Dave's Blog

[davewblog]

Whatever You Do...

“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who will argue with you.”  -John Wooden

Although I never met him, I consider John Wooden one of my mentors.  I have read his books and studied his Pyramid of Success.  Today, the quote of his above bears mentioning.

Some recent promotions in our company are worth mentioning.  James Schwartz, who has been with us just a year, is moving into landscape design sales, or Outdoor Living Specialist as we like to call it.

Micheal Metcalf, our ASLA Certified Landscape Architect, will switch roles slightly for the 2016 season and become Landscape Operations Assistant to long-time Team leader Brett Groves.  

But the biggest change for me comes with the promotion of John Williams to General Manager.  He will move into my office after January 1st, and I will office out of my house. 

No, I am not retiring; just redirecting my time into an advisory role, and getting out of the way to let these talented people do the work we do.  But I will be pursuing some other interests as I can outside the fences of KN.  

All this wouldn’t be possible without the supporting role that many others also. There are many members of our KN team not mentioned in this article that have contributed to and helped to grow our business to be able to create this opportunity for me and for themselves towards our bright future.

And isn’t that what a successful business should be all about?  

[davewblog]

A Tale of (At Least) Two Companies

Yesterday on a day trip I drove past the headquarters of a couple landscape companies that we used to “do battle” with in the past.  

Back in the day when our company was bidding every commercial landscaping and irrigation project all over Idaho and every surrounding state, we often ran head-to-head into these companies through the competitive bid process.  Their locale to a major bidding market, plus the fact that I often wondered if they really knew what their costs were by some of the numbers they threw out, usually meant that they outbid us.

From driving past their domiciles yesterday, I couldn't help but smile at the correlation between what was going on (or should I say not going on) at their facilities versus ours.  When I left my place of business yesterday morning, there were over 20 people working on various projects and schemes; building some new jumbo pallets for plant transportation, servicing of vehicles, tools, and equipment, inventory, design proposals for clients, meetings on improvement concepts, etc.  

As I passed these nemesis of the past, both places were noticeably empty.  Of course, this time of year in the landscape industry isn’t exactly over-your-head like other times of the year, but these places looked like they were all holed up and battened down for the winter.  Layoffs had obviously occurred, vehicles and equipment sat out in the elements, left as they were parked after the last job of the year was finished... I think you get the picture.

I am not looking down upon the way anyone else chooses to run their business. But given the choice, I would any day rather see what I saw before I embarked on my journey yesterday than what I saw while I was away.  

[davewblog]

Let It Snow

As I write this, the first winter snow storm is making its presence felt outside. Over the past few days, when the threat of this snow became evident via the weather forecasters, we have had a deluge of calls for future snow removal services.

Although we fully appreciate people thinking of us for their snow removal needs, our planning for snow events like today dates back to September.

Like all snow removal contractors, we are limited by three factors:  The number of equipment pieces, manpower, and the time frame to push snow all contribute to how many snow clients we can effectively serve.

Given the region we live in and its usually limited snowfall, no contractor can justify the expense of a piece of equipment just for snow removal purposes only.  Therefore the limitation is on equipment we already have.  That being said, we pride ourselves here at KN for using attachments designed only for snow removal.  Backhoe and loader buckets cause a lot of damage to curbs, speed bumps, parking blocks, and asphalt when used for pushing snow.  We don't use any of those on our clients properties.  But we are still limited by the quantity of equipment we use otherwise during the growing season.

Manpower is another issue.  It is very difficult to get temporary or even seasonal help to be dedicated, engaged, and well trained enough to answer the call sporadically in the middle of the night to come shovel snow.  We at KN commit to year round work for every team member at the foreman level or above.  This crew then becomes our workforce for snow removal in winter.

Time frame is probably the biggest issue.  Most accounts want their snow removed by 8:00 am each day.  If we try to service too many accounts, it could snow again (or more) between the time we plow their lots and the time they show up to work, or in the case of a residential account, the time they have to leave for work.  

As I said, our planning must start in September.  Getting equipment ready, confirming and noting changes to our clients properties, routing crews and vehicles, and going through extensive training/re-training consumes a lot of time.  We also have all operators visit each site on their routes prior to any snow events.  Things look much different during the night in a snowstorm, so these site visits are critical.  Google maps are printed out and properties are highlighted with notes specific to each place we push.  Every driver carries these maps with them.  

