Our Team

Eds Garden Maintenance is actively seeking new Garden Operators in the UK due to a high volume of enquiries that we are currently not able to service.

Meet some of our Garden Operators

• Lucy Williams, celebrates 2 years with Ed's Garden Maintenance, Teddington
  "Ed's Garden Maintenance is the best thing that I have ever done. It has been a springboard for me".
  
  I used to work in an office for 10 years but decided to take a year out in Australia where I worked on fruit and flower farms. When I returned to the UK I decided that was what I wanted to do. I worked in various plant-based companies, specialising in interior plants and then worked for a local garden maintenance company where I learnt everything I know.
  
  When I saw the Ed's Garden Maintenance advert in Gumtree it was like the advert had been written for me. Working for myself I couldn't get to the next level. Ed's Garden Maintenance has a great reputation. The standard of the website is very high, something which I could not have achieved on my own, and marketing isn't my strength. I had a few customers working on my own. Working for Ed's I have a customer base of 30 regulars and lots of one-off garden clearances and tidy-ups, mostly for landlords in the area.
  
  Although I bought the franchise from an existing Operator and inherited over 20 customers I have reshaped and focused the business in a small area to maximise the return, making it much more viable, long term.
  
  Most of my business comes from "word of mouth" recommendations because customers like my reliability. The local TW11 magazine is also a good place to advertise and I write a regular blog about jobs to do in the garden. I love that side of the work.
  
  Over the winter when the Garden Maintenance business is quieter I aim to specialise in interior plants and Christmas Trees, which is great work for the festive season.
  
  It was a pleasure and honour to be asked to put up the Christmas Tree in Teddington, provided for the first time by the Teddington Business Community. It will be placed outside the Memorial Hospital.
  
  In December 2011 I will have been an Ed's Garden Maintenance Operator for two years and business is going really well. Sometimes I think about expanding and having another van and having employees and sometimes I think that it's just great the way it is! I'm my own boss.
• John Marshall, Eds Garden Operator
  Instead of early retirement, I have started a new career, I'm making money and enjoying it!
  
  I started my Ed's Garden Maintenance Business in September 2011 and I hit the ground running, with most of the initial work coming to me through the Ed's Garden Maintenance website and phone enquiries. From these first enquiries I also had a few referrals and was often stopped by potential customers in the street. It took off from there.
  
  Having worked as a Communications Officer with the Metropolitan Police force, working in the control room for nineteen years it is like chalk and cheese to what I was doing before. No more shift work, no more nights, I'm working outdoors and enjoying it. My ex-colleagues in the call centre came up and shook my hand when I resigned saying, "I wish it was me!"
  
  In two months, I've built up 14 regular customers, with additional one-offs. I have a lot of grass-cutting regulars along with garden clearances, where people have let their garden go. Some of these are happy to have regular visits.
  
  I've started advertising using the local quarterly magazine, called GU Voice, which is distributed to 10,000 households. I've joined the local business club whose directory will come out in the New Year and be distributed to the local residents. I have placed a few ads in newsagents offering winter tidy ups. Although the winter months will calm down and there will be no lawn-mowing I'm aiming to do as much as possible. I've had 10,000 leaflets printed which I can drop through doors when I have a spare few hours.
  
  I always enjoyed being in my garden and always thought it would be good to run a gardening business. When I saw the advert for Ed's Garden Maintenance it was at exactly the right time financially for me to start my own business.
• Steve Frise, Kingston, Esher, Walton, Byfleet and Weybridge
  Maybe life really does begin at 40. All I know is that, at the age of 39, the brakes had been put on any further progress in my career as a salesman within the motor industry and I needed to move on.
  
  In just under a year, I have exceeded all my expectations for a fruitful, enjoyable career by joining Ed'S Garden Maintenance. In fact, I'm delighted to be in a very lucky position where my business is already able to support the whole family, giving my wife the opportunity to consider leaving her job at Sainsburys, something that I had not previously been able to do. Although, I'm sure we would miss the discount we currently get on the shopping bill!
  
  I invested some of my savings in starting the franchise which offers prompt, reliable and efficient one-off and regular garden maintenance services. The ethos behind the franchise is to provide a solid investment opportunity to operators, yet with flexibility and guidance, and that is exactly what it does.
  
  I was pleased with the relatively low start-up costs and was confident of success, as I was given the support needed in accountancy, marketing, business management and training.
  
