Podcast appearances and mentions of ed laflamme

To all you determined dreamers out there: We’re two guys who love the landscape business and the people in it. We loved the flexibility it gave us, and we loved being outside. We’ve worked hard most of our lives to become successful at it. And now, we spend most of our time helping folks like you develop new methods to properly manage and lead a successful enterprise, too. We’ve each cultivated different strengths and unique perspectives. And together, our combined experience adds up to nearly a lifetime—more than 70 years—in this business, which amounts to a pretty deep well of wisdom.

The green industry affords young entrepreneurs in landscape and tree care services, a great opportunity to run their own business. In an environment where there is often more demand for work than there are contractors to get it all done. Lawn & Landscape's newly released, 2019 State of the Industry report, says  business owners are once again confident about the industry overall. However with median revenues decreasing year over year, for the past 3 years, it's more more important than ever, for business owners to maximize their margins and profitability.This can be challenging for a skilled contractor who's trained in horticulture or arboriculture, to understand all the important aspects of business. Or looking down the road, trying to build a successful business that they can sell when they're ready to retire.So where do they turn for some sound advice to improve their business and get to the next level? Hiring a business consultant to help is a great option but that can be more than what a new business owner can afford.On this #landscapechat episode, Bill Armand and Ed Laflamme of Harvest Group, shared some details about their online program called the Harvest Learning Academy. They share some insights on how it works and how entrepreneurs can apply their expert advice, to maximize the potential of their own business.CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTSThe Harvest Group - Twitter, FacebookCONNECT WITH USEnjoy this episode or have questions? We want to hear from you. Connect with Chris Sabbarese at Corona Tools on Twitter and our new GILN Facebook Group. This closed group is like-minded individuals who care about and discuss, gardening and plants, trees and landscaping related topics. 

Owning a landscape business can be a rewarding experience for an entrepreneur. These days there are plenty of great opportunities and quite often, more demand for work than business owners can handle. It's a great problem to have yet there are plenty of new landscape businesses that fail. While some established businesses stay busy, they struggle to make a profit from year to year.That's were Lawn & Landscape magazine's Turnaround Tour comes in. In its 3rd year, the Turnaround Tour helps 3 landscape companies turn their business around to be streamlined and more profitable. Owners open their books and expose every aspect of their business to in order to take the next step to become a better, more profitable business.At the center of the tour are business consultants, Bill Arman and Ed Laflamme of the Harvest Group, who join us on this #landscapechat episode and share some of their experiences since the tour began.CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTSLawn & Landscape - Twitter, FacebookThe Harvest Group - Twitter, FacebookCONNECT WITH USEnjoy this episode or have questions? We want to hear from you. Connect with Chris Sabbarese at Corona Tools on Twitter and our new GILN Facebook Group. This closed group is like-minded individuals who care about and discuss, gardening and plants, trees and landscaping related topics.

Ed LaFlamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, Green Side Up: Straight Talk on Growing and Operating a Profitable Landscaping Business. He was formerly the founder of the largest landscape maintenance company in the state of Connecticut, which he later sold to Landcare USA. Today Ed is a professional speaker and partner in The Harvest Group, where he mentors aspiring landscape businesses nationwide.

Bill Arman, the former Regional Vice President of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, is going to take his 46 years of experience and share his cornucopia of ideas with you to make your "green industry journey" a little bit easier, a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more profitable! With 29 years of experience overseeing ValleyCrest's $25 million Southern California maintenance operations, including 6 branch offices, 5 service lines and over 600 employees, Arman knows how to get from "here" to "there" easier, faster and with less pain and will show you how to "Harvest Your Potential." Arman served as Vice President of Human Resources at ValleyCrest for two years specialized in the area of organizational development and for all training, recruiting and performance management systems for this $650 million, 6,500-employee operation. He is trained and educated as a horticulturist along with a long career in corporate landscaping nurtured at one of the nation's largest landscape companies. His expertise in human development and helping organizations thrive is rooted in 35 years of experience growing great programs and people. After successfully leading ValleyCrest's Southern California Region and overseeing the company's multi-million-dollar portfolio, Arman developed and implemented a national training program, performance management system, and the recruiting program as ValleyCrest's V.P. of Human Resources. In 2007, Arman co-founded a national landscape business consultancy called The Harvest Group, where he serves as The Head Harvester. Today, Bill and his fellow Head Harvesters, Ed Laflamme, Steve Cesare and Cindy Code travel nationwide helping organizations, leaders, and team members in “Harvesting Their Potential” with their Harvest Way “Sounding Board” and Online Academy Programs. For more information, visit The Harvest Group at http://www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

