February 2013

6 ways to make your website sell

February 25, 2013By

Don’t just set it up and forget about it. Your website is your most important salesman. In fact, making sales is the only reason to have a website. Here are six great ways to give your website the tools it needs to close sales. Start with a professional design. Hopefully, no one reading this would ever let a member of... read more

Park it here

February 25, 2013By

Ramp up your designs by offering seating options Good landscape is always about utility and aesthetics. One of the more expressive ways to accent any garden is through seating options. Seating in the landscape is a definitive expression of style. Whether it’s wood, metal, wicker or composite, the furniture in our landscapes helps define, embellish and provide the outdoor living... read more

No longer an “alternative”

February 25, 2013By

At Sebert Landscaping, propane- and battery-powered equipment are business as usual. Sebert Landscaping could be less than two years away from converting its entire mower fleet to propane power. The effort is part of the Bartlett, Ill., company’s goal to eventually end its reliance on gasoline by utilizing some form of alternative energy for all of its equipment, including handheld... read more

Measuring for success

February 22, 2013By

Texas A&M researchers seek a simple turfgrass watering formula. In College Station, Texas, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are trying to utilize evapotranspiration (ET) to help develop simple formulas for watering lawns. Operating on the principle that history is a good teacher, Charles Fontanier, AgriLife Research associate, and Richard White, Ph.D., AgriLife Research turfgrass physiologist, are conducting studies at the... read more

Deduct T&E expenses right

February 22, 2013By

Avoid exposing your company to an audit. Is the cost of today’s activities tax deductible?” That’s the question one of my land care clients recently asked me at a fancy dinner after a Green Industry golf outing. Having just been through a tax audit for another client where the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) auditor disallowed most of his travel and... read more

Choose a good accountant

February 22, 2013By

A good number cruncher is vital to your financial success. Should yours be an inside employee or an outside professional? Many small business owners don’t consider selecting an accountant to be a very important business decision. That can be a crucial mistake. I can tell you many stories in which my clients didn’t have the right accountant—and others in which... read more