Spartan Mowers Releases 2025 Product Lineup
Jessica Schwartz
Pricing Landscaping Jobs In 2023
Economic volatility, supply chain issues, material costs, and labor shortages will make estimating even more complex. Accurately pricing jobs in the landscaping industry can be a difficult task. When pricing jobs, you must deal with pricing that greatly varies from project-to-project, as well as the need to consider a number of factors such as property, materials, crew size, special requests from clients, and more. As we head into 2023 facing economic volatility, supply chain disruptions, increased materials costs, and a labor shortage, the process of pricing projects will become even more complex. Using the following guidelines, landscapers can better anticipate changes to projects that may drive up costs and price jobs in order to turn a profit, while maintaining quality customer service. Hourly Or Fixed? Before determining the price of the project and providing the customer a quote, you need to decide which type of pricing works best for you and your business. Both fixed pricing and hourly pricing have their benefits and disadvantages. When selecting hourly or fixed pricing, you should take into account the projects you are taking on, what type of pricing matches your expertise, and what makes the most sense for your business. Hourly pricing may be best for newer businesses and for projects that don’t have a clear timeline or scope. Charging hourly allows more flexibility in your estimate, which is especially helpful when a project takes longer than expected. Additionally, charging hourly allows you to worry less about the timeline and focus more ...
Robin Autopilot, Lawn Buddy Team Up
A new partnership between Robin Autopilot and Lawn Buddy will help landscapers deploy their robotic mowers faster and more efficiently. Robotic mowing technology and robots-as-a-service (RaaS) provider Robin Autopilot will integrate its RaaS with Lawn Buddy’s lawn and landscaping business management software. The Robin Autopilot fleet management system for robotic mowers will now be fully integrated with Lawn Buddy’s app, allowing users to track robo mowers on the job, monitor robo ware, and connect business owners to their Lawn Shop, where users can access wholesale pricing on parts needed for repair. The combination of Lawn Buddy’s web and mobile-based software with Robin Autopilot’s multi-manufacturer platform — which includes RaaS hardware and software, proprietary products such as robotic doors, and total-solution financing, marketing, training and other support — will enhance the ability of landscape service providers to have everything they need to run a profitable and growing RaaS business. “This is a milestone for the advancement of robots-as-a-service in the lawn maintenance and landscaping industry,” said Logan Fahey, CEO of Robin Autopilot. “Now, our users will be able to take advantage of the benefits of Lawn Buddy technology to virtually manage their crews in the field, simplify the invoicing process, and improve customer relationship management. We are pleased to offer these additional benefits to our users as we continue to expand and help landscapers throughout the U.S. grow their businesses by providing complete, eco-friendly solutions.” “At Lawn Buddy, our mission is to provide business owners the advanced tools and technology to ...
Robin Autopilot, Lawn Buddy Team Up
A new partnership between Robin Autopilot and Lawn Buddy will help landscapers deploy their robotic mowers faster and more efficiently. Robotic mowing technology and robots-as-a-service (RaaS) provider Robin Autopilot will integrate its RaaS with Lawn Buddy’s lawn and landscaping business management software. The Robin Autopilot fleet management system for robotic mowers will now be fully integrated with Lawn Buddy’s app, allowing users to track robo mowers on the job, monitor robo ware, and connect business owners to their Lawn Shop, where users can access wholesale pricing on parts needed for repair. The combination of Lawn Buddy’s web and mobile-based software with Robin Autopilot’s multi-manufacturer platform — which includes RaaS hardware and software, proprietary products such as robotic doors, and total-solution financing, marketing, training and other support — will enhance the ability of landscape service providers to have everything they need to run a profitable and growing RaaS business. “This is a milestone for the advancement of robots-as-a-service in the lawn maintenance and landscaping industry,” said Logan Fahey, CEO of Robin Autopilot. “Now, our users will be able to take advantage of the benefits of Lawn Buddy technology to virtually manage their crews in the field, simplify the invoicing process, and improve customer relationship management. We are pleased to offer these additional benefits to our users as we continue to expand and help landscapers throughout the U.S. grow their businesses by providing complete, eco-friendly solutions.” “At Lawn Buddy, our mission is to provide business owners the advanced tools and technology to ...
Landscaping Industry Sees Positive Growth Despite Pandemic
New data from Jobber reveals the lawn care and landscaping sector, or Green industry, was not as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic last year as other home services, and actually saw high growth in the second half of the year. For its Home Service Economic Report: 2021 Mid-Year Review, Jobber surveyed more than 100,000 landscapers and other home service professionals who use the Jobber platform. Consumer spending on the Home Service industries recovered faster than all other categories, such as Clothing and Footwear, Food Services and Accommodations, and Health Care, and has exceeded pre-pandemic levels since June 2020, according to the report. “The Home Service category has demonstrated resilience throughout the pandemic and continues to experience positive growth,”explained Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder at Jobber. “While factors such as growing inflation and supply chain disruptions are presenting challenges for companies everywhere, key indicators point to consistent growth for Home Service as we enter the second half of 2021.” The report found that, despite global supply chain disruptions, and growing inflation increasing the cost of labor and supplies: New work scheduled in the Green industry saw consistent positive growth throughout 2020, and remained positive in Q1 2021. Q2 2021 saw a slowdown in this trend, but the industry seemed to be heading back in the right direction in June. Median revenue growth, on the other hand, remained remarkably consistent and positive for the Green industry throughout the first half of this year. It’s probably no surprise that hiring workers ...
