My team at The Grow Group, the green industry consultancy I run, is hard at work right now gearing up for our Grow! Annual Conference for landscape pros who are serious about moving their careers and their businesses forward.
Scheduled for Feb. 24-26 in Charlotte, N.C., the 2020 conference will be my 25th year putting on this event. It’s expanded greatly in size and scope over the years — we expect more than 400 owners and their teams to attend, and we have a full slate of industry leaders and successful operators teaching more than 20 educational sessions. But no matter how Grow! has evolved, I find over and over again that the keys to growth and success in our industry remain the same. You have to:
Envision. Those of you who know me have heard me go on and on about the importance of having a vision — of having a destination toward which your whole team is driving. Well, I go on and on about it because it’s that crucial to your company’s success. What are you trying to achieve? What are your revenue goals? Where do you want to be by the end of 2020? 2021? 2025? At Grow!, we’ll show you what’s possible and the benchmarks smart landscaping companies measure themselves against.
Plan. As the late, terrifically wise Zig Ziglar observed, “Most people spend more time planning the wedding than they do planning the marriage.” In business, the wedding is getting your ideal prospects and job candidates to say yes to you. That’s certainly important, but it’s just the courtship. The marriage is everything that comes after, and if you want your business to grow, you have to really plan for that too. How do you streamline your operations to ensure you’re delivering exceptional service and clearing a good profit? How do you develop other leaders on your own team so your business isn’t solely reliant on you? How can you make the H-2B program work for your company?
Execute. This is where the rubber meets the road. In terms of truly learning how to execute a plan, I believe the fastest and most effective way is to see, up close and in person, how a successful company does it. That’s why we’re headed to Loving for Grow! 2020. Founder and President Mike Haynes started in our industry the way so many of us did, by mowing lawns in high school. Through drive, determination and a truly remarkable team, he’s led Loving to become one of the fastest-growing landscaping companies in the country. Mike is also one of the humblest and kindest people you’ll ever meet, and he’s surrounded himself with the same. You can’t help but learn and get inspired when you’re around the Loving team.
Compete. It takes a lot to win at business; it takes even more to continue to win, year after year. Many landscaping companies are seeing record revenue right now, as the economy continues to boom, but what happens when there’s a downturn? How do you gain an edge over your competition through effective marketing and the innovative use of technology? How do you determine what equipment you should buy and when? How do you successfully expand into new markets? Companies that succeed over the long haul focus on how to get better every day. And that’s exactly what my team and many others from all across the country will be doing at Grow! 2020.
I wish you the happiest of holidays this season and a wonderful and prosperous new year. See you in 2020!
