In this episode, Steve Bousquet and Christeen Era delve into the power of benchmarking as a tool to drive business success. They break down the concept of benchmarking, its significance, and how it can be utilized to measure performance against industry standards, identify gaps, and foster continuous improvement. From tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) like gross profit margins, sales per labor hour, and customer retention rates to understanding how these metrics inform strategic decisions, this discussion is packed with actionable insights. Christeen and Steve also share real-world examples, including how to calculate and improve benchmarks, and strategies to optimize pricing, labor efficiency, and customer experience.

 Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting out, this episode provides essential steps to implement benchmarking in your operations, enhance profitability, and gain a competitive edge. Plus, don't miss the announcement of an upcoming Benchmarking Workshop, where you’ll learn how to calculate, analyze, and close performance gaps in your business with hands-on guidance. Check the show notes for details and start paving the way to a more efficient and profitable business!

🚀 Webinar Alert: Unlock Growth with Benchmarking Strategies 🚀

Are You Ready to Take Your Lawn & Landscape Business to the Next Level?
Register now for our upcoming webinar, Benchmarking for Success in the Lawn and Landscape Industry, and discover how to optimize your business operations, track key metrics, and achieve measurable outcomes that boost profitability.

This informative 90-minute webinar is a fantastic opportunity at just $39! Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! 

Sign up: https://growgpa.com/benchmrkwebinar

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this milestone 100th episode, Steve Bousquet and Christeen Era reflect on the journey that brought them here, sharing their most valuable lessons and takeaways from years of entrepreneurship, coaching, and hosting 99 prior episodes. From the challenges of hiring and onboarding to the power of proper delegation, time management, and strategic planning, they dive into the practical insights that have helped countless small businesses thrive. They also explore topics like the emotional side of business decisions, the importance of transparency in relationships, and how leveraging (but not misusing) technology can fuel growth. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or just starting out, their real-world experiences and actionable advice will resonate with you.

The conversation also highlights the transformative impact of systems like Profit First, which has fueled consistent and sustainable growth in Steve’s business, demonstrating the power of disciplined cash management. The duo emphasizes the importance of listening, fostering trust, and staying focused on customer relationships to drive results. Packed with relatable stories and practical wisdom, this episode is a celebration of not just a podcast milestone, but the lessons learned along the way that continue to inspire and guide other entrepreneurs to success. Don’t miss it!

Need help with your unique business challenges?
Set up a complimentary consultation with us: growgpa.com/FreeConsult

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this episode of the Green Profit Academy Pro's podcast, host Steve sits down with Rick Wallace, an accomplished entrepreneur running a thriving lawn care business. Rick shares his inspiring journey from starting at age 12 with a push mower to growing his lawn care company to over 8,000 clients, with locations in Georgia and Florida. Together, Steve and Rick dive into the challenges and successes Rick experienced while transitioning from traditional landscaping to a focused lawn application business. They discuss critical business strategies, including marketing philosophies, client acquisition, and the importance of building something valuable for the future. Rick also opens up about his personal approach to training, hiring, and retaining a strong team that aligns with core company values.

The conversation also touches on broader industry topics such as automation, AI, customer communication, and the evolving demands of the green industry. Rick emphasizes the importance of blending automation with human interaction to elevate the customer experience. With actionable insights and thought-provoking discussions about the future of the lawn care business, this episode offers valuable perspectives for anyone in the green industry looking to improve operations, scale their business, and foster meaningful client relationships.

Rick Wallace is the CEO of Liquid Lawn, a family-owned and operated business. His wife Hannah is the company's office manager, and together, they have two children. They have been in business for over 15 years and have experience with virtually every facet of landscaping.

After attending First Presbyterian Day School, Rick started very early with his passion for enhancing landscapes and lawns and feels that he discovered his purpose very early on. He really enjoys horticulture, turf, landscape design, and making a difference on his clients' properties. He is a licensed pesticide applicator with the Department of Agriculture.

Connect with Rick!

https://liquidlawn.com/

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this episode, Steve and Christeen discuss the top five ways small business owners can increase profitability in 2025. They dive into actionable strategies, including how to effectively raise your prices, stop offering low-profit services, and improve your estimating processes. Christeen shares insights on the importance of understanding costs, setting expectations for your team, and avoiding common pitfalls in pricing. The hosts also tackle the critical topic of hiring smarter by finding the right cultural fits and strengths, and emphasize the importance of onboarding and retaining top-tier employees.

The conversation wraps up with a deep dive into the transformative impact of implementing Profit First. Steve shares real-life results from his business, showcasing how this approach not only increased revenue but also boosted profits exponentially over the years. Plus, they highlight advanced strategies from the book Profit First for Lawn Care and Landscape Businesses and how their coaching programs can help businesses achieve similar success. Don't miss the links in the show notes to access the book and learn more about the tailored triage coaching program to take your business profitability to the next level.