Landscaping Industry Sees Positive Growth Despite Pandemic
New data from Jobber reveals the lawn care and landscaping sector, or Green industry, was not as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic last year as other home services, and actually saw high growth in the second half of the year. For its Home Service Economic Report: 2021 Mid-Year Review, Jobber surveyed more than 100,000 landscapers and other home service professionals who use the Jobber platform. Consumer spending on the Home Service industries recovered faster than all other categories, such as Clothing and Footwear, Food Services and Accommodations, and Health Care, and has exceeded pre-pandemic levels since June 2020, according to the report. “The Home Service category has demonstrated resilience throughout the pandemic and continues to experience positive growth,”explained Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder at Jobber. “While factors such as growing inflation and supply chain disruptions are presenting challenges for companies everywhere, key indicators point to consistent growth for Home Service as we enter the second half of 2021.” The report found that, despite global supply chain disruptions, and growing inflation increasing the cost of labor and supplies: New work scheduled in the Green industry saw consistent positive growth throughout 2020, and remained positive in Q1 2021. Q2 2021 saw a slowdown in this trend, but the industry seemed to be heading back in the right direction in June. Median revenue growth, on the other hand, remained remarkably consistent and positive for the Green industry throughout the first half of this year. It’s probably no surprise that hiring workers ...
Design-Build Thrived In 2020. Will It Continue?
It’s not news that COVID-19 has people spending more time outdoors, and it put a renewed emphasis on outdoor projects in 2020. Not only was landscaping deemed an essential service, but after a shaky few weeks at the start of the pandemic, landscape design-build firms found their businesses were booming. But with vaccines currently being distributed and an anticipated return to some form of normalcy, will the trend continue? Whether residential or commercial, the emphasis in 2020 wasn’t on big, splashy projects, but rather on simply providing comfortable, usable spaces that allowed families to get out of their houses and into the fresh air. Even better, designer-contractors see at least a few of these trends continuing in 2021. The Big Surprise Call it unexpected. Call it a shock. Call it quirky. Whichever word you choose to describe last year’s business climate in the design-build market, it’s safe to say it was a surprise. That’s the word Terry Morrill, owner of Sun Valley, CA-based Pacific Outdoor Living, uses. “There was a very short time lag when COVID first came out, but then it just kind of exploded,” Morrill says. “We ended up with record sales after a pretty slow start. The leads started picking up and we did just great.” Across the country in South Windsor, CT, Ryan King, an award-winning designer with Bahler Brothers, Inc., uses the word “awesome” to describe that company’s level of business. “February and March sales were almost half of what we normally see, so we ...
Design-Build Thrived In 2020. Will It Continue?
It’s not news that COVID-19 has people spending more time outdoors, and it put a renewed emphasis on outdoor projects in 2020. Not only was landscaping deemed an essential service, but after a shaky few weeks at the start of the pandemic, landscape design-build firms found their businesses were booming. But with vaccines currently being distributed and an anticipated return to some form of normalcy, will the trend continue? Whether residential or commercial, the emphasis in 2020 wasn’t on big, splashy projects, but rather on simply providing comfortable, usable spaces that allowed families to get out of their houses and into the fresh air. Even better, designer-contractors see at least a few of these trends continuing in 2021. The Big Surprise Call it unexpected. Call it a shock. Call it quirky. Whichever word you choose to describe last year’s business climate in the design-build market, it’s safe to say it was a surprise. That’s the word Terry Morrill, owner of Sun Valley, CA-based Pacific Outdoor Living, uses. “There was a very short time lag when COVID first came out, but then it just kind of exploded,” Morrill says. “We ended up with record sales after a pretty slow start. The leads started picking up and we did just great.” Across the country in South Windsor, CT, Ryan King, an award-winning designer with Bahler Brothers, Inc., uses the word “awesome” to describe that company’s level of business. “February and March sales were almost half of what we normally see, so we ...
H-2B: An Employer Perspective
This article is presented in conjunction with “H-2B: The Basics” and “H-2B: The FEWA Perspective.” Finding employees has become one of the biggest issues in the landscaping industry, and H-2B has been both a saving grace and constant headache in this dynamic. H-2B, as everyone knows, is the controversial non-immigrant, non-agricultural visa that many employers throughout the U.S. use to bring in foreign labor to work for one-time occurrence, seasonal, intermittent, or peak time need. The program allows 66,000 visas per year: 33,000 for a first cap that covers the 4th and 1st quarters of the year; and 33,000 for a second cap that covers the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the year. However, H-2B has grown so popular that employers are left fighting for visas that fall extremely short of industry needs. My Experience As director of human resources at CoCal Landscape in Denver, CO, H-2B has been a huge part of my career. Though I had worked with the program before, in 2000 I was tasked with assisting our immigration attorney with bringing over 20 foreign workers on H-2B visas. I had no idea the amount of work the process required, but we went from those 20 people to a current total of 160 workers that come each year to work for CoCal. As I write this article, I’m hoping my certification process gets granted with enough time before the second cap is met. Over these 20 years, I can honestly say no year is the same, ...
