Editor’s Letter
On Versus In
I’m fairly sure the title above needs no explanation for lawn and landscape business owners. It’s one of the most challenging issues in the Industry. For most, the balance between working on your business (examining profit and loss, identifying strengths and weaknesses, designing a growth strategy) and working in your business (mowing lawns, overseeing crews, snow plowing, designing landscapes) can be elusive—especially in the first several years. Let’s face it, due to the cost of labor, employee shortages, and more, the scales tend to tip fairly severely to the “in” at some point. It’s also very easy to equate simply being hungry and busy with being profitable. Yet that correlation doesn’t always match up as you’d hope or assume. Too often, you’re so busy running a “successful” business, you don’t have time to understand why you’re not more profitable. We forget the business is not just about having work, it’s about making money. Realizing there’s a difference between the two is a wake-up call.
So how do you find better balance? For one, utilize tech and its ability to automate processes and create actionable data as written about in “Fueled by Data,” by Mike Carden of WorkWave. Find a mentor. That’s just one bit of advice offered by LMN’s Janna Bradley, who serves as a mentor herself in response to submitted questions about handling the growing pains of a landscape business in “Ask Her Anything.” And finally, hire a consultant. If, like us, you’ve wondered about the variety of Green Industry consultants and how they differentiate themselves, check out our listings as a starting point.
As 2023 comes to a close, it’s a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past year’s business challenges and successes. What do you want to do better in 2024? When you finally stop to examine the “big picture,” sometimes it’s the small, telling details that reveal themselves. May they lead you to health, wealth, and happiness in 2024!
cmenapace@groupc.com
Twitter: @TurfMagazine
Turf December 2023 Issue | Table of Contents
FEATURES
FUELED BY DATA | How measurable systems can create an actionable blueprint for business success.
ASK HER ANYTHING! | Before co-founding LMN landscape software, Janna Bradley built a multi-million dollar landscape firm. Read her answers to your questions about business growing pains.
GET EQUIPPED: SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY
WINNING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS | Use tech to put your best foot forward when bidding for tough-to- win Government contracts.
TIME FOR A CONSULTANT? | A dozen consultants reveal their typical clients, specialties, and how they help landscape companies reach new levels of success.
TURF: DORMANT SEEDING & FERTILIZATION | The details of this Winter work for better Spring success.
GONE TO THE HOGS | Wild hogs, armadillos, and gopher moles… oh my! Identifying and controlling landscape damage.
DETERRING DEER | Got deer? Here are some strategies to live more peaceably together. Plus, what to do if you find a dead deer in a yard.
LIGHTING A LUSH LANDSCAPE | An abundance of trees and plants allows for magical moonlighting and more in this project from McKay Landscape Lighting.
GET EQUIPPED: TRUCKS, TRAILERS & UTVS
YARDSTICK: BETH BERRY | Industry icon Beth Berry just marked 40 years in her career. What’s next? Watch out ESPN!
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