Dear Valued Customers,

As the year draws to a close, I want to personally thank you for your continued support of My Tidy Garden. As a regular customer, your trust and loyalty mean a lot to me.

Despite attempting a few, this is my first time sending a general update, so bear with me as there’s a fair amount to cover…

A Challenging Year
This year has been difficult both personally and for the business. On a personal level, moving into a new home and my youngest starting school were significant milestones, but I also faced the illness and loss of my nan, who was like a mother to me.

As for the business,

• unexpected van repairs exceeding £3,000,
• stolen tools (both me and Adam),
• the continued need for investment,
• seemingly neverending rainfall,
• subsequent delays & challenging working conditions,
• general demands of running a small business.

Has all taken its toll. Feeling run-down and burnt out for a while, I recently had a few minor illnesses that ultimately forced me to take a much-needed break.

Whilst not the sole reason, these challenges combined have undoubtedly affected our service quality—leading to late invoices, delayed responses, and less reliable communication. I greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Thankfully, I’m now feeling much better and ready to move forward with renewed focus.

Outstanding invoices
I’ve finally caught up on most admin tasks, and any outstanding invoices will be sent out in the coming days. If you have an outstanding balance, any payments made before December 20th would be greatly appreciated. However, some of you may not have received an invoice for a while, and I appreciate that getting a big bill at this time of year is not ideal. If this is of any concern, please feel free to make full or part payment(s) at any point before Jan 31st, regardless of the invoice due date. Or, contact me to discuss a manageable payment plan. Thank you if you are already paid up to date. I have begun putting things in place to simplify payments for next year. More on that coming up…

Great Support
During my recent absence, Darren and Adam have stepped up to continue maintaining the gardens despite having van issues to navigate. I’m incredibly grateful for their dedication. Given the challenges, I’m proud that we have generally managed to uphold our standards and kept missed visits to the absolute minimum this year. I’m optimistic about next year, and after a Christmas break, I’ll return fully refreshed, ready to make 2025 run more smoothly.

Introducing Adam
If you haven’t met him yet, I’d like to formally introduce Adam. He previously managed a garden maintenance round working for another local business, The Real Green Gardener Limited. The owner is now trying to sell the business, and Adam, unsure about job security, decided he was ready to go alone. After working part-time with My Tidy Garden for the last few months, he’ll join us full-time next year. His enthusiasm, personality, and genuine passion for gardening make him a valuable addition to our team.

Changes for 2025

Goodbye, Lewis.
Lewis has also been a massive help this year and has now successfully built up enough of his own regular customers whilst gradually reducing the work he does for us. Giving him a great platform to build from and the confidence of having enough work to get by independently next year. We maintain a good relationship and may collaborate again in the future to some extent.

Improved Systems and Customer Experience
We’ve adopted a new scheduling system and introduced the My Tidy Garden field app. Each gardener can now plan their day more efficiently, mark jobs as started & completed, and notify you when they’re on their way. We’ll also be taking regular notes and photos of your garden. You will have the ability to send requests directly to your gardener, and our online booking system and updated website (launching Q1 2025) make scheduling easier than ever. We will also be introducing invoicing on the go next year, to simplify our payment process and help you manage your gardening budgets more effectively.

A New Structure
We’re also legally restructuring the business so that each gardener—myself, Darren, and Adam—will be operating as a separate entity under the My Tidy Garden brand. This means you get a dedicated gardener familiar with your space, rather than me personally overseeing hundreds of gardens. We will still share experience & resources and work together on larger projects when needed.

Each gardener will trade below the VAT threshold, which means despite potentially needing to raise your price next year (if we haven’t done so already), we can avoid passing on an additional 20% VAT cost to you!

How Will This Work?
Under the new arrangement, Darren will work out of the large van maintaining gardens near his home, and Adam will work in his own van covering gardens closer to his area. Together, they will manage new jobs and work enquiries.

As for me, I’ll be focusing on my own round of up to a maximum of 40 gardens predominantly located close to my home address in and around BH14 & BH13. Offering more personal attention while supporting the team and hopefully enjoying more family time, which has been neglected for a few years now. I’ll be primarily working alone in smaller gardens and teaming up with Darren in the large van as needed for large gardens/grounds.

Immediate Winter Plans
Winter may slow down garden growth, but it will be a busy period for us both outdoors and behind the scenes. We’ll continue to work in challenging weather, focus on projects for existing customers, and maintain hard surfaces (such as pressure washing and moss removal). As well as servicing and replenishing tools and machinery.

At the same time, I’ll be refining our systems, processes, and plans for the coming year. Over the coming months, I’ll be in touch to discuss your individual plans for 2025. My goal is to have everything organised before spring so we can start the new season refreshed and prepared.

Request for Feedback
If you’ve been happy with our service this year despite the challenges, I’d be incredibly grateful if you’d consider leaving a five-star review. This helps us reach new customers and will really hellp to support Darren and Adam at the start of their journeys. 

https://g.page/r/CV31YBHLKQvDEAE/review < Click here to leave a review.

If you’d prefer not to leave a five-star review, please email us with any feedback or suggestions on how you feel we can improve. Even just letting us know you’ve read and understood this update—by email or through a review—would be greatly appreciated.

Or if you have any concerns about how any of these changes may affect you, please get in touch.

Green Bin Reminder
The deadline to guarantee you get all 23x garden waste collections has just passed on Friday, 13th December. If you haven’t yet ordered your sticker(s) for next year, it’s not too late! You can still apply here: 
https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/garden-waste-service/apply-for-the-garden-waste-service 
but you may not get your sticker in time for the first collections in Jan.
If you have any questions about your green bin or need us to complete the order for you, please get in touch.

Thank You and Warm Wishes
Thank you again for your understanding, patience, and continued trust in My Tidy Garden. I’m committed to making next year smoother, more efficient, and providing an overall improved service. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Warm regards,
Michael and the My Tidy Garden team.
And the next generation of gardeners!