Phil HarwoodNov 3, 2023
Do you have difficulty retaining good employees, whereas the duds seem to hang around forever? If so, it’s time to take some common-sense steps toward…
Shaun KanaryNov 3, 2023
My Green Industry colleagues regularly inquire about the frequency of my company's email newsletter. They often are surprised the answer is zero. Yes, you read…
Gregg RobertsonNov 3, 2023
April is National Lawn Care Month, which is fitting because it puts front and center our most popular landscape feature, residential lawns. They cover up…
Frank RossNov 3, 2023
Invariably, all of us sages are queried with: “You’ve been around the country. You see things. So, what kind of year is 2014 going to…
Bruce WilsonNov 3, 2023
Spring comes every year, and with it a seasonal surge that brings stress to landscape contracting businesses. No matter how much companies prepare for the…
Jeffrey ScottNov 3, 2023
The ultimate definition of productivity is your ability to keep your laborers on your clients’ properties and, more importantly, to keep them working while on…
It’s easy to say that we go the extra mile for our customers. But do we? Driving business forward often means more than just bending…
I always have considered myself an “Apple disciple,” taking every opportunity to sing the praises of the company’s products and services. But after heeding the…
If you want to get a vigorous debate going among a group of landscape contractors, ask them how they feel about state licensure for our…
Transactions are on the rise. The economy is picking up. Now is a good time to buy or merge with a company to take advantage…
Early December headline in the Wall Street Journal: “Employers Gain Confidence to Hire.” The national unemployment rate has dropped below 7 percent. For many, this…
Kevin KehoeNov 3, 2023
I received a lot of good feedback from my last column about the habits of successful salesmen. Thanks! There were many requests to provide more ideas…
Most owners and senior managers I interact with view personal cellphones as a problem. They’ve received customer complaints about employees talking on the phone while…
One of the big challenges facing the future of the landscaping industry is water. Or more precisely, the lack of water. The western United States…
Some contractors mistakenly think the markup they make from subcontractors is pure profit, but if you do this you are underestimating your overhead recovery. To…
OK, it’s January. You should have your budget completed for this 2014. You do, don’t you? Uh-oh, you don’t, do you? Why is this budgeting…
The issue of government regulation of invasive plants has been relatively quiet for the past several years. But recent developments are placing invasive species regulations…
The “small window that's closing fast” for immigration reform to happen before the end of the year slammed shut in November, at least for the…
Our customers are using technology to research and communicate with us online; our suppliers are using technology to make more efficient equipment; and many of…
An obvious way to stimulate profit is to generate more volume. To generate more volume, take a hard look at the way you’re receiving and…
A budget is a way to realistically combine what you know with what you want to achieve. It asks, “What do we need to do…
Integrated financial management is not accounting. It's a system of financial management for a landscaping business that relates the most important financial processes to each…
How much should an owner pay him or herself? Some of you might say "as much as possible." The real answer is a bit more…
A small window that’s closing fast is how Craig Regelbrugge, the American Nursery & Landscape Association’s (ANLA) vice president of government relations and research, describes…
