California 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 MoreMost small businesspersons – myself included – start out wearing almost all the hats (serving in multiple positions) in the business. But as the business grows, hopefully we begin removing some of those hats and passing those areas of responsibility to trusted employees and consultants. Yes, I know they may not be able to work those areas as well as you can – or so you think – but if you don’t pass some of those hats to others, you will never grow your business, and you will never be able to take a two-week vacation away from it either.
Read MoreBeing quick on your feet is almost counterintuitive to what we’ve been taught by business coaches who tell us that those who fail to plan, plan to fail…that we’re to look before we leap…and that we’re to measure twice and cut once. All these sound business practices are still valid. But there’s no time to think and plan or measure when your car died on the tracks and the train is heading straight for you. That’s when being quick on your feet has to kick in and get you to safety. There is room in your business life for both approaches. You can both walk and chew gum, right?
Read MoreLife brings with it opportunities, and you must be prepared to act on them when they come along. You take the right classes, you get the right licenses, you align yourself with the right suppliers, and you make sure you can “staff up” when that opportunity becomes a reality. In a sense, you take control of the future by preparing for it today.
Read MoreIf I had to define in one word how we were able to grow Landscape Warehouse from a little blue house next to a lawnmower shop in Pasadena to eight irrigation supply and nursery locations in three counties, that would be the Spanish word “albur.”
Read MoreThere is a philosophy I have adopted over the years that involves the closest people in my life. I call it my Circle of Friendship and it includes family members, dear friends, key customers, and a few additional special people as well. Whether planned or it just evolved, I realize it determines how I think about these folks, how I interact with them, what they can expect from me, and what I might expect from them. I can count on them, and they can count on me. Just consider for a moment the tremendous value in that statement!
Read MoreIn the early days of Disneyland, patrons needed to buy books of tickets to be used on the various attractions. The tickets came in different colors with a big, bold letter signifying on which group of rides they could be used. The E-Tickets were the best ones and got you on all the major rides, including the big rollercoasters. The term remains as something adventurous, long after its original meaning is no longer. (Ask someone over 50!)
Read MoreMost of us are still recovering from all the activity of the Holidays, with our personal and business get-togethers, shopping sprees, and delicious but fattening Holiday foods. In our industry, business is generally a little slower this time of year, which gives us the chance to re-charge, re-stock, re-think, and to reinvigorate our staff and crews as we prepare for the excitement and crazy increase of activity just around the corner…when springtime arrives.
Read MoreIf you want the New Year to be better for you than the old one, then it would be wise to include some new projects, doing old things in new and better ways, and even adding new suppliers and new technical people to the way you do business. As difficult as it may be to add the right new things to your New Year’s to-do list, letting go of familiar things – and people that may be holding you back from making the changes you need to implement – is a hundred times more difficult.
Read MoreDecember is finally here and with it we close another successful CLCA year… in spite of COVID. For some of the year we had great gains and at other times a few losses directly related to the COVID shutdown. But without doubt we close 2021 overcoming adversity and looking ahead to a successful 2022.
Read MoreHaving your trees removed is not as simple a task as one might think. Before removing trees, it is important to know whether it is your best option. There are several factors that go into determining whether tree removal is necessary or if the tree can be saved. Furthermore, Los Angeles is filled with protected trees that, if removing, require certain standards be met and permits acquired.
Read MoreImmutable laws always work. They never get out of order as the laws are exacting and they never go wrong. There is a definite way immutable laws work, but they must be understood in order to be available to us. In our professions we learn the techniques involved. Our choice of thoughts is so very important in our creative endeavors. Sluggish thinking brings sluggish results and wandering thinking brings unproductive results. Think as you want your experience to appear. Keep out any doubt or uncertainty. Make plain what you desire and expect it so it will be unquestioned.
Read MoreThere is an infinite creative life within every person – yes, even me. So many terrific books and even novels awaken within us so many possibilities for greatness that are already within us. In our professions and vocations, we have recognized this as a matter of study and experiences.
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