power washing jobs as the difference they make to someone’s garden is amazing, with paving slabs and driveways coming back like new.

3.00pm The second quote is for some turfing work in a tired old garden which I am confident we can transform. The owner accepts the quote and I schedule the work for Monday.

5.00pm After an hour back with the guys the day is drawing to a close. We got all the lawns done, picked up six new leads and have made two sales. Not a bad day’s work! We pop to the pub for a well-earned pint before heading for home.

6.00pm Before dinner I sit down to get the paperwork done, which takes about 10 minutes. I update the database, check my email, and then it’s time to switch off for the day.

7.00pm Off out to eat and catch a movie. We have another 20 or so lawns again tomorrow but for now it’s time to relax. I have no BNI tomorrow so can sleep in a little, I think I might let the guys start without me…