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...

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...

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-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...

Are you frustrated by how long it takes crews to get out of the yard in the morning? If yes, you’re not alone.

Every spring I hear owners talk about how long it takes to get everyone out of the yard each day. There is a certain frustration that goes along with getting crews out in the morning that landscape business owner, Tim Groenewold, has worked to remove from his business.

Below are Tim’s 9 tips for getting your crews out quickly. An added bonus to these tips is that they will also be helpful in doing your part with social distancing while maintaining business as usual as much as you can.

1. Give crews their own space - this way they aren’t tripping over each other while they are getting ready to head out in the morning.
2. Give crews their own tools - this stops the “that’s my mower!” type of conversations. 
3. Hire a mechanic - it’s their responsibility to keep the crews running. It saves money, because it’s more expensive to send...

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...

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. Routine is weekly maintenance, while non-routine includes things like post-winter cleanups, mulching,...

In my conversations with business owners, there are issues and problems that seem to arise over and over again. They’re the same problems most owners deal with, the same ones I deal with. We found this article by Roberta Matuson to be very practical and helpful - 7 common mistakes business owners make and how to avoid them. I’m all about avoidance when it comes to mistakes! Take a look and let us know what you think. Do you have any other tips to add to the list?

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I've been in business for over 20 years and have seen my share of mistakes made by business owners — many that certainly could have been avoided. Here’s my list of common mistakes business owners make, along with advice on how to avoid following suit.

1. Failure to hire for fit.
Think about a job that you worked in that didn’t work out. Was it because you didn’t have the skills to do the job, or was it because your values did not align with the...

Time Management Strategies 

If this past snow and ice season has reminded us of anything, it is that time management is essential not only to your business, but also to your overall health, and the health of your employees. We found the tips below (from an article by John Rampton at Entreprenur.com) to be full of great suggestions to help you manage your time, increase efficiency and decrease stress. 

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1. Stop letting to-do lists ruin your life.

To-do lists aren’t just useful. They’re essential to our success, since the brain can only focus on three or four things at a time. So, we need lists for any work-related tasks that we have to get to later. But creating too many lists can stress us out. Lists don’t take into account how long it takes to complete a task, and they don’t help us separate the important from the urgent.

Don’t scrap your to-do-lists. Instead, rethink your approach to your lists. A straightforward approach...

A lot has changed in a few years. 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.

An increasingly important part of hiring is staff onboarding and training. 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 needs 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...