  I am a naturally cautious person, so starting and growing my own successful business was a huge leap for me. I had worked my way up from a van driver to managing a team of eight people at a motor business in Surrey, but I was unfulfilled. After twenty years in the motor industry, I felt the need for a change in direction. Maybe hitting the big 40 had something to do with that. I wanted to take responsibility for my own destiny, and spend time with my wife and three children. I searched for different franchise options on the internet and found Ed's. I have always enjoyed gardening, and I love the great outdoors, and as a franchisee of Ed's Garden Maintenance, I'm truly set-up to deliver a prompt, reliable service and I've become a friendly face in the community.
• Sarah Whaley, South West and Central London
  Sarah has been running her business for since January 2007, taking on one of the early franchises and over the last few years has successfully grown her business and provided services to both private and commercial clients.
  
  "Having initially come from an agricultural background in Zimbabwe, moving to the UK was a wonderful opportunity to study in a different part of the world. I was incredibly blessed during my early years to be exposed to outstanding scenery, flora and fauna. My mother was a gardening guru, and from an early age my brothers and I were planting up hanging baskets for agricultural shows, and getting involved in all sorts of entrepreneurial forays. This inspired a keen interest in gardening, horticulture and the natural world, and I came to the UK to study a BSc (Hons) in Landscape and Garden Design at Writtle College in 2002, achieving an award for the most improved student on my course at graduation.
  
  Starting with Ed's was a wonderful opportunity to break into a competitive industry and take control of my earnings. It also reduced the risk of starting on my own at a rather young and inexperienced 23 years old, whilst still giving me the flexibility to develop my own angle on the business and drive growth in the direction I wanted to go.
  
  One of my initial concerns was about coping physically with what is a very demanding manual job. The job is all about investing in quality tools and taking your time however, and this gives me complete reliability for my all my maintenance customers. I now have a small team of three employees, with a part timer who we can call on during the busiest spells. I have concentrated on expanding the business sustainably, maintaining a personal relationship with my clients, and trying to provide the same level of service they have come to expect as we grow as a team.
  
  We are looking to expand this year and slowly grow a team of passionate and enthusiastic garden maintenance operatives who really care and continue to learn, and slowly we will expand our portfolio of regular customers ensuring that we deliver the best possible service individually tailored to our clients' needs and budgets. Working with a positive team of people and passionate clients has all the ingredients of a rewarding work experience.
  
  Happy customers make it all worthwhile, and my favourite part of this job is when a customer says to me "You've transformed my garden, I love it!" There's no better incentive to keep on doing what we do.'
• Lindsay Carver, Bristol and South West
  My name is Lindsay Carver and I run an Ed'S Garden Maintenance franchise in Bristol and its surrounding areas. My services include lawn-mowing, hedge-cutting, turfing, general gardening and more.
  
  I am keen to quickly develop an enjoyable and growing business that will see me through to an early retirement. With Ed'S, I believe I can do just that.
  
  As a past-Rugby player and now the coach of a local team, my love of the great outdoors has always stayed with me. I've been employed in large organisations for most of my working life, but the restrictions of a corporate life finally took their toll and I decided to set up my own business. Gardening seemed the perfect choice!
  
  I researched a number of franchise opportunities and I attended a number of exhibitions specialising in franchise businesses. When I finally found Ed'S Garden Maintenance online, I was impressed with the amount of support, training and advice provided at a relatively low-cost and low-risk. I felt that the other franchises did not offer the breadth of support and services.
  
  I now deliver a whole host of garden maintenance services and, within just one month, I'm well on my way to establishing the business as a reliable, trustworthy and friendly face within the community. In fact, I'm already considering employing local talent!
  
  I'm really pleased to be part of Ed'S. All of the Ed'S operators are motivated and dedicated to their success. Plus, we're all delighted by our healthier lifestyles that a garden business seems to attribute to.
  
• Rodney Collett, Barns, Clapham, Tooting, Malden, Wimbledon
  Just over 5 years ago, I moved from South Africa where I owned and cultivated more than two acres of land to provide vegetables and accommodation to backpackers and other visitors. So, it seems fitting to me that I have returned to the great outdoors as an Ed'S Garden Maintenance operator.
  
  Previously, I had worked as a carpenter and handyman in the UK, originally with the department store, Selfridges, and most recently with a smaller company. At Selfridges, I would build shop and window displays and as a handyman, I would take on a range of roles. In fact, I was part of the team that fixed-up Heather Mills' flat when she split from Paul McCartney – but I only realised that by glancing at the post one day!
  
  The handyman jobs were interesting, always different and often unique. But, I could not see any future prospects and I wanted to think ahead, so I began to consider new opportunities. On www.gumtree.com, I found Ed'S Garden Maintenance. At first, I thought it was too good to be true. The idea that I could be up and running with my own business in such a short period of time seemed unreal.
  
