Landscape Disruptors

It's a well-known fact that most landscapers work in landscaping simply because they love it. Whether your an equipment junkie, love the outdoors, the skilled trades, or the satisfaction of seeing a hands-on project come to reality, the green industry has a lot to offer. In this episode of the podcast, Ryann describes his role in the oil and gas industry, working for a Texas land oil drilling rig, and why he's fallen in love with landscaping.

After years of contemplating his departure from the energy sector and having a flexible work schedule of two weeks on two weeks off, he's finally ready to leap into landscaping. Outfitted with a reliable Ford F350 6.0 diesel truck, a used skid loader, and some hand tools, he's taken an entrepreneur hands-on approach to landscape. From researching retaining walls, listening to Stanley Dirt Monkey, and consuming every bit of landscape content he can, he's a self-taught himself and slowly building his portfolio as he goes.

His game plan is to continue building his portfolio and collecting pictures for his website, followed by turning to social media to help be found by new customers. His crawl, walk, and run approach is a good strategy while he slowly exits his day jobs and gets the hands-on experience required to run a landscape business. Stanley also offers some retaining wall advice and adequately installing the base when using a particular manufactured stone.

In this episode of the podcast, LMN CEO Mark Bradley and Stanley Genadek cover some common questions and pain points for all landscape companies. One of those commonly asked questions is, what should a company be willing to pay to hire and recruit a good foreman? And the answer will surprise you because although it's somewhat straightforward, there is a pretty handy formula and qualitative ways to determine this.

Another great question that Stanley puts forward to Mark is the top 3-5 wastes in every landscape company. Waste is perhaps the number one cost driver on any landscape project, from unbillable commuting, washroom breaks, waiting for materials, over-delivering materials, and the list goes on. Waiting equals dollars lost on every landscape job, but Mark shares some simple solutions throughout the podcast.

The other question tackled is centered around the great equipment debate, and how does a landscaper know when to buy new equipment? Or should you rent? It's commonly asked but not typically answered, and purchasing new landscape equipment is different for everyone. Mark shares a somewhat qualitative formula to help you make better and more informed decisions when buying, leasing, or renting landscape equipment.

Finally, the show ends with how an owner should truly use their numbers as the guiding light when rowing their company and know when to crawl, walk, and run. And what are the top 3 mistakes every owner makes when starting a company? This is undoubtedly a podcast you won't want to miss.

Have you ever heard of a Landscape Association called Landscape Ontario? Well, if you haven't, now you have.  They are by far one of North America's largest associations, with well over 2000 members in total. From advocating for the green and snow industry in government backrooms to creating value benefits for its members and creating industry standards provincially and nationally, Landscape Ontario is at the forefront if it all. 

And at the helm of the wheel is recently appointed President, Dave Wright. Dave Wright has over 50 years of experience in Landscaping. Born into the landscape industry, following his father's footsteps through the industry, Dave has built a wildly successful design and build and maintenance company. 

In this episode of the podcast, Stanley and Dave talk about climbing insurance rates, how to deal with COVID, industry standards and how we move forward in 2021. They also cover the Landscape Ontario task force and his role in creating a more sustainable future for the next generation landscaper. 

Carla Bailey oversees all operations of HR at TLC Landscaping, located in London, Ontario. TLC Landscaping has been the premier stop for both multi-residential clients and design-build clients in London for over 30 years. Before that, Carla was a sitting member on the board at the Landscape Ontario London Chapter.  She is a founding member of Women in Landscaping and has been a significant advocate and voice to reduce the barrier to entry for women in landscaping.

In this episode of the podcast, Carla and Stanley talk about all things related to women in landscaping. What we need to do as an industry, what associations could be doing better, and encourage the next generation landscaper to be more inclusive.  They chat about everything from boot sizing, clothes, pee breaks, recruiting and retaining women employees, and where a landscape industry newcomer should go if they want to get involved. 

Both Stanley and Carla seem surprised that this is still an issue in landscaping as we move into the year 2021, but certainly, some common themes raise to the surface as the two of them dive deep on HOW and what the industry can do to recruit more women landscapers. 

Eric Jones, the Turf Teacher, and Stanley Genadek talk shop during this American Thanksgiving Special. 2020 has been a year most would love to put behind, but beyond that, there is a conversation on how to move forward in 2021.

