Do you train, motivate and protect your staff like they're the greatest asset you have in your business? 

You put so much work into finding the best people for the job and then training them. But don't assume the team development work ends when their job starts. If you hire an employee and then never speak to them again, you are wasting time, money and potential talent. It creates a  work culture that feels like "come and go" and can lead to high turnover & poor morale.

Here are a few tips to ensure that’s not the case in your business:

• Training is the foundation that will set the tone moving forward. Take the time to share the company's mission and the role they play in that bigger vision.
• Keep morale high among your staff so that you get the best work out of every employee.
• Invest in staff from the beginning and you will have experienced and confident team members to grow with your organization. 
• Develop a career ladder with each employee to allow you to...

Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want by Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkavy, is a book about living on purpose. It’s about making a plan for what you want your life to look like instead of drifting through life in reaction mode.

“The average person spends 5 hours researching and shopping for a new car. The average bride-to-be spends 40 days planning a three-hour wedding. However, the average person never spends 1 day planning his or her life.”

Growth and development as a business owner is crucial because success doesn’t just happen. It takes time, goals, direction and a plan to get there.

My thoughts on Living Forward:

1. It’s a step by step guide to building a life plan for your personal and business life instead of drifting through your life.
2. A great read to compete on a vacation or a couple of day sabbatical where you have time to read and reflect on who you are and where you want to go with purpose.
3. To achieve...

“If you’re going to build a business that is scalable and valuable, you must get your financial house in order.” - Jeffrey Scott

A few months ago fellow business coach, Jeffrey Scott, published an article on the Top 10 Financial Mistakes he sees business owners make. In it he shared that before taking on a new client he asks them to rate their financial involvement. I’d love to ask you the same.

How would you rate yourself in regards to your finances? 

Level 5. Review financial reports monthly and operational reports weekly, and other operational numbers daily, making key decisions along the way.

Level 4. Review financial reports monthly, making many decisions monthly.

Level 3. Look briefly at reports monthly (or every other month), making just a few decisions.

Level 2. Look at reports quarterly at best.

Level 1. Wait till year end to see how I did.

No matter where you are on the scale - you are not alone and there is always room for growth. Knowing your...

When we understand how to use it, technology can simplify our day to day operations and help ensure important tasks are not slipping between the cracks. When we don’t understand what to use or how to use it - it can add an additional layer of stress.

Did you know Nextra has an in-house IT department specifically for this reason? Technology enthusiast Jordan Robertson acts as both our Chief Technology Officer and on-site IT technician. Jordan is always looking for the newest technology and IT solutions to help our clients - and us - stay ahead of the curve, in and out of the office 

Nextra Network’s IT services include:

1. Purchasing, implementation and training of various softwares and programs

Microsoft Office/365/Teams, Slack, LMN, Aspire, accounting software, design and drawing programs, etc.

 2. Purchasing, installation and training on various hardware and hardware components/accessories

Landline phone systems, mobile phones, desktop and laptop...

As a small business owner, do you ever feel like the cards are stacked against you? The larger companies have greater buying power and therefore access to greater discounts. At Nextra Network, we want to level the playing field a bit. The Nextra Network buyers group allows smaller companies to combine their purchases in order to create more buying power - and therefore greater discounts - for everyone. 

We’ve been listening to you and have created a group of suppliers for the Buyers Group with your specific needs in mind. Our commitment is to work behind the scenes to bring these deals together for you while working with reputable companies that we can recommend you use without reservation.

Currently we are working with companies to get you:

• Licensed vehicles
• Equipment & large commercial vehicles
• Materials
• Software & Hardware
• Direct access to manufacturer reps

If you’d like more information on the Network and to request a meeting with Grant please click ...

“When Grant from Nextra Consulting asked us last year if there were any areas where he could help us, we jumped at the opportunity to work with him. Nextra Consulting helped us to not only see areas where we could grow our business, but to operate more efficiently on a daily basis. With his help, we have defined our vision, core values, immediate and future goals and added vital positions we did not realize we needed. We also run more productive team meetings with set timelines, agenda items and a rating system. If you're looking for a consultant to help you organize and run your business more efficiently, we strongly recommend Nextra Consulting.” (Mountview Landscaping)

Business coaching is about more than just having a cheerleader in your corner. A coach helps you gain clarity and create a long term vision for your company. 

At Nextra, coaching means having a sounding board when you want input or advice on company decisions. It means having accountability...

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” -  Henry Ford

You didn’t go to school to become a bookkeeper or accountant and that’s not why you started your landscaping business. Yet here you are, a business owner, who needs to suddenly understand business finance.

Did you know most landscape companies fail because the owners don’t understand their numbers? It’s frustrating when you don’t know where to start and it’s normal to feel frustrated and intimidated by it. 

It’s your accountant/bookkeeper’s job to record data and relay it to you - but not necessarily to help you understand the numbers and make decisions based on them. This is where we come in. We know the numbers for our industry and what they should reflect, as well as the impact changes to the numbers will mean for the business.

Allowing us to help you with the financials takes away a lot of...

When we were in business, we worked really hard but didn't make any money. 

At the time, we didn't know what questions to ask or who to contact to help us figure out where we were going wrong. Yes, we created beautiful landscapes and had excellent staff and customer service, but we drove ourselves - and each other - crazy trying to figure out how to make the business profitable.

We know our experience is not unique. This is why we started the Nextra Network. We want to provide landscape business owners with the tools they need to create strong and profitable businesses, not just beautiful landscapes. 

The Nextra Network provides business coaching, financial services, a buyers group, and education, along with health & safety and human resources advice. It’s kind of like "business success in a box". By helping ensure these elements are taken care of, the Nextra Network allows owners to focus on what they do best, and sleep better at night knowing that the important...

"When you make a gift all about you, it's not a gift. Gifts are meant to be all about the recipient, from the timing to the personalization of the gift itself. When it's all about you and your company, it shows a lack of genuine appreciation for the recipient.”

So often in business the idea of generosity is believed to be a waste of money but John Ruhlin, author of Giftology, shares that it’s actually the opposite. During the short read you will find practical ways you can give back as an owner. John shares the do’s and don'ts of gift giving in an easy-to-understand and implement way - it takes time and effort to gift well.

Some tips:

• DO make sure the gift is not about you, the giver, but about the person receiving the gift
• DO make sure the gift is personal 
• DON’T brand the gift to your company
• DO budget how much you want to spend on gifts

Reading Giftology has made me take time to really consider the recipient and what would be special to them. This...