Thank you for visiting the newly relaunched site!
If you have visited before, I hope you will notice a fresh look and a renewed focus. If you are new here, welcome to the website!
I built this platform to serve as a toolkit and resource space for newly qualified garden designers feeling like they’ve been thrown in the deep end and not knowing where to start.
Take a look at the resources page for lots of links to CPD, such as practical skills like garden photography, and the learning and development page for links to deepen your expertise on topics like rain gardens.
This website is linked to the facebook group ‘Garden Design Professionals’ – which you are encouraged to join – it’s a vibrant, supportive community.
Having started the facebook group, I saw the same questions coming up time and time again. New graduates with in-depth plant knowledge and excellent design skills, were hitting a wall when it comes to the day-to-day realities of running a business and a professional practice.
It is a completely different skill set. Designing a garden is about understanding soil, drainage, plants, and construction. Designing a business is about contracts, client management, cash flow, and positioning. These skills - managing clients, speaking to landscapers and crucially – confidently setting fees – have to be taught – they don’t come naturally, or without a lot of trial and error.
To help bridge that gap, I created a series of online seminars called 'From Graduate to Professional for Garden Designers – growing alongside your garden design business'.
There are 5 in total, delivered regularly to small groups to keep questions and interaction easy and comfortable. The content is accessible, clear, and focussed on useful, actionable information you can use straight away.
I run seminars twice a month, and they are completely standalone, so you don’t need to do them in order. You can book in for just the single topic you are navigating right now, or you can complete all five in sequence.
Here are the topics for the five seminars:
Setting Up
Finding Your USP
Financial Management
Systems and Processes
Professionalism and Credibility
Building a business takes time, patience, and effort. As you take on new projects and learn from every site challenge, you will deepen your experience and expertise as a designer. I hope that alongside this – with the help of the seminars – you will grow into a confident professional with a thriving business that’s a pleasure to run.
If you are ready to develop yourself as a professional business owner alongside your creative work, I would love to see you in a seminar.
All sessions are hosted online, and you can find the event listings and book a place on my Eventbrite page. I look forward to seeing you!
To help me tailor the next few blog posts, let me know:
Which of these 5 core topics do you struggle with the most?
What specific business challenges are you hoping this series highlights?
I can adjust the focus of future blogs to your specific needs.
Thanks - Kate