Bill Arman, the former Regional Vice President of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, is going to take his 46 years of experience and share his cornucopia of ideas with you to make your "green industry journey" a little bit easier, a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more profitable!With 29 years of experience overseeing ValleyCrest's $25 million Southern California maintenance operations, including 6 branch offices, 5 service lines and over 600 employees, Arman knows how to get from "here" to "there" easier, faster and with less pain and will show you how to "Harvest Your Potential." Arman served as Vice President of Human Resources at ValleyCrest for two years specialized in the area of organizational development and for all training, recruiting and performance management systems for this $650 million, 6,500-employee operation. He is trained and educated as a horticulturist along with a long career in corporate landscaping nurtured at one of the nation's largest landscape companies. His expertise in human development and helping organizations thrive is rooted in 35 years of experience growing great programs and people.After successfully leading ValleyCrest's Southern California Region and overseeing the company's multi-million-dollar portfolio, Arman developed and implemented a national training program, performance management system, and the recruiting program as ValleyCrest's V.P. of Human Resources.In 2007, Arman co-founded a national landscape business consultancy called The Harvest Group, where he serves as The Head Harvester.Today, Bill and his fellow Head Harvesters, Ed Laflamme, Steve Cesare and Cindy Code travel nationwide helping organizations, leaders, and team members in “Harvesting Their Potential” with their Harvest Way “Sounding Board” and Online Academy Programs.For more information, visit The Harvest Group at http://www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

Bill Arman, the former Regional Vice President of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, is going to take his 46 years of experience and share his cornucopia of ideas with you to make your "green industry journey" a little bit easier, a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more profitable!With 29 years of experience overseeing ValleyCrest's $25 million Southern California maintenance operations, including 6 branch offices, 5 service lines and over 600 employees, Arman knows how to get from "here" to "there" easier, faster and with less pain and will show you how to "Harvest Your Potential." Arman served as Vice President of Human Resources at ValleyCrest for two years specialized in the area of organizational development and for all training, recruiting and performance management systems for this $650 million, 6,500-employee operation. He is trained and educated as a horticulturist along with a long career in corporate landscaping nurtured at one of the nation's largest landscape companies. His expertise in human development and helping organizations thrive is rooted in 35 years of experience growing great programs and people.After successfully leading ValleyCrest's Southern California Region and overseeing the company's multi-million-dollar portfolio, Arman developed and implemented a national training program, performance management system, and the recruiting program as ValleyCrest's V.P. of Human Resources.In 2007, Arman co-founded a national landscape business consultancy called The Harvest Group, where he serves as The Head Harvester.Today, Bill and his fellow Head Harvesters, Ed Laflamme, Steve Cesare and Cindy Code travel nationwide helping organizations, leaders, and team members in “Harvesting Their Potential” with their Harvest Way “Sounding Board” and Online Academy Programs.For more information, visit The Harvest Group at http://www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

Bill Arman, the former Regional Vice President of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, is going to take his 46 years of experience and share his cornucopia of ideas with you to make your "green industry journey" a little bit easier, a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more profitable! With 29 years of experience overseeing ValleyCrest's $25 million Southern California maintenance operations, including 6 branch offices, 5 service lines and over 600 employees, Arman knows how to get from "here" to "there" easier, faster and with less pain and will show you how to "Harvest Your Potential." Arman served as Vice President of Human Resources at ValleyCrest for two years specialized in the area of organizational development and for all training, recruiting and performance management systems for this $650 million, 6,500-employee operation. He is trained and educated as a horticulturist along with a long career in corporate landscaping nurtured at one of the nation's largest landscape companies. His expertise in human development and helping organizations thrive is rooted in 35 years of experience growing great programs and people. After successfully leading ValleyCrest's Southern California Region and overseeing the company's multi-million-dollar portfolio, Arman developed and implemented a national training program, performance management system, and the recruiting program as ValleyCrest's V.P. of Human Resources. In 2007, Arman co-founded a national landscape business consultancy called The Harvest Group, where he serves as The Head Harvester. Today, Bill and his fellow Head Harvesters, Ed Laflamme, Steve Cesare and Cindy Code travel nationwide helping organizations, leaders, and team members in “Harvesting Their Potential” with their Harvest Way “Sounding Board” and Online Academy Programs. For more information, visit The Harvest Group at http://www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

As the old saying goes, "what gets measured gets managed, and what get's managed gets improved." Ed Laflamme of The Harvest Group Business Consulting will show you how to set gross margin goals and how to set up a system to track these goals. Tracking your gross margin is so important for the success of your landscape business. By doing this you will not only know if you are making money but also be alerted to potential problems in your estimating process, including markups and installation issues. Laflamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, "GREEN SIDE UP, Straight talk on growing and operating a profitable landscaping business." He started his own business with $700 that he borrowed from his mother, bought two lawn mowers and began by working out of the trunk of his car. Nine years later he sold the residential segment of his business and concentrated on commercial and industrial maintenance. Always a "big thinker" Laflamme set his sites on the mother of all commercial contracts: General Electric's World Headquarters in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1985 he was awarded his first multimillion-dollar account. Today Laflamme is an author, professional speaker, consultant/coach and mentor to landscape owners nationwide working as the East Coast's Head Harvester at The Harvest Group. He uses his unique "sounding board" approach to act as a silent partner, helping his clients' businesses thrive and grow as a result of his personal mentoring. Laflamme is a Landscape Industry Certified Professional and currently sits on PLANET's membership committee. He lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two sons. He can be reached at ed@harvestlandscapeconsulting.com or 203-858-4696. For more information visit www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

As the old saying goes, "what gets measured gets managed, and what get's managed gets improved."Ed Laflamme of The Harvest Group Business Consulting will show you how to set gross margin goals and how to set up a system to track these goals. Tracking your gross margin is so important for the success of your landscape business. By doing this you will not only know if you are making money but also be alerted to potential problems in your estimating process, including markups and installation issues.Laflamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, "GREEN SIDE UP, Straight talk on growing and operating a profitable landscaping business." He started his own business with $700 that he borrowed from his mother, bought two lawn mowers and began by working out of the trunk of his car. Nine years later he sold the residential segment of his business and concentrated on commercial and industrial maintenance. Always a "big thinker" Laflamme set his sites on the mother of all commercial contracts: General Electric's World Headquarters in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1985 he was awarded his first multimillion-dollar account.Today Laflamme is an author, professional speaker, consultant/coach and mentor to landscape owners nationwide working as the East Coast's Head Harvester at The Harvest Group. He uses his unique "sounding board" approach to act as a silent partner, helping his clients' businesses thrive and grow as a result of his personal mentoring. Laflamme is a Landscape Industry Certified Professional and currently sits on PLANET's membership committee.He lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two sons.He can be reached at ed@harvestlandscapeconsulting.com or 203-858-4696. For more information visit www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

As the old saying goes, "what gets measured gets managed, and what get's managed gets improved."Ed Laflamme of The Harvest Group Business Consulting will show you how to set gross margin goals and how to set up a system to track these goals. Tracking your gross margin is so important for the success of your landscape business. By doing this you will not only know if you are making money but also be alerted to potential problems in your estimating process, including markups and installation issues.Laflamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, "GREEN SIDE UP, Straight talk on growing and operating a profitable landscaping business." He started his own business with $700 that he borrowed from his mother, bought two lawn mowers and began by working out of the trunk of his car. Nine years later he sold the residential segment of his business and concentrated on commercial and industrial maintenance. Always a "big thinker" Laflamme set his sites on the mother of all commercial contracts: General Electric's World Headquarters in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1985 he was awarded his first multimillion-dollar account.Today Laflamme is an author, professional speaker, consultant/coach and mentor to landscape owners nationwide working as the East Coast's Head Harvester at The Harvest Group. He uses his unique "sounding board" approach to act as a silent partner, helping his clients' businesses thrive and grow as a result of his personal mentoring. Laflamme is a Landscape Industry Certified Professional and currently sits on PLANET's membership committee.He lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two sons.He can be reached at ed@harvestlandscapeconsulting.com or 203-858-4696. For more information visit www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.

As the old saying goes, "what gets measured gets managed, and what get's managed gets improved." Ed Laflamme of The Harvest Group Business Consulting will show you how to set gross margin goals and how to set up a system to track these goals. Tracking your gross margin is so important for the success of your landscape business. By doing this you will not only know if you are making money but also be alerted to potential problems in your estimating process, including markups and installation issues. Laflamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, "GREEN SIDE UP, Straight talk on growing and operating a profitable landscaping business." He started his own business with $700 that he borrowed from his mother, bought two lawn mowers and began by working out of the trunk of his car. Nine years later he sold the residential segment of his business and concentrated on commercial and industrial maintenance. Always a "big thinker" Laflamme set his sites on the mother of all commercial contracts: General Electric's World Headquarters in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1985 he was awarded his first multimillion-dollar account. Today Laflamme is an author, professional speaker, consultant/coach and mentor to landscape owners nationwide working as the East Coast's Head Harvester at The Harvest Group. He uses his unique "sounding board" approach to act as a silent partner, helping his clients' businesses thrive and grow as a result of his personal mentoring. Laflamme is a Landscape Industry Certified Professional and currently sits on PLANET's membership committee. He lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two sons. He can be reached at ed@harvestlandscapeconsulting.com or 203-858-4696. For more information visit www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.