Business Advice & Stories Archives - Page 2 of 109 - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

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Business Advice & Stories

Shedding Hats: How To Sustainably Pass Responsibility to Your Team

Guest Post by Knowledge Tree Consulting  Picture the owner of a growing landscape company. At 6 a.m., he is loading the trailer. By 9, he is quoting a job; by noon, he is chasing an unpaid invoice; by mid-afternoon, he is smoothing over a crew dispute; and by evening, he is at the kitchen table […]

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Develop Strategic Leaders with the NALP Executive Leadership Program at UVA Darden

If you want to take your leaders to the next level, you have to go beyond just operational expertise. The NALP Executive Leadership Program, in partnership with the UVA Darden School of Business, is designed to train leaders to think more strategically and addresses challenges such as developing and retaining high-performing teams, improving financial performance […]

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Profit Carnage: The Financial Truths Killing Your Business

Are you running the business based on your bank balance and intuition, or do you know your actual job-costed financial data? ā€œOwners usually know how many crews they have, how busy the schedule looks, whether the phone is ringing, but they usually can’t answer what 20% of customers generate 80% of their profit or what […]

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The 101: Calculating the Cost of Capital for Your Landscape Business

When deciding where to invest money in the business, are you taking the time to calculate the cost of capital or going off gut instincts alone? While you may be able to afford the monthly payment on a new piece of equipment, you also need to ask if it is the best use of your […]

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Business Smarts: Ensure Efficiency and Consistency by Conducting Branch Audits

If your business has reached the point where you have multiple branches operating throughout your service area, one of the keys to success is ensuring that these various locations are operating to your set standards. While an office may look great on a P&L, it’s a good practice to visit your branches on a regular […]

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How I Do It: Turning a Teenage Side Hustle Into a $2 Million Business

Aidan Friel, president and CEO of Blue River Landscape & Design, based in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, was 15 when he started his company in 2021 and made $60,000 in annual revenue in his first year. Now at 20 years old, his business is projecting around $2 million in annual revenue. Like many others in the industry, […]

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How I Do It: Using Japanese Principles to Create More Meaningful Landscapes

After 30 years of designing landscapes, Tom Lupfer was getting bored. ā€œThere are only so many ways to arrange plants, patios, and retaining walls before everything starts feeling familiar,ā€ says Lupfer, president of Lupfer Landscaping, based in Lyons, Illinois. ā€œI wanted a deeper meaning behind what I was doing.ā€ While reading Matsuo BashÅā€™s poetry, Lupfer realized the […]

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The Fine Line Between Passing Along Costs and Protecting Partnerships

Rising fuel costs, inflationary pressure and cautious customer spending are all driving a tightening of the market currently. Landscape companies that have weathered past downturns say they are seeing a pullback on enhancements, irrigation repairs and other major projects currently. However, they say it’s not quite as grim as 2008. ā€œWe are seeing a little […]

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More Than a Plaque: The Value of Entering the Awards of Excellence

The Awards of Excellence are far more than just a plaque to go on the office wall. For many landscape companies, they are a powerful marketing tool, a way to boost team morale and a reinforcement for quality standards. ā€œIf you have the time, do it,ā€ says Daniel Klemencic, marketing manager for David J. Frank […]

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ELEVATE Offers Value at Every Stage of Growth

When you are trying to be strategic about where you’ll get the most ROI out of the events you choose to attend, it can be daunting to know for certain which ones cater to your specific revenue size. WithĀ ELEVATE, presented by NALP and powered by Cat, you don’t have to worry about this, as this […]

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