Are you curious how certain landscape companies rise to the top? What do those business owners do that helps them achieve their goals?

As you start your 2024 business prep, what can you incorporate into your landscape company to help you reach your business goals in the New Year?

In this blog post, you’ll learn the three must-dos for landscaping business success:

• Build a strong foundation through business planning and strategy
• Be innovative by embracing technology and trends in the New Year
• Cultivate relationships through networking and client management.

Building a Strong Foundation: Business Planning and Strategy

You wouldn’t go on a long trip without a map. Likewise, you shouldn’t run a business without a business plan and a growth strategy.

How do you make a business plan and strategize for the future?

You start with a strategic plan. Here’s how to design a strategic plan for your landscaping business that can jump-start your end-of-year planning:

• Develop a team of people interested in your business's success. These are called stakeholders and include investors, co-workers, and customers. You and your stakeholders work together to understand your landscaping business’s goals and how you’ll manage everyone’s interests.

• How will you measure the success of your goals? GoLMN.com suggests starting with a timeline with benchmarks you must meet as time progresses. As you get to each benchmark, you’ll re-evaluate your business goals. Are they working or do they need to be adjusted?
• GoLMN also says that you should start with one metric to measure. What is a metric? It’s a tracking system that measures your landscaping company’s business processes. You and your management team will pick what metrics should be measured. For example, you can use metrics, such as sales goals, customer satisfaction, and cost efficiency, to gauge successes or failures at specific points on your timeline.
• Complete a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT analysis lists your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Through this review, you’ll learn your company’s strengths and weaknesses—so you can capitalize on your strengths and beef up your weaknesses. Realizing your opportunities and threats allows you to know what will make or break your business, depending on the direction you’re taking your landscaping company.

 
You can also use your SWOT analysis to see where you fit in the landscaping industry and what gaps you may need to fill with certification, training, and other growth processes.

Innovating for Success: Embracing Technology and Trends

You can also grow your business when you embrace technology and trends. Granted, your company’s budget determines how much technology you can invest in. Still, landscape software, social media marketing, and videos on TikTok and YouTube are accessible to you now at varying costs.

Using mobile devices and investing in software to track your crew's location will also help you grow your landscaping company. You can also invest in virtual back office support if you can’t hire someone to handle bookkeeping and incoming calls.

If you provide sprinkler system sales and service, you can download an app on your mobile device to manage water sprinkler controllers no matter where you’re located.

Cultivating Relationships: Networking and Client Management

Networking with other business owners within and outside the landscaping industry will help you grow as a business owner.
If you’re looking to connect with other lawn care and landscaping business owners, here are trade organizations you may want to join

1. National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP)
2. Irrigation Association (IA)
3. Your state’s landscape and nursery association.

The above green industry trade associations have certification opportunities, a trade show, and other ways to get involved and meet other landscaping professionals.

You may want to join a local business networking group. Realize that some networking groups require a lot of time to keep your membership while others have networking opportunities that work around your schedule.

Here are local networking opportunities for you to look into

• Your local Chamber of Commerce
• Business Networking International (BNI)
• LinkedIn groups
• SCORE
• Local community groups, like the Lion’s Club and the Rotary Club
• Local community organizations and charities that have a board of directors.

Summing Up: Key Takeaways for Achieving Landscaping Success

You can grow your landscaping company in the New Year by employing business planning and strategy, developing stakeholders to hold you and your company accountable, embracing technology, and cultivating relationships with other green industry professionals and local business owners.

You can grow a successful landscaping business by developing relationships with your customers and others who’ll help you scale your landscaping company.

As you engage in 2024 business prep, develop a strong network of business associates, customers, and advisors to help you reach your New Year preparation goals.

How to Grow Your Landscaping Company in the New Year with K-Rain Irrigation Solutions

While planning your end-of-year, enroll in K-Rain’s Premier Contractor program. Here are five reasons why you should enroll

1. You get cash back from every purchase, including your first one with K-Rain.
2. You get free customized products, such as rotors, sprays, and controller doors, with your company’s logo, website, and phone number on the products.
3. You can redeem your rewards for distributor credit, a Visa debit card, or toward continuing education courses.
4. You can grow your landscaping business by visiting K-Rain’s Contractor’s page. You’ll find videos, manuals and instructions, CAD drawings, designs, and more.
5. You get other perks, such as homeowner referrals, which will help grow your landscaping business.

Enroll in K-Rain’s Premier Contractor Registration today by going to our registration form. 

Sources:
GoLMN.com, How to Grow Your Landscaping Business: 10 Essential Steps.
TechTarget.com, What is a Business Metric?