Setting Profitable Markups for a New Landscape Contracting Business

New contractor asks for rule-of-thumb markup on plants and labor for a bid.

Standard Industry Practice

Materials: 20% markup on retail price (not your cost).
Labor: Bill at $35–$50/hr if paying crew $20/hr. This covers overhead, insurance, profit.

Gross profit margin (GPM) absorbs all business costs. Track actuals per job and adjust.

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