A big beautiful wall

Contractor James Bond (not the secret agent) says, “So many properties in California … you step out the back door and there’s a little bit of yard and then a 2:1 slope, and nobody knows what to do with that 2:1 slope. This property was one of those. When I got there they had sewer pipes stuck out of the ground. Aside from a 5’ wall at the bottom, the yard was just a total unimproved mess.”... MORE

Demo doubles lighting sales

We’ve seen a hardscape boom the last 10 or 15 years. At the same time, homeowners are always cutting the lighting budget saying, "We don't need very many lights. I just want 5 path lights there and a light on each of those trees,” etc. Most lighting jobs look terrible because homeowners are designing them. A good demo puts real lights in real locations to visually show people how the lights are going to transform their yard.... MORE

9 ways to demotivate employees

A lot is written about motivation, especially when it comes to employees. Rather than focus on fluffy motivational quotes, let’s talk about some of the things bosses do that demotivate, so that you can avoid being part of the problem. For example, don’t play seagull. Seagulls show up on the job, squawk, dump on people and leave... MORE

Keys to success with few employees

Despite the severe employee shortage, my company just finished one of the most profitable years we have ever had. As I look back to the pre-recession years, we are currently doing twice the revenue with half the manpower that we had back then. For years I have been traveling the country sharing my story how I increased jobsite production and motivated my crew to not only perform well on the jobsite but to stay loyal to my company... MORE

Water feature innovations for hardscape

The buying consumer (residential or business) still desires the many benefits that only a water feature can offer. Fortunately, innovations in water feature products make it easier for contractors to meet these market trends. In addition, due to the ease of installation, the man-hours required to install today’s popular features are lower and the earned profit dollar opportunities are higher than ever before.... MORE

Contractor Profiles

Awards aren’t everything; but they help

February/March 2019

Awards aren’t everything; but they help

Awards boost employee morale, build credibility with prospects and inspire employees to produce award-worthy work. MORE

Empowering employees to buy the company

December 2018/January 2019

Empowering employees to buy the company

Giving people real responsibilities allowed John Cottrell to grow his company and sell it. MORE

Learning to share

October/November 2018

Learning to share

Contractor Josh Jones is all about learning and sharing what he knows with other contractors, even local competitors. MORE

Show project scores big leads & awards

August/September 2018

Show project scores big leads & awards

"We typically sell $1 million a year from this show. It's a big marketing event for us." MORE

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