Have you tried to hire or train new staff in 2020? We've had some great podcasts on generational theory, and in this episode, Stan and Eric take the gloves off and address the real concern of how people want to work, but whether they even want to.

And indeed, there have been some winner and losing segments within the landscape industry during 2020. But for the most part, the industry took a major leap forward, particularly in the design and build segment. Some companies have said their sales are up more than 50% from 2019. However, the commercial maintenance segment took a big loss, and with people looking to move outside the city for good, it seems like the design-build will carry that same momentum into 2021.

Happy American Thanksgiving to all of our landscape listeners and beyond. We hope you have the best day, and as always, thanks for listening.

Andy Seeley isn't new to Marketing. In fact, he's been around the block, and then some becoming a wizard, yes a wizard, in sales and digital marketing and has led several companies and clients to achieve success. His work redefines what it means to be a people-person, putting everyone's best interests from individual team members to each client account at the forefront. 

In this episode of the podcast, he and Stanley get into some incredibly useful advice. Advice that you can begin implementing today to optimize your landscape companies business and improve how well search engine optimized its ranking is on google. But that's not all. Andy takes it a step further and gets into the deets on what landscape companies should be posting on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms to stay ahead of the ever-changing algorithms. Ultimately, ensuring your work is consistently showcased in the visibility or home page feed, driving new leads, and capturing more work. Catch the episode and then head on over to his website https://creativelydisruptive.com and begin learning at his small business marketing academy. 

At first, building a landscape business is mostly a creative process. You are coming up with solutions or services to problems or inconveniences for customers attracted to render your companies services. You take on work, start generating revenue, build a customer list, and soon before you know it, you have yourself a business. 

But as business advances, your time becomes limited, and many of the more subtle but just as essential details become more critical in your success. In this episode of the podcast, Stanley Genadek hosts Chief Technical Officer Mike Lysecki. Mike is in charge of all software developments at LMN, but before that, he spearheaded the operations team of a multi-million dollar landscape company. His latest development is field labor reports. An algorithm that runs the numbers and instantly shows you a breakdown of your most profitable work. So, now you don't have to take on every job. You know where is the best bang for the buck. 

Mike's many years of experience in landscaping shines through as Stanley asks some tough questions and what becomes apparent is how important it is to love and understand your numbers. It's not just about mastering your operations, but genuinely understanding them to make informed decisions becomes evident if you want to grow or be profitable in landscaping.  Happy listening! 

Catering to some of Muskoka's finest waterfront properties has not been the easiest road to success. In-fact, relatively seasonal work, remote projects that are often on islands, and a small rural population of people to attract, recruit and retain employees make Kevin's business one of the more unique in the green industry. The vast majority of their landscape projects are centered on Lake Muskoka, Lake Rosseau, and Lake Joseph, and if you live in that area, they've probably worked on your lake property too. 

Experienced crews operate together in their specialty areas such as hardscape and stone installation, gardens and planting, lighting and irrigation, property maintenance, and caretaking. And their clients appreciate the complete landscape experience they offer from the first conceptual drawing to the first sunset in your Muskoka chair.

13 years later, in the landscaping business, and Muskoka Landscapers owns the lion share of work within the Muskoka area and is in a position to work with select customers who appreciate the company's attention to detail and quality craftsmanship at every level. 

Throughout this episode, Stanley Genadek pokes and prods Kevin to share some of his experiences in operating what is mostly a seasonal business, how he manages his cashflow, and retains his employees. They also get into the details and processes in how Muskoka Landscapers have grown and managed their growth since 2007. 

Since 1952, Impullitti Landscaping, Inc. has built a reputation on quality and innovation within the landscape industry. Wayne Impullitti, president, is the third generation of his family to head one of North America's most successful and largest landscape companies and has hand-selected the right team members to help grow and control their growth. One of those key staff members is Sherry Watts, who has been with Impulliti for over 20 years and is the Administrative Director. In this episode of the Landscape Disruptors Podcast, Sherry shares her expertise on administration creativity and the organizational skills required to manage a company, and insight on operations and how they have streamlined their company processes over the years. 

Joseph Stark from Ground Works Land Design left the Whiskey industry as a professional marketer to implement new and innovative strategies as a green industry professional working for a highly successful landscape company. In this podcast episode, we dive deep into marketing strategies to attract and recruit new staff while also attracting new customers by managing multiple channels to improve their company's online visibility.