Systems

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Sep 2024

Posted at 08:12h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Leadership, Marketing, Systems

In early August, I interviewed Grant Boyle from Fig Landscapes on Zoom. I invited my clients to attend the meeting and ask Grant questions about the way he runs his business. We are all fans of his work and loved his humble, open and honest chat with us. Here is a summary. John: What do you attribute your success to? Grant: "Having passion for this industry, and for designing and building gardens. I live and breathe landscaping. I am always researching materials, designs, trends. I find it hard

Apr 2020

Posted at 16:18h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems, Uncategorized

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

Jun 2019

Posted at 07:41h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

I am often asked, how do I do those important things, that will benefit my business, but I just keep putting them off? So what things am I talking about? Things like analysing your financials and seeing where you could be making more money, re-organising an area in your business or revamping your website. We all have some tasks or projects we keep putting off, so here are some ways you could make them happen. Step 1 - What is the task? Firstly, write don’t the task you are

Jul 2018

Posted at 08:24h in Blog, Systems

What is a System and what is a Process? Every business has several systems they operate; such as a Recruitment System, Team Management System, Project Management, Marketing System and so on. Within each system is a process or several processes, which are steps that work together to make the system functional. Some Simple Changes make a big difference Recently, I have been working with a client, a Landscaper. He was winning many smaller projects, but wanted to win a larger number of medium to larger sized projects. So

Jun 2018

Posted at 08:13h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

A KPI is known as a Key Performance Indicator. It is a measurement of the way your business is performing. A good KPI tells you whether your business is heading along the right path or not, toward your vision and goals. In this article, I will explain and give examples of KPI’s you can use for some of the key areas of your business to ensure your business develops the way you intended. Boost staff morale and productivity It is important that our staff enjoy their work, the environment

Jan 2018

Posted at 08:06h in Blog, Leadership, Money, Systems

Some of our decisions have a positive immediate impact of our business and others may not be noticed for some time. The same goes for decisions that have a negative impact. In this article, I will give a few examples of how our bigger decisions can affect our business in a positive and negative way and what changes you can make so you benefit. Refusing to increase your Prices Let’s say you run a maintenance business and would like to earn more money per client. A decision to

Feb 2017

Posted at 09:53h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

It’s March and by now our plans for the year are starting to take shape. During last year many business owners found themselves dealing with the same problems over and over again, and because they were busy running their businesses they often just tolerated the problem. But business life is like that, we often just put up with an issue if we can still move ahead and it doesn’t affect us too much. We know it’s not ideal because sooner or later it will appear again

Apr 2015

Posted at 08:03h in Blog, Project Management, Systems

I often hear landscapers tell me that they should plan their jobs better but they just don’t have enough time, because one job finishes late and the other is late starting. Ironically, the investment in planning your jobs better will save you much time throughout the week in phone calls and extended site visits or having to pick up tools and materials you have forgotten to plan, not to mention saving money and increasing profit because your jobs run smoother and with less mistakes. But every

Apr 2015

Posted at 07:55h in Administration, Blog, Quoting + Tracking, Systems

When I met Steve, a landscape contractor, he said he felt that there was never enough time in the day to do everything. Work on site and instruct the guys, buy materials, see new potential clients, draw up designs, work out estimates, do invoicing and basic bookwork and then have some time with his family at night and on weekends. He needed a better way of managing his time. He said, "John, I need your help, my business is taking all my time and thoughts". So I

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

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