Maximum Value Partners (MVP), a small business coaching practice owned and operated by Adam Sonnhalter and Jack Mencini, recently announced the creation of a landscaper division of its small business coaching practice. The new division will offer consulting services specific to the landscaping businesses in the areas of sales, marketing, operation and finance.
“The seasonal nature of a landscaping business — particularly the ones we’ve worked with in the greater Cleveland area — make it rather unique from the other trades,” said Mencini, who began MVP with Sonnhalter back in 2003. “A large component of coaching landscapers is teaching them how to be more operationally efficient during busy season and more productive during the ‘off season’ in the winter.”
MVP said part of its work involves recruitment and training seasonal staff. MVP said it also helps landscapers develop a transparent work culture featuring frequent staff meetings, sharing business plans and goals and making employee satisfaction part of the company brand. That includes utilizing social media pages to showcase the work of staff members.
“Many landscapers start as solopreneurs and consequently don’t have somebody to talk to about running the business — except maybe other landscapers who are, in fact, competitors,” said Mencini. “We provide that resource to landscapers with the added wisdom that comes from more than 20 years of working with small business owners plus being small business owners ourselves.”
Working as a tandem, MVP said clients will meet with both Sonnhalter and Mencini. The pair employ their MVP Playbook, featuring the 7 Keys to Success and the 3 Circles—while helping small business owners get unstuck from the endless “how” questions that come with running a business.
“By asking questions and really getting to know clients before we start working with them—prospects must take and pass a coachability test—we can help landscapers and other small business owners address such issues as improving efficiency, increasing profitability, defining management structures, buying/selling a business, preparing for transitions and more,” said Sonnhalter.
