It’s true! August is a tough month for landscaping business owners. Here’s why.
Costs are higher than ever.
Even your Best People are tired.
Retention of employees is harder than ever.
Finding replacement people is darn near impossible.
Face it…
It’s hot.
It’s been really wet.
Then we still have the responsibilities of raising kids, afternoon activities, back-to-school preparation, food prep and checking in with extended family after a long day at work.
Busy-Busy-Busy…
It’s enough to break the spirits of an able-bodied landscaper.
Now…
Fedzilla is trying to lay a guilt-trip on every employer in the USA to join the “vaccine mandate team”. Make them get vaccinated or fire their butts they say! Really? Are you serious?
Here’s a respectful reply to Mr. Biden:
Mr. President – When I decided to become an employer, I knew there were a few rules I needed to follow. I already act as your tax collector…I won’t become your health inspector too. I didn’t sign up for this. Leave me alone! Tony Bass
Disturbing Emerging Trend
Every day of every week I am having deep conversations with lawn and landscape business owners. Many of these conversations are personal and private in nature. This is where I have spotted a disturbing emerging trend.
Landscape business owners are pausing, taking a look at the challenges of today and asking powerfully important, life-changing questions. Here’s a sample of these questions:
- How can I get out?
- How can I retire?
- Could I really sell my business?
- If I did sell, how much money could I put in my pocket?
- If I wanted to sell out, how would I get started?
- Who could help me sell my business?
- How long would it take?
- What mistakes should I avoid?
Should You Sell Out?
It’s true that I sold my lawn service business in 2006. There were 83 employees the day I sold my company. I was 41 years old. It was a 7-figure payday. My personal experience is still etched in my mind. But even better than my memory, I captured every step along the way in a book titled Preparing to Retire or Sell Your Landscaping Company. I documented the process I followed to exit my company. If you’re interested, you can order online at the link above.
I took a full year off from employees and customers. My family and I traveled around the country in our motorcoach and we looked at life with a unique perspective. It was a refreshing experience. Best I can tell from reading and networking, most business owners only get the chance to have a successful exit one or two times in a lifetime.
When Was the last Time You Took a Year Off?
Since 1998 I’ve been serving lawn and landscape business owners as a business consultant. I’ve worked with over 300 unique company owners along the way. And…every single August I have a conversation or two with business owners who are facing burnout. Failure to take vacations is a sure-fire way to encounter Burnout!
Those conversations led me to publish the article titled 5 Ways to Avoid Burnout. The article was picked up by a number of industry magazines. (click here to read 5 Ways to Avoid Burnout article) Burnout is a serious condition that can destroy your company and your family. The good news is that you can recover from Burnout. Please…read the article if you are facing Burnout.
But 2021 is very different.
This year, the conversations are MUCH more than a little burnout.
It’s getting to the point (in terms of these conversations) that I’m thinking the economic shift I called out in July 2020 is already underway. The PPP money is gone! A small portion of the business owners I have spoken with will not survive. They will not have a successful exit. They waited too long and failed to follow the formula for business success. They failed to raise prices. Costs have skyrocketed. It’s near the end of the summer and the season for price increases is very short.
As of today, I’ve had this Exit Conversation with 10% of my active clients in just 60 days. That’s right 10%! If you read my short message above to President Biden, I said leave me alone!
Well…a few of my clients are basically saying, “I’m fed up! I’m ready to get outta here!”
I know my client base is not 10% of USA businesses. But I have spotted trends early throughout my business career. The data is the data. It’s telling a pretty scary story.
Could you imagine the disruption to our economy if 10% of USA business owners called it quits?
Consider this…
Between 2007 – 2010 the default rate on mortgages got up to 9.3%. Our economy nearly collapsed!
Ladies and gentlemen. You know I call it like I see it here at the Wealthy Landscaper Letter. Here’s what I think about that PPP money…
That PPP money was a bribe to keep you engaged and committed to the continued operation of your business.
Business owners like you and I are assets on the balance sheet of the USA. We hold the power to keep the economy moving forward…as long as we don’t lose hope.
Is it time for you to consider selling out?
Perhaps…
But there is another option.
Perhaps you need to get some training on how to budget your company and correctly price your work. You can’t be an employer for very long if you fail to operate a profitable business. Money is a very helpful tool to solve a variety of problems. Like…
It may be time for you to get some education to help you compete for employees using technology, marketing and creative energy. If you need help…let me assure you. Good people are still available!
You can survive August if your bank account is growing.
You can survive August if you have the ability to take some time off.
You can survive 2021 and beyond if you overhaul your recruiting, hiring, training and employee retention system.
The rules of business are changing. Some will survive. Some won’t.
If you want some help building a profitable business…
I promise you…
My team and I are standing by.
We are on the front lines of landscaping business success every single day.
We know what works and we know what success looks like.
I look forward to our next conversation!
Tony Bass, founder
866-923-0027
PS – Are you ready to improve your results? I invite you to follow the link right here and set up a 20 minute strategy session with our Director of Training and Education, Tabitha Lovell.
