1. Don’t make new hires feel welcome and valued. Employees are most impressionable during the first 60 days on the job. Every bit of information gathered during this time will either reinforce a new hire’s “buying decision” (to take the job) or lead to “new hire’s remorse”—especially if he or she is shunted to menial, routine work while you do... read more
Landscape Management, Landscape Digital Institute and I partnered last year to launch the first landscape industry digital marketing survey. We think you’ll be interested in the results. In addition to showing how landscaping and lawn care companies are using digital marketing now, we’ll reveal how industry practices compare with proven digital, social and email marketing practices used by leading organizations... read more
Ryan Slipka General Manager, partner Southview Design St. Paul, Minn. Education Rosemount High School Rosemount, Minn. Class of 1999 University of Mary Bismark, N.D. Management information systems/finance Class of 2003 “I realized there were a lot of good landscapers but not a lot of skilled landscapers with an education in how to run a business.” Work Experience 1996-1999 Krech Landscaping... read more
Technology and the growing popularity of small, pondless fountains have made water features easy for contractors to install and even easier for homeowners to maintain. Brian Helfrich has worked with ponds and water features for the past 20 years and can’t remember a time they’ve been as popular as they are right now. What used to be a large, costly... read more
One of the most challenging aspects of bidding on commercial work—or learning about those potential projects before RFPs go out—is developing relationships with the right people. It’s a combination of networking and relationship management, plus a bit of luck. LinkedIn, the B2B social media network, has always been an effective way to find people to network with; however, it hadn’t... read more
Our expert panelists weigh in on the biggest mistakes they see in each of their areas of specialization. A novice lawn care operator is likely going to struggle, even with some basic training. It takes years of practice to become an expert at anything. While you might be the best turf manager on the block, there’s likely another area where... read more
