What does it take to build a business that thrives through market cycles, scales with confidence and creates impact far beyond the bottom line? At our recent Summer Growth Summit in Cleveland, landscape leaders from across the country and Canada shared their most powerful insights, and a common thread was clear: Success comes from being focused, intentional and deeply committed to excellence.
Focus on core services
The best companies don’t try to be everything to everyone. They double down on what they do best and refine it into a “business in a box,” a repeatable model that works in every division, and branch by branch. This clarity creates confidence for clients, direction for employees and scalability for growth.
At Schill Grounds Management, the host company for our summit, their culture of discipline and winning was on full display. Schill’s leaders showed how gamifying operations fosters a culture of achieving and celebrating wins. Employees love to win, and when you gamify the wins, results naturally follow. Schill also never settles for “good enough.” For example, Schill’s month-end close used to take almost nine days; it recently got it down to six.
Leveraging talent and technology
Scaling isn’t about piling on more — it’s about being smart with your people and tools. Mitch Katz, the director of operations at Jeffrey Scott Consulting, introduced a concept we call “leadership leverage,” which is using your profit-and-loss statement to know when your overhead is under- or over-leveraged. This framework helps owners strike a balance, keeping both growth and profit on track while avoiding burnout.
Sean Baxter, an executive coach at our firm, took the conversation deeper by focusing on the truth of inspirational leadership. He shared that two-thirds of your workforce are unengaged or disengaged at work. He revealed his secret for getting employees to “feel seen and heard.” He explained his personal method for showing vulnerability and building rapport at work, and by connecting an employee’s dreams to your company’s mission, you can unlock true buy-in.
Preparing for success
One of our sponsors for the Summer Growth Summit, Aspire, complimented us, saying our summit was “next level” and unlike anything they’d experienced.
That wasn’t by luck. Our success was grounded in the months of prep and reviewing game plans before we ever got to Cleveland. If you are experiencing sub-par performance at work, it is possible that your team is under-preparing, spending too much time in reaction mode. Like a great football team, you win games by what happens months before game day.
Depth creates impact
Another powerful lesson from Schill’s approach is the value of going deep in their niche. We know this to be true in all things. For example, instead of scattering our charitable efforts at Jeffrey Scott Consulting, we focus our time and money on one important cause close to our heart, sonofasaint.org. We focus our efforts, and this multiplies our impact.
The same principle applies to your business. Commit deeply to a few key goals and service offerings, and you increase your chances of extraordinary success.
From good to great
The blueprint is simple but not easy, as Jerry Schill, the founder and CEO of Schill Grounds Management, pointed out. Focus on core services, he said, hire highly talented people, use the latest technology and build a culture of discipline and excellence. This is his business-in-a-box recipe for winning, and he sure loves to win.
So do we at Jeffrey Scott Consulting. If you’re ready to move your company from good to great, reach out, and we’ll show you how to build a company that’s not just profitable, but industry leading.
