Strategy Archives - Jeffrey Scott

Facts Before Emotions: Five Lessons from visiting North County Landscape Co.

Jun 16, 2026 | Financial, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Planning, Productivity, Strategy, Training

Once his wife, Sonya (MBA), joined four years ago as General Manager, they made several big moves together:

Raised pricing and expanded Google-based marketing, Expanded crews and hired production managers, Implemented Aspire, Built a state-of-the-art facility, Developed a leadership team that is helping the owners regain balance

Kevin jokes that he is now able to work part-time: 35 to 40 hours a week.

The team has worked quite hard to get where they are. Kevin is now able to play golf weekly, so things are on the upswing.

Last week I held a 1.5-day roadmap session with their team and then took a wonderful vacation on Vancouver Island with my wife and partner, Corine.

During the roadmap session, we reviewed department and company-wide strategy and refined their Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). We set a much stronger course for the future.

Here are five lessons every owner and leader can learn from.

How Much Should You Pay Yourself as Owner?

Jun 9, 2026 | Financial, Growth Tips, Income, Planning, Pricing, Strategy

What should an owner pay themselves? You may have heard the rule of thumb: pay yourself 5% of revenue. But that falls apart quickly. It does not work for small businesses or very large ones. There is a better way.

Building a High-End Client Experience

Jun 2, 2026 | Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

I recently joined Kyle Hunt on his “Remodelers On The Rise” podcast for a conversation that got me thinking—the link is below.

He focuses on high-end remodelers.

At first glance, remodelers and landscapers look like two different industries.

One works inside the home. The other works outside.

One builds indoor kitchens, additions, and living spaces. The other builds outdoor gardens and environments.

But at the high end, they are playing almost the exact same game.

How AI Is Cutting Landscape Estimating Time by 70% — Inside Bobyard with Founder Michael Ding

May 21, 2026 | Growth Tips, Income, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Podcast Series: The Ultimate Landscape CEO, Productivity, Strategy, Time Management

If your estimators are buried in takeoffs, passing on bids because there just isn't enough time, or manually counting plants for hours on end — this episode is going to hit close to home. Jeffrey Scott sits down with Michael Ding, founder of Bobyard, a San...

What the L&L Top 100 Reveals About Our Industry

May 19, 2026 | Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

The landscape industry is being reshaped. You can see it in the latest Lawn & Landscape Top 100.

This is no longer just a list of big companies. It is a snapshot of the future.

I compared this year’s list with 2016 and pulled out three major lessons.

We Expanded Our Team – By Adding A Special Person

May 12, 2026 | Employees, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

I am proud to announce we have expanded our team with the addition of Kai Washington to the Jeffrey Scott Consulting organization — our first grandson!

We are starting Kai off as an intern, and from there the sky’s the limit.

His mom, our daughter Kate, has come a long way! For those of you who know me, you have heard some of the stories.

Become Your Employees’ Favorite Radio Station

Apr 28, 2026 | Employee Retention, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Strategy

There is no shortage of noise and distraction right now.

Your employees hear it everywhere: economic uncertainty, political tension, rising costs, overseas conflicts, and endless social media opinions.

You cannot control what your team hears outside of work.

But you can become the most trusted voice they hear inside your company.

Inoculate your team from outside distractions.

Your team needs more than a once a month memo. They need consistent, engaging and positive communication, every day, like a radio station.

Brand Equity: The Overlooked Way to Increase Company Value

Apr 21, 2026 | Financial, Growth Tips, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Strategy

There has been a lot of discussion about how to build a valuable business.

You know the usual advice: build strong systems, teams, earnings, and recurring revenue.

Many owners miss a fundamental value-driver hiding in plain sight: brand equity.

It may start with a new logo, website, truck wrap, or color scheme. But it goes deeper.

I know from my family’s business—where I always kept a focus on building brand equity. When it finally sold, our loyal client base, reputation, and market position were a large part of the value.

That is why your brand equity matters. It affects the economics of the business in ways many owners underestimate.

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.

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