Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, often cited a phrase credited to Pablo Picasso when discussing one of the cornerstones of his company’s success.
“Picasso had a saying — ‘good artists copy, great artists steal,’” Jobs famously said back in a 1996 interview, “and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
Whether Picasso ever actually said that is a point of great internet debate, but regardless of its origins, that phrase or some variation of it is pretty well known, and I’m sure most business owners have thought about it when their competitor down the street tackles some cool new project or comes up with a particularly innovative program.
I know I have. During my career, there have always been times when I thought, “Dang, why didn’t I think of that?” followed almost immediately by me thinking, “How can we do that better here?”
A case in point was the first time I learned about the concept behind the Landscape Management Growth Summit, which we highlight in this month’s issue. At the time, it was actually the version of that event put on by our sister publication in the golf course management space, Golfdom, that caught my attention, but the concept was the same, as was my reaction: “Ah, $%!&. What a great idea.”
For the uninitiated, the LM Growth Summit is an annual event that brings together lawn care application professionals and leading suppliers in the landscaping industry for two days of networking, education and one-on-one meetings designed to improve business operations and build relationships within the industry. This year marked the 12th edition of our event, and each of the other five brands in the North Coast Media family have their own variation of this theme.
When I started to hear positive feedback about those early golf versions of the Summit, I immediately tried to conjure up ways my old magazine could put on something similar. Unlike Jobs, I’ve always gravitated toward borrowing good ideas as opposed to blatantly stealing them, but try as I might, I could never come up with a good way to put a different twist on what was a pretty unique concept. Most years, I’d just sigh, tip my cap and move on to the next thing.
Then, North Coast Media and this publication came calling. And while there were plenty of other compelling reasons that I made the move I did, and it would be disingenuous to say the LM Growth Summit was a driving force behind my decision, I did view the chance to be a part of that as one heck of a perk of this new job. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?
So, my first go-around at the Summit was the one you can read about in this issue. What will I remember most about the experience? Mainly that my initial impressions about this event way back when were spot on, that this concept still works for both attendees and industry partners and there’s no reason it won’t still work for another 12 years.
From what I saw and heard, it was a win-win for all involved. The attendees I spoke to said they learned something or made some connection that would immediately benefit their company. The suppliers I spoke to said they had forged stronger relationships with their customers and came away with a better understanding of how they could serve this industry better.
You can read more about this year’s event, what attendees took away from the experience and the messages our industry partners delivered starting on page 18. And if you’re interested in joining us at next year’s LM Growth Summit, click here for all the details, which will be available soon.
