After training with The National Trust for Scotland, Sean Hannah worked at Benmore Botanic Garden in Argyll before becoming head gardener at Larch Cottage Nurseries in the Eden Valley. However, he always wanted to run his own business and finally took the chance in July 2022 launching Sean Hannah Horticultural Services.
“Having full autonomy of how my business runs gives me great satisfaction, I can deliver projects to my own high standards drawing on my skills and experience. Having a flexible balance between work and home is essential for me, being self-employed affords me this.”
Sean Hannah Horticultural Services provide everything from hedge cutting and lawn care to planting design for a number of regular clients. Sean will soon be starting a new project developing the garden areas at Hartside Nursery Garden, who grow specialist alpine plants, i.e. plants which grow at high altitudes on mountain slopes.
While setting up his business Sean contacted Cumbria Business Growth Hub. We put him in touch with Annie Weir one of our expert advisers.
Working with Annie at Cumbria Business Growth Hub gave me great confidence and motivation to get to my business off the ground. It was helpful having support from someone who was both knowledgeable but also had real-life experience of setting up their own business. The support offered by the Growth Hub has been excellent, I'd encourage anyone who has thoughts of setting up their own business to get in touch.
Sean also attended our Business Start-Up course, a three day course on finance, marketing and the necessary tools for setting up your own business. Equipped with his training Sean started advertising prior to his business launch. By the time he started he already had three full weeks work lined up. Soon he was fully booked six weeks in advance.
Reflecting on his achievements so far, Sean highlights: “Launching my business successfully in July 2022 and building a sustainable client base relatively quickly thanks to the support and guidance of the Growth Hub, friends and other professionals I've met along the way.” “One of my main aims is to encourage people to grow more plants in their garden. I want my business to focus on this end whilst building a reputation for horticultural excellence. Long term I'd like to run my own plant nursery and widen the range of plants available in cultivation, taking into account that what we grow today in our gardens may not be what we grow in ten years due to climate change. As a passionate gardener and plantsman I've always enjoyed passing my knowledge on to others. Part of what my business offers is an education. I want my clients to be invested in their gardens and shape them towards their own personalities. That is something I can help with.”
Visit Sean Hannah Horticultural Services' website here
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