Landscape Business Consulting for Design-Build Companies
Business advice grounded in firsthand experience running a landscape design-build company.
Landscape and design-build businesses have a particular kind of complexity. Sales, design, estimating, purchasing, scheduling, labor, project management, customer expectations, and profitability all have to work together.
When one part of that system is not working well, the effects usually show up somewhere else.
I provide landscape business consulting for owners and leadership teams who want an experienced outside perspective on how their business is operating, where problems may be developing, and where changes could make the greatest difference.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, I work with landscape and design-build businesses in the region and with select companies beyond Missouri. My perspective comes from more than four decades in the industry, including 30 years building and operating my own successful landscape architecture design-build company.
That includes companies in nearby Illinois as well as select businesses in other markets.
Experience From Inside the Business
I understand the landscape industry from the owner’s side because I spent decades dealing with many of the same issues owners face today.
That included sales, design, estimating, staffing, compensation, production, project management, purchasing, customer service, marketing, financial performance, and developing the people and systems needed for the company to grow.
I also understand how closely those areas are connected.
A sales problem may really be an estimating problem. A production problem may begin with how the project was sold or designed. A profitability issue may involve pricing, labor efficiency, purchasing, project management, or several of those things working together.
That is why my approach to landscape business consulting starts with understanding the business as a whole rather than assuming the problem is isolated to one department.
Where I Can Help
Profitability, margins, and financial performance
Sales, pricing, estimating, and the handoff to production
Operations, scheduling, and project execution
Hiring, organizational structure, roles, and accountability
Leadership and reducing unnecessary owner dependency
Growth and the systems needed to support a larger organization
Identifying inefficiencies between departments or processes
The objective is not to impose a standard program or tell you how another company operates. It is to understand how your company works and help determine what changes make sense for the business you are trying to build.
My experience is especially relevant to companies where design, sales, estimating, construction, and customer expectations must stay aligned from the first conversation through project completion.
That includes landscape contractors, landscape design-build companies, outdoor-living firms, pool and landscape businesses, and related specialty contractors.
The details may differ from one company to another, but many of the underlying business challenges are remarkably similar.
Landscape and Design-Build Businesses
Advisor or More Involved Support
Sometimes an owner primarily needs a landscape business consultant to provide another perspective, challenge assumptions, and help determine priorities.
Other situations may benefit from more sustained involvement to help implement changes, improve accountability, or work alongside the leadership team for a period of time.
The role should fit
the needs of the business.
You may already know exactly where the problem is.
Or you may simply know the business should be performing better and want an experienced second set of eyes to help determine why.