Recently I got fired by one of my first clients.

I've only been in business for about 3 months...how could this happen so quickly?

That was a tough pill to swallow, but it's not the first time I've lost a client, and it won't be the last. I've given a lot of thought to it over the past couple of weeks. 

The ability to swallow your pride and accept blame, criticism or negative feedback is crucial. We're all human, we all make mistakes, and things will go wrong. And even when things go according to our plan, some clients will still perceive them to be wrong.

It's our job to prepare for any type of feedback not just operationally, but also emotionally.

So I came up with a few tools...

How to Become a Thick-Skinned Solution Finder:

1. Separate fact from fiction. 

Don't fall into a trap of thinking, "I suck and I'm bad at my job." Instead, realize that there is a process that can be improved or a system that needs to be established. You'll likely solve this problem for another...

Jerry Schill

Schill Grounds Management, Ohio 

Jerry Schill is the owner of Schill Landscape Management a full-service Landscape Maintenance and Snow and Ice removal contractor providing services to Commercial, Industrial, Apartment, Retail, and HOA across Northern Ohio.

Company Expansion & Growth Without Pains 

He’s a mover & shaker in the Green Industry and this winter, Jerry’s top priority is successfully moving into his new location. They have 2 big branches and 2 satellite locations. The new office will be the largest branch for the team.

He laughingly admits he “over-did it” as he told me about how the ½ acre building is jam packed with a huge formal meeting room, a training center addition, full kitchen, and a robust fenced-in parking lot.

They found, purchased and closed on the property all within 30 days. Like you, I was wondering how he’s keeping his head on straight.

“We’re blessed to have our...

Think of the one or two people that you love the most. Does someone instantly pop into your mind? Maybe it’s a spouse, a kid, a parent, or a friend…

Chances are the reason you love them so much is because you know them.

You know their ups, downs, highs and lows. You know about their personal life, what they do for a living, and about their family or pets. You know what they’re good at, what you two like to do together, and their preferences on their favorite foods.

Here’s a challenge for you this week.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and expose yourself to those around you.  

Share a story with a prospect about a time that you were hesitant to make a purchase.  Paint a visual picture for your spouse about the things you think about them when they’re not around.  Explain how you feel at the very moment that you feel tension or conflict with a close friend.  Talk about what was going on in your...

I've grown up in the lawn care and landscaping industry my whole life, and nothing excites me more than seeing our company grow along with others like us who are living out the American Dream.

The best way that I have found to stay current, is to talk to people within the industry and see what trends they've noticed on the horizon. 

Here you’ll find a collection of ideas from thought leaders around North America on what they believe are going to be the biggest trends we see in lawn care, landscaping and small businesses in 2017.

Robust Water Management and Water Reclamation Efforts

Reduced water usage and water reclamation is growing in popularity especially in Vista California where Heaviland Landscape Management President, Tom Heaviland is located.

Here’s what Tom said about the topic, “California’s current drought is being billed as the driest period in the state’s recorded rainfall history. We are currently entering our...

Customers were asked, in a study, why they stopped doing business with a company and 43% named “negative experience with a staff person” as the main reason for taking their business elsewhere and 30% said because they didn’t feel like a valued customer.

Services are what consumers come to you and pay you for. (ex: lawn mowing, consulting, food delivery, personal training, etc) Customer service encompasses the entire experience. It’s what brings the human factor into a transaction.

Poor leaders see customer service as a department, something they can delegate to nice people that get along well with others.

But, customer service is not a department and it encompasses everyone in your company. 

Great service does not cost any more money than average or poor service. Yet the returns are spectacular.

Every single person in your organization is responsible for delivering exceptional experiences to your clients.  Choose today to go above and...

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with work that you’ve caught yourself rushing through project after project?  

You scramble to answer a phone call while you’re checking your overloaded email inbox in the midst of completing an overdue report.  You push off your workout to make more time for another report that just hit your desk and by the time you look up from your desk to go home, it’s already dark outside.

It’s time for a pause. 

If you’re a business leader, the majority of the tasks you’re working on WILL impact someone’s life. If that’s the case, take a deep breath before moving forward.

Remind yourself that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. 

You’ve accomplished so much already in the first few months of the year. Have you celebrated these achievements with your spouse, your team, and yourself?

Slow down and enjoy the ride! And know that you’re not the only...

Last week, I listened to a Podcast by Brendon Burchard about avoiding overwhelm. We all know the feeling of overwhelm – when your plate is alarmingly full and the list of things to do seem endless. He offered a few tips, and here are the ones that stood out to me.

Be smart enough to recognize the difference between overwhelm and burnout. 

If you are CONSISTENTLY overwhelmed, you’re closer to burnout. If your attitude changes from positive to negative, you’re closer to burnout. Feeling overwhelmed is okay once in a while. Burnout means something needs to change.

Start your day organized. Make sure you have a plan for the day and you do your best to stick to it.

There are hundreds of popular thought leaders out there who can help you identify the way that will work best for you to stay organized. My technique is to build blocks of time into my Outlook calendar and make sure they’re phrased so that I’m achieving specific results, not just doing...

There are two big enemies of success, happiness and personal fulfillment.

The first is “The Path of Least Resistance”. This is what causes people to take the easy way in almost every situation and seek shortcuts.

The second is “The Expediency Factor” which says that people invariably seek the fastest and easiest way to get the things they want, right now, with little or no concern for the long-term consequences of their behaviors.

In other words, people do what is fun and easy rather than what is necessary for success. In many ways, this is even worse as far as leading people to underachievement.

Successful people make it a habit to do things that other people don’t like to do. Successful people are also more concerned with “pleasing results” whereas unsuccessful people are more concerned with “pleasing methods”.

How can you practice delayed gratification, the ability to put off satisfaction in the short term in order to enjoy...

This morning as I was driving to work, I had a realization.  Typically I like to listen to a podcast and prepare my mind for focus and achievement on Monday mornings. But today, all I wanted to do was listen to loud music and drive fast! (Probably not a good thing, because if you know me I’m always getting pulled over for driving too fast.)

So at 6 AM, I was pumped up and full of energy…. and quite frankly this made me feel a bit guilty about missing out on a morning ritual.  But after reflection, I realize it’s ok to change up my routine every once in awhile. Here’s why.

At work, your level of enthusiasm HAS TO BE a 10.

If you consider yourself a leader, then you know the importance of bringing your ‘A’ game to work every day… especially on Monday’s and especially in the morning.  Your team relies on you to set the pace for how the day and the week is going to proceed.

I think most people will agree that they’re...

Last week at a conference in Phoenix I was listening to Millionaire Coach, Scott Harris, and he asked the group to finish this sentence, “Rules are meant to be ______.” We all shouted out in unison, “BROKEN!”

Because, rules are meant to be broken, right?

But, we were wrong. Rules are meant to be followed. Here’s why.

Life is all about the decisions and choices that we make at every moment. If you decide you want to live to be 100 you have to follow proper rules around exercise and nutrition. When you get hungry, do you eat an apple or do you have cake? Do you take the stairs or use the escalator? Do you skip the workout when it’s raining or do it regardless?

Chances are you know the answer to these questions already. These are the rules.

If you make the decision that you want to keep your own teeth when your 80 years old then there are two very simple choices that you have to make every single day. Brush & floss. Brush and floss every day....