Toolbox for the Trades

Horticulture isn’t the first industry that pops to mind when you think about applying...

However, LMC Landscape Partners IT Director Mike Lowrance has dug into the subject and has definitively shown...

To start, Lowrance notes that employees enter into any kind of tech training with...

He says employers and trainers need to take employee knowledge variances into consideration. 

“If you want to grow and be successful, you can't afford not to adapt...

Once people achieve some levels of proficiency, he says the next step is learning...

“There are a lot of people that have edited the input to make it...

He also says it can be easy to get lost in an abundance of...

For example, he says a company may have a very low gross margin on...

“So you kind of wanna know from the business standpoint what it is that...

Even the best systems can fail without clear goals, thoughtful training and real buy-in,...

Mike Lowrance recently joined ServiceTitan’s Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which...

• [7:12] How to build internal tech leadership with super users

• [10:09] Trying to create super users

• [12:54] How to create buy-in and deal with tech resistance

• [14:19] Data leads to profitability

• [18:43] What sets Aspire apart from other landscaping CRMs

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to “Toolbox for the Trades” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Creating a good business team starts with the basic building block of effectively collecting...Team Engine Co-founder Carlos del Pozo says.

That process can be hampered by applicants who ghost you, or when your turnover...

“If you're good at sales and marketing and following up quickly, you should be...

A misconception still exists at some companies, del Pozo says, that somebody who gets...

Instead, employers need to approach recruiting differently, especially by following up quickly and screening...

Another pitfall to avoid is letting the hiring manager lose faith in the process....

“They may think about hiring and recruiting as this linear experience,” del Pozo says....

That means two things, he says. Don’t get disappointed about turnover, and put more...

Finally, del Pozo says the whole process can be assisted by technology, especially in...

“Software can actually make that happen the way that you want,” he says. “It...

Carlos del Pozo recently joined ServiceTitan’s Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included del Pozo’s thoughts on:

• [5:39] The #1 hiring bottleneck of failing to follow up fast

• [13:01] Why your job description is a marketing tool

• [19:13] How to enable retention

• [22:25 How to improve leadership skills

• [24:33] The future of recruiting and hiring in the age of AI

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to “Toolbox for the Trades” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Steven Harper has worked at some powerhouse brands, like FedEx, Disney and Capital One,...Spectrum Building Services of America has taught him two essential lessons:

1. Having a people-first culture is non-negotiable.

2. Cash-flow management is the true lifeline for any service business.

Harper sat down to talk about his quarter-century leadership experience with “Toolbox for the...

“Our number one value is caring about the customer,” he says. “The customer is...

And how do you take care of customers? By doing everything you can as...

“Employees have real lives,” he says. “They have a life outside of this company....

On the fiduciary side of management, Harper says most managers know about profit-and-loss and...

“The number one thing I had to learn as an entrepreneur and small-business owner...

Steven Harper recently joined ServiceTitan’s Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast,...

• [3:25] How 25-plus years of experience have influenced Harper’s customer service philosophy

• [10:53] Cash management strategies for struggling business owners

• [15:50] Culture building and scaling within the commercial cleaning industry

• [26:18] Scaling within the cleaning industry

• [30:27] Why leaders need clarity to succeed

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.

When Tiffany Martin Peters entered into the family business in 2014, the company was...

Today, Martin Peters is president of North by Northwest Lawns in Austin, Texas.

She proudly notes that everything she originally learned about the family landscaping company came...

While business was steady, it was also in need of upgrades.

“If you're not improving your processes with the times, you’ll stay stagnant,” Martin Peters...

Making changes, especially in a tight-knit family business, is not for the faint of...

“My dad once said that being offended is a choice,” Martin Peters says. “It’s...

The company went all in with Aspire Software, a sister software solution to ServiceTitan....

Martin Peters was hands on during the onboarding so she could gain full knowledge...

“It was very important for me to be a part of the implementation,” she...

Tiffany Martin Peters recently joined ServiceTitan’s Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included...

• [5:33] Transitioning the office from old-school paper to modern processes

• [8:26] Navigating family dynamics while implementing new procedures

• [13:56] Adopting new software during the peak seasonal months

• [16:01] Creating project timelines

• 26:48] How instant data helped project job costing

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Site Landscape Development CFO Andrew Craft has proved that process improvement is a growth engine for...

Craft is the second guest of “Toolbox for the Trades” new co-host Amanda Salvatore.

Powering Site Landscape Development’s tremendous growth is Aspire Software, a sister software solution to...

Dallas-Fort Worth-based Site Landscape Development adopted Aspire and, by investing in an efficient system,...

“ We needed a platform to give us the ability to grow, and for us,...

Craft demonstrated that tech-forward thinking and financial discipline can lead to more than just...

“We would get the question, ‘If you're gonna automate the AP process, why are...

With automation, data and scalable tools in place, Craft has even bigger plans, like...

“ The big advantage of Aspire is having everything in one place,” he says. “[Having]...

Andrew Craft recently joined ServiceTitan’s Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included...

• [1:49] Why process improvements are critical for scaling your small business

• [6:21] How a CRM and EOS implementations helped Site double its revenue

• [15:31] Advice to small-business owners trying to jump their scaling hurdles

• [32:17] Projecting the future after efficiency improvements.

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Aspire Software Director of Client Experiences Jon Gohl raves about the benefit of mentorship in...

Gohl is the first guest of Toolbox for the Trades new co-host Amanda Salvatore,...

Aspire Software is a sister software solution to ServiceTitan. Gohl, a bicycling enthusiast, is...

“ You can never walk this alone,” he says. “You have to walk together, so...

Gohl’s philosophy in life and in business is to keep moving forward, try new...

“ When I talk about skinny branches, it's about living your life and not clinging...

Out on those branches is where Gohl hopes to recruit teammates who will advance...

“We're going to change this industry,” he says. “We're going to revolutionize it. We're...

Jon Gohl recently joined ServiceTitan co-host Amanda Salvatore on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast,...

• [11:21] Leadership lessons Gohl took from some of the industry’s legends

• [15:12] Creating a vision for yourself

• [17:46] Bringing technology to schools for the next generation of landscapers

• [24:30] Framing software platforms as an approachable tool

• [26:22] How educational outreach will benefit the industry

To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.