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...

The book we are recommending this month is written differently than any other business book I have read. Business Made Simple by Donald Miller consists of short, daily readings to be completed over the course of a couple of months.

I love this because it breaks down business concepts into bite size pieces and gives you time to reflect on what you’ve read. Having time to digest one thing at a time makes it easier to see how you can apply the concepts to your business.

It’s the perfect book to read during the busyness of the spring season.

Throughout the book you will be introduced to the nine areas where successful leaders and their businesses excel:

Character: What kind of person succeeds in business?

Leadership: How do you unite a team around a mission?

Personal Productivity: How can you get more done in less time?

Messaging: Why aren't customers paying more attention?

Marketing: How do I build a sales funnel?

Business Strategy: How does a business really work?

Execution: Ho...

How has the last week gone? Were you able to implement any of the tips suggested to help alleviate feeling like a firefighter? As promised, here are a few more from Bruce Wilson of the Wilson-Oyler Group:

1. Delegate. Take a look at your to do lists and identify what can be done by others. It may take them a little longer than it would you, but that’s okay. It’s better if a job takes a little more time and gets completed, than to not get done at all because you’ve run out of time. You can’t do it all, delegate to your staff.
2. Slower can be faster. Sometimes you go so fast trying to keep up that you lose sight of the big picture. Prioritize so you don’t miss what’s important.  
3. If your crews are scheduled to work in inclement weather make sure scheduled tasks can be done effectively in the rain.
4. Rely on your team. When you start falling behind, don’t be afraid to ask for help .Senior managers are there to help you be successful. 
5. Important, not urgent, things usually have the most im...

With the beauty of spring comes the stress that accompanies the start of the season for landscaping companies. It’s been nicknamed the “100 days of hell” because of the chaos that so often ensues. This year, much like last, we have the added stress of COVID-19 and the stress of the unknown when it comes to zones and restrictions. 

As Bruce Wilson put it, “In less disciplined organizations, spring makes everyone a firefighter”. You’re constantly putting out fires, it gets out of control quickly and by the time you see the financial impact, it is too late to do anything about it. Some companies never escape the spiral.

If this is sounding a little too familiar (and uncomfortable), here are a few tips Bruce Wilson suggests to help you move out of the firefighting space permanently:

1. Understand the difference between routine and non-routine work. Weekly maintenance is routine work, while nonroutine work includes things like post-winter cleanups, mulching, planting, etc. 
2. Non-routine w...

Fleet management is an important part of your business. It includes things like leasing, financing, general maintenance, licenses and compliance, supply chain management, accident management, monitoring and diagnosis, driver management, fuel management and safety management among many other things.

For a simple start to managing your assets, try keeping an inventory spreadsheet with the most important information for each vehicle/piece of equipment and motorized hand tool. This allows you to have all the key information in one place for easy reference and the ability to look at the entire set of assets at a glance.

Choose a person who will own this process and have them set reminders on their computer or in their phone so that simple things like oil changes and routine maintenance are not being missed. 

When you're ready for the next step, consider a fleet management program or software. Should you need suggestions on what program to use, do not hesitate to reach out to us for some ...

Having an effective Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) is an often-overlooked component in an organization’s success strategy. 

The current Covid-19 pandemic, however, brings to light some of the benefits of having one.  For example, it allows for all the employee concerns regarding Covid-19 policies to be discussed with management on a regular basis through the employee representative. Feeling represented when it comes to your health and safety is always important. But during Covid-19 or any major health concern, it becomes especially important that your employees feel they have a voice.

A Joint Health & Safety Committee offers many benefits:

• Provides a way to empower employees while ensuring your organization remains compliant with current health and safety legislation.
• Promotes an attitude of problem-solving health and safety issues and an increased safety culture in your workplace.
• Encourages open lines of communication and strong working relationships between staff an...

Tailgate talks are one of the easiest ways to engage your staff and promote a culture of safety. They are specifically designed to be a quick review of safety protocols and techniques your staff have already been trained on as a reminder to keep safety in the forefront of their minds.  

Tailgate talks create the opportunity to connect with your entire staff once a week and enable you to not only touch on safety topics, but also to talk about changes in company policies, recognize individual or crew-based achievements, and acknowledge birthdays or other important events. 

Here are 5 tips for creating engaging tailgate talks: 

• Preplan your tailgate talks for the season so you don’t need to worry about what your next topic will be. Create a tailgate talks binder sorted by topics and dates relevant to the time of year (ie. In April, talk about blower safety ahead of spring clean-up) and decide in advance who will be speaking on each topic.
• Keep it short. Tailgate talks should be arou...

As you move into the very busy spring season, it’s crucial that you as the owner be organized. 

Over the years I have tried different tools and strategies and have a few I’ve come to love and use regularly. Click the link below/ the resources link in our bio for my list of go to tips and tools.

• Always keep a notebook handy - Evernote is my preferred digital notebook. https://evernote.com/
• Use a planner. It doesn’t matter if that’s paper or digital, just make sure it’s being updated on the go so that appointments and meetings are not being missed. I love using Calendly for appointments. If you’re using paper - I would recommend the Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner. https://fullfocusstore.com/
• Set a morning routine and stick to it. When you do the same thing every morning, it removes the decision-making from that part of your day. This allows you to save your decision-making energy for the business and avoid decision fatigue
• Work with a coach to help scale your business in a susta...

A new month means a new book recommendation! This month’s recommendation comes to you from our staff member, Jordan Robertson. 

Have you read Safety Walk, Safety Talk?

Author Dave Galloway absolutely hits the mark as he explains how safety is first and foremost about caring. Throughout the book Galloway focuses on the mentality of safety itself and leaders that want to create a culture of safety throughout their organization.

You’ll read in depth discussions on compliance vs. commitment, how to develop a safety strategy as well as the psychological aspect regarding why people make mistakes and take risks.

One of our favourite parts of the book is that each chapter ends with a "Safety Leaders Toolbox" segment which gives practical tools and tips to becoming a better safety leader using small things you think, say and do everyday.

Here are Jordan's biggest takeaways from the book:

• Reading this book changed my outlook on the idea of safety in the workplace and I believe it will ch...