Inspired by the visioning practices of Ari Weinzweig. Forever grateful for what you first taught me about Visioning, what seems like a lifetime ago.
It’s the fall of 2035, and I’m walking through the yard at Creative Roots. The smell of our compost — the rich, earthy byproduct we’ve been creating for decades from our maintenance operations — still hits me as I head out back. It’s in my DNA at this point. I live next door to the old farm, which for 20 years was the heartbeat of Creative Roots. Today, it’s been reborn as our specimen-only tree nursery — the only one of its kind in the Okanagan, focusing exclusively on the most unique and high-quality large-caliper feature trees and shrubs available. The rest of the operation has moved, and that shift turned out to be a blessing —unlocking the space, systems, and potential needed to surpass the 10-year Creative Roots vision we set for 2030: 60 employees, 12 owners, just shy of $10 million in annual revenue, 15% net profit, and a thriving culture filled with both familiar and new faces embracing our mission on a regular basis. Creative Roots has truly become a place good people want to be part of.
Our Mission We are building a people business with those who share our drive for excellence and appreciate the many rewards that accompany working in a transparent and inclusive way: Exciting challenges, Camaraderie and Friendships, Sense of Purpose, Feelings of Accomplishment, Profits, and a Path to Partnership. We just happen to do all that through landscaping.
That single sentence quietly answers the questions that have guided Creative Roots from the beginning:
- What is it we’re doing? We deliver an out-of-the-ordinary experience.
- Who are we doing it for? Ourselves, our team, our suppliers, our customers, and our community.
- Who are we? Servant leaders. Matt, Zach, Jordon, Jacob, Colette, Rik, and many other ordinary and not-so-ordinary people.
- Why does it matter? Because we believe that running a business in an inclusive and transparent way gives us the opportunity to share the best life has to offer.
I still stop in just enough to catch up and stay connected — not so much that I wear out my welcome. The energy has evolved, but the soul of the place is still very much alive.
I haven’t gotten tired of spending my winters in Mexico yet — something I’ve done for 16 years in a row now. I leave in late December, always after a full Christmas surrounded by my growing family, and return in April when spring has fully sprung back home in Kelowna. That rhythm suits me. I get deep, meaningful work done year-round, regardless of location — whether I’m in Canada or away. Winter months bring a different kind of recharge, sometimes in Mexico, sometimes on bucket-list adventures to places like Croatia, Turkey, or out on the water. Those travels have opened my eyes to leadership, hospitality, joy, and cuisine in ways I never imagined. It’s a cycle that brings balance to my life: meaningful work, meaningful rest, and time with the people I care about most.
I’ve even shared that inspiration by hosting an annual retreat for like-minded leaders in the landscaping world — ten years in a row now.
Physically, I feel good — better than expected, honestly. I’ve had several surgeries to get here, and I’m hopeful there won’t be a need for more. Let’s just say, if experience leaves a mark, then my body has the mileage to prove it. I never needed to read The Body Keeps the Score — just seeing the title was enough to connect the dots. But I move well. I laugh a lot. I sleep like a guy with nothing to prove and plenty to be grateful for. I take care of myself — not to chase some perfect shape, but to stay in the game. It’s working.
The Work That Moves Me
Professionally, I’ve found my sweet spot. Through Rmark Coaching and the LeanScaper network, I work with companies across the green industry and beyond — helping leadership teams build real cultures of ownership, financial literacy, and trust. I don’t coach from a podium or pretend to have all the answers. I walk alongside owners and teams who care deeply about the people they employ and the companies they touch.
My work has evolved, but the roots are the same: after more than 30 years of using open-book management in the company I founded back in 1994, I help others see their business as the product — not just a job site, or a transaction, or a means to an end. I work with overwhelmed but still ambitious business owners — and the leaders within their teams who’ve proven they give a shit — to connect the dots between their day-to-day actions and the outcomes that matter. I help bring clarity to their work, show how open-book practices link people to performance, and reconnect making money with being good people — being human. I write essays that make people think, contribute to industry publications, podcasts, and other platforms where meaningful conversations happen, and say “no” to the wrong kind of work so I can say “hell yes” to the right kind. I’m not trying to scale. I’m trying to serve.
