Lifescape Coach Articles

Finding the right talent to fill critical roles in a landscape company is tough enough in normal times, but when you throw in a pandemic environment into the mix, it can be downright impossible. As a result, owners are ...

As a nation, we are currently experiencing a strangely dynamic employment environment filled with both opportunity and anxiety for employers and employees alike. It is an atmosphere of extremes – there are lots of jobs ...

People typically don’t show up as their best selves when they’re feeling scared, threatened, or confused. Maintaining clarity about your personal and professional value is hard in that environment, so feeling ...

Everything feels so weird right now – not simply new or different – but rather, like we’re floating up in the air with no sign of where we’ll land. The economy still feels unsettled and directionless. The coronavirus ...

As the coronavirus swept across the country and the globe, many individuals were, for the first time in their lives, being told they were “non-essential.” This, of course, was how government officials were determining ...

There is no question that coronavirus (COVID-19) is profoundly affecting society and the economy. As the disease runs its course, we continue to discover how it touches virtually every aspect, large and small, of our ...

There’s an old saying, “You can’t find good help these days,” that for many in the green landscape industry seems to be especially true. The triple whammy of a low unemployment rate, rising wages, and a generally ...

All companies – landscaping businesses included – can run into problems when they don’t have a clear plan of action and a set of standards for any given task. If workers don’t know what to do and have no way of ...

Nobody likes to fail. It’s uncomfortable, annoying, and even depressing. People instinctively try to avoid failure and when we fail, we don’t like to revisit those often painful experiences. Most of us prefer to simply ...

There is an interesting organizational dynamic that most companies, including landscaping businesses, experience: leadership perception. There is often a fundamental disconnect between how we, as bosses, think we lead ...

At the end of the year, most landscape business owners are totally worn out and ready to do nothing for a while. At least that defines me; certainly, the creative well feels a bit dry. For many in colder climes, there ...

As an owner, fessing up to missteps in business building and management is hard. When you know something isn’t going well in your operational systems or with your personnel, it’s easy to stand back and put your head in ...

For landscape companies located in climates like New England’s where the growing season ends abruptly with cold, frost and snow, November represents the beginning of the end of the active landscape season. As a business ...

That familiar lament of landscape business owners and managers – “you just can’t get good help these days” – is more myth than reality. The truth is, there’s plenty of good help out there and workers who really do want ...

Honest, hardworking landscape pros always have the best intentions at heart when they sell a project to a client. They sincerely want to deliver a top-quality project, on-time and on-budget, that will exceed client ...

As landscapers, we’re most comfortable with our hands in the dirt and bringing projects to life for clients. What many of us are not so comfortable with is the art and science of crafting proposals that sell. As a ...

Virtually every small landscape business owner has experienced this situation at least once: You’re quoting a big job that you don’t want to lose, so you throw out a fast, barebones estimate that you hope will win you ...

I spend a lot of time talking about marketing because that is a fundamental element of business growth that often gets overlooked in a “down-and-dirty” profession such as landscaping. We like to get our hands dirty, and ...

As a landscape business owner with over 30 years in the business, I know that our employees are more important than any truck, piece of equipment, or account. Without them, we cannot hope to reach our business growth ...

Time seems to get away from a lot of us. Most of us never seem to have enough time to get things done, both personally and professionally. That may be okay when it comes to finding the time to clean out the garage, but ...

Landscape business owners – like a lot of business owners – spend a considerable amount of time and money crafting traditional sales and marketing tools such as truck signage, brochures, and now websites. However, more ...

As a landscape business owner and consultant, the biggest challenge I hear about from other landscape company owners is how hard it is to find good help. Many landscape business owners are simply shooting in the dark to ...

In Part 3 of our Business Survey Analysis series we’re going to take a closer look at what landscape business owners think can improve their businesses. Of course, some of you might say “that’s easy – more time, money, ...

In Part II of The Garden Continuum Landscape Business Survey analysis we’re going to dig into the answers survey respondents provided to the question “What is your biggest challenge in running your landscape business?” ...

As part of the business consulting side of The Garden Continuum, we recently conducted a survey of landscape business owners to better understand the factors that drive them to launch and grow their operations. Our ...

Let’s face it: goal-setting is easier said than done. Remember all those New Year’s resolutions in the past that fell by the wayside in a matter of days? Or at least by the time the spring madness hit. A major stumbling ...

It’s a brand new year. Spring and the new growing season are just three months away, so it’s time to start making plans and getting active with business development. Any business looking for reliable, sustainable growth ...

