In staying with the spirit of learning to improve your business, our next event is April 11, a Zoom presentation by Sal Hernandez on “How to make the most profit from your award-winning projects.” Whether you are able to make that presentation or not you should still send in your entry applications as soon as possible. We are accepting entries for the Landscape Awards Competition from San Fernando Valley, Channel Islands and LA/San Gabriel Valley chapters. If you have any questions on how to submit, please feel free to reach out to us.
Read MoreI hope you are staying dry through these rainy days. It’s now March and with it comes the spring season, a time of new growth and garden revitalization.
Read MoreJanuary is done, just 11 more months to go. I would like to start off by giving a special thanks to all who attended our Installation Dinner last month, including our CLCA State President Tom Sweeny. Installation of both San Fernando Valley and Channel Islands chapters was a great success.
Read MoreIt is a new year and with it comes new opportunities. Like other years, CLCA is preparing for several events throughout the year with our biggest event being our Beautification Awards Program.
Read MoreIt has been a long year with many accomplishments along the way. As the New Year approaches, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Chapter this year, either by giving their time or by attending our events. Thank you to our hard-working Board Members as well as to all our Associate Members that have helped and sponsored us and continue to do so. Without all this support this Chapter could not continue in its path delivering excellent programs and valuable information to our members and others in the Green Industry.
Read MoreIt is now November and with it most of us are hopeful for a big family feast around the big table. I am very thankful for those SFV members who have remained active and supportive through Covid, and whose ideas and energy will ensure that 2024 is an even greater success than the year just ending.
Read MoreBad habits, we all have them. (And you thought I was perfect.) Mine are occasional procrastination, and sometimes underestimating how long a building project will take, such as putting up shelving or rearranging our warehouse. In both cases what helps me to overcome these is by relating them to the loss of money and time.
Read MoreIn his book Calling of the Kingdom, my friend (and your Editor) John Hernandez has a section dedicated to helping you find your Ten Talent Area (ten being best) that is a key in the pursuit of your calling…your reason for being here. This is a talent that you have had all your life, and one that you are most likely underutilizing – especially in business. You probably don’t realize you have this talent because it has become second nature to you. You may not see it, but others do; it is God-given, and you are very, very good at it.
Read MoreA great staff doesn’t just happen. There’s a lot of training, counseling, and setting of realistic goals for each department in their development process. And as we do with our customers…we treat all our staff members like family. If you don’t have a good training program in place for your staff…you’d better start one. You will redeem its cost a hundredfold.
Read MoreThings that we are thankful for vary from person to person. Most lists, however, would probably include good health, a loving family, a forgiving God, good friends, and some form of financial security… either now or soon. We can appreciate all of these and more, but as businesspersons we must be careful not to forget the life blood of our businesses…CUSTOMERS. Without a steady stream of them, we couldn’t have a business.
Read MoreOur summer sales in some areas are off to a slower start than we’d like, primarily due to wacky weather and an unstable economy. But in other areas, such as on the equipment side, we are having a fantastic season because of the big push for battery-powered equipment. Our nursery sales are also doing well. This reminds me of the old truism: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Landscape Warehouse offers a broad range of irrigation supplies and equipment for landscapers as well as a full line of plants, trees, and other nursery products from our nursery locations. This gives us a sound business foundation year ‘round.
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence is a hot topic lately, with people worried that it’s taking over our lives. Just imagine, it has only been a few decades since an IBM computer the size of a small house was technology’s crowning achievement. Today, that cell phone you’re glued to has 10 times the power and infinitely more capabilities than that old IBM dinosaur.
Read MoreCalifornia generally does not go through the four seasons like many other states. There they are on the calendar, alright, but our winters are usually filled with mild, mostly rainless days, and our summers start early and end late. That’s because we actually live in a desert.
Read MoreI believe that because of all this rain, the next couple of years should be easier for landscapers and those that supply them. Let’s hope there will be a reduction and loosening of water-related restrictions, which should result in more work being available for our industry. Sod growers and other suppliers hurt by the restrictions will begin enjoying life again, as will the landscapers and gardeners who install their products.
Read MoreYes, water restrictions are a big pain in the backside. But they can also provide a healthy new income stream for you. How? By your getting educated about ways to save water in the landscape which can make you a hero to your clients.
Read MoreJanuary brings with it the opportunity to plan great events, implement new programs and procedures for efficiency and growth, and ways to keep our employees happy while increasing productivity. Many businesses have similar plans for 2023, but those of us in the Green Industry will have to enact these plans while saddled with more than our share of burdensome water restrictions and anti-business legislation.
Read MoreThe end of the year is here and with it a new list of experiences and lessons learned both professionally and personally. We should all take the time before the ball drops to revisit our core values and remind ourselves to push on and repledge to our commitments.
Read MoreAs a young man newly arrived in Fresno and working on my uncle’s farm, my Tío Rubén gave me some advice that helped set me on the path for personal and professional growth. He told me to finish school and then find a trade in a field of endeavor I truly enjoyed. That’s good standard advice for any profession. But then he told me to learn as much as I could about my chosen trade, and never stop learning about it. “Education is the key to success,” he said. I have adopted that bit of wisdom, and it has never failed me.
Read MoreCovid, inflation, and the water crisis are affecting businesses in all sectors of the economy, and all households as well. But the landscape industry has seemed to dodge these bullets better than most. Yes, Covid placed burdensome and expensive regulations and brought nightmare staffing problems to our businesses. But the landscape industry was deemed “necessary,” and our businesses were able to continue operating, while other industries tanked. Something else happened during the worst of the Covid scare…grass kept growing providing continued business for stores like ours, plenty of work for contractors and gardeners, and uninterrupted landscape maintenance for homeowners and businesses.
Read MoreBecoming an active member of CLCA – or better yet, a member of our board – will increase your relations with other landscapers and our sponsors. It will also offer you the opportunity to give back to your community, to work on professional development, and to become a better leader not only in the association, but in your company as well.
Read More