But the truth is, we have scaled — just intentionally. By 2035, I’ve worked with more than 40 businesses directly, and mentored dozens more. The annual retreat I host has become a cornerstone — bringing together 20+ leaders each winter from across North America to recharge, reflect, and reconnect with why they started. I’ve contributed to over 30 industry publications, appeared on numerous podcasts, and developed a trusted reputation as someone who brings grounded, no-nonsense wisdom to the conversations that matter most. My coaching business generates over $1 million in annual revenue — and it’s grown in a way that still feels personal, thanks in part to bringing in some of the people from Creative Roots to help pass their knowledge forward.
Some of the companies I’ve worked with have doubled in size. Others have grown their culture in ways that can’t be measured with a tape. A few have gone on to build ownership models that give back what I received at Creative Roots: dignity, agency, and a path to partnership. That’s what I’m most proud of.
Creative Roots, Still in My Bones
I still own 10% of Creative Roots — not for control, but for connection. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about what it means to share ownership with the people who’ve earned it. It’s not just about equity on paper — it’s about trust, mentorship, and building something that lasts beyond any one person. Although I gave full control to the other shareholders over whether or not I would remain with the team in an advisory role — and it’s taken some effort to prove my value and have them see my sometimes rough-around-the-edges persona as a sort of strength — I must still be of some use. They keep inviting me back.
I’m part of a community of peers who are doing this work with heart. The LeanScaper movement is thriving — not because it’s trendy, but because it’s real. We’re showing up, rolling up our sleeves, and helping teams make the business their own. It’s not just a methodology, or a set of processes, systems, philosophies, or technologies. It’s all that and more — driven by people with the deepest conviction to better an industry than I’ve ever come across.
Life at Home
At home in the Okanagan — more specifically, Kelowna, the city I was born and raised in — I spend time with my family. I’m still in the house my father built the year I was born — the same house we raised our kids in. For a time, it sat quieter than it once did, but life has come full circle. Being part of my granddaughter Emerson’s life — especially now that I’ve had the time to reflect on the kind of early mistakes you make when learning to run a business and start a family at the same time, without a playbook — has made me a better person. I feel even more grateful for the chance to be present and engaged. My grandson is nine now, and the joy of seeing the world through his eyes is a gift I never take for granted. I cook a lot. I spend hours around the table with people I love — long-time friends, fishing and catching. My time is invested, not spent.
I’m also incredibly proud of my children — Jennifer, Jacob, and Tyson. Each of them has taken what I was able to leave them with — and, combined with their own life experiences, created a path of their own, complete with families, careers, and passions. They’ve grown into thoughtful, resilient adults, and watching them build meaningful lives has been one of my greatest joys.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, I’m proud I made the shift from doing the work to teaching it. From holding control to building trust. From leading with vision to leading by example. I don’t claim to have done it all perfectly, but I stayed true to what I believed: that businesses can be built on openness, contribution, and shared success.
I still believe that.
And every time I sit down with a team that wants to build something better — something that works for their people and their purpose — I feel it again: this is what I was meant to do.
This is my personal vision — one that reflects what a meaningful life, as defined by me, looks like in 2035. It’s also the input I offer to the ongoing story of Creative Roots. I’m grateful that this vision continues to align and inspire — fitting naturally within the broader, collective vision we’ve built as a team.
Simply said: I like to win — and I like to see others win. Not for the sake of competition or beating anyone else, but because I believe we each have a personal obligation to ourselves and the people we care about to become the best versions of ourselves, mindfully.
Now that I’m living what I once only imagined, I can say with certainty that continuing to write and live out my personal Visions has become one of the best habits I have ever formed.