Category Archives: Insights

OWNERSHIP RULE #3 of 14: The Bigger the Pie, the Bigger the Individual Slices.

Building a thriving landscaping company isn’t just about landscaping; it’s also about people. Our ownership team was recently working on the next level of our plan to continue to bring more employees into ownership when the time becomes right. The question is, “When is the time right, and what do we need to do to […]

OWNERSHIP RULE #2 of 14: A Company isn’t worth anything if nobody wants to own it.

Alright, let’s talk business, but not the boring, run-of-the-mill stuff. We’re diving into the landscape industry—where beauty meets business. Here’s the deal: your company’s worth isn’t just dollars and cents. Nope, it’s about being the kind of company that everyone wants a piece of. That’s where the Great Game of Business (GGOB) swoops in with […]

OWNERSHIP RULE #1 of 14: “The Company is the Product.”

In the ever-evolving landscape industry, success hinges not only on the beauty of the environments we create but also on the innovative strategies we employ to run our businesses. One such transformative concept that has been making waves across various industries, including ours, is “The Company is the Product.” At its core, this concept encapsulates […]

Talking Business With the People You Are in Business With

It seems that every time I turn on the TV, log into Facebook or hear someone talk about what’s happening in their world, I ask myself, “What the hell is going on?”   Uncertainty seems chronic, instability permanent, and disruption all too common. I often have to remind myself to focus on the opportunities just to […]

Sharing the “Why Before the “How” is Critical to Your Growth, Success and Retaining Good Employees

At the end of what has been another crazy year, with all the services to schedule, SOP’s to improve, planning, organizing, the downtime you should be taking, and so on, does the thought of taking time to talk about how IMPORTANT getting clear on and “Sharing your Why Before the How” seem to be a […]

Begin with the Right Leadership: Stop Working IN Your Business and Start Working ON Your Business

The end of 2021 will mark my 27th year in the landscaping business. I’m not too sure if it is or isn’t funny how time flies!  From the days of trying to keep the wolf away from the door while trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life, to the […]

Strategic Planning is H.I.P – 10 Steps You MUST do for Success in 2022

Up until about 14 years ago when I first started to think about strategic planning around business operations at Creative Roots Landscaping, I had the idea that they were typically only divided into the front-end and back-end tasks that you and your team believe are a priority and must be performed in order to work […]

Huddles: Why They Create the Ultimate Place for Effective Team Communication

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” Jim Rohn Some of you might already know my story, but I will add a very brief history for those of you who don’t. I began in […]

Open Book Management: To Win the Game, You Need the Right Team

“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.” Jim Collins.  “Take our best 20 people away, and I tell you that Microsoft will become an unimportant company.” Bill Gates About halfway through my 26 years as the owner of Creative Roots Landscaping, I started to hit the same roadblock that most overly ambitious, chaos-thriving, “I can […]