“Companies are spending $30–40k on recruiters, bringing in great talent, and losing them because the culture fit wasn’t right. It’s not a failure of skill or effort—it’s a mismatch of values and expectations. When culture isn’t clearly defined and screened for early, both employers and employees end up frustrated, and the cost goes far beyond the hiring fee.”
“We know a lot of the admin work shouldn’t be done manually anymore. Automation and AI are clearly the future—we’re just working through the learning curve to get there. The challenge isn’t whether the tools exist, it’s figuring out how to implement them in a way that actually saves time and lets our team focus on clients, selling, and growth.”
“Labor has been a challenge for everyone, so we’ve had to get creative—partnering with trusted people in the industry and bringing them into our company. By working with operators we already knew and respected, we were able to fill critical gaps while maintaining our standards and culture. It’s been less about just filling seats and more about building the right team the right way.”
“If a landscaper tells you staffing and training aren’t their biggest challenges, they’re lying. Finding good people is hard, but developing them the right way is even harder. That’s why we’re focused on investing time in training, supporting our teams, and giving them clear expectations—because first-class quality starts with well-trained people.”
“There’s more sales resistance this year than I’ve seen in a long time. Clients are more cautious, deals take longer, and fear is playing a bigger role in decision-making. Even when there’s demand, uncertainty around the economy, budgets, and long-term commitments is slowing everything down and forcing companies to be more intentional, more responsive, and sharper in how they sell.”