[Fine Edge]

As an owner of a small landscape design / build company, I'm just curious how many of you owners are hands on with every project.
Not only that, but how many of you actually check, not just walk by and look at, the quality of work that your employees are doing?

I'm posting this because I have run into several situations recently where we have sub'd contractors to do some planting for us.
The first smaller job we went over everything and left. The other company was well established and had some knowledge. When I went back to check on things, I noticed 3" - 4" of soil piled on top of the root balls. To me, that's a no-no.
The second project involved a slightly larger company whose owner let his guys work alongside of me. Again, when I return to the job after 2 appointments, my Jap. Maples are still tied up tight with burlap and twine all the way around the stem. Same with my W. Coast Schip Laurels.
The real icing on the cake came on the first day, believe it or not. I'm walking from my truck and happen to watch their Bobcat come across the front yard moving about 3/4 speed. Not only was he travelling with the bucket fully raised but he had another guy in the bucket!
Having been through a major accident on the jobsite years ago which involved an employee and recklessness, my heart froze as I could picture the bobcat tipping at any second.

So, how well do you monitor your guys?
Have you assumed that they know how to do basic planting?
Do you check on the depth of the plants and see if they buried half of the bottom branches?
Do you look at all the cuts on a paver job or is it just a quick glance at the patio as a whole?

These little things are important.
And it's important that everyone can do them right.

Unless you are content on sacrificing some of your standards.

[LandArts]

This is a big part of the reason we choose to remain small. I usually only spend about an hour a day on the job site but I do go around and check that everything is being done "our way" every step of the way.

Those guys in/on the Bobcat would have been fired immediately if it was me.

[natural12]

We are a small company. I have 3 employees. But I sometimes sub out a masonry crew of four on larger projects. I am on the job most of the time depending on the job. If it is a stone project or hardscape project I am probably there 90 percent of the time. If it is a planting job, or mulching or some soft scaping then I might not be around much. But I absolutely check things out and make sure all is done well. My guys do well on those type of jobs and work hard. I am not ready to unleash them on a retaining wall project or patio job yet without my guidance.
This has been a bit of a problem for me because I spend a lot of time in the evenings or weekends seeing clients and working on designs and estimates. I get burnt out. The spring is the worst. I guess I have a hard time giving up control. Plus I would rather work than sit at the desk.

Mike

[Timber Lane]

I have two employees, sometimes three, but I am always on the job from start to finish. I need to be on site to make all the decisions, as the employees will often guess wrong if left to decide. I also am the only one running the skid steer, chainsaw, sod cutter, etc.

When bidding a job, I tout that I am always on the job and I don't just ride around in a pickup truck all day dropping off workers and picking up supplies. I seem to be successful in securing most jobs I bid on and I feel that a big reason is that the homeowner likes knowing that I am there. They have confidence in my knowledge and abilities. And yes, I am more expensive than most but I still get the job.

[RHayden]

I will be the first to admit that I am very fortunate to have the main core group of people I have and the accordion style crew set up we operate under. I have the luxury of being hands on just enough to keep the craftsmen part of me satisfied while still being able to devote most of my time to the management side of things.

We have done jobs where I have seen things I would not personally have done that way and may have spent a little more time on etc... but we have also done jobs during peak periods that I have personally never seen at all. Learning to resist the urge to check and critique each job was probably the hardest thing for the owner/manager side of me to come to terms with. And I admit there are still times when Mr. Critical resurfaces but I believe its all part of what makes us owners rather than employees.

[4seasons]

I' m the same as natural12. Probably word for word.
Does wear a person out fast!

[johnkeegan]

Alot depends on what parts of the business you excel at. There are certain jobs where my skills and energies are "needed" and others where they are merely "preferred", at least in my mind.

At real busy times I need to make choices. Designs and estimates need to be addressed in a timely and professional manner. Yes, I can show up after laying stone all day but am I really sharp and attentive as I could be? And, yes, I can try to be creative and do designs at 9:00 pm or add up a stack of #'s at 10:00 pm. But I won't do as good of a job.

Once I set down the shovel and/or stone hammer and learned to delegate, my business really took off and profits increased greatly. Yes, I still check the work. But all in all, it's gets done just as well. If we're honest, we remember that we too made alot of mistakes "back in the day."

