Jeffrey ScottNov 3, 2023
There's a myth circulating around our industry that overtime (OT) is bad. Owners and managers believe this is true because their employees are inefficient; therefore…
Kevin KehoeNov 3, 2023
The industry has changed dramatically over the past five years. We are truly in the new normal now. Part of that new normal is the…
Bruce WilsonNov 3, 2023
Having a good financial dashboard is among the best practices used by successful companies to make better business decisions. Knowing what parts of your business…
The quickest way to grow the value of your company and to ensure it's well positioned for growth is to manage your three financial bottom…
Frank RossNov 3, 2023
I am all about eliminating the guesswork we face in our businesses. Yes, I am a budget freak. Some of this stems from what my…
Whatever your economic outlook, ending your business year positively is important. Avoid slipping from a good year into a so-so year by never letting your…
Jon GoldmanNov 3, 2023
How can we get prospects to chase us instead of us chasing them? For most landscaping companies, marketing is difficult. You need to get noticed,…
Lara MoffatNov 3, 2023
One of the more frequent questions I hear is, “What really should be a part of a marketing plan?” Effective branding and marketing starts with…
Julie GuestNov 3, 2023
You send one of your employees to give a potential customer a quote. He thanks him for coming but says he’ll think about it. In…
Jeff KorhanNov 3, 2023
Talk to your customers to develop more intimate relationships with them, teach them what you know about your business and work together to create what…
Jennifer LemckeNov 3, 2023
An open-book management style that includes employees from every aspect of a business can improve its scope and take in the big picture. Most importantly,…
Ken ThomasNov 3, 2023
I’m continually surprised and amazed by the lack of continuity in the amount of support staff per dollars of revenue among landscape business owners. It…
Monica MuirNov 3, 2023
\Almost every business monitors cash closely, and they all seem to have their own systems. The following are 10 ways to help you improve cash…
Daniel S. GordonNov 3, 2023
All land care professionals need to maintain accurate financial records. The most obvious reasons for doing so is to assess the results of operations against…
Ben GandyNov 3, 2023
You’ve told your guys a thousand times, “No overtime!” It’s an unnecessary premium cost that cuts deep into your margins. Or is it? The unplanned,…
There are seven paths to exit your business: Sell it to an outside party. Sell it to your family. Sell it to your employees. Liquidate…
I began last year’s article about business planning with the following statement: “Painfully aware that any prognostication or prediction might be off base, any plan…
Landscape firms often want to know what metrics will keep them on track. Use this list of key performance indicators (KPIs) to stay focused on…
If your company is transitioning in size or you’re at a crossroads that’s holding up growth, there are steps and actions you can take to…
Craig RuppertNov 3, 2023
There’s been much written about the importance of developing a distinct company culture. Like many of you, for the first 15 years we were in…
Gregg RobertsonNov 3, 2023
A small but growing number of local governments are now mandating that landscapes in their jurisdiction use only “native” plants. (See this recent article in…
Many landscape contractors have highly creative processes and build great systems, but sometimes they would be better off if they simplified things. For example, one…
Gregg RobertsonNov 9, 2023
Many landscape contractors don’t recognize the acronym “MS4,” but they should. It’s a federal program that could have a very positive impact on our industry.…
Don’t we all want to be high-profit companies? Bad habits are obstacles to growth for good companies and good people. Changing behaviors in both is…