Case Study : All Round Gardening Services - Eric Wrightson

A lucrative business targeted at the commercial and residential market, Eric already has numerous clients whom he visits on a weekly and fortnightly basis.  

Eric, 57, said: “I’m a keen gardener and after some time off work, I decided to turn something that I love doing into a business. As long as I have a brain and a pair of hands I want to work.”
 
All Year Round Gardening Services does ‘exactly what it says on the tin’; Eric offers a range of gardening services from lawn mowing to plant bedding for the less green fingered among us, all year round.

Prior to starting his gardening business, Eric had a very different career. He said: “I owned a bakery in Shildon for 21 years, and prior to that I was an electrician.

“After I sold the bakery in 2006 I decided to take some time off with a view to return to work, but when a family member became ill, caring for him was my main priority.

“When I was looking to return to work, I realised that my electrical qualifications were void after being out of the industry for so long. So, I started applying for jobs, but none came up.

“It was then that I started to think about starting a business.”

Eric went to Be Enterprising with his business idea in March, after seeing them advertised.

Joan Dowson, Eric’s Be Enterprising coach said: “Be Enterprising is committed to helping people in County Durham to start their own business and encouraging enterprise. Starting your own business is a great way to get back into work after a period of unemployment or redundancy.

“Eric was a wonderful client to work with. He was keen to start and was dedicated from the beginning, and because he had previously owned a business, he understood what it took to get the business up and running.”

Eric was able to set the business up with funding from Be Enterprising. The grant was used to buy gardening equipment and marketing materials.

The green-fingered entrepreneur said that starting a gardening business was always something he’d considered. He said: “Some of the best memories that I have are of being in the garden with my Dad. Gardening has always been my hobby.”