There are a million different headaches that come with running a business, but you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel to solve some of your problems. Sometimes, all you need to do is take a look in some of NALP’s books.
“Our publications are crafted by industry experts and trusted by landscape professionals nationwide, delivering practical, up-to-date knowledge that elevates every aspect of your business,” says Amy Easterday, associate director of publications and award programs.
Below are some of the common struggles you may face and the relevant publications that NALP offers to address those topics.
Staying Profitable
One of the biggest concerns you can face in the business is not being profitable. There are several publications available that can help you address this issue.
If you’re just getting started, Business Principles for Landscape Contracting provides an intro to the financial principles to set your landscape business up for success. It covers how to price and estimate profitably as well as project management and creating a lean culture.
Pricing for the Green Industry is another useful publication that features hands-on explanations and how-tos on various valid pricing methods and mistakes to avoid.
The Corporate Finance publication provides a comprehensive overview of financial analysis, including income statements and balance sheets, key financial ratios and how to evaluate your company’s performance against industry standards.
If you want to dig into where your prices compare in the market, the 2023 Financial Benchmark Report gives insight into key financial metrics and performance indicators of other organizations in the industry, as well as best practices to uncover improvement opportunities.
The Sales & Marketing publication can also help you develop and implement pricing strategies. Additionally, it covers how to create effective advertising and promotion programs, enhance brand recognition, and implement robust public relations strategies.
Honing Recruitment Efforts
A common challenge for many in the industry is attracting qualified employees. One snag you may be facing is poor job postings. Job Descriptions for Green Industry Professionals provides over 95 job descriptions written specifically for the lawn and landscape industry. This publication features individual Word documents that can be modified, saved, and reused in your company.
The Human Resource Management publication delves into the steps of talent management from job analysis to recruitment methods and skills assessment during the interview process.
Building a Strong Company Culture
Another key to a successful business is having a strong company culture. You can get a sense of where your organization stacks up with the 2024 Compensation & Benefits Report. With this publication, you can easily compare compensation levels and benefit policies to other companies in the industry. It also contains compensation-related statistics for common job titles in the industry.
The Management, Leadership & Corporate Culture publication is designed to help leaders apply effective techniques and create a positive workplace. It covers how to develop and implement your corporate mission, vision, and values through effective communication as well as how to build high-performance teams.
Meanwhile, the Human Resource Management publication can help with addressing workplace challenges, effective onboarding practices and establishing HR policies.
Improving Workforce Training and Boosting Efficiency
Once you have your team, you might struggle with quality control or the execution of jobs. NALP offers training manuals for installation technicians, irrigation technicians, and maintenance technicians. Each of these manuals feature numerous illustrations and photos as well as 20+ online training videos that demonstrate the proper procedures and techniques to perform common tasks available via access code.
These training manuals are also available in Spanish.
The Exterior Production and Operations publication breaks down technical aspects of the business and provides guidance on project management, including how to develop a timeline.
You can also boost your efficiency by learning the different ways technology can be utilized in the Leveraging Technology publication. This resource will help you leverage technology for efficiency, innovation, and sustainability. It covers a wide range of topics, including how to choose and use software and hardware that fit your company’s needs and make the most of AI.
Understanding Legal Considerations
Chances are, you didn’t start a landscape company because you love contracts. But they are a necessary aspect of the business.
Contract Law & Risk Management Essentials covers how to structure contracts clearly and manage them effectively, handling financial obligations, credit management and the significance of insurance and compensation.
You can also learn how to manage risk and protect your company from threats like bankruptcy.
Planning Ahead
It’s never too early to consider how you will exit your business, and the Strategic Planning publication covers the importance of succession planning and how to create one of your own.
This publication also goes over how to develop corporate goals and objectives, implement strategic planning and how technology impacts your organization and the entire planning process.
If any of these pubs address your pain point, use code EDGE20 for 20% off all publications!
