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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

Apr 2025

Posted at 09:21h in Blog, Quoting + Tracking, Sales

Over the past few years, I have been increasingly asked about the Cost-Plus Estimate, how it works and whether I think my clients should put it into practice. The reason for the increased interest in the Cost-Plus method is that many business owners who have been using the Fixed-Price method have had the experience of actual labour hours exceeding what was quoted, resulting in little or no profit on more projects than they would like.   Let me explain how it works Firstly, it is an Estimate and not

Mar 2025

Posted at 16:02h in Blog, Money, Quoting + Tracking

I have spoken with hundreds of Landscapers over the years, and two quoting terms that are often misunderstood are Markup and Margin. Some Landscapers assume these two terms mean the same thing, however, there is a significant difference between the two! And knowing the difference between them can be a key factor in your business either making a profit or a loss. Simple Explanation Margin and Markup are both business terms related to calculating profit, but they represent different ways of looking at the same transaction: Markup represents the

Feb 2025

Posted at 11:04h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

The Challenges Two Clients Faced In 2023, two clients joined my program with a similar goal: to increase profits and improve systems. Both were committed to improving their businesses but needed guidance on how to achieve sustainable growth. The first step was a thorough assessment of their profit-and-loss statements, loan repayments, cost structures and current processes being utilised. By pinpointing where their costs were too high relative to sales, we were able to develop an actionable plan. The initial plan involved: Refining Cost Structures: We analysed staff

Nov 2024

Posted at 07:43h in Blog, Sales

When you first meet a prospect, they don’t know you and will likely have their guard up while discussing their needs. An indication of this is when you ask them how much they have to spend and all you get is silence, or "I have no idea". So your first intention should be to build a relationship with a client and that means having their best interests at heart. In this article, I will discuss how you can make a potential client trust you faster so

Oct 2024

Posted at 06:00h in Blog, Leadership

Why do some businesses and sports teams have great cultures and long-term team members? Dan Coyle found when researching this topic for his book, ‘Culture Code’, that the main reason great companies retain staff for longer is they satisfy their team’s innate human need for belonging and purpose. Culture is built on relationships, connectedness, growth, and a shared goal. Culture, like any relationship, is built up over time through everyday moments. Shaping your company’s culture hinges less on big moments and more on those seemingly mundane interactions

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