As 2017 draws to a close, I thought it’d be a good idea to look back at the year and what we’ve accomplished with TGC Academy, which was founded to provide business training and skill-building for both experienced and ...

One of the easiest things to do once you’ve started a landscape business is to dive right into the immediate projects at hand and plug away at every job that comes your way. It’s also one of the least productive things ...

Many people start a landscape business looking to make a killing. But, sadly, the only thing they end up killing, is the business. Why is this and how can you avoid it if you're seriously thinking about making the leap ...

A surprising number of people think that just because they can clean up their yard, put down some mulch, and maybe even create a garden, it makes sense to go out and try to make money working in other people’s yards. ...

John Lennon once famously said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." This, unfortunately, can be true for running a landscaping business. Sometimes life simply gets in the way and derails even ...

Starting any new business can be a sleep-depriving, nail-biting experience for anyone, and starting a new landscape business is certainly no different. It takes time, money, perseverance and sometimes a lot of luck. One ...

The use of subcontractors is a time-honored means for landscape designers and contractors to control overhead and keep operations lean and mean. But subcontractors can be a double-edged sword that can work for you or ...

Every business seems to have one or two employees who stand out. They’re the ones who show up early and stay late. They’re focused on doing the best job possible and are always looking for ways to improve. These are the ...

There is no question that the landscape industry is a people business. As an owner, you have to build relationships with clients and hire the right employees who can interface with them to maintain and grow those ...

How to hire good employees is one of the top three major issues I hear about over and over again from other landscape business owners. Hiring in the landscape industry tends to be a knee-jerk reaction to an immediate ...

In recent years the medical community has discovered that stress is more harmful to our physical and mental well-being than previously thought. Chronic stress is a killer and its insidious effects can creep up on ...

Here is a question I hear over and over again: “Our pricing is all over the place, how do I set landscape service prices and stick to them?” Confusion about pricing strategy is commonplace in many service industries and ...

Every business, like every person, is unique. Even businesses that provide products or services that are virtually the same have something unique about them that can be promoted to set them apart from their competitors. ...

When you become self-employed in an industry such as landscaping, you’re probably doing it without having the ultimate size of your business in mind. Most of the owners I meet get into this line of work because they ...

Owning a landscaping business – heck, owning any business – is not for the faint of heart. If you’re struggle with getting the kind of work you really like to do, then this post provides some tips to fine-tune your ...

As a landscape business owner, chances are good you shoulder most of the burdens that come with the territory. Sales, bookkeeping, scheduling, purchasing, and the myriad other tasks that need to get done to keep your ...

There’s an old marketing joke that applies just as well to the professional landscape industry: “This would be a great business to be in if it weren’t for the clients.” Now, of course, there’s a lot to love about our ...

As the owner of a landscaping business, chances are you do everything from managing the books to driving the truck. And that includes sales. If you’re like most people, selling doesn’t come easy – you’re uncomfortable ...

If you’re struggling to build a landscape business, part of the problem may be that you have not firmly established your business goals. If you don’t know your goals, you don’t know where you’re going. Once you’ve ...

There is nothing more frustrating for a landscape business owner than to provide a client with a season’s worth of outstanding, timely service only to have them make excuse after excuse about why they can’t pay you on ...

If you’re a small business, it’s often hard to avoid competing on price. Perhaps you’re afraid to lose a prospect or worse a client to a lower-priced competitor. Or you’re looking to get established in a new market. Or ...

One of the biggest challenges for landscape contractors is managing cash flow. Seasonal variations, fickle customers, weather, and suppliers can all wreak havoc on your cash flow – one week you can be rolling in dough ...

This is a problem most landscape contractors would probably love to have – too many clients or projects and not enough time to handle it all. Meaning there is tons of demand…and not enough supply (i.e. you and your ...

“Sorry, I can’t take the job. I’ve already got too much work” – said no one ever! If you’ve been in the landscape contracting business for any length of time, you probably adhere closely to that old farming adage, “make ...

Does it seem like each new landscape year brings a roll-of-the-dice when it comes to figuring out how much start-up cash you’ll need and if you’ll have enough to get things going at the beginning of your peak season? If ...

Chances are good you didn’t get into the landscape industry because you love paperwork. Nope! You enjoy working outdoors, creating beautiful landscape designs, watching plants flourish and nurturing their growth, and ...

The landscape industry is seasonal, so no matter where you live in the world, there are peak seasons and off seasons. If you’re like most landscape designers and contractors, the all-at-once influx of new business in ...