Our family changes forever this month. Our oldest child has begun attending a five-week program offered by Washington University in St. Louis. Josh returns home near the end of July, and a few weeks later, he returns to Wash U. to begin his full-time college experience. Save for a few holiday breaks, he’ll probably never call our house “home” again.... read more
When you’re a small business owner, nothing is more important than sales. It goes without saying that revenue is the lifeblood of business. So why do most business websites focus only on marketing products and services, and not taking the next step of closing the sale? Maybe it’s time to start collecting payments online instead of just generating leads. With... read more
“I know a lot of people are hurting, and I’m saying, ‘It’s the best year we’ve ever had.’ We had our best year ever in 2009 as far as sales and profits, which beat our best year in 2008.” Now in its 30th year, Newhard offers his insights on the maintenance industry and what he expects the coming years. TOP... read more
If you haven’t already experienced excessive overtime, you are one of the lucky ones. Overtime is not all bad and can be a useful tool if used in a planned, controlled and well-thought-out way. What starts to hurt companies is when overtime is not planned and slowly gets out of control. You must realize that overtime to an employee can... read more
With his first job at All American Turf Beauty (AATB), the company his father started in 1976, Kevin Johnson earned $48 delivering brochures in the Des Moines, IA, area. Johnson began his adult career at AATB in 1986 after graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business. “Farming didn’t appear attractive to me in the early 1980s... read more
If you are in the grounds maintenance business — and who isn’t these days — the one position that will undergo dramatic transformation over the next few years is that of account manager. The reasons why are simple: 1. To flatten out overhead expense growth, account managers must handle a larger book of business. 2. To maximize contract retention and... read more
