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Jul 2014

Posted at 06:12h in Blog, Entrepeneurship

Think about this guy for a moment. His name is Jake, he has run his landscape construction business for 11 years and has 5 employees. Jake struggles everyday to manage his guys, oversee the jobs, buy materials, do quoting, sales and marketing. When you talk to Jake you know that his working life is a struggle because he tells you. “I have been winning a lot less jobs and making less money per job than ever before. And my guys can’t do anything without calling

Jul 2014

Posted at 06:03h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

The problem many landscape contractors around the country have is they have created a stressful business, that requires them have many responsibilities and while earning below average earnings. But it wasn’t meant to be that way when they got the idea to go into business for themselves. Starting a business meant doing something they loved doing (landscaping), being their own boss while earning much more money than if they were in a management role at another landscape business. If it hasn’t worked out as you

Jul 2014

Posted at 05:44h in Blog, Money

This is a question i get asked every couple of weeks. It is a good question because two of the main reasons we are all in business is to improve our lifestyle and make a healthy profit. Over the years, many business owners have told me they have been working very hard all year to generate enough revenue to cover costs and make some profit but at the end of a financial year there isn’t enough profit to smile about. I know we can all relate

Jul 2014

Posted at 04:49h in Blog, Leadership

Many Landscape business owners have expressed frustration regarding their employees’ lack of initiative to take full ownership of their roles and responsibilities and deliver a consistent effort. They want a team of employees that put in 95% effort, arrive on site before 7am ready to start on time, be well presented with the right enthusiastic attitude and work hard and smart all day. They want employees that value their job and treat their job in a similar way that they do. Now you may be thinking

Jul 2014

Posted at 04:41h in Blog, Quoting + Tracking, Systems

No I am not speaking literally, I am speaking metaphorically. Let me explain.. Have you been quoting projects recently that you shouldn’t be? Have you been wasting time on quotes that will not produce much profit. The same goes for maintenance, are you quoting jobs that will be a waste of time because they won’t make much money and the client causes you too much stress. Quoting jobs that you shouldn't, waste a lot of your time or your estimators time and prevent you from quoting better jobs. And

Jul 2014

Posted at 04:34h in Blog, Money, Project Management, Systems

The landscape Industry has had a much needed resurgence and the end of 2013 and 2014 looks to be very promising, but don't waste the opportunity in your business. In landscape construction Plan your projects properly with your site managers, supervise jobs regularly and eliminate job mistakes so you don’t blow potential profit. It is easy to blow profit, when your crews are rushing from job to job and you are trying to maximise earning potential while the sun is shining. This approach usually costs businesses more

Jul 2014

Posted at 03:56h in Blog, Leadership, Money

As the most important person in your landscaping business, are you utilising your time so your business can benefit? Below is your approximate hourly rate based on an annual income you may pay yourself for an average 50 hr week. If you pay yourself $50K a year = $19.37 per hr If you pay yourself $75K a year = $29.06 per hr If you pay yourself $100K a year = $38.76 per hr If you pay yourself $125K a year = $48.44 per hr So think about this. If you are

Jul 2014

Posted at 03:49h in Blog, Leadership, Money

If you’re feeling the pain of watching your money go to employees who don’t return the value, you’ve got a frustrating problem. You are keeping up your end of the deal without holding your people accountable to theirs! You may be thinking that you are paying some of your employees too much, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is that you don’t have a system to ensure you’re fully utilising them. So the problem actually lies with you. You want employees who step up and

Mar 2013

Posted at 13:20h in Blog, Marketing, Quoting + Tracking, Systems

You will have experienced most clients delaying projects, getting more comparative quotes, being more price conscious and shaving their budgets in 2012. And according to many economists, 2013 will probably be similar to 2012. So how can you outsmart and out-price your competitors so you win more jobs without decreasing your profit margin? Quote Properly After working with 60 Landscape contractors around Australia, I know that the majority of landscape contractors don’t know their numbers well enough to be able to quote to make a profit. What

Mar 2013

Posted at 13:16h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Leadership, Systems

How did last year finish up for you and what changes do you want to see in your business this year? Maybe it is time to download some quoting software and make your quoting process more efficient. Maybe its time to look at which jobs are making you a good profit and which ones aren't and make changes. Maybe its time to give your site manager more responsibility and a financial incentive. Maybe its time to upgrade you website and your marketing brochures. Maybe its time to let go of

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