Southern Botanical partners with Aspire to cultivate growth

Over the past 28 years, Southern Botanical has become nationally recognized as The Green Standard in the landscaping industry for their award-winning projects, innovative business practices, and commitment to sustainability. As a locally owned, full-service commercial and residential landscape partner, Southern Botanical specializes in providing comprehensive maintenance, construction, certified tree care, and design-build services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Their commitment to innovation has brought them into a new partnership with Aspire Software, the leading business management software for landscape companies.  

Aspire was the perfect choice to help them streamline their operations and take their business to the next level. With their eye on doubling revenue within the next five years, they needed a software solution to support their ambitious goals. And with Aspire, they found exactly what they were looking for and more.

Time for change 

Over the last few years, Southern Botanical realized their previous software was not sustainable for their rapid growth. 

According to Shaun Murphy, regional manager of commercial services, Aspire’s strong reputation and positive feedback from existing customers in the landscape industry key factors in Southern Botanical’s decision to switch to Aspire. 

"We chose Aspire as our business management software based on real-world experiences and recommendations from industry peers,” he says. “Seeing it in action and collaborating with other professional organizations made us confident in its effectiveness and ability to meet our needs." 

Southern Botanical’s successful implementation of Aspire is the result of companywide  enthusiasm and leadership’s commitment to the successful onboarding of the solution. 

The team-building aspect of implementing Aspire was also a benefit. "The entire team got on board and made a real effort to put Aspire into practice, which improved our operation and boosted our company culture,” says Lindy Reese, Southern Botanical’s marketing strategy manager. “Shaun and the leadership team’s approach of owning and mastering the software before teaching it to the team set us up for long-term success." 

Murphy led the implementation team, which consisted of branch managers, HR, payroll, and accounting personnel. They chose Aspire over their previous software because it was operations-focused, which aligned with the company's 80/20 rule of being an operations company first and foremost. 

As the team got started with Aspire, Southern Botanical established two initial goals: implementing the system on time, which they achieved on January 1, and adding 4% to their bottom line in the first year through efficient scheduling, recording gross margins, improving estimating accuracy, and purchasing more efficiently. The company has grown by 20% year-over-year for the past three years and seeks to double revenue in the next five years.

Early success and retention

While Southern Botanical is just starting with Aspire, they’re already seeing positive results. 

“We are only scratching the surface of the efficiencies we’ve gained already with Aspire,” shares Murphy. 

“Aspire has not only increased our operational efficiency but also reduced human error through automating routine processes,” he adds. “With the team out in the field utilizing Aspire's tools, we have gained a deeper understanding of our employees’ needs and overall financial success.” 

Aspire has been instrumental in helping Southern Botanical recruit top talent while struggling with labor shortages. Reese was looking to join a larger landscape organization and had already implemented Aspire once before. She recommended Aspire to Southern Botanical when she joined the organization in mid-2022 and continues to train and coach team members on the software. 

With the competition for talent increasing, Southern Botanical wanted a system and process in place to quickly turn anyone walking through their doors into top performers. In fact, a new operations leader cited the use of Aspire as a major part of their decision to join the team.

Southern Botanical believes reducing daily frictions and avoidable frustrations is key to making the workplace more enjoyable and efficient. Aspire helps set them apart from their competitors by offering innovative technologies and practices which make their employees' jobs easier. Aspire also provides valuable visibility for teams, which drives accountability and motivates them to do their best.

With Southern Botanical’s landscape expertise, commitment to sustainability, and now a powerful new software solution, they’ve improved their processes as an organization while also becoming a sought-after place to work.