Management Solutions
Feb 8, 2022
Embracing technology
As a contractor, I know you’re busy. You are constantly going from job to job, meeting with customers to discover their hopes and dreams and determine how you and your crew can make them come true.
Dec 14, 2021
Improving employee recruitment and retention
Having an effective recruitment and retention strategy is an investment that many landscape business owners undervalue.
Oct 13, 2021
The problem with unit pricing
Assuming a fixed cost per item may be detrimental to your bottom line
Aug 4, 2021
Reduce waste and build a better snow business
No matter the size of the snow operation you run, we all have waste — costs that rob us of valuable profit and opportunity.
May 4, 2021
The hiring debate: skill set vs. cultural fit
If you’re in the skilled trades, you know how hard it is to source enough applicants, let alone find the right people that fit your company and your team’s needs.
Dec 1, 2020
Measuring — and improving — your labour situation
2020 was one of the most bizarre years on record, a year where nothing went as expected.
Oct 3, 2020
Building snow clients for life
It’s certainly been a year of uncertainty, but for most contractors, it’s also been a year of surprising success!
Sep 1, 2020
A winning strategy to sell snow
You’ve got insane hours, sleepless nights (maybe weeks!), a labour shortage and your insurance company has doubled your premiums. How is anyone supposed to make good money
in snow?
Aug 1, 2020
Start change before you need it
Leadership has many meanings and leaders have many roles.
Apr 1, 2020
Dodging the hiring problems a little bit longer
Focus on your company's operations to make the most of what you already have.
Mar 2, 2020
Simplify your landscape business
Focus on simplifying your business to eliminate the things that cause chaos
Feb 4, 2020
Plan for 2020: It's budgeting time!
Start your plan for profit with three budgets: company, division and crew.
Dec 3, 2019
Build a better business
To build a better business, you can succeed with buy-in from your team, a commitment to keeping clean and organized, and a willingness to recognize when you are off track.
Nov 1, 2019
Create a sales process for snow
The most successful snow contractors have a proven sales process that scales as their companies grow.
Oct 7, 2019
The real value of workplace safety
When it comes to your crews, safety should become a key part of your culture.
Sep 3, 2019
Reduce snow and ice liability this season
Today's operators have to use every tool at their disposal to stay in business
Sep 1, 2019
Price guidance wins better customers
Providing pricing guidance positions your company as a trusted provider.
Jun 4, 2019
Systems to promote succession
Succession planning is critical to owning a landscape business.
Mar 1, 2019
How fast is production?
Production rates are key to good estimating and continuous improvement.
Feb 1, 2019
Simplify your business this year
Look at areas of your business where you can reduce clutter, and make running your business fun again.
Jan 14, 2019
Three ideas to make work better
Top three improvement initiatives that had the biggest impact on hundreds of landscape companies in 2018.
Oct 4, 2018
Looking for motivated staff? Define opportunities
Build a company that creates opportunities to attract and keep good employees.
Oct 1, 2018
Two big tips for snow and ice efficiency
We just finished some internal training for new staff at LMN. We presented ‘A Day (and Night) in the Life of a Snow Contractor,’ and covered everything. From contract types and selling, to planning and routing, right through to execution and liability — we covered what it takes to make our lots, walks and roads safe.
Sep 5, 2018
Frugality can cost money
Re-using something makes sense in the landscape industry, but too much frugality can lead to incorrect decisions.
Jun 13, 2018
Improve your equipment spend
When making equipment decisions, consider both sides of the equation. What it will cost you to invest in equipment... And what’s its costing your revenue not to invest.
May 2, 2018
Benchmarking your equipment
Providing a framework of success for owners and managers who lack experience or a strong financial background
Jan 9, 2018
Improving your field labour ratio
The field labour ratio is one of the most important key performance indicators for any landscape company because labour has more impact on profitability than any other cost in your company.
Jan 9, 2018
Identifying the best, most profitable jobs
If you want to grow a successful business in this industry, you must be able to identify jobs that make money and those that don't.
Jan 1, 2018
Pay yourself first: How-to guide for business owners
If your company forecasts show you can’t afford to pay yourself what you had hoped, the problem is not your salary — it’s your business.
Sep 28, 2017
Benchmarking field labour
The goal of benchmarks is to provide a general framework for success
Sep 28, 2017
Profit strategies for snow
With competition increasing in the snow and ice business, contractors will have to up their game to win.
Jul 31, 2017
Improving overhead spending
What efficient companies are doing to improve their profits.
