What is your passion?
For a lot of new business owners, their passion is the product or service that they’re providing for their customers.
And yet, you add more and more lawn services to your company’s offerings. And as a result, you’re feel like you’re drowning.
And you don’t like that feeling.
You’re slowly becoming a master of none.
You may have added too many services to your company because you’re worried that the competition will put your business under, or you want to make all of your customers happy with you.
Either way—it’s not a wise idea to start with a vast array of services—it stretches you beyond your abilities, and it confuses your customers.
Steven Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer at GreenMark Consulting Group, says:
“As an industry consultant, I have seen some commonality in Jack of All Trades business entrepreneurs. A common driver of the Jack of All Trades operator is the thirst to take whatever business they can grab, and sometimes, just the chase.”
“While there is a desire to serve a client’s needs, and it’s commendable for an owner to grow his/her business, I do not believe this strategy is sustainable for long-term success.”
“It’s important to keep your passions upfront and choose to be unique,” states Mahler.
Simon Mahler, Certified Business Mentor through SCORE, says, “If you’re going into an industry that is flooded, be bold and unique. It just can’t be about the price. It has to be more than that.
“What I tell everyone, though, is to avoid doing a menu of items for your service business. You don’t see a tire repair shop serving hot dogs and selling them during lunch hours to make an extra dollar. Stick to what you know and are passionate about, and your level of success will grow from there.”
So, you know that juggling all of these green industry services doesn't benefit anyone—including you.
Now is the time to take stock and get back to your core services.
“Years ago, I remember that many landscape company clients wanted a service provider or landscape contractor that did everything. Nothing more was on their mind than convenience for the end user,” says Steven Cohen.
“While sometimes this delivered a positive experience for the customer, other times it did not as the experience did not match up with the need."
"Many clients now focus on buying the services they seek from professionals who master that service,” he says.
Mahler echoes what Cohen says when he states, “For a new service company that is opening, if you are a related industry where companies are already doing certain pieces of the business you are passionate about, then you need to be able to identify why you will succeed over them.
“For example,” Mahler continues, “a lawn care business. If everyone cuts lawns, weeds and feeds them, trims hedges and shrubs, define what will be more effective for you to grow than any competitor out there. From there, if you are truly passionate about your business, and you want more business than you can handle, then become unique and passionate.”
Mahler says, “So as a lawn care business just starting up, what is something else you can do that is bold, different and unique?”
Need to fill up your sales pipeline? Then read how to get those first customers.
Business consultants don’t recommend young lawn care companies to deliver a wide variety of services.
Instead, they encourage you to stick with what you know, and the services that you’re passionate about.
Pick a lawn care problem that you can do better than your competitors, and solve it for your customers.
Sometimes, it’s wise to find a mentor to help you get your business up and running. You can find these mentors at SCORE and Lawnsite.
Tags: Business Operation
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