In retail, gross margin is an easily calculated number. It’s the difference between how much you purchase a product for and how much you sell the product for, stated as a percentage. Example: You sell a widget you purchased for $60 for $100. Your gross profit is $40 ($100-$60), and your gross margin is 40 percent. This number is important... read more
Many landscape business owners focus on building their revenue to build their wealth. There can be a correlation, but it’s not a direct one. To make a good return on your investment and earn an above average income, it’s critical to focus on the bottom line and work backward. The fallacy of 10 percent A study I conducted among my... read more
Another day, another tool forgotten at the shop. Someone left the site to drive back to get it. Then someone else had to drive to a vendor to get more stakes. The Simpson job was supposed to be finished in five days, but it’s day seven and counting. The mistakes never stop, but is this normal? Just how bad, or... read more
Contrary to what you might think, the most important attributes for successful leadership often are found below one’s surface, much like the largest part of an iceberg. We usually think of leaders as innovators, brilliant thinkers or highly proficient performers in a given field. These qualities are the easiest to see. But research indicates the more important competencies are often... read more
What’s the magic number? It’s four. Actually, the Big 4. When it comes down to it, there are four fundamentals companies need to understand, embrace and hone to succeed. Some companies can do OK excelling at two or three of them, but to reach best-in-class status and grow profitably, companies must master these four key areas: employees, performance, customers and... read more
When businesses ask me to boost their search engine optimization (SEO), I always suggest blogging, which is now known as a form of content marketing. Yet, most resist or completely reject the idea because they believe SEO is paid advertising. Do you think people are searching the Internet for ads? People want solutions to their problems, and while some ads... read more
