ROOTS & RUINS: ROOTS & RUINS 2: A different lens on business and life.
Roots & Ruins 2026 — Our first retreat
A few places remain. Let’s talk A unique combination of practical business conversations, cultural immersion, unforgettable experiences, and meaningful relationships.
We’ll talk and see if this makes sense for you right now.
I offer personalized coaching services to overwhelmed yet still ambitious owners who are tired of feeling trapped in their business. They’re ready for lasting cultural change and higher profits and are committed to doing something about it.
I freed myself by transitioning my company to Open Book Management almost 20 years ago, have sold the majority to some deserving key employees, and now I am showing others how I did it.
Advisor/ Coach / Owner: Rmark
Founder / Shareholder:
Creative Roots Landscaping
Other than perhaps a sore back…
You struggle to find and keep
engaged employees
You don’t have a succession plan and it scares the shit out of you
Your Vision, Purpose and Guiding Principles are not crystal clear
You don’t know how to share profits
without putting yourself and your company at risk
If you can relate to any of these, then I can help.
Or I can just give you a few tips on helping that sore back.
“Ryan Markewich has been in the industry for nearly 30 years and started out just like most with just a shovel and a truck. Learning from his mistakes and experience is a huge opportunity for any entrepreneur. He runs a hyper-successful landscape company using a system called open book management where, through education and sharing of operational and financial information with the entire company, he gets everyone to speak the same language and work as a team to score against the same goals.
I think Ryan’s leadership style is incredible, and any contractor/owner would benefit from sitting with him for some open, honest dialogue to get your business ‘unstuck, ‘make higher profits, and have fun doing what you love. I highly recommend.”
Mark Bradley – LeanScaper Founder and Chairman
April 17, 2020
Ryan talks about Open Book
Management and how it’s helped to
create a more accountable workforce
and positive company culture within
his business.
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“The Unfolding Drama of Business: Facing the Future with Strategic Involvement” At Creative Roots, I’ve [...]
read nowJoin other landscape company owners who recieve
Ryan’s advice straight to their inboxes.
After growing my landscaping company the hard way for 15 years, I realized the toll it was taking on me — mentally, physically, and emotionally.
It was all on me, and I hated it. And despite the fact I was making good money, I was tempted to walk away from it all many times. I was no dummy, and I worked hard but couldn’t see a way to make it fun again. I FELT STUCK!
In 2005, a friend of mine introduced me to Open Book Management as a way of operating, and I was hooked. I remember saying, “If I can’t run my company this way, I don’t want to run one at all.”
I can’t say the transformation was easy, but it sure was worth it. We defined and devised ways to use our Vision, Purpose, and Guiding Principles to move toward our clearly defined success and hire the right people. We began to teach our employees financial literacy so we all knew exactly how we made and spent money.
We opened our books and created financial and non-financial scoreboards, so rewards were based on targets EVERYONE understood and not some arbitrary CEO-decided Christmas bonus. We hosted a weekly 1-hour huddle for all staff to check the score and create action plans to achieve better results. We created a leadership culture to grow and honor our people. Then, we tied it all together with our branding so our staff, customers, and community knew exactly what we were all about. We were talking business with the people we were literally in business with each and every day…Our employees!
We were working on the company as the ultimate product and building a business with employees who could think and act like an owner simply because they now had the same information as one.
In 2016, I began to sell a good portion of the company to key employees as they earned the opportunity. This next generation of leaders ensures the landscaping company I started will not only continue beyond me but also thrive without me. Now, I’m showing other landscaping company owners how to do the same.
