A drive through Holmes County, Ohio, about 1-1/2 hours south of Cleveland, will turn up all sorts of interesting sights. This Mecca of tourism will introduce visitors to one of the largest Amish settlements in the country and an attendant array of shops and restaurants, enough to keep even the most avid visitors busy all day. What the locals can't provide is bestowed by Mother Nature, a geography of beautifully rolling hills and steep valleys.
What Manufacturers and Contractors Have in Common
There are differences- manufacturers produce a product (a machine in our case) and landscape maintenance contractors primarily deliver service, yet many aspects of business development, operation and management are the same. The similarity is particularly striking when it comes to the kind of customers that are the foundation of the business and are highly sought after as the most necessary ingredient to starting and sustaining a business. Here's the kind of customers we both want:
Empowering People in Pennsylvania
John Allin, president of Allin Companies, Erie, Pennsylvania, shrugs his shoulders when asked how his maintenance division is doing. "Last year, I would have told you not so well," he relates. After suffering through what the owner considered to be several sub par seasons on the maintenance side, Allin Companies wiped the slate clean and this year started over again, with new people and a new attitude. The results have been encouraging. Profits are up and employee attitude is better all around.
Husbands and Wives share more than Life Experiences
For Liz and Grant Monette in Guelph, Ontario and Bessie and Mike Krsovan in nearby Waterloo, being married is more than sharing a life, it's sharing an occupation, too. Both couples operate landscaping companies.
Seeing is Believing in Missouri
When you've been in business only four years and you're looking grow, what's the best form of advertising? Mike Stegner, owner of Image Lawn and Landscape, Belton, Missouri, believes it's the work you do. In the "show me" state, seeing is believing. When prospective clients pass by Image properties, Stegner wants them to see the best. And they do.
Job costing made easy
For people starting out in lawn maintenance, and even for veteran professionals, one of the biggest hurdles is figuring job costs. Oftentimes, it's a Catch 22: You can't bid accurately until you know your costs, but you can't determine the costs until you get the job.
Receive updates to your Inbox!
Show Me
- Stories (219)
- User Profiles (212)
- Bob's Column (50)
- Editorial (48)
- Walker Talk Europe 1 (29)
- WT50 (27)
- Now and Then (23)
- News (18)
- Videos (18)
- Newsletter (16)
- Walker Talk 47 (15)
- Walker Talk 46 (13)
- Walker Talk 48 (13)
- New Product Introduction (11)
- Press Release (11)
- Walker Talk 49 (11)
- Five Star Dealers (10)
- Europe (9)
- Walker Family Reunion (9)
- Press (8)
- WT52 (8)
- Walker Talk 12 (8)
- Walker Talk 8 (8)
- WT51 (7)
- Walker Talk 3 (7)
- Walker Talk 33 (7)
- Walker Talk 9 (7)
- Business (6)
- Canada (6)
- Walker Talk 10 (6)
- Walker Talk 11 (6)
- Walker Talk 13 (6)
- Walker Talk 14 (6)
- Walker Talk 15 (6)
- Walker Talk 16 (6)
- Walker Talk 17 (6)
- Walker Talk 18 (6)
- Walker Talk 19 (6)
- Walker Talk 2 (6)
- Walker Talk 20 (6)
- Walker Talk 21 (6)
- Walker Talk 22 (6)
- Walker Talk 23 (6)
- Walker Talk 24 (6)
