Ignite 2024 Day One

Get all the Ignite 2024 Day One content to either relive the excitement or learn the biggest news from the conference. Coverage includes Robotics in Landscaping, the Aspire Product Roadmap, Customer-Based Sales Strategies, and more!

Aspire & Robotics in Landscaping: The Future is Now

“Autonomous mowers were a novelty a few years ago,” said Clayton McLagan, Senior Manager, Strategy & Transformation at Husqvarna, “and now they’re becoming a legitimate source of productivity and efficiency.”

McLagan and other experts in the field of robotics in landscaping shared a glimpse into the future of autonomous mowers — and what’s happening right now.

The panel addressed technology advancements like EPOS (Exact Positioning Operating System), cellular collection data, and vision capabilities on autonomous mowers — all things possible on today’s models. 

“If you have vision on those mowers, there’s so much other information that you can gather,” said Dan Blake, the CTO of Aspire. “I’ve got an irrigation problem here, I’ve got dead turf there, I’ve got dead shrubs there. Being able to gather all that information and automatically create tickets and add-on sales opportunities off that, that stuff is real.”

Todd Reinhart, owner of Reinhart Landscaping in central Illinois, has a small fleet of 35 of these units in the field and says there are second, third and fourth-order effects with this change: “First and foremost, we’re seeing crew size cut from two to one, we already saw a huge overtime shift this Spring. The dollars per truck maybe 30% to 40% up, and our truck size is going to drop — which means less fuel.”

Charles Brian Quinn, Co-Founder and CEO of Greenzie, says if you’re looking to ease into the space of autonomous mowers their products may be for you. “By adding self-driving to existing mowers, we’re an easy button,” Quinn said. “We’re the way to sort of just dip your toe in and what we’ve seen is incremental improvement. So when you add a Greenzie quick mower to a crew, you now have a robotic worker. It’s an easy way to jump into the market without having to make a full investment.”

Reinhart says one big advancement they are really waiting for is remote operation. “When we can remote in and operate that mower out of a trouble spot, this is the game changer that removes all the obstacles,” he said. “That takes the cost per acre and probably drops it in half. If it runs into a tree, a stump, a limb, gophers as of late, when we can remote in, see what the problem is and reset that mower that eliminates returns.”

All the panelists agreed that this type of technology is going to require a different type of hiring mentality. “This is a very different type of person,” Reinhart said. “You’re looking for the kid that built his own computer and it’s a gamification to them. They want to see them all running everyday. These are people that are the future and you need somebody who thinks that way and loves that aspect of it.” 

The bottom line from this session was a resounding call for business owners, particularly those working on commercial properties, to start exploring this path because it’s growing — fast. 

“From a start standpoint, just start learning,” McLagan said. “If it’s not in your purview today, it needs to be tomorrow, because it’s coming.”

Maximizing Efficiency: Route Density & Scheduling Insights from LMC Landscape

Mike Lawrence, IT Director at LMC Landscape Partner, shared valuable insights on increasing gross margins through effective route density and scheduling. Lawrence's presentation focused on three key areas: Route Scheduling, Route Optimization, and Recurring Scheduling.

Understanding costs in operating a landscaping business

Lawrence began by addressing the elephant in the room: labor costs. As the largest expense in the landscaping industry, optimizing labor utilization is crucial. He challenged attendees to consider their travel time—any time not allocated to a work ticket—and introduced the concept of "windshield time." 

While many in the audience estimated their travel time at 40-50%, Lawrence revealed that LMC had managed to reduce theirs to a mere 18%, showcasing the potential for significant improvement.

