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What has this crazy year taught us? When the pandemic hit our shores back in March, it sent everyone into panic mode. None of us knew what would happen to our business, our income, or how to stay safe from the virus, but we were guided by the authorities and continually kept adapting to stay safe, and stay operational. Owners of Landscape businesses were already good at being adaptive, but the pandemic took these skills to another level. Before the pandemic appeared, running a Landscape business required an

Problem: You have advertised for a key employee several times and repeatedly find no-one. Solution: We all know finding a key employee can be hard, but repeatedly talking about how hard or impossible it is to find a potential employee will not make it any easier. In fact, it will probably work against you. Instead, plan how you could find a strong employee. Create the compelling advertisement, think of all the places you could advertise (Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Membership Sites, Suppliers etc). Make a list of

Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, first coined the term "growth mindset” in 2006 in her book “Mindset”. Since then, many businesses and educators have used her theory to help employees and students thrive. So, What Is a Growth Mindset, and Is It Easy to Develop? If a person believes their talents and ability can be developed through hard work, persistence, good strategies, and guidance from others, they have a “Growth Mindset”. They tend to achieve more and learn faster than people with a

When the COVID-19 outbreak started increasing in late March 2020, we were all in a state of concern. We did not know if the Landscape Industry, like so many others, would be shut down for a prolonged period. While that unfortunately was the case with many industries, thankfully it was not for the landscape industry. Since May, many landscapers have been reporting increased enquiries and sales, which is great news! However, some landscapers have asked me, “how do I manage my business so that profits

As business owners, we all want our valued employees to stay long-term. The benefits of retaining employees are numerous, so it is worth spending some time to use the strategies below as a check list to ensure you are doing all you can to retain employees. Here are 10 ways we can retain employees long term. Retention starts with recruiting properly Retention starts with recruiting properly. Writing a compelling advertisement, screening applicants and choosing who to interview, asking them the right questions and planning a trial

A Profit Share System for key employees? Why didn’t I think of that?! Thankfully many of us have some great employees working with us at the moment, which is why employee retention and job satisfaction probably continue to remain high on our list of priorities. One employee retention strategy that I like is the Profit Share System (PSS). I developed a system for the landscape industry years ago, after using one for years in my previous business. When you get a PSS right, it contributes significantly to

As you know, our daily habits can work for, or against us in achieving productive days and achieving our goals. In this article, we will look at whether your daily habits are effective, or and if some need to change. Starting the day You probably start the day the same way and have been doing so for many years. Get up at the same time, conversations with your kids and wife (or not if it’s too early), breakfast at the same time, look at text messages and/or

Talking to landscapers around the country recently, they are reporting that enquiries from potential clients have started again. Which is great news! The Government has recently mentioned that Australia is on its way back from the Virus, which is also great news, and the COVID-19 Restrictions will be slowly eased during May and June. We have all been challenged by COVID-19 (personally and professionally), but it’s now time to plan for a more robust Winter/Spring. Here are some key strategies. Know your current financial situation and stable future

To assist business owners in preparing their businesses for the economic downturn that we are experiencing, here is some information collated from Government websites to help clarify the key pieces of information that company Directors need to know. Employees Speak to your employees regarding a possible shutdown of your business in the coming weeks. Explain the seriousness of the virus and that we all must do what we can to stop the spread. Mention that Centrelink payments can be received and superannuation can be accessed to help

Business automation is creating greater efficiency, saving time and money, and allowing the transferal and reporting of information to be more accurate. Let's have a look at some the areas we could be utilising business automation via simple software/app technologies. Scheduling Most of us are probably utilising our computer calendars (Apple or Windows) every day to book business meetings. It wasn’t that long ago when we were using a paper diary. I remember, when I made the transfer from a paper diary to my Windows diary. It took

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