- Walker Talk 26 (6)
- Walker Talk 27 (6)
- Walker Talk 28 (6)
- Walker Talk 29 (6)
- Walker Talk 30 (6)
- Walker Talk 32 (6)
- Walker Talk 34 (6)
- Walker Talk 35 (6)
- Walker Talk 36 (6)
- Walker Talk 37 (6)
- Walker Talk 38 (6)
- Walker Talk 39 (6)
- Walker Talk 4 (6)
- Walker Talk 41 (6)
- Walker Talk 42 (6)
- Walker Talk 43 (6)
- Walker Talk 44 (6)
- Walker Talk 5 (6)
- Walker Talk 6 (6)
- Walker Talk 7 (6)
- Netherlands (5)
- Walker Talk 1 (5)
- Walker Talk 31 (5)
- Walker Talk 40 (5)
- Belgium (4)
- France (4)
- Switzerland (4)
- Walker Talk 25 (4)
- Walker Talk 45 (4)
- Contests (3)
- Dealer (3)
- Family (3)
- Germany (3)
- Norway (3)
- Sweden (3)
- Tech Talk (3)
- Tips (3)
- Walker Ware (3)
- Austria (2)
- Bob Walker (2)
- Clean Cut (2)
- Colorado (2)
- Denmark (2)
- England (2)
- Italy (2)
- Mowing (2)
- Obituary (2)
- S14 (2)
- Spain (2)
- Startup (2)
- Top Notch Lawns (2)
- fall (2)
- leaf cleanup (2)
- A&V Paysagistes Inc. (1)
- Absolute Lawn Care (1)
- Akehurst Landscape Service (1)
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Albuquerque Grounds Maintenance (1)
- All Terrain Grounds Maintenance (1)
- Allin Companies (1)
- Anderson Lawn Care (1)
- Announcement (1)
- Australia (1)
- BJ Services (1)
- BYU-Idaho (1)
- Babe (1)
- Baptist St. Anthony’s Hospital (1)
- Bash Lawns & Services (1)
- Belle Fourche (1)
- Belvedere (1)
- Ben Stauffer (1)
- Bloomin’ Flowers and Grass Inc. (1)
- Branding (1)
- Brandon Matthew Sneed Field (1)
- Breeze Landscaping (1)
- Buying Advice (1)
- C&D Landscape Company (1)
- Campbell (1)
- Camross Landscaping (1)
- Carson Landscape Industries (1)
- Catalana D'Espais Verds, S.L. (1)
- Chateau on the Lake (1)
- Cimitero Comunale di Correggio (1)
- Classic Lawn and Garden Maintenance (1)
- Clean Cut Lawn Care (1)
- Collins’ Landscaping & Lawn Maintenance (1)
- Colony (1)
- Cousineaus (1)
- Cox (1)
- Cut It Lawn Care Services (1)
- Cutzgras (1)
- D & R Groundskeeping (1)
- D&D Lawn & Landscaping (1)
- DHD Construction Inc. (1)
- Dan Viehmann Landscaping (1)
- Dandy Lawn (1)
- David Teper (1)
- Dean Walker (1)
- Del Tura Country Club (1)
- Desert Care Landscaping, Inc. (1)
- Dick Heim Lawn Service (1)
- Diversified Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Down to Earth (1)
- Down to Earth Inc, (1)
- Drielanden (1)
- Dun-Rite (1)
- E.J. Jaxtimer Builders, Inc. (1)
- EGC & Co. (1)
- Earthworks, Inc. (1)
- Ed Castro Landscape Company (1)
- Elizabeth River Lawn & Landscapes, Inc. (1)
- Elon College (1)
- Erwin Jakober AG (1)
- Escola de Policia de Catalunya (1)
- Espaces Verts & Jardins (1)
- Farley & Son Landscaping (1)
- Faulkner (1)
- Filoli (1)
- Firefighter (1)
- Foothills Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Forever Green Landscaping (1)
- Front Deck (1)
- GMV (1)
- Gamma Verde (1)
- Gamma-Rent (1)
- Garden of the Gods Club (1)
- Gardner’s Irrigation and Landscaping Co. (1)
- George (1)
- Get On It Lawn Care (1)
- Gjennestad Gartnerskole (1)
- Grand Mesa Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Grass Masters (1)
- Grass Roots Inc. (1)
- Grasshopper Property Maintenance (1)
- Green Acres Landscaping (1)
- Green Care (1)
- Greengable Gardens (1)
- Greening-Up (1)
- Greenlife, Inc. (1)
- Greenscape (1)
- Grimslov (1)
- Groen & Bouw (1)
- Groenprojekten Weverling (1)
- Groom (1)
- H37i (1)
- Hearthstone Property Services (1)
