Business Structure
This chapter defines the nursery’s products, customers, responsibilities, records and daily operating model.
Start with a clear offer
The nursery can begin with a manageable selection of healthy flowering plants, foliage plants, succulents, ground covers and decorative containers. The aim is not to stock every plant immediately, but to offer reliable plants that grow well locally and can be presented neatly.
Products may include:
- individual potted plants;
- coordinated groups of plants and pots;
- plants prepared for entrances, verandas or gifts;
- young plants propagated for future sale; and
- simple repotting, arrangement or plant-care advice.
Understand the customer
Likely customers include households, offices, churches, schools, small businesses, event organisers and people buying gifts. Record what customers request, the sizes and colours they prefer, and the prices they are comfortable paying. These observations should guide future production.
Keep responsibilities simple
Even when one person performs several roles, it helps to separate the main responsibilities:
| Responsibility | Main tasks |
|---|---|
| Plant production | Propagation, potting, watering, feeding and plant-health checks |
| Stock and purchasing | Pots, growing media, tools, labels and other supplies |
| Sales and customer care | Enquiries, orders, payments and follow-up |
| Records and finance | Costs, prices, sales, stock numbers and cash available |
| Presentation and marketing | Cleaning, arranging, photographing and promoting plants |
Maintain basic records
Use a notebook or spreadsheet to record the plant name, quantity, production date, direct cost, selling price, sales and losses. Business money should be recorded separately from household money, even when the nursery is still small.
Begin with a small number of dependable plant types and learn their true production costs before expanding the range.