How to reduce windshield time in your landscaping operation

Key Takeaways:

Route Scheduling

• Consider crew capabilities and property classifications when scheduling

• Account for customer preferences for specific crew leaders

• Balance large and small properties within a day's schedule

• Determine optimal crew size based on property requirements

Route Optimization

While praising Aspire's route optimization tool, Lawrence noted some factors it doesn't consider:

• Traffic patterns (morning vs. afternoon)

• Time-sensitive locations (e.g., restaurants during lunch hours, schools during pick-up/drop-off times)

Recurring Schedules

• Lawrence emphasized the primary benefit of setting recurring schedules is optimum efficiency

Lawrence's presentation highlighted the importance of thoughtful route planning and scheduling for maximizing efficiency and, consequently, gross margins. By leveraging Aspire's tools and the latest American Elm Product Release, landscape businesses can significantly reduce travel time, optimize crew utilization, and improve overall productivity.

The Grunder Way: Mastering the Art of Relationship-Based Sales in Landscaping

At this year's Ignite conference, Marty Grunder, owner of Grunder Landscaping Co. and founder of The Grow Group, led an inspiring and insightful session. With 40 years of experience under his belt and a track record of explosive growth, Grunder shared his secrets to sales success in the landscaping industry.

Grunder began by emphasizing the transformative impact of Aspire on his business. "Aspire has changed my life," he declared. "It has given us the confidence to make good decisions. Good managers make good decisions with good information." 

The proof is in the numbers: since implementing Aspire in January 2020, Grunder Landscaping Co. has more than tripled its revenue, growing from $4.5 million to a projected $14.5 million.

Building the foundation for customer relationships with every sale

The core of Grunder's philosophy is simple yet powerful: "If you can effectively sell someone once, you have a great opportunity to do it again. As long as you maintain that relationship." He contrasted common mistakes salespeople made with his approach.

The Grunder Way emphasizes:

• Active listening and genuine understanding

• A consultative approach rather than hard selling

• Meticulous attention to detail

• Consistent follow-up

• Building trust and treating clients like friends

Grunder stressed the importance of having a strong "why" in sales. 

"You gotta have a “why” to be successful in sales," he explained. Whether it's the joy of pleasing people, pride in transforming landscapes, or financial goals, understanding your motivation is crucial.

Finding your “why” with the Grunder Way 

Grunder's sales philosophy is deeply rooted in the timeless wisdom of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." He shared one of his favorite quotes from the book: "Take an interest in others, and they will take an interest in you." This principle forms the foundation of Grunder's revolutionary "7 Steps to Make Friends to Make Sales" strategy:

• Understand your client's true wants and needs

• Exceed expectations in your delivery

• Provide proof and reduce risk through referrals

• Ask for the sale confidently

• Deliver as promised with great customer service

• Keep in touch consistently

• Underpromise and over-deliver

Throughout the session, Grunder emphasized the power of relationship-building in sales. "Winners know when you make friends, you make sales," he stated. 

He encouraged attendees to engage in meaningful conversations with clients, ask for feedback, and continuously seek ways to improve their service.

Keeping focus on the client in a fast-changing industry

Grunder's approach aligns perfectly with Aspire's client-centric philosophy. By leveraging Aspire's robust features, such as posting job photos and notes, landscaping businesses can enhance client relationships and drive sales growth.

As the landscaping industry continues to evolve, Grunder's timeless advice reminds us that a strong, trust-based relationship is at the heart of every successful sale. By combining these principles with the power of Aspire's software, landscaping businesses are well-positioned to achieve remarkable growth and success.

Foundations of Front-Line Leadership

This breakout session addressed the industry’s talent gap, focusing on developing essential leadership skills for front-line managers. 

“A lot of times we have high-level individual contributors that are moved into management positions, but it’s a different skill set that they aren’t trained for,” said Jared Woodend, Integrator/COO at Decra-Scape, Inc. and Owner/Consultant at Redwood Operation Solutions LLC. 

Woodend presented a framework for moving high-performing contributors into leadership positions and helping owners/operators scale their businesses by increasing leadership capacity. 

In other words, “help leaders create more leaders.” 

Understanding the principles of developing effective leaders

Woodend presented the leadership framework that’s worked for his companies — core concepts of effective leadership, from building trust to fostering a culture of continuous improvement. 

The 6 Essentials for Leadership Development:

• Objective: Know what you’re trying to accomplish, and you will be more effective.

• Content: The information needed to meet that objective. For leadership development, that’s the “Leadership Toolbox.”