- Hein Lawn Service (1)
- Heritage Insurance (1)
- Hi-Dump (1)
- Horticulture Services (1)
- Humke Elementary (1)
- Hungary (1)
- Image Lawn and Landscape (1)
- J&C Lawn Service (1)
- James A. Martin Co. Inc. (1)
- Jason’s Lawn Care (1)
- John W. Dorris Lawn Service (1)
- Johnson & Sons (1)
- Jonny Heinz Landscaping (1)
- KK Enterprises (1)
- KLV Landscape Services (1)
- KRANSCO (1)
- Kids (1)
- Lakeside Cemetery (1)
- Lancaster Bible College (1)
- LandCrafters (1)
- Larsen's Landcare (1)
- Latvia (1)
- Lawn & Turf Landscaping, Inc. (1)
- Lawn Masters (1)
- Lawn Stylists (1)
- Lawns by Les (1)
- Leisure Village (1)
- Leisure World (1)
- Longue Vue House and Gardens (1)
- Longwood Gardens (1)
- Luke Brothers, Inc. (1)
- M&P Lawn Service (1)
- M&S Connection Landscaping (1)
- Mac’s Landscaping (1)
- Mark's Pro Services (1)
- Max Walker (1)
- McClure & Sons Landscape Services (1)
- Meadows Apartments (1)
- Mel’s Lawn Maintenance (1)
- Michael’s Complete Lawn Care (1)
- Mike Kavanagh Gardening Services (1)
- Mikroprofit Ltd (1)
- Monte Vista Christian School (1)
- Monthly News (1)
- Montreal Botanical Garden (1)
- Mowin' Ranger (1)
- Munk (1)
- Nansemond Lawn & Garden (1)
- Ned (1)
- New Method Lawn and Garden (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Newell Coaches (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- Nyborg Kirkegary (1)
- Ocean County (1)
- Ocean Front Landscaping (1)
- Oslo (1)
- Ostra Torsas Kyrkogardsforvaltning (1)
- Ouwendyk (1)
- Padgett (1)
- Park Pollentier (1)
- Paton (1)
- Pearson’s Anything Goes (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Polite Lawn Care (1)
- Predella (1)
- Product Catalog (1)
- Progazon (1)
- Puget (1)
- Quality Lawn Care (1)
- Randy Hawse (1)
- Ratigen (1)
- Ray Albert Landscaping (1)
- Real Estate Maintenance Co. (1)
- Recall Bulletin (1)
- Reid's Lawnmowing (1)
- Reynolds Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Rogers & Company Landscapes Inc. (1)
- Ross Lawn and Landscape (1)
- Sam S. Russo Landscaping (1)
- San Joaquin Gardens (1)
- Scapes (1)
- Schloss Au (1)
- Schōnbrunn (1)
- Scott and Company (1)
- Sloan Landscape Maintenance (1)
- Soccer (1)
- Sposato Landscape (1)
- Springcreek Cemetery (1)
- Stadtmiller (1)
- Statens Vegvesen highway department (1)
- Stebbins (1)
- Steinhauer (1)
- Steve's Lawn and Garden (1)
- Stitt Melk (1)
- Stonebridge Landscaping Lawn Services (1)
- T & S Landscape (1)
- T&M Mowing (1)
- Tammaro Landscaping (1)
- Ted Pendagast (1)
- The Planter’s Touch (1)
- Think Greene (1)
- Tom Emmett Landscape Company (1)
- Top Job Landscaping (1)
- Top Notch Services (1)
- Total Lawn Care (1)
- Tracy Public Schools (1)
- Training (1)
- True Trim Lawn Care (1)
- Turfmaster (1)
- ULS Maintenance & Landscaping (1)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (1)
- University of New Mexico (1)
- Used Mower (1)
- V. Henderson Landscaping (1)
- Valley Landscape Services Inc. (1)
- Victor Crowell (1)
- Vienna's Castles (1)
- Vissenbjerg (1)
- Walker Talk Revisited (1)
- Walker Vintage Vehicle Show (1)
- Walker World Championship (1)
- Web (1)
- Westervelt (1)
- Where Are They Now (1)
- Woburn Abbey (1)
- Wright Way Lawn Care (1)
- Xavier University (1)
- Yard Perfect Lawn Care and Landscaping (1)
- Zero-Turn (1)
- beautiful cut (1)
- cup holder (1)
- demo request (1)
- s18 (1)
- test drive (1)