From One Pair of Hands to a Growing Crew
I never set out to build a business. It grew out of a work ethic I developed almost by accident, encouraged by the SBE degree and a liking for manual work that I didn’t expect to turn into a successful venture.
Where it started
The summer after my first year here at SBE, I was working 37 hours a week in logistics for Clarks Footwear. It wasn’t glamorous, but it taught me how to graft — to turn up, put the hours in, and see a job through. Alongside that, I started helping out with labouring work: driving diggers, strimming, the kind of hands-on outdoor work I hadn’t really tried before. I found I liked it far more than I expected to.
Word got around. I started talking to people about the work I was doing, and before long, people were taking me up on offers to do jobs for them directly. There was no business plan at this point — just turning up, doing decent work, and letting that speak for itself.
Building something real
That word-of-mouth start was the spark, but I knew it wouldn’t scale on its own. I began developing a brand and social media presence, which brought in new customers beyond people I happened to already know. I also made a point of connecting with other gardeners in the area, which opened the door to subcontracting work — a useful way to keep busy and keep learning from people further along than me.
Eventually, the work reached a point where I could do almost every day of the week alongside studying, and in April of my second year, I launched Sam Trotman Gardening Services, having officially registered as self-employed back in January. That earlier step mattered more than it seemed at the time — it forced me to take financial literacy and transparency seriously from the start, rather than treating the admin side as an afterthought once the business had already grown.
Shortly after going full-time, I took on my first labourer — which came with a responsibility I took seriously from day one: proper PPE measures and making sure their welfare was genuinely looked after, not just ticked off on paper. It also meant getting my finances properly organised, since paying someone else on time isn’t optional the way it might feel when it’s just you.
Along the way I’ve invested money in machinery and vehicles, and just as much time into learning — both the gardening skills themselves and the core business functions I never had to think about when it was just me and a car.
Where we are now
Sam Trotman Gardening Services today is still a small business, and I say that plainly rather than modestly for effect — we’re early in the journey. But it’s a real one, with a real crew, real clients and real responsibilities. I handle the client relationships and the financial and administrative side, including my own self-assessment filing, while making sure the people working with me are properly supported and set up to do good work.
Looking ahead
The next few years are about growth I want to get right, not growth for its own sake. That means hiring more staff and building out additional crews so we can take on more work without stretching anyone too thin.
I’m not in a rush to become something I’m not. I’d rather grow steadily, keep standards high, and make sure the people who join me are looked after properly — the same way I look after the first labourer who joined me. If my first two years on this course have taught me anything, it’s that a business is only as strong as the people in it, and that takes time to build properly.
The SBE course has given me an understanding everything you’d expect to need in terms of running a business — how to create a business plan, marketing, HR, etc. On top of that, I have developed my communication skills and been able to learn in an environment that is challenging and safe at the same time. Pushing me out of my comfort zone has meant I can now approach challenges without feeling overwhelmed with fear and nerves.
Has this made you wonder what you’re capable of?
Get in touch and see what you can achieve on the Sports Business & Entrepreneurship degree.