So planning far ahead is the best practice for our snow accounts.   A recipe for disaster and disappointment would be just handing anyone the keys to a plow truck and tell them to go push snow at ol’ so-and-so’s place.  

[davewblog]

“Painting is Easy...”

“Painting is easy to do when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.” -Edgar Degas

I stumbled on to this quote the other day.  This man Degas was a French artist back in the mid 1800′s.  I imagine his quote came after he observed some apostasy of a painting hanging somewhere publicly.  

However, this quote struck me as how a novice at any particular trade may perceive the necessary skill level to achieve acceptability. Of course, I couldn’t help but think of our own landscaping industry, and conjure the same feelings as Mr. Degas regarding some of the work I see.

So many folks think that landscaping is something that can be successfully accomplished by anyone with a pickup truck, a shovel, and a strong back.  So many projects I see as I drive around scream of the shortcomings of novice work.  

Yes, it seems easy when you don’t know what you are doing.  But situations like wrong trees in wrong places, small shrubs that get to be huge planted in small spaces, drainage and grading issues, irrigation systems that don't function properly due to inexperience or cut corners, and generally committing design and artistic faux pas  such that Degas himself would cringe.

In short, there is way more to what the small minority of truly professional landscape companies do than just slam some plants in the ground.  Way more than most realize goes into a good client’s successful landscape.  Something that Degas and hopefully clients of ours will always recognize. 

[davewblog]

Yeah, But What Does It Cost?

Yesterday I visited with a successful entrepreneur who owns a chain of Lube shops.  He told me that on average, each of his shops need to service 22 cars per day just to break even.  Not surprising to me, being in business and knowing how much things cost.

I thought of how that relates to my business.  This time of year, a lot of guys are running around town doing sprinkler system blowouts.  Some are doing them for as little as $20!  

A major component of sprinkler blowouts is the air compressor.  The type of air compressor to create enough volume of air to properly blow out a system is the same as are used to operate jackhammers.  That is why you see them mostly pulled along on trailers.  They are large and bulky.They are also very expensive to own, operate, and maintain.  They are often prone to breakdown, and those costs are very expensive.  

Having owned and rented many air compressors over the years, and having blown out thousands upon thousands of sprinkler systems, we have a pretty good idea of what it costs for an air compressor.  Are you ready for this?  Our average cost PER BLOWOUT just for the air compressor itself is $18.00.  How then can someone do blowouts for $20 or $25? The answer is simple:  They do not know what their costs are.  

Sure they may have borrowed one from a buddy that they have no accountability over should it breakdown.  Or they may think that by owning one outright they have no additional cost to operate it.  But what happens when it breaks down or wears out?   Is that the kind of event that should put a legitimate businessman out on the street?

Knowing your costs is the only way to keep score.  Keeping score is the only way to know if you are winning.  Winning is the only way to keep on serving your clients well.

[davewblog]

“To Make Flowers, You Have To Have Some Dirt”

I hope I am not copying someone who already conjured up this quote. I thought of it myself.  At least I hope I did.  

I spent a lot of time behind the windshield this past week.  It can give a guy some real thinking time if he uses it wisely.  

What lead me to come up with this saying is the combination of a song I heard on the radio and my thoughts at that moment it played.  I was thinking of a personal affront laid on me regularly by some sort of jealousy-driven egomaniac whenever he sees me.  Although I feel quite unworthy as the source of his jealousy, I am reminded quite often of how much better off I have it than him.  At least that is the case in his mind.

Anyway, as this song played, I constructed this quote.  Apparently all this guy can see is the flowers.  Being in the green industry, I can tell you that you don't get flowers without growing them in the soil (or shall we say, dirt).  And in playing in the dirt, you are gonna get dirty.

Again, I humble myself to the fact that I haven’t “arrived” at some pinnacle of success.  Knowing me, I doubt I will think I ever have.  But if this fella only knew all it has taken to get to where we are at, I am not so sure he would be so quick to surmise.  The four generations of lifelong hard work, the 16-18 hour (and sometimes longer) workdays, the missed meals and holidays. The squeeze of government bureaucracy, the never-ending forms, applications and reports.  The personnel issues, communication issues, and even the tissues...and the ever-present concern for the team’s welfare to just make this week’s payroll.  

