Blog Archives - Jeffrey Scott

You Can’t Put Lipstick on a Pig

Aug 4, 2026 | Blog, Employees, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Peer Groups, Strategy, Training

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

Jul 30, 2026 | Blog, Employees, friendship, Leadership

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.

New Summit Speaker Announced: Growing Through Every Season with Kurt LaButte

Jul 7, 2026 | Events, Exit Planning, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

What would your business look like if you suddenly had to operate with 55% less revenue?

What if that was not even the most difficult challenge you would face?

We have added Kurt LaButte, co-founder of Todd’s Services Inc. (Hamburg, MI), to the speaker lineup for our Summer Growth Summit.

His presentation, “Growing Through Every Season,” is a story of entrepreneurship, devastating setbacks, rebuilding, leadership development, scaling to new heights, and succession.

How Daily Huddles Greatly Improve Efficiency and Avoid Big Mistakes

Jun 30, 2026 | Events, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Productivity, Strategy, Workshops

Long before anyone called it a “daily huddle,” John D. Rockefeller had stumbled upon the value of the short daily meeting.

Rockefeller would walk to work with his brother and three key leaders every morning. During that walk, they discussed what was happening across the business, what decisions needed to be made, and where problems were beginning to surface.

He then walked home with the same group.

It was simple, consistent, and powerful.

How Smart Landscape Companies Are Actually Using AI

Apr 14, 2026 | Blog, Events, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Productivity, Strategy, Training

As a consulting firm helping more than 120 landscape firms, we see AI moving well beyond basic writing and research.

(See below for 9 use cases.)

The most forward-thinking companies use AI not just to save time, but to think, coach, communicate, and execute faster and better.

That is why we are featuring an AI panel at our Summer Growth Summit. In preparing for it, I asked several panelists how they are actually using AI in their businesses.

Their answers…

10 Reasons to visit Great Lakes Landscape Design

Apr 7, 2026 | Blog, Events, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

10 Reasons to Visit Great Lakes Landscape Design

Here are ten standout reasons to meet Ivan Katz and visit his company, Great Lakes Landscape Design, in Oak Park, Michigan, outside of Detroit.

(They are co-hosting our upcoming Summer Growth Summit, Aug 18–20)

For some context: Ivan has been a longtime member of our community. He has spoken at past summits and hosted our Leader’s Edge peer group at his company last year.

This makes him exceptionally well positioned to give attendees an unforgettable educational experience.

To get to know Ivan even better, we recorded a fantastic 30-minute podcast with him last week. He shares raw truths about the challenges he faced growing his business and the lessons he has learned along the way.

Avoid The Mistakes of Private Equity When Making Acquisitions

Mar 31, 2026 | Blog, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

Buying a company can be an exciting way to grow.

Small firms, even those at $1 million in revenue, are pursuing acquisitions. At the same time, many private equity-backed firms are buying aggressively and building roll-ups in our industry.

But here is the point: having more capital, advisors, and deal experience does not guarantee success.

Some private equity firms are struggling. If sophisticated buyers with deep resources can run into trouble, then smaller firms should not underestimate how hard acquisitions are.

Here are 3 mistakes to avoid as you pursue your own acquisitions.

Continuous Improvement: The Next Competitive Edge for Landscape Companies

Mar 24, 2026 | Blog, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Productivity, Strategy

A new leadership role is emerging in the landscape industry: Director of Continuous Improvement.

It is not a flashy job, but it reflects an important shift. As landscape companies diversify and grow larger, complexity grows with them.

What once worked through hustle and owner instinct starts to break down under the weight of an increasing number of crews, clients, and moving parts.

At some point, improvement can no longer come from simply relying on the owner to keep fixing everything.

That is where a Continuous Improvement Manager comes in.

Registration Open for the Summer Growth Summit

Mar 10, 2026 | Events, Featured, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Strategy, Training

Registration is now open for our 9th annual Summer Growth Summit at two leading Detroit-based companies, owned by Troy Clogg and Ivan Katz.

The “super” early bird registration discount ends May 8th.

This year’s theme is Building A Powerful Growth Engine.

Build a Better Sales Team with These 7 Rules

Feb 10, 2026 | Blog, Events, Growth Tips, Incentives, Leadership, Management, Productivity, Strategy, Workshops

In today’s economy, sales success doesn’t happen by working harder. Someone must own the responsibility of building the sales team — hiring, motivating, steering, and managing.

That person has the title of Sales Manager.

Sales management is a strange profession. You can’t study it in school. There are very few books on it. And many “sales managers” are your top salespeople straddling both worlds, perhaps pretending they enjoy managing.

For those committed to mastering this craft, here are seven practical, real-world principles drawn from our upcoming Sales Symposium (taking place March 10th, early bird ends in 16 days).

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