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Apr 2026

Posted at 08:05h in Blog, Entrepeneurship

Phil Antcliff and Jack Hayes have operated Fifth Season Landscapes, a premium, successful, multi-award-winning Design/Construction, Pool and Maintenance Business in the North Shore of Sydney for the past 16 years. In this interview, my clients and I had the opportunity to ask Phil and Jack questions about their business. A condensed version of our 80-minute Zoom meeting is summarised below. The First 5 Years of Business Q: How did your partnership begin? A (Phil/Jack): We came from similar backgrounds. Sporty, outdoors and a strong work ethic and ran small

Mar 2026

Posted at 19:32h in Blog, Entrepeneurship

Running a landscaping business is not easy. The early mornings, the physical work, the constant problem-solving, the pressure of keeping jobs profitable, keeping staff happy and wanting to stay, and clients satisfied - all of this can wear anyone down. If you’re feeling stretched, tired, or frustrated at times, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it means you’re in the thick of running a real business. Every business owner goes through some or all of these challenges from month to month. And yet, despite how

Feb 2026

Posted at 10:40h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Uncategorized

Right now is a great time to review how your business performed in 2025. A simple, honest review will help you identify what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your energy in 2026.   Part 1 – Quick Rating Exercise Start by rating the major areas of your business out of 10. Be honest: this isn’t about judgement, it’s about clarity. Think about how each area actually performed, rather than how you wanted it to perform.   Example: Time Management If you plan the following week every Friday, create your personal

Nov 2025

Posted at 09:44h in Blog, Marketing

In October, I invited my friend and business ally, Ineke Clark, to speak with my clients in an 80-minute Zoom session about how to market our businesses more effectively. Ineke is the owner of Ambition Social, a social media and brand strategy company based in Adelaide that provides mentoring and consulting to business owners around Australia. Here are some of the highlights from our chat.   Question: How can someone create a strategy for their business? Answer: It starts with defining their goals for their business. Whether that’s attracting better

Oct 2025

Posted at 13:39h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Leadership

Setbacks are an inevitable part of a business. A challenge can feel discouraging when it happens unexpectedly. However, the ability to recover, learn, and stay motivated during tough times often separates resilient business owners from those that struggle. Below, I explore some common examples of setbacks faced by landscaping businesses (such as financial losses or losing a valuable team member) and offer strategies to bounce back while keeping morale high.   Example 1: Losing Money After Finishing a Project One of the toughest situations for a landscaper is

Sep 2025

Posted at 07:00h in Blog

Nick Abba is the Director of Lux Landscapes, which is a premium Design, Construction and Maintenance Business operating on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I worked with Nick in 2019 helping him improve his business. Nick has had great success and growth over the last 6 years. A few weeks ago, I invited Nick to chat with me and my group of clients on Zoom talking about various aspects of his business challenges and growth. John: In 2019 you were going through some business challenges and

Aug 2025

Posted at 18:17h in Blog, Leadership

In landscaping, where teamwork, reliability, and attitude matter every day on site, one toxic employee can drag down the entire team, annoy your clients and cost you time and money through disrupted workflow, mistakes and substandard workmanship. Here I outline how to spot a toxic employee, what their behaviour does to your business, and how to deal with them properly.   5 Examples of a Toxic Employee’s Behaviour Constant Complaining or Negative Attitude This person brings bad energy to the job site. They complain about the weather, the tools,

Jul 2025

Posted at 10:28h in Blog, Leadership

For many years, whenever something didn’t go well in my business, I’d get annoyed or frustrated. That all began to shift about 18 years ago when I studied NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and was introduced to a powerful tool called reframing. It changed the way I handled setbacks. Instead of getting stuck in frustration, I learned to view challenges through a different lens, a more constructive one. Realism Still Matters It’s important to point out that reframing doesn’t mean denying reality. I still acknowledge when something has gone

Jun 2025

Posted at 13:50h in Blog, Leadership

Perhaps you have noticed a change in an employee’s behaviour or attitude over the last month or two. And if that is the case, how can you approach them so they feel supported, and provide them with a safe space to explain what they are mentally and emotionally struggling with? The information below was taken from the Beyond Blue website. They are an organisation that provides a free online and telephone helpline for people with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. What is anxiety? Anxiety is when

May 2025

Posted at 05:26h in Blog, Leadership

Charles M Schwab was one of the world’s most successful business leaders during last century. He was paid an enormous amount of money each year to run US Steel Corporation and manage its thousands of employees by owner Andrew Carnegie. Schwab's unique approach to understanding, connecting and inspiring his employees is still highly admired throughout the world today. Here is a summary of Schwab’s approach. He Avoided Criticism and Used Encouragement Schwab believed the way to get the best out of people was through genuine encouragement. He didn’t

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