If I stop to think about all that at once, it may well seem to not all be worth it. But then I see the fruits of our labor; the projects for happy clients we complete, and the times where the entire team is in syncronized, harmonious rhythm.  I get to see the things this guy never will.  And I am glad for the journey I have been on, which takes me around the obstacles he and the other naysayers try to build in our way.

[davewblog]

We’re Not Anti-Social

Have you checked out our social media posts and links lately?  I was just running through them this morning, and man, there are a lot of good ideas, information, and pretty landscape pictures on  all our social media avenues.  From Facebook to LInkedIn to Pinterest, from Instagram to Twitter,  we keep it out there! 

Check us out next time you are perusing  the Triple W’s!   

[davewblog]

Absolutes

There are exactly 28 steps on the bleachers at the Kimberly High School football field stadium.  How do I know?  Because every day, I walk up and down them multiple times as part of my rehab from double hip replacement surgery.

When I first start out each day, I don’t mind each of the 28 steps.  But as my workout routine wears on, I find myself starting to wish there were fewer.  But it never changes, each time I head up or down, there are 28 of them.  I cant change that.  It is an absolute.

What if more of the important things in life were absolutes?  Things like our moral convictions or doing what we say we will do.  The more these things that are easy to cheat or skimp on become absolutes, the better off we would be, don’t you think?  

[davewblog]

The Back of the Card

Have you ever noticed that some business people utilize both sides of their business card?  

That little 21/2″ by 3″ piece of card stock has two sides, you know. So why not make double the use out of something you should be handing out on a regular basis anyway?  Some folks have already figured this out.  If you haven’t it’s not too late to give your print shop a call.

On the back of our cards is this saying:  “The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”  

In this day and age of what I call the “Box store mentality” where many things seem to be purchased at the lowest price only, then discarded outright once their useful life has expired (which seems to be getting shorter all the time, isn’t it?), we at KN are trying the opposite approach, where the goal overall is VALUE. 

Yes, value is hard to deliver sometimes, especially in an industry with so many variables out of our control (weather, etc.).  But I believe that over the long term, low price is even harder to deliver on, and still remain in business.  

Time will tell, but after 108 years, so far, so good!  

[davewblog]

A Small Political Statement

I don’t often (if ever) express any kind of political view in this blog, although I have plenty of them. But I read in a recent e-newsletter article from Express Employment Professionals that 40% of unemployed Americans have “given up” on finding a job.  

How sad!  A couple things come to mind:  One,with a re surging economy, how many have really looked lately?  Almost everywhere I go, I see businesses short on bodies, and many that are there are quite disengaged from the work they are doing.  And two, how convenient has our bureaucracy made it for someone unemployed to stay that way.  

The poll was done by Harris online and was answered by 1,553 jobless Americans over 18 years of age.  

“Given up” is not what built this country, and it is not what will sustain us going forward.  Sure there are people and places where it is honestly very difficult to find work.  I am not discounting that.  But if these 40% ers would pick themselves up, dust off, and take a fresh look around and at themselves, they just might find the Land of Opportunity.  And a lot closer to home than they might think.  

[davewblog]

A Higher Standard

I just read in Lawn & Landscape Magazine (by far the nation’s finest for our industry) of a survey they did of 346 subscribers who answered the survey on drug testing their employees and potential employees.  

62% of those surveyed said they did not drug test prospective employees. Many of the comments regarding why not included “hard to find anyone wiling to cut grass that doesn't do drugs.  “Not worth the trouble.”  Ran out of employees who weren’t positive.”  

How sad.  Our industry in general casts a negative shadow to the rest of the world in terms of the professionalism and scruples of the green industry workforce.  A statistic like this one only helps promote that thinking by the general public, from which last time I checked come most of our customers.

You can rest assured that so long as I am here that we will test every qualified applicant, perform random drug testing of our current staff, and do post-accident drug testing.  It is not a cost of doing business to compromise.  I feel our clients are worth it, and I know that our reputation is also.   

[davewblog]

In Memoriam

No, I am still here.  But on this Memorial Day, memories flood like yesterday’s rainstorm.  As I am at work today, I am reminded of all the Memorial Days past that were so busy for our family when we operated our retail nursery.  Guess I could have taken the day off, but old habits are hard to break!

