Building a creative empire from the ground up

When opening and evolving their landscaping supply business in Albany, owners Jane and Ian sought guidance from advisers at the Albany Business Centre, the SBDC’s Business Local provider in the Great Southern.

Designer Dirt in Albany is more than your average landscaping supply centre. Opened in 2012, the business could be seen as an extension of the ‘grounding’ that owners Ian and Jane Michael gained from their early lives growing up on farms in rural WA.

Jane and Ian’s initial careers led them to being the managers of a bulk agricultural fertilizer depot in Albany for 12 years, supplying the grain growers and pastoralists in the Great Southern. Figuring that they could never afford the overheads of their own bulk agricultural fertiliser depot led to the idea of a landscaping supply business - and Designer Dirt was born.

Jane shared some of the lessons they have learned on their business journey.

Lease or buy a business to get started

The opportunity of leasing an established landscaping yard, presented an excellent cost-saving way to get their business started.

https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/blog/building-creative-empire-ground