My first article was submitted to the editors of Lawn & Landscape magazine 10 years ago this month. Because of this anniversary, I thought a little looking back and then forward was in order. The occasion also seemed appropriate for introducing my new book, “Benchmarks for Landscape Construction Professionals,” the first of a five-book series for green industry construction, maintenance, irrigation, chemical applicator and arboriculture … [Read more...]
Don’t blame the estimator
Robert owned a residential design/build landscape company in Michigan. His estimator, Charles, had been with him for more than 15 years and he used our estimating software to price jobs. Charles was an expert estimator and he job-costed every job. He also tracked all of his bids on the Bid Board – an MS Excel worksheet where he entered every project and its status. He could legitimately claim that it had been years since the company had a project … [Read more...]
Control Your Major Risk Factors
Business, by its very nature, is an analytical and quantifiable enterprise. You may be providing products or services, or both, to your customers. Either way, in the end, you have to have enough margin on the products and services you sell to generate a profit. If your costs exceed your revenue, you’re upside down. If, on the other hand, your revenue exceeds your costs, you’re making money. During my 30 years working and consulting with green … [Read more...]
The Bid Recap Report
In order to make your business and its processes more quantifiable and measurable, you need to break it down into three components. Successfully addressing these aspects will make you profitable. They are: Price it right. You have to price your services and projects accurately. Produce it right. You have to deliver your services and projects as you price them or you have to price them as you produce them. Produce enough of it. You have … [Read more...]
All The Wrong Reasons
Why did you get into this business? That’s a question I often ask attendees at my seminars and workshops. Here are a few of the most common responses I receive. I mowed lawns as a kid in my neighborhood and I liked it. I like designing and creating beautiful landscapes. During college I worked for a landscape or irrigation company. I stayed there (or started my own business) after college because it seemed like a good … [Read more...]