  The opportunity was explained and then I was left to consider my response. I took my time and weighed-up all the pros and cons. I was a little worried about the amount of work that I would be presented with, but Ed'S manages the incoming customers and I soon realised that there would be a healthy balance. Now, I have plenty of referrals from current customers and new leads from Ed'S as and when I need them.
  
  I was also worried about the administration side of the business as it is not my forte. Again, with support and encouragement, I am able to handle this side of the business – and I tend to leave it for a really rainy day, so it doesn't even interfere with my outdoor work.
  
  Eighteen months on, and I have exceeded my expectations for growth in the first year, by ten-fold. I have earned back my initial investment and I am now working with suppliers and partners to generate even more work when needed. Like any self-made business, you get out of it as much as you put into it, so it can give you a good life/work balance as soon as you have got your feet off the ground. And, when I feel the time is right, I will be looking to employ someone just like me!
• Clive Edmonds, Teddington and Twickenham and surrounding areas
  It's been an interesting year for me! In just ten months, I've managed to turn my career into something that I enjoy and that I have become really good at.
  
  I tried to set up my own gardening business before joining Ed'S Garden Maintenance as an Operator, but I found that tough because I was spending so much time on things that I didn't really enjoy, such as marketing, advertising etc and these things took me away from the actual gardening. Now Ed'S runs that side of the business and generates customers as and when I need them, so I can get on with tending to people's gardens.
  
  Joining Ed'S has enabled me to take the business to a higher level and accelerate growth due to the supporting framework, the expertise and advice that is given. Being part of something bigger makes all the difference as far as I'm concerned.
  
  Having said all of that, I'm more than able to keep myself busy with the regular customers that I have. I've managed to stay consistently busy, even in deepest winter. I was on a garden clearance job on Christmas Eve and laid my most successful lawn on January 3, dispelling the myth that there isn't much gardening to do in the middle of the winter. Perhaps climate change is extending to the British gardening year!
• Guy Lilford, Reading, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Wokingham, Henley and Windsor areas
  I'm 27 years old, I live with my wife and our baby boy in Waltham St Lawrence and moved to the UK from New Zealand where I did a lot of work on Orchards (plenty of pruning experience!) and a dairy farm, before that I spent my child hood growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe and a fair bit of that in the Zambezi Valley (highly recommended). Ex-army serving with the Army Air Corps and a previous employee of a garden services company in Wimbledon, I've always been hard working and a real outdoors-type.
  
  I have been with Ed's for the last two years which has been a very enjoyable and a big learning curve. Joining Ed's secured my confidence to move forward with my life, succeed in business and continue to achieve my goals and ambitions.
  
  I currently operate in the East Berkshire area covering Reading, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Wokingham, Henley, Windsor and surrounding areas, and within just a few months, I'm already making my mark. Working for myself, I have my own high standards to live up to …… and I've been able to add my own personal touch to the gardens that I service, which has impressed customers no-end.
  
  When you undertake a franchise operation, you always will feel that there is a risk. But, the risk factor is greatly reduced when you join Ed's as you are offered so much support, training, advice and a guarantee of work when you start. Taking big steps in life can make you feel nervous, but for reassurance - I recommend any potential operator to do some research, weigh-up the pros and cons, talk in depth to an existing franchise operator and then go ahead and take that chance.
  
  My plans for the future are to make myself known to as many people as possible by advertising and sponsoring events in the community and spreading the name of Ed's, with a guarantee of timely, professional and quality services. I aim to build a good base of regular customers who I can build a personal rapport with and with Ed's support. I'll also be ahead of the game when it comes to skills and knowledge.
• Tim Keys, Worcester Park, Epsom, Sutton, Banstead and surrounding areas
  Tim lives in Worcester Park, Surrey and has worked in IT support for over 20 years. In July 2008 his role came to an end when he was offered redundancy as part of his company's reorganisation.
  
  Tim saw Ed's as an opportunity to branch out on his own and decided to set up his own business ready for when his redundancy became effective. Although Tim had often been given the option to work from home, he had also been a victim of internal office politics which he found tiresome alongside more and more frequent commuting which left him office-bound in London much of the time.
  
  Tim says, "I saw redundancy as an opportunity for freedom. I was listening to Radio Jackie and heard an advertisement for Ed'S Garden Maintenance, a provider of garden maintenance services in Southern England. I had done quite a lot of physical work myself in the garden, including fencing, paving, strimming and mowing and I enjoy being outdoors, so I decided to see what Ed'S had to offer."
  
