A lot has changed in the last year. But one thing that’s remained the same is the struggle with hiring. It doesn't matter who you talk to in the landscape world, everyone says the same thing: there are not enough people. In this market, it can be tempting to hire anyone and everyone and not fire those who need to be fired. I want to caution you about this, as it is more costly than you may think.

Long, long ago on my very first day in landscaping, I showed up and was put on a crew without any training. You simply cannot do that anymore - properly onboarding new staff has become crucial. New staff need to be aware of how things are done at your company. Having all your staff trained for their position ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them, and their supervisors know what they’re required to teach. It streamlines the process, allowing new staff to feel prepared and supervisors to feel confident that their staff are well trained. It also reduces supervisor...

Let Nextra Consulting get you prepared and expedite the process of hiring foreign workers. 

We understand that Canadian employers need a reliable and stable workforce to maintain sustainable growth. Good access to skilled staff can make the difference between your company and your competitors. 

Nextra Consulting’s LMIA Process Services provide support and recruitment services to help employers address labour shortages with qualified foreign workers. Nextra has been working tirelessly, seeking guidance and direction, and building partnerships in order to provide these services. We offer hassle-free, fair-priced services and accompany our clients throughout the whole LMIA application process. We enable our clients to focus more on their business rather than their staffing problems or LMIA process. 

 Here is how we do it:

SERVICES 

• Complete assistance: Our team guides your company and staff throughout the entire recruitment and application process. This...

If you joined us at our GROW event in Stoney Creek in August, you saw the Metal Pless Live Edge blade in action on the Merlo machine. With that in mind, we are thrilled to hand over the blog to Metal Pless this week as they share more about their company with you. 

Metal Pless of Plessisville, Quebec is a frontrunner in the snowplow manufacturing sector. Clients rely on the company’s products to clear public roadways, commercial and industrial properties, as well as airports during and after a snowfall. It is a task done under intense time pressure and scrutiny; city streets and parking lots must be plowed quickly to maintain access in adverse weather conditions.

The company’s products can be fitted on various vehicles including tractors, wheel loaders, backhoes, skid steers, and tandem trucks. Plows are sold through a North America-wide dealer network. Dealers, in turn, sell to customers – typically snow contractors, Departments of Transportation (DOT),...

80% of new businesses fail every year. 

While that number seems staggering, it’s not all that surprising. Owners get on the hamster wheel of being a technician and working in the business 24/7 instead of on the business and before long they are burnt out and have no money to show for it.

I have been there; I get it. Thankfully there is a better way.

Today’s book recommendation is a good one for this topic. The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz walks you through a different way to look at and run your business by comparing it to the process pumpkin farmers use to grow the biggest pumpkins year after year.

While there is a tonne of incredible information, there are 3 things that really stood out to me:

1. The way he recommends asking for referrals. Instead of asking clients for referrals, Mike recommends that you ask them for the name of contractors that they are working with and that you build relationships with those people because they probably have a hundred clients...

One size does NOT fit all when we’re talking about how to show generosity and gratitude to clients. As owners we can often feel stumped as to what we could do to show thankfulness in a simple and sustainable way.

We wanted to share a variety of ideas with you so we called a number of our clients and business owners within our industry and asked them how they show gratitude to clients. As predicted, each of them do it differently and we’ve compiled some ideas for you below.

Random Acts of Kindness

“We have random acts of kindness that we do for clients & customers.” - Jeff (Jeff’s Outdoor)

When we spoke with Jeff he shared that they have a donation budget and that throughout the week their staff are encouraged to keep an eye out and bring ideas to their supervisors if they think there is a project the company might like to get involved in. Then, during the weekly meetings, the managers talk about the ideas brought up. For example, one of their staff...

Finding good people is a struggle all Landscape Business owners can relate to. So - when you have good people, make sure you treat them well.

While the what and how are not important, the doing is. With staff spending more time with you than they do their own families, it’s crucial that they feel respected and appreciated.

We asked a number of business owners how they show gratitude and generosity to their staff and here are a few of the things they had to say:

We’ve created a place that people want to be

“We’ve worked at creating a culture where grumpy employees do not fit in. We don’t have it all figured out, and a few less than ideal hires have slipped through, but we strive to make DICAM a enjoyable place to work.” said Brian (Dicam Landscaping). “Over the past number of years we have really worked on our culture. We hire mostly based on referrals, and attitude is a huge factor. If people complain or grumble a lot I hear about it quickly...

“I left my first meeting with Grant and Marla knowing 2 things without a doubt: 1) Kindness and generosity are at the forefront of every interaction they have, and 2) I needed to be part of the Nextra team" (Jordan - Nextra Team Member) 

Generosity and humility are two of our core values at Nextra. We believe in their power and strive to live them out in our professional and personal lives every day. We have been on the receiving end of much generosity and humility and we remember how good and thankful it made us feel. We want people to experience that feeling when they interact with us.  

Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. And it is so true. Generosity and humility are expressions of kindness. Did you know studies have linked kindness to physical and emotional health? They’ve discovered kindness lowers levels of stress hormones, leaves...

The Go-Giver is counter-cultural and appears to be counter-business. But it resonates with me and with the truth that, all things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those they know, like and trust. 

Authors Bob Burg and John David Mann contradict the idea that you need to be a go-getter in order to be successful. Rather, they believe that when you make giving rather than getting your top priority in business (and in life), your success will follow. It’s about adding value to others, not because of what it will give you, but rather as a way of leading a satisfying life.

There are five laws mentioned: 

1. The Law of Value: your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
2. The Law of Compensation: your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
3. The Law of Influence: your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
4. The Law...

If your staff are not making a living wage all winter long, chances are they will be looking for employment elsewhere. This can be challenging during winter months when you are reliant on snow events to provide them with hours. You’re going to need to get creative.

Can you work on a banked hours system through the summer? They wouldn’t make overtime but the banked hours could top up their pay throughout the winter months.

What about the SUB program we've chatted about previously? Look into it and see if your staff are eligible for it. You can read more about it HERE.

Can you set up an on-call schedule in advance (like some of our clients do) so that your staff know in advance when it’s their turn to watch the weather as opposed to being on-call all season long?

What about offering them new or late model equipment, training, regular communication and employee events during the winter to maintain culture? Whatever you do in the summertime for your staff -...

As a snow contractor, the possibility of a slip and fall on one of your properties is always in mind. Obviously, we want to take every precaution to ensure the safety of our clients. But what do you do when you receive notice that a claim has been filed? Do you have the proper information and documentation available in order to respond? 

Record-keeping is key to being able to respond to a slip and fall claim. Here’s a list of documents that you should have easy access to:

• Time sheets 
• Email conversations
• Weather reports
• GPS trail
• Related maps and descriptors
• Training modules
• Training certificates
• Truck sign-out sheets
• Phone messages
• Contracts
• Snow maps
• Previous contract dates
• Pre-season site inspection form
• Customer communications

Being prepared can make the process a lot smoother, less stressful and less costly. 

If you need help with creating or sourcing these documents, or if you have questions about your existing process, give me a call. You can schedule a...