Back then it was hard to take any time to reflect on those that have gone before us.  But today as I write this column, I note the hard work and dedication of the generations before me who have made my life and my business that much easier.  I am sure their work sometimes seemed like paddling upstream, but to now see the fruits of their labor! 

Of course, I also must thank those of service to our country that gave me and my family the opportunity to be successful in the greatest land on earth.  Many gave the ultimate sacrifice.  My message to them today is a solemn “Thank You!”

I hope your Memorial Day includes those kinds of Memories as well.

[davewblog]

Proud of Our People

Due to some personal circumstances on a couple different fronts, I have had to spend an inordinate amount of time away from work the past couple weeks. 

And whether you can believe it or not, it is the middle of May.  The month of May in our business is head and shoulders the busiest month of the whole year.  So to be absent on my part could only be more magnified.  

However, I can say now that I am back and the dust has settled, that these guys here did alright.  

To be successful beyond the passion of the owner becomes every businesses challenge at some point.  I am proud to see and say that the work we have been doing to create such a concerted effort among our team is reaping dividends.  The work goes on; and bigger and better than if I had been in the middle of all of it!  

Thanks to our true team here at KN.  We are definitely on the road to becoming our Vision: “To be recognized by our clients, team members, and experts in the industry as the finest landscape company they have ever seen.”  

[davewblog]

Embarrassing Moments

Tell me if you've ever had this happen:  You go to a restaurant, have a nice meal, and when the bill comes, you don’t have enough (or any) money to pay. Not on purpose, of course.  You just forgot your wallet, or forgot you already broke that $50 you’d been carrying around.  The feeling you get when you realize such a faux pas is indescribable, isn't it?

Something similar we see all too often is when someone builds a new house. You might be surprised at how few new houses we landscape.  Here’s why When the house is finished, the people often don’t have enough money left to invest in a comparable landscape to go around it.  

Obviously not the same faux pas of staring at the check the moment you realize your wallet is still on your dresser at home, but nonetheless, the result is the same.  

Truth is, most people don’t budget enough (or even any) money for their new yard.  Architects and engineers rule-of-thumb is 15-20% of the cost of the rest of the project for green space.

Even if it can’t be tackled all at once, it is a good idea to plan ahead for the landscape, just like is done for the rest of the house, before it is built.

And you don’t have to end up washing any dishes, either.

[davewblog]

Videos, Anyone?

We are just posting our 48th video on our Youtube channel.  Most of our videos are to help you learn some things and identify how to not make the same mistakes as so many others in such a subjective industry as the landscape business.  

Check some of them out when you get a chance.  We wont win any Academy Awards, but we think they will work!  

[davewblog]

Some Things Are Best Left...

Proof is everywhere that some things are best left to a professional.  Landscaping is no exception.  In fact, see if you can more of an example than in the landscaping industry.

Recently a close relative of mine called to tell me of the work her boss just had done at his new office location.  The work was done by his “yard guy,” a lawn mowing outfit.  

Now I know that lawn maintenance companies can be very legitimate, and arguably fall into the same industry as us.  But I hope you will agree with me that there is a vast difference between keeping someone’s lawn from getting too tall each week, and design/build landscape installation.

I was invited by my relative to drive by and observe the work.  The plant materials used were very small, one gallon size at best, randomly spaced, and with no concept of future growth or even initial appearance.  So sad!

Do you know when a landscape should look its very best?  Right after it is installed!  Even if you know nothing about the trade, you would agree that this one leaves much to be desired.  And the impression the boss is hoping to make for his clients indeed misses the mark.

Tell me, would you fill your own cavity in a tooth?  Would you take out your own appendix?  No, you’d leave that to the dentist and the doctor.  So why do so many think they can do great landscaping?  

More things than we may admit would best be left to the professionals...

[davewblog]

If I Had It To Do All Over Again...

I just read of an interesting survey in Lawn and Landscape magazine, probably the nation’s leading green industry publication.  

From a survey of 300 landscape business owners, just 42% said landscaping had been their first career choice.  That doesn't sound very newsworthy, now does it?  

But what makes more sense is that of all those surveyed who didn't make this industry their first choice, 86% of landscapers said that if given the chance to do it all over again, the’d still go into the landscape business.

I still cant find any more rewarding business than the things we do everyday to create, improve, and beautify the green space around us.  

They’re preaching to the choir with me!