• Structure: Identify and evaluate what’s in place to support development. For example, weekly meetings. “Setting a dedicated structure for how you’re developing yourself and others is crucial to ensure it’s getting done,” said Woodend.

• Plan: How you will work through the content and use the toolbox—the best way to connect and communicate with your aspiring leaders to help them develop.

• Empowerment: Essential but often overlooked, this is essential to growing leaders. Woodend said, “Empower your team to make decisions. If they only follow specific instructions with no latitude, then they’re not leading. They’re still just doing. If there’s no empowerment, you don’t have leaders you have doers.”

• People: The most crucial part of creating this company culture is having the right people. “When you’re striving for growth as a company or as a team if you don’t have the right people on board, you're not going to be able to succeed,” Woodend said. “If you have a lot of people that are clock punchers, typically that doesn’t work well for a company that’s looking to grow and implement leaders in the organization.” The good news? Having the right people tends to attract more of the right people.

Building a Leadership Toolbox for your team

Woodend presented the six main tools in the Leadership Toolbox:

1. Connection: Build strong relationships at every level—within your role, with your team, and across the company—to foster trust and collaboration.

2. Communication: Clear, consistent, and open communication ensures everyone understands goals, expectations, and progress.

3. Delegation: Assign ownership of responsibilities to empower team members and free current leadership to focus on strategy.

4. Training: Ongoing training keeps team members and leadership engaged, proactive, and innovative to drive company growth.

5. Accountability: Instill team members with ownership of goals and provide ongoing feedback as progress is made.

6. Time Horizon: Planning for the long term enables leadership to consider the impact of decisions on achieving future goals. 

He says connecting to your role, coworkers, and company is vital to success at each of those levels — as an individual, a team, and an organization.

“The biggest misconception of accountability is that it equals consequences,” Woodend said. 

“More often than not, everyone uses the phrase, we need to hold people accountable, but we need to get away from that terminology because we’re not looking to hold people accountable we’re looking to instill ownership of specific achievable goals and provide timely feedback along the way.”

Planning for Growth through Expansion (or Acquisition)

Culture. Process. Money. More Predictable Outcomes.

All of these are the key factors in how a company — and an owner, more specifically — “Plan for Growth through Expansion (or Acquisition),” a roundtable discussion at Ignite 2024.

“The best way to put it … regardless of whether you actually want to sell, you should always act like you’re going to do so,” said Gage Roberts of Aspire, a moderator of the session.

And it’s not just about the balance sheet and the P&L.

“When looking at a deal, we’re evaluating not just the metrics — it’s the human capital as well,” said Jerry Schill, President and CEO of Schill Grounds Management: “I’m going to invest in a company because of the people.”

That said … Christiana Rudder, CFO of Landscape Workshop, said, “We seemed to be afraid to make money. Our CEO once said we were a landscape charity.”

“Systems like Aspire allow us to build out scoreboards across locations, across brands … and leverage those metrics in real-time,” Schill said. “We were worried about being the best landscaper in Cleveland, not about being the best business owners in Cleveland. We got there with our technology choices — Aspire.”

The entire panel discussed the increase in activity in acquisitions. “What’s changed the most now is the number of phone calls and outreach that everyone is getting,” said Jeff Harkness, CEO of 3PG Advisors. “You need to be more guarded about who you’re talking with and why. What can really create value for you?”

Change is hard. Everyone on the panel stressed the details about an acquisition, and especially communication.

“As we move toward closing, we start moving with our team to how disruptive is this going to be?” Harkness said. “What’s employee onboarding going to be like? What’s the communication plan to customers … and your team?

“If you don’t control the narrative, your employees — and your employees spouses — will make it up for themselves. There’s a huge amount of pain and anxiety. It’s more than the metrics.”

Scaling Success: Lessons from K&D Landscaping's Journey

At this year's Ignite conference, a breakout session featuring Justin White, CEO of K&D Landscaping, and Maggie Wymore, Aspire's Director of Business Development, offered valuable insights into scaling a landscaping business while maintaining quality and company culture.

