Recap: Top Takeaways of our Summer Growth Summit
Following our Summer Growth Summit, we held several client debriefs, asking them which presentations had the greatest impact and what they planned to implement.
Their answers covered sales, culture, equipment, leadership and various operational areas. Yet one theme emerged: Discipline.
High-performing companies run by our hosts, Troy Clogg and Ivan Katz, are disciplined about turning ideas into systems, behaviors and measurable results.
Guatemala: A Vacation and a Place to Give Back
Every year after the Summer Growth Summit, we take a vacation to decompress. This year, we flew directly to Guatemala, but with a greater purpose this time.
A longtime mentor of mine, Steve Lewine, passed away suddenly last year. This week, his life was commemorated in Guatemala with the inauguration of a school and early-childhood learning center he helped build in a rural community there.
We were among 35 people who traveled from the United States to honor Steve and meet the students and teachers whose lives he touched.
Pricing Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Profits
If I asked five people in your company who owns pricing, would I get the same answer?
Probably not.
Pricing tends to evolve in different directions as a company grows:
Different salespeople start setting their own negotiation.
Perhaps an estimator builds the proposal to their own standard.
Account managers may make their own exceptions.
And operations has to deal with all the consequences.
Overcoming Hard Lessons on Insurance, Arson, and Bad Partnership Agreements with Jason Lee
Jason Lee runs Skyfrog Landscape, a $3M full-service design/build/maintenance company out of Gainesville, Florida, and sits down with host Jeffrey Scott to unpack a wild few years in business — including overcoming a building fire, being a FNGLA state chapter head,...
You Can’t Put Lipstick on a Pig
A while back, I showed up to a formal party wearing a tuxedo. I thought it was a “black tie” event. Boy was I embarrassed when I showed up and saw everyone wearing simple cocktail attire.
My friend and I stood out, like two penguins. We scrambled to his car to take off our bowties and tried to dress down.
That experience taught me something about degrees of overdressing. While wearing a tuxedo may be too much, at work it’s important to be slightly over dressed than looking ragged or overly casual.
Our industry needs more owners who think the same way. Whether it’s for a networking event, or for your company dress code.
Because you can’t put lipstick on a pig, and you also can’t show up looking like one.
The Green Industry Loses a Titan & Innovator
This past week, the green industry lost a titan—and I lost my dad and hero, Joe Scott Jr.
Joe was an early industry innovator and a founding member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).
Decades ahead of his time, he designed, built, and serviced entire properties through his pool business. Along the way, he helped launch the careers of many people who became some of the best in our industry.
Since his passing, friends have shared stories that reveal the personal impact my father had on them. Below is one from Everett, my oldest friend and a former employee of our firm.
These stories have reminded me how powerful it is to see someone you respect through another person’s eyes. Your spouse, parent, employee, or friend have likely influenced others in ways you never fully understood.
Don’t wait until someone dies (or quits) to ask others what they value about that person. What you learn now can be eye-opening, grounding, and even deeply meaningful.
HR Leadership and People Solutions with Katie Magoon and Mitch Katz
As your landscape company grows, your people challenges evolve. In this episode, Mitch Katz sits down with Katie Magoon, owner of People Solutions Center, to discuss how HR can become a strategic advantage instead of just a compliance function. Katie and Mitch discuss...
When a Tagline Becomes a Difference Maker, That Moves All Your People
Most company taglines are written for customers. The best ones also guide your employees.
While a clever tagline may help people remember your company, a powerful mantra helps your employees run it.
For example, BMW has spent more than five decades promising “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” As a fervent BMW owner, I can attest that the cars deliver on that promise.
Nike built a similar global identity around “Just Do It.”
However, the strongest phrases do more than advertise a brand. They express what the company believes and how it intends to behave.
Here are four landscape examples from companies we have worked with over the years.
An Inside Look: How We Run Our Annual Roadmap
Here is a behind the scenes look at Jeffrey Scott Consulting: How we do our own strategic planning.
As we enter Q3, it is time for all companies to think about planning the next 12–18 months, before year end sneaks up on you.
We just held our roadmap session a few weeks ago in New Orleans.
As you can imagine, a productive retreat requires more than a good agenda. It needs preparation, team chemistry and enough time for honest conversations.
Here is how we did it.
LM150 Exposed: Why the Biggest Landscaping Companies Are Growing Fastest (And Some Are Shrinking) with Scott Hollister
Scott Hollister, Editor-in-Chief of Landscape Management Magazine (published by North Coast Media, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio), joins Jeffrey Scott to break down the 2026 LM150 — the industry's ranking of the 150 largest landscaping companies. This year's list...
Get Access to Jeffrey's Growth Tips
Discover how to fix, grow or exit your landscape or lawn business. You’ll learn business strategies that will help you get results and discover ways to live a better life.
