Author: Phil Harwood

Phil HarwoodMar 6, 2017

As another spring season draws near, now is a good time to consider filling the tank. Let me explain. If you were to begin a long road trip, would you want to start on empty or with a full tank of gas? The spring season is long and draining. It demands 110 percent of us, […]

Phil HarwoodJul 29, 2018

As I mentioned in last month’s blog post, marketing strategies are often ignored as marketers are in a rush to focus on marketing tactics. This is a big mistake. A key part of a marketing strategy is segmentation and targeting. Marketers who miss this important step are often disappointed with their marketing results and don’t […]

Phil HarwoodSep 18, 2018

It’s January and the green industry marketing machine is beginning to hum. Renewals, mailers, social media campaigns, email blasts, call centers, etc., are either in motion or being prepared. It’s an exciting time, filled with anticipation of a great year ahead of us. When we think about marketing, we generally think about all the promotional […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

As the calendar year winds down, we find ourselves asking: “How did we do this past year? Was it a successful year or not? Or more specifically, what was successful and what was not so successful? What were our results?” These are excellent questions to ponder, and this is a good time of year to […]

Phil HarwoodAug 6, 2018

As the calendar comes to a close and your team looks forward to a new year, it’s important not to overlook an important step—to look backward. When we take time to look in the rear-view mirror and reflect on what occurred in the past, we are much better equipped to handle what lies ahead. If […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

As the snow industry matures, one area that deserves more attention is what I’ll call “the snow scoreboard.” Just as the scoreboard at a sporting venue displays the game’s score, the snow scoreboard displays a snow event’s score. If the scoreboard at the ballpark were missing, it would be difficult to keep track of who’s […]

Phil HarwoodNov 10, 2023

In an effort to practice what I preach, I took a few minutes out to reflect on my GIE+EXPO 2016 experience and, specifically, to identify my most important takeaways. Hopefully, you have completed this valuable exercise by now. If not, perhaps this blog post will inspire you to do so. Here are five lessons learned […]

Phil HarwoodAug 23, 2018

Growing up playing hockey, it has been my experience that there are two types of players. There are those who tend to look for their teammates to set up a nice play. These unselfish players are not seeking the limelight. Instead, they are seeking to give the limelight to someone else by passing the puck. […]

Phil HarwoodAug 23, 2018

Every year, I look forward to the fall. Even as a youngster, I remember the sense of anticipation of kicking off something new. Back then, it was about a new school year with new classes, teachers and friends. It was about back-to-school shopping and new clothes to wear. It was about the changing colors, cooler […]

Phil HarwoodAug 6, 2018

I was recently reminded of the value in hiring the perfect employee. Let me explain. When I was a contractor, we did a great job with staffing. We created a fun and productive work environment. We excelled at recruiting, on-boarding and training. Our employee retention rate was low. For the most part, we were highly […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

Snow and ice management professionals come in all forms, and so do their companies. Some firms have snow divisions, while others have established separate legal entities for their snow businesses. For those with a divisional approach, some companies organize their snow divisions into profit centers, while others only separate snow-related revenue. Which approach is best? […]

Phil HarwoodAug 14, 2023

For the past couple of years, I’ve been mentoring a young man in his late 20s. We meet every couple of weeks for coffee early in the morning before work begins. Among other topics, we discuss his job and issues related to navigating the nuances of large company politics. At our most recent meeting, he […]

Phil HarwoodAug 6, 2018

Survivalists know all sorts of interesting things about surviving in whatever environment they plan to be in. They realize they’re going to be placing themselves in a dangerous situation, so they do their homework first—or they learn the hard way, by trial and error. In many ways, the landscape season requires a survivalist mentality. The […]

Phil HarwoodAug 6, 2018

There’s an adage that says, “People buy from people they like.” Do you agree? I’m not so sure I do. After all, I’ve bought plenty of things from people I didn’t necessarily like. I needed something, and they happened to have what I needed. I may have truly liked the salespeople or I may have […]

Phil HarwoodAug 23, 2018

One of the most important property visits is the initial one in the spring. If performed effectively, the spring walk-through will yield enormous benefits in terms of quality, efficiency and enhancement sales. The initial spring walk-through serves multiple purposes. First, it’s an opportunity to identify areas to address with crews–maintenance, enhancement and construction crews, depending […]

Phil HarwoodAug 23, 2018

  As Donald Trump continues to rack up delegates, politicians and pundits continue to be baffled by his seemingly unexplainable popularity. As a long-time political junkie, I’ve been fascinated by what has occurred thus far in the election cycle, and I can’t begin to imagine what’s still to come. When it comes to The Donald, […]

Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023

One of the biggest challenges with strategic planning is making it real on a daily basis. Just because a plan exists doesn’t mean that day-to-day behaviors will change. Something needs to be done for there to be an impact on specific actions of individuals. Implementing strategy is where the rubber meets the road. The question […]

Phil HarwoodAug 6, 2018

One of the best ways to become a magnet for talent is to build a culture of cohesive teams. After all, everyone wants to be part of something special. Teams that are firing on all cylinders are the most attractive teams. This is true in business, sports, clubs, and in every organization on the planet. […]

Phil HarwoodAug 14, 2023

Managing a seasonal business often translates into regular cash crunches, as both revenue and expenses ebb and flow throughout the seasonal cycles—and not in unison. The good news is there are plenty of companies in our industry who have successfully conquered the seasonal cash crunch. What can we learn from these companies? First and foremost, […]