  Initially, Tim was presented with a clear and concise breakdown of what was expected from him as a franchise operator and Tim took advantage of the on-site work experience offered so that he could clearly understand the role.
  
  Tim continues, "I researched a number of franchise opportunities, and got plenty of advice from franchise organisations, as well as feedback from some of Ed'S other operators. The financial investment was reasonable, and there is an initial guarantee of work from Ed'S when you start which I found quite supportive, so I signed on the dotted line."
  
  Tim took advantage of information from organisations such as the British Franchise Organisation www.thebfa.org and the franchise section of his daily newspaper.
  
  "What I love about this job is that you can see the evidence of your hard work," he says. "There is an instant gratification and it is a worthwhile service that I'm offering. My plan to grow my business and please customers at this early stage is to turn up when I say I will, keep promises and build trust and loyalty within the community. And, as time goes on, I will learn more and more about developing a growing business, learn new skills in gardening, look for enthusiastic people to join me and to continue to feel a valued member of the local workforce."
  
  In just a few weeks since starting his own business Tim's confidence has grown and so has his client base - way beyond expectation. Tim has been in constant work with new requests for quotes and appointments becoming a regular feature of his day. Tim is confident of a great future providing high quality, reliable, garden maintenance services across the area.
  
  At a time when redundancy is becoming an ever present threat for many, Tim's positive approach is clear evidence that redundancy can present an opportunity to make a really positive lifestyle change and even allow for new career that may never have been possible before.
• Michael Smith, Petersfield, Portsmouth Hampshire
  A little initiative pays off a lot
  
  Pressure-washing, parking appropriately and even dumping environmentally have all helped build Michael's business as an Ed's Garden Maintenance Operator
  
  Having worked in the City and been made redundant twice I really didn't want to start another job with another boss so I decided that I'd had enough of office life and tried to find a job in gardening. I had worked quite a bit in gardens and found Ed's Garden Maintenance while surfing Google. I didn't just want to be just weeding and wanted to do all aspects of garden maintenance.
  
  I started my franchise in early 2009. Initially it was a shock, having invested all that money into the franchise. No-one knew Ed's in Hampshire so I really started from afresh. My wife helped and together we worked at getting my name out to the local market as quickly as possible. This included parking the van in strategic places, like a huge park which attracts thousands of visitors each day as well as moving it around to look like I was busy. Now I don't have to do that. I am busy, and have been every day since 2nd January this year.
  
  Without wanting to rely on the guaranteed work promise from Ed's I was determined to do it all by myself. I started off by pressure-washing my own house, and cut the lawn and pressure-washed the drive. From that I got thirty jobs doing pressure-washing. From that I got hedge jobs and lawn jobs because customers could see what kind of equipment I had. It was hard to start with as I felt like an outsider as Petersfield is a small town. However all the skills I've learnt in office life have proved transferable. 25% of this job is being able to talk to people, having a good rapport with people, making them feel good, cross selling to generate work as it's a very competitive environment.
  
  Now I have over 50 customers on the system plus the hedge jobs which I love. I cut about 400 hedges a year and I'm very good at it. I've even been asked by a local gardening club in Petersfield to give a demonstration on hedge-cutting. I work with a few local people as well. A local lady helps with design ideas for planting and in return I do her garden. I know all of the local tree surgeons and we pass work to each other.
  
  Local partnerships also pay off. I partner with an organic farm to dispose of my waste cuttings, which costs a lot less than the civic waste sites and makes us all feel better.
  
  From being the smallest gardener I am now the largest in terms of work load and customers because I have all the equipment and can do any job. There is enough work for one extra person and two extras on the big jobs. We can cover 14-15 gardens in a day, with a truck and trailor. We start at 7.30 and work until dark, with no lunch break. Our work has to be excellent, and we aim to be better than everyone else.
• Nick Fellows, Brighton and Hove, Sussex
  After six years working in the Midlands I decided to make Brighton my home. Joining Ed's Garden Maintenance has presented the ideal opportunity for me to develop my enjoyment of gardening and the outdoors and to provide a new, high quality service to the community in Brighton and Hove.
  
  Throughout my working life I have been committed to providing top quality customer care and delivering a service to fulfil or exceed expectations. I believe that customers deserve a really good value service, but most importantly a job well done. This leads to recommendation to friends and colleagues - the best endorsement any business can have.
  
  My service is suitable both for one-off or regular maintenance of domestic gardens as well as for commercial customers. Garden maintenance services is a year round occupation – there is always something to be done in any garden whatever the season!

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