The Green Room Landscape Business Podcast

In this episode, Shah Turner (host of The Green Room) sets the tone for 2019; opening a conversation about the future of the Landscape Industry by offering a look inside his own business, Pitch Box. Shah's online business takes advantage of techonlogy, the internet and a global workforce to bring affordable drafting and 3D modeling support to Australian and New Zealand businesses.

Shah, interviewed by his Project Manager Kendall, talk about how he came to be running an online business, emerging trends among a new generation of design business owners and their thoughts on the future of our industry.

Olivia Bird is a freelance landscape architect and interior designer living and working in the regional town of Nelson, New Zealand. Unlike many stories you may hear from regional centres where work is light on the ground, Olivia has become incredibly busy by developing working relationships in other south island towns including Christchurch and Queenstown, both of which been experiencing a higher level of development activity in recent years.

Many solo business owners feel a sense of isolation and being overwhelmed from time to time. In this conversation I ask Olivia about how she finds balance, not only within her business among the many hats you need to wear as a business owner, but also between her work and personal life. We also talk about the future of the design profession and the emerging trend of designers choosing to work for themselves and collaborating with other solo operators instead of seeing out their career working 9 to 5 for somebody else.

Nic Feleppa is the owner of Nicholas Jon Landscapes and has recently made a significant pivot in his business to focus on maintenance rather than design and construction. Focused on building the capacity to scale his business, Nic has gone a long way in experimenting with software to communicate with his staff in the field and his clients from their central office. This conversation is relevant to all business owners in the landscape industry, focusing on the client journey and systems for helping your business run more profitably and efficiently.

Ever wanted more from your landscape association? Ineke Clark is making waves in South Australia with her recent appointment as CEO to the Master Landscapers of South Australia. This episode gives you an insider's perspective on the relationship challenges between associations and their members and what you can do to get more out of yours.

Joel Barnett is a design-build contractor from Geelong, Victoria and  has been participating in the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show for near on 10 years. In this episode we talk about some of the different ways you can get sponsors for exhibiting a display garden at a show and some of the lessons he's learned that newcomers and veterans alike might find useful.

Joseph Nagel is a landscape design-build contractor who believes in keeping his business compact and running lean in order to achieve sustainable growth over the long haul. We discuss sharing office space, shopping around for a good deal, tucking extra earnings away and borowing wisely to level up your operation as you grow.

Tristan Peirce is a Perth-based landscape architect who shares his unique perspective on becomingself employed after more than a decade as Design Manager and Landscape Architect for a prominent Design + Construct + Maintain company. We talk about the importance of building relationships, setting financial targets and operating through a lean and sustainable framework.

John Corban coaches business owners in the landscape industry including contractors, designers and design and construct operators who have made the decision and the commitment to take a closer look at the way they do things so they can make the necessary changes to take things to the next level. In this episode you'll find out just what busines coaching is, how much it costs and whether you're at the right business stage to take advantage of a coach.

Chris Gill is a Brisbane based design and construct business owner and Director of Lifestyle Landscape. Chris has an incredible track record of turning prospects into clients and designs into their built form. In 2017 Lifestyle landscape achieved more than 100% of their previous year's sales in just six months. Chris shares his experience around dealing with clients and in particular how he sees client education as central to his success and the potential succes of others.

Meet Chris Weiss, a Melbourne based landscape designer, project manager and Founder of Formation. a design-build firm delivering quality projects to homeowners in the more affluent suburbs of Melbourne.

Last year, Chris was awarded gold at the 2016 Landscape Victoria awards. I want to find out  whether it was worth all the trouble, like whether winning awards actually gives you more credibility and is he getting more work from it? So let's go ask him.