Apr 24, 2017
Benchmarking your overhead, Part 1
Financial benchmarks as guidelines for success in green industry companies.
Feb 27, 2017
Monitor the pulse of your seasonal business
Tracking the progress of a landscape business is trickier than many others.
Jan 17, 2017
Implementing change in your landscape company
Change. If you’re a business owner, that one word likely makes the hair stand up on your neck.
Nov 10, 2016
Ten KPIs to ponder at year's end
Mark Bradley outlines 10 key performance indicators to use when analyzing your landscape business.
Oct 1, 2016
How efficient is your landscape company?
Another day, another job supposed to start — but your crews are standing there without the right tools or materials.
Sep 28, 2016
Controlling unbillable time: What makes good companies great - September 2016 Landscape Trades
Mark Bradley's tips to cut down on wasted time and take your company from good to great.
Aug 29, 2016
Equipment could be your top snow and ice salesperson
Your equipment has a significant influence on your snow and ice sales. From the types of work, to the number of sites you can complete in a shift, right through to what you are charging, equipment plays a strong hand in the work you win each winter.
Jun 1, 2016
Unit pricing hurts contractors and contracting
Unit pricing hurts your company's profits by assuming a fixed amount of labour per item.
Apr 6, 2016
Five plans for success
Charting plans for your company -- five-year, one-year, work schedule, plans for estimates and daily plans -- guides it toward success and profitability.
Apr 6, 2016
Horsepower for productivity - management solutions August LT 2015
Remember, in most circumstances, the cost of inefficiency and lost productivity is far more expensive than the cost of equipment itself. Not only will a good set of equipment improve on-time delivery of your jobs; when managed correctly, equipment will improve the culture, attitude and bottom line of your company.
Mar 1, 2016
Taking the guesswork out of change
Now, with the start of a new year, we’ll examine how to use some simple numbers to manage expansion or contraction of your company and how to better ensure profits in times of change.
Sep 1, 2014
Profitable goals using a rewards-first approach, Part 2
Different types of work have different goal levels.
Aug 1, 2014
Profitability: A rewards-first approach
If your business isn’t making a consistent profit, then over time your passion will give way to frustration.
Jun 1, 2014
Housekeeping for contractors
As your season slips into high-gear, don’t neglect the little “stitches” that keep small problems from growing into big ones.
Apr 1, 2014
Three fears to cast off in 2014
Are rising costs keeping you from growing your business?
Mar 1, 2014
Unit pricing, good intentions and poor results
We’re all forced into a scenario where unit pricing is required, such as a tender or working for an architect.
Nov 29, 2013
Work hard, and remember to work smart
"Genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration" Thomas Edison
Sep 1, 2013
Better profits — Part 2: Beware the Bottleneck
What if there was one simple number you could use to help make better business decisions?
Aug 7, 2013
Better Profits: Part 1
Successful companies have embraced some basic tools and knowledge that help their profitability.
Jun 1, 2013
The six deadly mistakes of job costing
There might not be a topic more over-talked and under-delivered than job costing.
Apr 1, 2013
Charge more. Sell more.
Tips on charging more for work to be completed, while still securing the customer
Mar 1, 2013
Solving inefficiencies efficiently
Solving 80 per cent of your problems isn’t nearly as hard as you might think.
Jan 1, 2013
Super-profit: Your mantra for next year
Learn to earn larger profit margins on your work that the industry average.
Nov 1, 2012
Systems: Key to Superstars
Great systems and good disciplined people form the backbone of a successful company.
Sep 1, 2012
Find the sweet spot in pricing snow
Milder winters means more competition in the snow removal market.
Jun 1, 2012
Jobcosting: the secret of successful landscape businesses
Decisions on measuring time and costs must be simple enough for everyone in the company to understand.
May 1, 2012
Train your staff to think 'solutions' not 'problems'
Business owners need to create a culture that allows people to find solutions to problems.
Apr 1, 2012
Prune deadwood from your company
Most companies and managers tend to hang on too long to the dead wood within their companies.
Mar 1, 2012
Five ways to outwit and out-price your competition in 2012
Many of us witnessed a shift in customer spending last year. Customers were more price-sensitive.
Jan 1, 2012
Projects are taking too long …do you know why?
When landscape contractors are honest with themselves, they admit productivity problems start long before crews lace up their boots.
Sep 1, 2011
Manager, or leader?
By investing in training and developing leaders, we improve productivity, planning, profits, and the work-life balance that keeps us all better balanced in an industry where it’s easy to go over the edge.