I had the opportunity earlier this month to speak at the Landscape Alberta Green Industry Show & Conference (GISC). One of the seminars I led was Grow Your Snow Business. As we’re just starting the winter season, I thought that some of the information I shared at that seminar might be helpful and get you off to the most efficient start. Although I was speaking specifically about snow businesses, all this information is easily transferable to any contracting business.

We talked about six areas of business: Leadership, Customers, Staff, Finances, Operations, and Safety. Below I’ve listed some key points for the first three areas. each area, as well as some KPI’s to help you have success in that area.

1. LEADERSHIP

• Invest in professional development opportunities: Always be learning. Attend conferences, get involved in your local landscape organization, listen to podcasts, read books, network with others, join a peer group.
• Implement regularly scheduled meetings: A regular meeting r
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With winter on the way, it's important to put a client communication process in place for before, during and after a storm. There is really no such thing as communicating too much with clients. With that in mind, we've created the following as a template you can use for your clients. 

Government of Canada announces Workforce Solutions Road Map – further changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to address labour shortages across Canada 

Did you know that as recent as February 2022, our unemployment rate in Canada was 5.5% -the lowest it has been since the start of the pandemic?  In fact, Canada’s economic recovery is outpacing the ability of many employers to find workers. In a recent press release from the Government of Canada, the outlined focus was on continued economic growth and building a strong, resilient workforce in all sectors.

That is why, in early April 2022, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Workforce Solutions Road Map. This initiative marks the next step in an ongoing effort to adjust and improve the TFW Program to ensure it continues to meet the labour market needs of today. Central to this is addressing labour shortages, enhancing...

The original article can be found here.

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Covid restrictions are lifting in some parts of the world and the economy is booming in some sectors. Some labor and material costs are rising due to shortages, as is customer demand. Many brands have high pricing power at the moment, making price hiles almost inevitable. Brand managers may be clued in on the size of their price increase, but it's no easy matter to communicate this unwelcome news to customers. 

Many companies, and even entire industries, routinely raise prices without ever telling customers. In the consumer packaged goods space, for instance, it is common practice to reduce quantity (the grammage of a package, item count, etc.) and maintain the price. This increases the per-unit amount paid by shoppers but keeps the more visible package price unchanged. Alternatively, brands may cut down on trade promotions, couponing, and other forms of discounting, raising prices indirectly. For instance, when faced...

Want to eliminate a lot of stress? Invoice and review A/R & A/P reports on a weekly basis with your team. Too often I speak with owners who have completed a lot of work but haven’t invoiced or collected on those projects and find themselves in a cash flow crunch.

If you review the following items weekly you will always have a clear understanding of where you sit financially. Waiting too long to invoice, or to follow-up on outstanding invoices can often result in the final payment never being collected, since many owners feel awkward trying to collect on a job that’s been completed for a long time. 

Weekly Accounts Payable/ Receivable Checklist:

• Create invoices for work completed in the last 7 days
• Create files for work to completed next week 
• Track incoming receipts per job 
• Follow up on outstanding invoices from the last couple of weeks
• Review incoming payables
• What needs to be paid this week
• What gets paid at the end of the month

Do you avoid reviewing AP and AR...

Bookkeeper, Controller, CFO. Are you uncertain about what each role emcompasses? Or when you should outsource the role vs. hiring someone in-house? We hope this will help! 

Should I hire a bookkeeper?

I get this question a lot. The truth is that a business of any size needs a person to handle their books. When first starting out, outsourcing a bookkeeper is the best option as it reduces your costs since you only pay for the time you need. And by having a bookkeeper throughout the year, you will save money on your accountant at the end of the year, since there’s less for them to do.

A big mistake that small business owners make is thinking they can do the books on their own. Once the season gets busy, the last thing owners want to do is the books at the end of the day. The result of leaving the books until the off season is a nightmare that ends up costing you more money and more headaches.

So, what does a bookkeeper do? The bookkeeper will enter all the payables, record payments re...

NOTE: The original article can be found here.

As a small business owner, you need accurate and up-to-date financial information so you can make the best decisions for your business.

As your business grows and you hire employees, or take on more customers, keeping track of your business expenses and ensuring your books are accurate becomes more complex and time-consuming.

It’s a lot to keep track of while also running your business – sales, expenses, salary payments, and any other money that goes in and out of your business.

You know how important it is to keep good records, not only for CRA compliance and protecting yourself in case of an audit, but also if you want to sell your business down the line.

And frankly, you’re sick of staring at spreadsheets or teaching yourself how to use accounting software. You find yourself falling behind and losing track of receipts, and you’re afraid of missing out on important deductions or overdue invoices that cost you money. You know it’s tim...

If you are looking for a way to make an immediate impact on your organization with little expense, try implementing the 5S Methodology. 

The 5S Methodology originated in Japan and is a systematic approach to workplace organization, broken down into 5 steps:

Sort - go through each work area and eliminate all unnecessary tools and materials (especially in the shop and yard areas). 

Set in order - arrange all tools and inventory in such a way that the most frequently used items are the easiest and quickest to locate.

Shine - clean and maintain the cleanliness of all the workspaces and equipment.

Standardize - all equipment, tools and workstations should be identical.

Sustain - maintain and review standards regularly to maintain focus on the new way of doing things. 

Have you heard of this before? I love it because I’m big on systems that simplify what we are doing as business owners. 

For more information on the 5S Methodology and a breakdown of each of the steps, click HERE.

If ...

Successful businesses don't happen by accident. Business growth requires strategic planning and a commitment to work on your business and not just in your business. There are 5 important reasons why your business isn't reaching its full potential, despite all your time, energy and hard work. 

Mistake #1 - NOT SHARING YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLE

Are you trying to do everything yourself? We encourage you to start by looking at your own leadership role in your business. Have you identified what kind of leader you are? Is your leadership style serving your team well so that your business can grow and operate without you?

Mistake #2 - NOT LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Do you understand your customers?

You wouldn't have a business without your customers but at the end of the day, do you understand their behaviour? You have the power to create loyal ambassadors to your company by giving your customers a great experience and managing their expectations.

Mistake #3 - NOT INVESTING IN YOUR STAFF

A...

A-Players. Every employer is asking for them, but what are you doing to attract them? 

There are certain things that A-players are looking for from prospective employers.

8 Things A-Players Want:

1. To work with other A-Players. Are you willing to make a position available if an A-Player applies for a job at your company?
2. Accountability. Does your company have accountability and measurement tools to make the company better? 
3. To know what the long term goals are for the company. Are you sure of your long term goals? Have you shared that with your staff?
4. To not be part of a stagnant company. Are you evolving and changing? 
5. The opportunity to grow within the company. What are you doing with your current staff to nurture them in their personal and professional lives?
6. To not hear phrases like "that's the way we have always done it."
7. Financial transparency. Business is a game, what are you doing to keep score with your team? 
8. Owners who are developing themselves. As a leader in your...