Landscape companies often operate on a narrow profit margins and must contend with hurdies related to labor, regulations and growth. Some company owners choose to wing it, dealing with each issue as it rises. While that might work when times are good, those companies typically don’t weather the storm of market downturns or other calamities. Addressing challenges head on with well-thought-out plans is like investing in an insurance policy. To get started in your preparations, here are some common problems and potential solutions.
Here are the list:
- Finding dependable employees
- Year after year, many landscape contractors say that recruiting reliable employees are their top challenge. Fewer people are viewing the landscape industry as a career option, and the seasonal nature of some positions makes them difficult to fill.
- Retaining Top Talent
- Keeping your best employees can be as hard as finding them. Creating a career ladder is a key to employee retention in any field and this is where many lawn and landscape companies fall short. If your crew members defect to competitors for a slight increase in hourly wages, you will have a problem within your company.
- Few resources to properly manage the administrative side of the business
- Many landscape companies operate businesses that are too lean administratively, often because owners don’t view office staff as directly bringing in revenue. But when e-mails and phone calls go unanswered and invoices aren’t handled properly, you lose income and profit.
- Government Regulations
- Landscape companies must comply with a host of federal, state and local laws related to employment, safety, chemicals, equipment, the environment and more. Staying on top of these changing mandates takes a lot of time and effort, but the consequences of failing to do so can be costly too.
- Marketing
- You might think it’s enough to perfectly create awe-inspiring landscapes but to tell you, it’s not. Especially in competitive markets. If you want to grow your business, you must build name recognition and make sure potential customers know about your work.
- Managing Growth
- If your marketing efforts are successful, you’ll need to avoid another pitfall like failure to understand rising overhead costs as your company grows. Company owners who add employees and equipment without carefully studying work volume and the effects on overhead costs are flying blind.
- Training
- New hires typically join landscape companies during the busy season, when there’s little time for the plethora of training required by law and necessary to reduce the risks of accidents and poor-quality work. The results will end up dissatisfied customers, equipment damage, workers’ compensation claims, increased insurance premiums and possibly fines.
