More than 75 members of Jeffrey Scott’s peer group and coaching clients gathered in New Orleans for two days of connecting with new members and reconnecting with old ones during Scott’s inaugural client-exclusive Executive Retreat.
The event kicked off with a private concert and reception at Preservation Hall Jazz Club in the French Quarter, followed by exploring the city.
On day two, the group listened to three speakers, each offering their unique take on how to prosper in the landscape industry.
Plus, Scott introduced Loriena Harrington, owner and horticulturist at Beautiful Blooms Landscape & Design in Milwaukee, Wis., as a new peer group leader.
Mike Haynes, founder, The Loving Cos., kicked off the event with a keynote in which he shared his journey from $0 to $100 million in revenue in less than 20 years. He shared tools and approaches he uses to ensure his team leaders have ownership for their areas and the metrics they need to be accountable, allowing him to keep scaling at a fast pace.
Marcus Kerske, owner of Gardens of Babylon in Nashville, discussed his system for hiring overseas remote workers. He has about 18 remote workers for the cost of two and a half full-time local people. Four people in India run his accounting for the cost of $48,000. The rest of his remote workers come from the Philippines and Belize.
“His high profit margins show that this approach works,” Scott said.
Matt Hiner of Hiner Outdoor Living in Colorado Springs, Colo., spoke about integrating a full-time videographer into his business. His videographer spends 50 percent of his time filming, 40 percent editing and 10 percent posting content on social media.
“It was surprising to learn just how affordable this approach is and how it can also impact training and employee recruiting, not just client marketing,” Scott said.
