| A Bit of an Earthly Comforts Update |
New and simplified promotional material
| It’s been a while since I last sat down and wrote anything about what’s going on behind the scenes at Earthly Comforts – that’s not been post dated. So I thought—why not? In simple terms, we’ve been busy. Physically busy, of course—gardening never really stops—but more than anything, it’s the administrative side that’s taken over lately. And if I’m honest, it’s been full-on. Stressful at times, but necessary. The big shift at the moment is moving from a sole trader setup to a limited company—Earthly Comforts GPM Ltd. On paper, that sounds straightforward. In reality (at least in the UK), it’s anything but. There’s a lot of moving parts—closing one set of accounts, opening another, switching systems, getting everything lined up properly. The LTD company itself has been sitting there dormant for a while, and now, as of April, everything is meant to come to life. Supposedly. Alongside that, we’re bringing things a bit more “official” internally. We’re in the process of taking on our first employed gardener—Butler K—who many of the clients already know, having worked with us as a subcontractor since September last year. There were plans to expand a little further, but after trying things out, it became clear that what we actually need isn’t a separate “utility” role, but another gardener who can also turn their hand to practical tasks when needed. So for now, it’s myself and K out in the gardens, with Suze continuing to keep everything running behind the scenes. She’s still working as a consultant property manager, but thankfully (in whatever spare time exists between those two words), she’s continuing to handle the admin—and will now be formally part of the business in that role. We’re also having proper contracts drawn up, just to make sure everything is structured correctly as we grow – another expense – but necessary. On the practical side, the business has reached the point where a van is no longer a “nice to have” if we could —it’s essential – we have to have. With around 75 clients now and continuing to grow, and more project work coming in, the need for proper transport has become pretty clear. I’ve been looking at different options, and whatever we go with will need to be set up properly—ply-lined, roof rack, tow bar—the works. The good news is I’ve managed to secure a driveway locally for it at a reasonable monthly rate, which solves one of the bigger worries. Storage has been another quiet evolution. Earlier in the year I wrote about improving tool organisation, and that’s continued. We’ve now taken on a second garage opposite the first, which has allowed us to split things properly—lighter maintenance tools in one, heavier equipment in the other. There are still a few finishing touches to sort, but it’s already made a noticeable difference day-to-day – not to forget to mention, we now have space to swing a cat – not that we would, but you know what l mean!. We’ve also managed to bring green waste costs down significantly. What was once running at around £1,000 per month has now been reduced to roughly £300 a month, using a temporary strip of land while we wait (still) for a more permanent solution. Sandwich has its own pace when it comes to these things. Something new—and quite exciting—is the introduction of robotic mowers. We’ve taken delivery of three: two smaller LawnMaster OcuMow 16 Drop and Mow Robot Lawn Mower units, which will act as assistants to a Butler for smaller gardens – as in they mow the lawn while the gardener, gardens, and one larger ECOVACS GOAT O600 RTK Robot Lawn Mower, which we’re hoping will form the basis of a future subscription-style mowing service. It’s early days, but it feels like a step towards where garden maintenance is heading. On the branding side, things have simplified. After a lot of trial and error, we’ve stripped printed materials back to just what actually works: business cards, window posters with QR codes, and a two-sided A5 leaflet. The new uniforms are also on their way—moving away from the brighter tones to something more practical: olive khaki. Work continues to come in steadily, which is reassuring, and we’re seeing a good mix of regular maintenance and larger projects. At the same time, I’ve had to review pricing—something I never particularly enjoy, but it’s unavoidable. With rising costs across the board, including changes introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the numbers simply don’t stand still. As a result, our 2026 new client rate has already had to increase slightly, now sitting at £27.50 per hour per gardener. Balancing that is always tricky. As a sole trader, it was easier to run a tiered system and adjust gradually. As a limited company, things become more structured, and increases have to be handled more carefully across the board. Existing clients won’t see changes until later in the year, but it’s something that has to be managed thoughtfully. I expect to lose roughly 10-15% of existing clients with new price hikes later this year. They will not all shift to the new 2026 hourly price, but they will continue to transition. Currently, the business is absorbing losses, and we simply cannot afford to continue haemorrhaging money this way. There’s also the constant awareness of thresholds—particularly around VAT—which adds another layer of consideration and stress to how the business grows and how services are structured going forward. All of this does, at times, take its toll. The irony is that while the business is centred around gardening, I’ve found myself spending less time actually in the garden recently. That part is frustrating. But I do think once these systems settle and the structure is in place, things will level out again. Well—that’s the hope, anyway. |
Earthly Comforts 