Business Advice & Stories Archives - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

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Business Advice & Stories

The Organic Growth Engine: Building a Company-Wide System to Scale Commercial Maintenance Revenue

Does your company’s growth rest on the shoulders of one or two individuals, or is it something your entire team is driving towards? Without a system in place to recognize, capture and act on opportunities, your team can easily walk past various forms of growth on properties every day. ā€œCommercial landscape companies have hundreds of […]

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Building Your Leadership Bench Before Growth Demands It

Leadership development takes time, and if you don’t have a pipeline in place early on, your company’s growth will be constrained by your own capacity. Rob Miller, CEO and visionary of RPM, based in Hammonton, New Jersey, says he hit this ceiling at $5 million.   ā€œYou’ll hit that ceiling, I promise you, and once […]

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Franchisee Fit: Choosing the Right Partners Who Strengthen the Brand

Franchising your brand can allow you to scale rapidly alongside highly motivated business owners who have a vested interest in the success of their location. However, you first need to find these individuals. There are over 4,000 franchise opportunities available in the U.S. currently. ā€œSo, how do you become different in those 4,000 or one […]

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How I Do It: Linking NALP’s Free Training to Clear Career Paths

Last year, NALP’s comprehensive online training became a free benefit for contractor members. SSC Services for Education, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, took advantage of this additional training almost immediately, incorporating it into their broader Grounds Management University. Brandon Haley, VP of grounds management for SSC, says since incorporating NALP’s free training, it has helped with […]

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Business Smarts: Balancing Brand Standards and Franchisee Freedom

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to franchising your business is losing control of your brand. Josh Malik, CEO of Joshua Tree Experts, headquartered in Stockertown, Pennsylvania, says when he shared his dream of franchising, his team was afraid of this exact thing.Ā  ā€œIt’s actually quite opposite of that,ā€ Malik says. ā€œI’ve worked […]

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Five Common Strategic Planning Mistakes to Avoid

If you want to break through different revenue ceilings, strategic planning is a critical tool, but it is only useful if you outline measurable, accountable action along with it. ā€œThe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, and most of the time building a tactical plan […]

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People, Process or Leadership? Diagnosing the Root Cause of Operational Issues

No landscape company will ever be completely perfect, but choosing to be proactive by looking for operational inefficiencies and making small improvements can provide massive competitive advantages. ā€œIt’s far better off to be in the fire prevention department than the firefighting department,ā€ says Marty Grunder, founder and CEO of Grunder Landscaping Co. and The Grow […]

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How to Manage Overtime Before It Becomes a Profit Leak

Overtime can be the deciding factor in finishing a job or missing a deadline. These extra hours can be beneficial in the moment but can also dig into your bottom line if not managed properly. Like many aspects of business, having a system in place is key for healthy profit margins, and overtime is no […]

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Competing Against Private Equity-Backed Companies: A Roadmap for Success

It can feel like the odds are not in your favor when your business is competing against other operations that are private equity-backed, yet this position does offer you some unique advantages. ā€œPrivate equity has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in landscape companies,ā€ says Greg Herring, founder and CEO of The Herring Group. ā€œThat reality […]

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Long-Term or Short-Term? Choosing the Right Equipment Loan for Your Business

When purchasing equipment, you have to decide whether a shorter loan with a higher interest rate or a longer loan with a lower interest rate is the best choice for your business. The answer greatly depends on whether your cash can be deployed elsewhere at a return above the rate spread. ā€œAsk one question first: […]

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