When do you need to fire a client? In this episode, I'll tell you about the worst client we had at my business during the first 5 years. This includes the early warning signs the client was destructive and the 3 things that finally nailed the coffin shut on our working relationship.

In this episode, Landon talks about a recent court decision that determined investors couldn't hold an audit company liable for a negligent audit certification. This court decision by the Second Circuit Court Of Appeals created an uproar, as it determined roughly $17 billion of public company financial audits each year are essentially worthless.

What lessons does this dispute over the negligent audit have for land surveyors and mappers? Should a client be able to rely on your deliverables? Are there reasonable limits you can place on that reliance? This episode answers those questions.

In this episode, its all about the money baby! Landon teaches you how to calculate hourly rates for a surveying and mapping business. This includes explaining the four (4) components of an hourly rate:

1. Direct labor (wages).
2. Fringe benefits.
3. Overhead costs.
4. Profit.

He also shares some quick examples of how to calculate your fringe benefit costs and overhead costs on an hourly basis.

In this episode of the podcast we return to the topic of strategy! Landon explains why having a strategic plan for your organization is important and he reviews one possible structure for a strategic plan. He also provides a few tips to help you flesh out your strategic plan.

In this episode, Landon talks about when (and why) you should hire your first (and your second) employee. This includes reasons NOT to add employees to your survey business, the burdens that come with employees, the benefits that come with employees, and the rewards that come from having employees. He also talks about a few signs that it is time to add the first employee to your business.

Teamwork is more important to small businesses than ever, but we still recruit, retain and reward individuals. How does  an organization shift from solely evaluating individual performance to evaluating team performance?

In this episode, Landon reviews the key points from a recent article in the Economist Magazine on evaluating team performance, and shares how teams are formed and evaluated at Redefined Horizons, the small surveying and mapping business where he works.

Should you outsource your CAD work as a surveying and mapping organization?

In this video, Landon considers the pros and cons of outsourcing CAD work. He discusses the implications of this for surveying organizations, and how the calculus might be different for a design company (like an architect and civil engineer). He also talks about why a licensed professional has to carefully consider this step when working for a larger organization, and the potential impacts outsourcing has on recruitment and training.

How do you manage cash flow in a small survey business? Why is this important? Why is it so hard?

In this episode, Landon answers those three (3) questions and talks about his own struggle to improve cash flow management at Redefined Horizons, the small survey business he runs with Dani Cano and Brian Leiser.

Running a small land surveying business isn't all bad. There are painful lessons - but there are also pleasant surprises. In this episode, I talk about 3 pleasant surprises from my first 5 years running a land surveying business. Those surprises are:

1. The deep gratitude of our good clients.
2. The loyalty of our team members.
3. The rapid professional growth of our team members.