...And, more importantly, it allows me the time to see everyone of my kids ballgames (7-days-per-week this time of year) and take alot of long weekends and whole weeks to go camping in the summer.

It's all about priorities.

[GLAN]

Natural12........pretty much described myself as well.


Although.........the most of our work is the maintenance side of the industry....do a fair amount of design installs and other various plantings.

I've actualy been on both sides of the fence..........as I went through the ups and downs roller coaster.

Everyones different and for their own reasons they are and do what they do........some prefer being on the lean side and very hands on....understands that loss of personal time, especialy in the spring, etc............There are those that can and do it well, that they are able to develope a business where their time is best utilized running the business.......some fall in between.

I also believe that business is not the only purpose to living

[Nebraska]

I'd have to say I'm with rhayden and johnkeegan on this one. It's been 3 years since I've lifted a tool on a job be it a mower, trimmer, paver, block, stone, or a plant. In that 3 years we've seen both our profits increase and my sanity increase. My joints also feel fantastic.

My role is to market this business, sell the work, and supervise those responsible for the work.

We take a lot of long weekends for camping and boating with a minimum of two consecutive weeks in July. The time I spend with my family is priority number 1.

I do visit every landscape job at completion and with larger maintenance customers twice per season....a lot of phone contact in between.....the additional face time (phone or in person) with the customer further establishes the relationships and ensures continued / repeat business.

In the end how you run or work in or on your business is a matter of what works for your personal goals.

[martinjohn]

I agree I try to stay away from the tools myself. That is why we all hire employees, to do the work.

[familyguy]

my business partner and i are hands on all day long for the most part. in a 10 hour day we are physically working at least 6-8 hours.

we are an 8 year old company with 6 full time employees. In the peak season we will have at least 2 part timers but probably 3. for you owners who are at a place of supervision only:

1. how long have you been in business?
2. are you still growing your company? If not still growing, do you have high turn-over of employees? (Because their is no a hope of promotion within a company that stays the sime size each year)

[johnkeegan]

Since 1985.
The size of the workforce has stayed the same (3 full time <we work April to Thanksgiving> and one "summer help," generally) over the years but the sales have increased each year,(approx. $500K now). But I'm not overly concerned about overall sale numbers. I try to focus on increasing efficency, profitability-per-man hour, lowering costs, etc. From a business stand point, I believe it's profit, not gross sales, that matter....ask General Motors.
Full time employee "keepers" have ranged from 13-10-8-6-5... years. So, fairly long term.

...just keep giving them more challenges and responsibilities..and treat them respectively.

[Cochran]

When I was in the field all day, I was losing sales because I wasn't able to get designs and proposals out quickly enough. My bottom line also wasn't getting any bigger. When I transitioned over to predominately office and supervision, our sales increased and our profits increased. Last year, after my first full year in supervisory capacity, I increased sales $100K--I know some of that was due to new business growth, but I am also able to be more productive on the sales and customer service end of the business. I am expecting our sales to increase another $75K this year and so far, we are on track.

I do still visit all job sites at the beginning and end of job, and depending on duration in the middle as well. Depending on the complexity of the project, I may be on site more often than that. I am also available by phone and email to all of my clients before, during, and after a project. I also still pick up a few tools here and there--I've been working at a job location all week because my project supervisor is out. Yes, I am behind in the office and have too much to play catch-up on.

I have two full-time employees and one part-time guy. The full-timers are in essence lifers to my company. I do have a high turnover on the part-time guy. I will probably increase to three full-time and no part-time soon due to workload.

[malon]

i could only laugh when i found a row of junipers planted in their containers. yes it was a new hire, yes i assumed, and yes it was one of our first installations of the season, but C'MON!

[Malrex]

I'm very hands on...Im the owner, secretary, and grunt of my company (1 man company). After my last job working for a lanscape company, where 90% of the employees smoked pot on the job (and observing other company workers doing the same), I just don't trust anyone to deliver the quality of work that I want to keep.

If I were to hire people in the future, I believe when the owner is on site and sweating with the guys and gals---at least once in awhile, the employees treat the owner with more respect--this is just my theory and 2 cents.