Justin White shared the remarkable growth story of K&D Landscaping, a full-service construction, water management, and maintenance company in Santa Cruz County, California. Their success led to the creation of JW Group, a consulting company aimed at elevating standards in the landscaping industry.

White has positioned K&D Landscaping at the forefront of innovation by leveraging cutting-edge technology and pioneering industry-leading strategies. With this momentum, the company is on track to sustain its impressive growth trajectory by achieving its ambitious goal of $30 million in revenue by 2030.

Key Strategies for Growth

1. Incentivize Desired Outcomes: White emphasized the importance of rewarding behaviors you want to see repeated. K&D Landscaping shifted its model to tie bonuses directly to labor hours, a key metric in the industry.

2. Focus on Labor Variance: The company identified labor variance as a crucial KPI, allowing it to optimize its workforce efficiency.

3. Quality Control through Site Audits: Increasing the frequency of site audits helped maintain and improve service quality during rapid growth.

4. Smart Reward Systems: White advised rewarding teams for doing the right thing, even when it might seem counterintuitive. For example, he noted that overtime hours for warranty work could be a positive sign of commitment to customer satisfaction.

Maintaining Culture During Rapid Growth

When asked about preserving company culture during fast-paced expansion, White shared a powerful anecdote:

"We have six core values, but our biggest demonstration of commitment came when we fired our best and only irrigation technician in the middle of summer. Despite his excellent numbers and client satisfaction, we received numerous internal employee complaints. After three months of attempting to improve his cultural fit, we had to let him go. This decision showed the entire company we were serious about our core values.”

This story underscores White's philosophy: "Who you hire is who you fire." It emphasizes the critical importance of cultural fit alongside technical skills.

The Power of Vision in Business Growth

White shared his experience developing a strong vision for K&D Landscaping:

"I got pretty lucky. A coach reached out to me in 2015 when I was 25 and taking over as CEO of my family's company. He taught us about EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and how to create a vision."

White emphasized several critical components of an effective vision:

1. BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): This long-term (10-year) ambitious goal drives the company forward. It should scare you and make you nervous. 

2. 3-Year Target or 3HAG: This short-term goal acts as a "layup" - it should be highly achievable and serve as a stepping stone towards the BHAG.

3. Consistent Communication: You need to present these goals and results every quarter and repeat them constantly so they become embedded in the vision.

4. Core Values: White stressed the importance of defining your company's core values. They serve as a moral compass for the organization, guiding behavior and decision-making at all levels.

5. Purpose - Your "Why": Your team needs to know why they’re being asked to do something to get behind it. 

6. Alignment: White emphasized the critical nature of team alignment, "If you don't have alignment with your team, you won't achieve any of your goals." Ensuring every team member understands the company's vision and goals and is committed to working towards them is critical. Alignment creates a unified force moving in the same direction, which is essential for overcoming challenges and achieving ambitious targets.

As the landscaping industry continues to evolve, leaders who can balance growth with quality, innovation with tradition, and ambition with strong values will be well-positioned to thrive. White's experience demonstrates that businesses can achieve remarkable growth and significantly impact their industry with the right vision, strategies, and commitment to core values. As we look to the future, it's clear that success in this field will come from technical expertise, visionary leadership, and a steadfast commitment to values-driven growth.

Tuesday, August 27

Ignite Opens in Orlando

After an amazing opening reception on Monday evening, Ignite 2024 kicked off in earnest Tuesday morning In Orlando with “Live with Jon and Mark” — a talk show with Aspire’s Director of Customer Experience Jon Gohl and Aspire and FieldRoutes CEO Mark Tipton.

Jon and Mark were joined by Juan Acosta, Director of Operations at Solid Property Services; Shandra Brannon, COO at Heritage Landcare; Scott Broaddus, VP of Expansion at Hawx Smart Pest Control; and Brittram "Britt" Wood, CEO of National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).

Eddie Wooten, Scott Goldman, Missy England and Deborah Goldman contributed to this blog coverage.