It feels good to be proud of your work.
A customer walks outside and says, “The lawn looks better than ever.”
Another shakes your hand and says, “Thanks for getting that landscape project finished on time. We got our CO!”
Those moments matter. You should be proud.
But I believe becoming a Proud Landscaper means something bigger than doing beautiful work.
It means becoming an independent thinker.
It means becoming self-sufficient.
And it means having enough courage to look at the world and say:
“I’m willing to bet on myself.”
A $75 Tree Job That Made My Stomach Hurt
I was recently talking with a young man who works full-time as a firefighter. On the side, he and a helper mow a few lawns and clean up properties.
He was telling me proudly about working in a neighborhood when a homeowner neighbor approached them.
“I see you guys doing good work. Could you come down the street and cut down a dead tree at my house?”
They jumped at the opportunity.
They finished their current job, went down the street, removed the tree that same afternoon and charged the customer $75.
He was proud.
And he should have been.
A stranger noticed the quality of their work, trusted them enough to ask for help, and they solved his problem immediately.
That’s how reputations are built.
But the businessman in me started getting a nervous stomach.
Why $75?
What calculation determined that price?
What was the value of having somebody available to solve the customer’s problem that afternoon?
And perhaps the biggest question:
If customers are walking up asking this young man to perform additional work, why does he believe he needs the security of another full-time job instead of someday building his own full-time business?
Now we’re getting somewhere.
There Is a Fine Line Between Confidence and Confusion
Knowing how to cut down a tree is one skill.
Knowing what to charge for cutting down that tree is another.
There is a fine line between know-how and ignorance.
A landscaper can be an absolute craftsman with a mower, chainsaw, skid steer or shovel and still know almost nothing about calculating overhead, labor burden, equipment costs, productivity or profit.
That’s dangerous.
Because being busy can make you feel successful.
But… your bank account eventually tells the truth.
And that’s where education changes everything.
The Proud Landscaper
The Proud Landscaper isn’t necessarily the biggest landscaper in town.
He doesn’t need 100 employees.
She doesn’t need a $10 million company.
The Proud Landscaper is the independent business owner who develops the courage and the financial intelligence to build something sustainable.
You create jobs.
You train people.
You buy trucks and equipment.
You serve customers.
You pay payroll taxes, property taxes, fuel taxes, income taxes and enough other taxes to keep Fedzilla’s appetite satisfied.
Most importantly, you create opportunity where you live.
That’s why I believe an independent lawn or landscape business with employees isn’t merely another lawn or landscape company.
You and your company are an asset on the balance sheet of the USA!.
The owner who has the courage to build the asset deserves to stand a little taller.
Yes…Do beautiful work.
Be proud when the customer compliments you.
But don’t stop there.
Learn your numbers. Build your systems. Charge what you’re worth. Develop people. Build wealth.
Become more than somebody who’s proud of landscaping.
Become a Proud Landscaper.
Tony Bass
Landscaper. Business owner. Independent thinker.
PS – Would you like to learn more Proud Landscaper lessons? We are releasing our newest book, The Proud Landscaper: The Independent Business Owner’s Guide to Build a Business, A Life and A Legacy at The Equip Exposition in Louisville, KY next month October 21-23! Just come by our main booth #5210 to get your copy!