Resources to increase your business's profitability:

Profit First for Lawn Care and Landscape Businesses (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Lawn-Landscape-Businesses-ebook/dp/B09LTJVFBG/ 

GPA Business Triage Response Path  

6 Week coaching program to get your business back on track fast. First, our assessments will narrow down the top three things you need to fix; then our experienced industry coaches will help you focus on stopping the bleed and getting back on track. 

 Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this episode, host Christeen Era delves into the critical importance of planning and goal setting for achieving business success in today's fast-paced environment. She unpacks the concept of strategic planning and its role in efficiently allocating resources and aligning efforts towards long-term sustainability and growth. Christeen emphasizes the significance of setting clear objectives that align with a company's mission and vision, ensuring cohesive progress. She also highlights essential tools like Gantt charts and project management software to optimize resource allocation and underscores the importance of risk management through SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

The episode further explores the SMART framework as a proven strategy for setting effective goals. Christeen guides listeners through this framework, explaining each component—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—and how it can transform business outcomes. She advises on breaking down goals into manageable tasks, assigning responsibility, and setting milestones to track progress. Additionally, Christeen discusses the necessity of regular reviews and feedback mechanisms to refine strategies and maintain open communication within teams. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own vision and mission statements and to set SMART goals that align with their business strategies, ensuring sustainable growth and success.

Join us for some deeper learning around goal setting and strategic planning!
The Business Accelerator Workshop is a 7-week course designed to help entrepreneurs define and achieve their goals. The workshop covers various topics, including mission, vision, purpose, immutable laws, benchmarks, goal setting, and a business strategy plan. Through this program, entrepreneurs will learn how to set achievable goals, develop a roadmap, and create a plan for success. Mastering these critical aspects of business can accelerate growth, meet objectives, and achieve long-term sustainability. Overall, this workshop is a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level.
growgpa.com/GBAKW

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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this episode, Christeen Era delves into the intricacies of maximizing the sales price of your business, a pivotal concern for any entrepreneur contemplating the sale of their company. Joined by Jim Parker, renowned as the "Lawn Boss" and a seasoned expert in the lawn care industry, they explore the nuances of preparing a business for market, from understanding the critical difference between selling a business and bringing it to market, to the importance of recasting financials for potential buyers. Jim shares his two-and-a-half decades of experience in aiding business owners to achieve optimal sales outcomes, highlighting strategies for identifying and managing high client concentration, planning for the right time to sell, and the vital role of recurring revenue.

Jim and Christeen also shed light on operational and organizational prerequisites such as reducing owner dependency and maintaining confidentiality during the sales process. The discussion expands to cover legal and licensing essentials, advising on the pitfalls of running personal expenses through the business, and setting realistic valuations. As Jim emphasizes, working with a team of professionals—including brokers, CPAs, and attorneys—is crucial for business owners aiming to secure the best terms and pricing. Whether you're planning to sell soon or simply want to enhance your business's market value, this episode offers a wealth of insights and practical advice.

Take a deeper dive with Jim into this topic on Thursday, January 16 at 11:30AM PT /12:30PM MT/ 1:30PM CT / 2:30PM ET on our free webinar: Preparing Your Business for Sale to Maximize Sales Price. Bring your questions!
Register now to save your space.
growgpa.com/freewebprep4sale

Connect with Jim:
Jim E. Parker, M&AMI, CBI, CM&AP, MCBI
Business Intermediary
Helping People SELL Lawn & Landscape Related Businesses
Call or Text: (407) 927-8999
Email: [email protected]
Website: TheLawnBoss.com
Subscribe to Jim’s YouTube channel on buying and selling businesses: https://www.youtube.com/user/BossGroupTV

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
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The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

Join Christeen Era and Steve Bousquet in this engaging episode as they explore one of Steve's favorite business topics: the Five Functions of Business. As we step into 2025, they delve into how understanding these core functions—Marketing, Sales, Deliverables, Money, and People—can transform the clarity and ease of business operations across industries. Learn how each function contributes to the overall success of a business, the systems and measurables that can enhance efficiency, and the importance of managing each area effectively to drive profitability and sustainable growth.

Throughout the episode, Christeen and Steve share practical insights and strategies on how to identify and close gaps within these functions, ensuring streamlined operations and maximized returns. From understanding the role of marketing in attracting high value leads to the importance of maintaining a healthy gross profit margin and nurturing strong employee relations, this episode provides a roadmap for business owners aiming to refine their systems and achieve scalable growth. Tune in to discover how integrating these five functions can lead to lasting success and how business owners can apply these principles to their unique challenges.

