Are You an Entrepreneur or a Workaholic?
In discussing fast growth, I recognized there are two types of hard workers: Workaholics and Entrepreneurs.
Workaholics.
Here are some criteria that define this type:
Nonstop work 6+ days a week
Very few vacations, and possibly only in off season
Not many hobbies.
Family life does not come first.
Always on call.
What got you here, won’t get you there.
It used to be that all entrepreneurs were workaholics (just work harder!)
But things have evolved.
Workaholics may succeed early on, but then they plateau because of their approach.
They tend to breed inefficient mini-me’s who then burn out.
Entrepreneurs.
…are a different breed, they:
Understand the “work hard play hard” balance
Use delegation to take successive responsibilities off their plate.
Hire A and A+ players so that growth is not stopped by the Peter Principle (definition below)
Set up systems, measure on results.
Every Great Entrepreneur Needs A Coach
Early in my consulting career I hired my own coach. The gentleman was low cost, had skills, and helped me refine my new business direction. A few years later I hired the “real deal” coach—it was a much bigger investment, and helped me build my skills and scale my business to what it is today. Who’s my next coach? It’s been a while since I worked with such a great coach, until this weekend.At the racetrack here in New Orleans I hired my first “real deal” driver development coach.He and I are similar, and his coaching techniques really resonated. They may also resonate with you, as you coach up your own team. SIX USEFUL COACHING TECHNIQUES
The Straight Dirt from the original OG, Steve Griggs
Steve Griggs is the founder and owner of Steve Griggs Design, based in Baluvelt, NY. He is author of the best-selling book, “Straight Dirt”. Steve is the original OG ("old guard") and very direct, and shares the straight dirt on contracting and how to work with...
Strategic Growth: How to Build Dramatic Value In Your Business
This past week I had some thrilling conversations with my coaching clients on their growth strategies. I told a few of them “either you are buying low, or someone else is buying low, and they could be buying you!” Let me explain what I mean. Scale Determines Value. As the hype of the merger-mania floods our industry, it makes it looks sexy to sell one’s business. But unless you have achieved significant scale, you are losing out and leaving massive opportunities on the table. The scale of your business determines its value.
Building a team and a profitable business with Scott Lamon
Scott Lamon owns the 17 yr. old firm, Tynic Landscaping in Southwick, MA. His firm revenues 3.5M with almost 50 people at peak including PT help; they do 60% commercial and 40% residential. Jeffrey and Scott discuss all the different jobs he had before he got into the...
Six Guidelines for Better Budgeting. Start Now!
Budget season comes earlier than you think. It starts now. You need to budget early for a few reasons: It confirms your pricing for next year.It brings clarity to big investments. It forces you to get next year’s goals figured out now. The budgeting process should “ideally” start at the end of Q3 (September) after you have 8 months of current year actuals. Here are six critical guidelines.
Lessons From Seven Top Landscape Companies
The following seven landscape professionals were awarded the prestigious 2023 Mighty Oak for their outstanding achievement. This honor is given each year to one member of each of Jeffrey’s high-impact peer groups — based on how they performed the previous year. The Four Achievements
There are four “developmental” areas in which a winner must show outstanding achievement.
Personal development
Professional development
Company development (their team, processes, strategy, etc)
Financial achievement (how their finances have developed over the past couple years)
Here are the winning contractors plus insight to their path to success.
From GM to Owner with Matt Hunter
Matt Hunter is the owner of New Garden Landscaping & Nursery in Greensboro, NC. Matt and his teams run a 12+M highly diversified business with three locations. Jeffrey and Matt discuss Matt’s rise from laborer to salesperson to branch manager to General Manager to...
Jimmy Buffett’s Famous Business Strategy Is Not For Everyone
With the passing of Jimmy Buffett, I am inspired to ponder the oft cited “work/life balance” that Jimmy skewers. Jimmy sings about working as little as humanly possible. According to Jimmy, life should be about beach bumming, drinking whenever, and fooling around. And yet, Mr. Buffett passed away a wealthy man based on the incessant hard work he invested into his business.
7 Takeaways from the Summer Growth Summit
Our Summer Growth Summit at Mariani Landscape in Lake Bluff, IL was the HOTTEST landscape event of the year! Over 3 days, we had 26 speakers covering inspiring and cutting-edge topics to help any attendee grow to their next level of success. The Summit concluded with a discussion between Jeffrey Scott and Frank Mariani regarding how Mariani Landscape grew from 90k in 1973 to 59 million in 2020. Then they discussed what has happened since making a private equity deal in 2020 and where the company is headed now. Frank and Jeffrey were like two old friends talking around the fire pit. They also covered the pitfalls of the 4 day work week, how to solve the labor issue, and how any company could pursue an acquisition growth strategy. Many companies brought their teams, and the energy was palpable. Here are 7 takeaways to get your mind thinking:
