Mentorship

There are many variations to the adage about continuing to learn something new every day. ‘The day you cease to learn something new is the day you cease to be.’; ‘The wise man learns something new each and every day.’; ‘I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma.’; ‘You learn something every day if you pay attention.’; ‘I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. ‘

Today I learned the value of having a business mentor. When I started Leaf It To Us I thought that between my education in Business Management and my business partner having an MBA in Tax Accounting that I had everything that I needed to run my small business. I had a retired professional with over 30 years of experience in HR management and an MBA in Human Resources on speed dial in case I needed advice on staffing issues. I have another professional who taught corporate psychology for most of his career at the university level to help me understand the intricacies of business. What more could I need?

It was suggested earlier this year that I get a mentor to help me grow my business. I was somewhat resistant to the idea at first. After asking a friend to serve as an advisor and having that relationship almost implode due to our diverging styles I warmed up to the idea but, had no idea where to start. 

I recently posted on OPEN Forum asking specifically “Where is the best place to find a mentor?” The feedback that I received was priceless. I since contacted several other professionals and today finally spoke with someone who agreed to help guide me as I grow my business. Today, he gave me some very interesting things to think about, helped me to formulate a plan for the next couple of weeks and referred me to other professionals that may be able to assist me.  

Giving Back

Often we hear about the charitable acts and community relations of big businesses. These acts of goodwill often are highlighted in the media and publicized by those companies in their internal literature. This type of exposure can often shape the public’s perception of these companies; often endearing them to the public. Unfortunately, small businesses do not often benefit from that type of exposure; but opportunities for good will abound if the small business owner knows where to look.

Last season I served as an Advisor/Volunteer to the E. 177^th and E. 176^th community garden. Because my grandmother is a longtime resident of E. 177^th street I was very familiar with the neighborhood and the needs of the people. The community is aging but the majority of the residents are still homeowners. 

After a dilapidated house on E. 177^th street was torn down, the residents decided that instead of allowing the vacant lot to develop into an eyesore, that they would pool their resources and build a community garden. This is a growing trend in many urban areas however, the neighborhood surrounding E. 177^th street is not a victim of inner city blight. This is still a middle class neighborhood; one where the neighbors all know and look out for each other. 

My assistance included helping the organizers interpret the soil analysis report that was provided to them. Many never knew that so much went into determining the condition of the soil. I also donated plant materials to the garden and taught the residents how to start seeds indoors with peat pots. Most significantly I donated approximately 40 hours of my company’s labor to the project. Not that the time that I spent on site is not important but, like most other small businesses controlling labor costs is of critical importance. So, to pay my crew to spread top soil, mulch and weed the garden is a big investment.  One which I look forward to doing again next year. 

In addition to the work with the community garden I have already been contacted by a preschool program and asked to share my knowledge about plant science and landscaping with their students. The prospect of exposing our youth to the green industry is very exciting to me. These young people may not be the future of the industry or paying customers but, the education that I provide may help sustain our planet for years to come. 

This is why it is important for even small businesses to give back. Even if we don’t get the notoriety that our larger brethren do.

Dead of winter but not dead

Winter came to Cleveland early this year. Our first snow came in November the week before Thanksgiving; and the ground has had at least a light covering of snow almost every day since. We have not yet reached the midpoint of December and the area has seen over a foot of snow. For those landscape firms that do not offer snow removal or Christmas light hanging the season effectively ended when the first flakes of the season fell. All signs point to this being a pretty bad winter. What is a landscaper to do until March?

Before the weather turned, I set my sights on my winter income. Fortunately, while the Green Industry is my primary focus, I have acquired a level of proficiency in a secondary trade, painting. This craft provides me with a solid continual income stream to help carry my business through the winter. There is however, more to growing a business than sustain income. 

In addition to helping to create beautiful living spaces I have spent a great amount of time improving my brand and my skills. As happens every year around this time I have become an avid reader. This year I am focusing on materials that will enhance my aptitude as both a businessman and a landscaper. Over the past few weeks I have also been spending four to five hours a week networking via LinkedIn. 

This year I have also spent over 20 hours on improving my web presence. This includes updating my LinkedIn profile, the Leaf It To Us facebook page, reclaiming my twitter account, and setting up all of the features of my Google+ accounts. Some may wonder what this has to do with landscaping.

As the world becomes more ‘connected’, a businesses ability to link to the rest of the world through social media becomes more and more important. The days when people would spend 20 minutes thumbing through the yellow pages are a thing of the past. Consumers want fast, now, faster. They want complete information at their fingertips; they want pictures and video. They want to be relevant. So in the dead of winter I’m working even harder to insure that I can work consistently next summer.