Not sure how your business is performing in these five areas?
Take the free Business Challenge Assessment to identify how your business is really doing!
Access the assessment: https://growgpa.com/bizchallassess

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
growgpa.com/PodcastAsk

The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

Join Steve Bousquet and Christeen Era as they explore the transformative power of Gallup Strengths in both personal and professional settings. As we approach the start of a new year, this episode offers valuable insights into how identifying and leveraging individual strengths can lead to enhanced leadership skills, improved team dynamics, and increased business profitability. Steve shares his personal experiences from being the grand marshal at a Winterfest parade in Norwich, Connecticut, to incorporating CliftonStrengths into his landscape business, resulting in zero employee turnover and greater efficiency. Christeen complements this by discussing how Gallup Strengths have been instrumental in her accounting and coaching firm, underscoring the importance of having a diverse team with a balanced mix of strengths for optimal performance.

In this enlightening episode, the hosts explore the four domains of Gallup Strengths—Executing, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Strategic Thinking—and how understanding these can help identify the right roles for team members, enhance job satisfaction, and drive organizational success. Learn how targeted assessments and workshops can uncover hidden talents within your team, foster a culture of recognition and support, and ultimately, improve business outcomes. If you're looking to make a lasting impact in your organization and capitalize on the natural talents of your workforce, this episode is a must-listen.

Upcoming Workshop: Maximizing Your Potential

Discover the Power Within with Maximizing Your Potential: A Strengths-Based Leadership Experience - Level I, a transformative 6-week workshop starting Tuesday, January 14. Tailored for business owners and leadership teams, this workshop aims to revolutionize your approach to leadership by leveraging inherent strengths for personal and professional growth. Enjoy interactive sessions led by experienced facilitators and embark on a journey to enhance team collaboration and drive business success. Plus, enjoy a 50% discount for every additional team member you sign up!

Register before Tuesday, 12/31/24 at midnight to save $100!
Enter coupon code earlybirdmax100 at checkout to claim this offer.
https://growgpa.com/Strengths_Lead

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
growgpa.com/PodcastAsk

The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

In this engaging episode, Christeen Era and Steve Bousquet explore the "Retention Revolution" and discuss how to craft organizational cultures that truly stick. They delve into the critical importance of employee retention, sharing personal experiences and insights on creating a work environment that not only attracts but retains top talent. Christeen highlights how intentional culture-building efforts, like leveraging CliftonStrengths, can significantly impact employee satisfaction, while Steve discusses the costly implications of high turnover and how retention can be seen as a profit center.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into best practices for retention, including regular feedback, team engagement activities, and competitive compensation packages. The discussion underscores the importance of intentional leadership in shaping a positive and productive workplace culture. Whether you're a business owner, manager, or HR professional, this episode offers practical strategies and thought-provoking ideas to help you foster a thriving organizational culture and ensure long-term success.

Need additional support with retention challenges or want to discuss strategies to keep your team engaged and thriving? Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help you overcome obstacles and build the business you've always dreamed of. 

Email us: [email protected]
Set up a complimentary call with us: https://growgpa.com/FreeConsult

Discover your strengths and maximize your leadership effectiveness!
Join us for Maximizing Your Potential: A 6-week Strengths Based Leadership Experience. Enroll before 12/31 and save!
Enter coupon code earlybirdmax100 at checkout to claim this offer!  
https://growgpa.com/Strengths_Lead

Other courses to start your business off on the right foot in 2025:

• Strengths Assessment and 1-Hour Strengths Coaching:
https://growgpa.com/strengths1hrcoach

• Green Profit Academy's Clifton Strengths Company Group Coaching:
https://growgpa.com/strengthsgrpcoach

• CliftonStrengths Assessment and Leadership Report:
https://growgpa.com/strengthsleadrep

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear on the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
growgpa.com/PodcastAsk

The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.

Join Christeen Era and Steve Bousquet as they delve into the strategic steps that lawn application companies can take to maximize profitability. Drawing from their extensive experience in the green industry, they break down essential practices for optimizing daily routines, understanding seasonal cycles, and implementing efficient routing to streamline operations. Christeen and Steve emphasize the importance of leveraging technology to automate tasks, enhancing productivity and reducing administrative burdens, all of which contribute to a healthier bottom line.

This episode provides actionable insights into cost management strategies such as bulk purchasing and maintaining equipment and highlights the significance of customer satisfaction and retention. Christeen and Steve share their expertise on creating performance incentives and cross-training employees to ensure operational agility and sustained profits. Whether you're a seasoned lawn care professional or a newcomer to the industry, these five steps offer valuable guidance to enhance profitability and foster business growth.

 If you have any additional questions about maximizing profitability, or would like to discuss your unique business challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out, we’re here to help you navigate and succeed!

Email us: [email protected]
Set up a complimentary call with us: https://growgpa.com/FreeConsult

Tell Us What You'd Like to Hear On the GPA Pros Podcast!
Click on the link below to request a topic from the Pros.
growgpa.com/PodcastAsk

The Green Profit Academy Pros Podcast digs into the challenges in growing a Lawn Care and Landscape business while maximizing your profit. Christeen Era, and Steve Bousquet. are green industry experts in profit, growth, and leadership.