David Helt says there is a clear difference between the “old” and “new” ways lawn care operators (LCOs) can manage their fertilizer applications. “The old way of fertilizer application is based on a premise that the customer correlates value with the number of visits—if they don’t see you out there, they think your service is poor, regardless of the quality,”... read more
In my business lifetime, I’ve experienced many innovations that changed the way I worked: the copier (yes, I’m that old), the computer, the laptop, the Internet, the cell phone and the smartphone. These technologies were all once considered groundbreaking and are now the norm. In the five short years since I started a technology company, I can see firsthand just... read more
In a class I took years ago at Aileron, a learning center for entrepreneurs, the facilitator told us again and again, “All planning is good.” He said it so frequently I wrote it down in my notebook and underlined it, not realizing at the time how important this simple bit of advice would prove. It’s now 20 years later, and... read more
Candice Bún of MetroGreenscape is more than the everyday human resources coordinator—she’s also bilingual in English and Spanish, serving as a touch point for Spanish-speaking workers. Of MetroGreenscape’s 25 employees, several have limited English skills, Bún says. “To have someone who understands their question, can communicate it to the right people and help with the language barrier is great,” says... read more
A spot on the local news gathered a few pieces of technology from decades past—a Sony Walkman, a pager, film, a floppy disc, an old TV “clicker”—and showed them to school-aged kids of today to see if they knew what purpose each item served. Hilarity ensued. The kids ranged in age from maybe five to 12—members of Generation Z or... read more
What popular business authors, speakers or influencers do you recommend landscape professionals follow and why? Landscape professionals Richard Bare Arbor-Nomics Turf Norcross, Ga. “No. 1 would be ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ by Michael Gerber—a great business bible for new entrepreneurs and a necessary read for people just getting into our industry. Even better, Tony Bass co-authored a book with Gerber that... read more
