Chances are you've used QuickBooks for landscaping, at least at some point in your business. Most landscape contractors have. Actually, most small business owners in general, have—after all, it is not industry-specific software. QuickBooks can work just fine for many businesses in their early stages. But as your business grows, your software needs are most likely going to grow, too.
Technology is part of our everyday lives—and becomes more so every day. From online shopping to using devices to remain informed or connect with others, technology is used daily and that’s no different for those age 50 and older. Over 90 percent of adults over 50 own a computer or laptop, 70 percent have a smartphone, and more than 40 percent own a tablet, according to a national study.
Data is so important when it comes to how you run your business. If you’re regularly looking at data through a landscape business report, then you’re likely making major decisions based on what you read.
But what you see is also so important. In fact, one might argue that seeing is understanding.
Scheduling landscaping work can be one of the most tedious and time-consuming aspects of running a business. It can also be an area where efficiency can be lost if smart decisions aren’t made.
Losing 10 minutes here or there might not sound like a big deal but it can really start to add up over the course of a week. And as you know, when it comes to the landscaping industry, time is money.
Getting paid in an efficient manner is important when it comes to maintaining a healthy cash flow at your landscaping business. After all, having multiple clients fall behind on payments can become quite detrimental when you have your own bills to pay.
Keeping landscaping team members motivated to continue working hard is essential given the state of the industry and how challenging it is to find new hires. Retention is the name of the game. But how exactly can you encourage workers to stay? And, on top of that, how can you continue to engage them so that they’re both hardworking and happy?
When it comes to your landscape business, efficiency is everything. You’re likely always looking for different ways that you can be more productive and efficient while reducing hold-ups and hassles that slow your business down. You may have refined everything from your routes to the way that you handle invoicing, constantly looking to be better.
Technology has made our lives faster and more efficient in so many areas. From banking to airline check-ins or even making purchases, technology allows us to perform tasks at a faster rate than ever before.
Of course, when it comes to your landscaping business, there are many great benefits to technology but in terms of speed, an important one is your response time. With the use of various tools you can respond to customers faster than ever.
Getting paid is obviously a key part of doing business. But exactly how you get paid may be more of a point of confusion and concern than ever before. After all, if you’ve been in business for a long time then you may still be operating under the notion that payments are best made in the form of cash or check. However, both of these forms of payment are falling out of favor with many consumers who are using other ways to pay merchants and service providers in other areas of their daily life.
You might be wondering, is it time to explore new payment options for your landscaping business?
Do you feel as though you’re aimlessly chasing after growth through your company’s profit centers? Or, are you making smart and calculated decisions when it comes to which profit centers to put the focus on? Hopefully, it’s the latter. Growing a landscape business in a healthy manner is not something that can be achieved haphazardly. In fact, business experts say that growth without a plan can be a recipe for disaster.
