Far and away, one of the smartest steps I’ve taken in recent years to move my landscaping company forward has been developing a stronger relationship with my bank. When I was first starting out in business, I thought of the bank only as the place I had to go to ask for a line of credit or a loan; they... read more
When it comes to staffing, I encounter three very different types of landscape companies. The first type of company is struggling greatly to find qualified employees. Some of these companies are on the verge of extinction — contemplating liquidating or selling. Profits have been suffering due to high turnover, low production volume, substandard quality, accidents, damages and more. There’s a... read more
On March 7, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed regulations concerning the much-anticipated revised threshold for workers exempt from overtime pay. The rule proposes to raise the minimum salary threshold for employees exempt from overtime pay to $679 per week ($35,308 annually) from the current $455 per week ($23,660 annually), an increase just shy of 50 percent. This salary threshold... read more
Is your business growing? I’m grateful a customer asked me this early in my landscaping career. It’s a question on the minds of most people trying to decide if they should embark on a journey with a business that’s new to them. The next and usually unspoken question they have is whether that growth is good or junk. Good business... read more
To really scale your business consistently, you need three conditions in place. Capacity First off, you need capacity, in the form of a super leadership team, staffed with leaders in sales/marketing, administration/finance and operations. You need a team that has the capacity to develop new solutions as new growth challenges arise. It’s more than just having the physical capacity to... read more
For those of you who have seen the Bill Murray classic movie, “Groundhog Day,” the H-2B saga seems reminiscent. As part of the deal to end the partial shutdown of the federal government, H-2B advocates in Washington secured language in the bipartisan compromise appropriations bill to allow the secretary of homeland security, in consultation with the secretary of labor, to... read more
