A dilemma-need advice

As most of you know I have a small landscaping/gardening business.
I'm not out to make tons of money but I enjoy what I do.
My SIL-several who garden are asking me for advise which I don't mind.
I picked up some weed preventor for one while buying supplies for one of my customers-I am charging her not my wholesale price but pretty close to retail-this stuff works better than the products available to consumers. I also have looked at shrubs and quoted my retail price instead of my wholesale price-I feel if I am doing the legwork and especially if I have to buy them and arrange pickup I should be making some $$$ on the deal-perhaps I'll give a few $$ of retail price but not much. Know that flower time is coming I'm afraid I'm going to run into the same situation.
Its difficult for many of them to see that this is my business and I'm in to to make money not for them to get good deals.
Any advise???

Just be polite and remind her (and others you know) that you are doing most of the work and research for them, and that you are not selling it to them full price because they are people you know, but that this is your buisness and that you still have to make a profit to stay afloat.
If that doesn't work, I would not do it for them anymore until they realize that this is your living of making money and they start to take more interest on their own. I hope it works out!
Remember they won't really appreciate all you have done for them until they have to do it themselves.

I'm not sure if this helps - but remind them that the time you spend on them means that you are foregoing any profit from your other customers. Also, you have expenses to cover whether you are working for paying customers or them.

I'm terrible at gardening so I'm trying to find someone to help me figure out what needs to be done and to do it. This is hard even when I'm paying so your relatives and friends should be grateful that you are doing it at a reduced rate.

I think what you are doing is great. You should be reimbursed for your time and effort. This is your business and you shouldn't be expected to provide charity to them. They are getting a deal, and you are making a little money. Are they complaining? If so, tell them that you will now charge them the same price that you charge your regular customers, because this is your business. Remember...friends and relatives often feel that they should get special treatment and will try to pressure you. You need to set boundries, or they will take advantage of your generosity. If you set boundries early on, hopefully you will be able to nip this in the bud so it doesn't get out of hand.

I would make a thing of giving them a small discount, so they feel happy and you are letting them know that this is a business.

Yeah, let them know they are getting a discount. They don't need to know what price you paid. and you are definitely entitled to reimbursement of your time!

Yeah, that does become a difficult situation since its "family". Then they start recommending you to friends -which is good- but may offer that "family" discount to their friends.

I say stick to your retail price rather than any discount on it. If you give one person then everyone is going to expect that discount.