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We have 10 months of 2026 ahead of us, and I know a lot of us have long to-do lists for the year ahead.
At the time of writing, we’re in the final preparations for our event, GROW! 2026, but by the time you read this, the event will be behind us.
My slides and remarks are all prepared, and I’ve seen a good portion of our other teachers’ presentations, too. So, I can tell you with certainty that the people who join us in Dallas are going to be well-prepared to hit the ground running this spring. I also have some words of wisdom as you make your final preparations for your own busy seasons.
Make time to be disciplined
We know how March through July can get. Look ahead now and block time on your calendar to focus on the little things that add up to big things. This will vary by your role within the company but now is a good time to put thought into what’s most important. What metric do you need to check in on daily or weekly? What task could you get done weekly that would set you up for success?
For my sales teams, for example, I think it’s important that they’re setting aside time to track their leads, practice handling objections and follow up with clients. What activities lead to sales being made, and are those on your calendar? If not, do it now, while it’s fresh on your mind.
I also like to see them working on prospecting each week by sending handwritten notes, messaging prospects on LinkedIn or attending community events. They’re blocking out their calendars now so that the chaos of the busy season doesn’t distract them from what’s important.
Let’s be in the fire prevention department, not the firefighting department. You know what to do, but you have to set time aside to do it.
Ensure your processes are ready
With new team members or a growing team, it’s critical for companies to have standard operating procedures and documented processes in place. Teams need these for every crew to deliver the same quality of work with consistency.
It takes time to get to a place where everything is done. At GROW! 2026, Kevin Keim, an executive coach with our ACE Peer Group program, will share how teams can use AI to create documentation faster and supplement their training. We’ll also have the folks from Greenius by Granum there, which is a tool we’re using at Grunder Landscaping Co. to roll out on-demand training for our crews.
Training is an investment, not an expense. It’s our No. 1 focus at GLC this year, especially sales training in prospect screening, the selling process and especially the process of bidding and selling profitable work.
Expect the unexpected
If you’re leading people in this industry, you know that every project and season comes with unexpected challenges. You can’t always plan for them, but you can spend the early months of the year doing research to prepare for them.
In 2025, we took on jobs that were larger and more complicated than any we’d done in the history of Grunder Landscaping Co. Even with all my work at The Grow Group and the network of landscape pros that I have, we made some mistakes that could’ve been avoided if we had listened to other contractors who have done work like this before.
We all know what’s coming when the weather warms up, and we need to be prepared to make hay when the sun shines. We can get organized now so that our sales team can maximize the jobs they close, our production team can use their hours efficiently and our leaders can do what’s needed to support the team. The biggest opportunities present themselves in the next few months.
As you’re prepping for the busy season — or once it arrives, and you’re driving between jobsites and sales calls — make sure you’re subscribed to my podcast, “The Grow Show.” We share tactics that can help landscape pros, and go into more detail about our in-person events.
