If the hardest part is starting, I’m going to get that out of the way… I have a goal to write a newsletter twice a month. The content will be outdoor related, helpful and hopefully have a sense of humor. This is my first post, so I’ll start at the beginning. I got started in the landscaping industry straight of school working for a lawn care company cutting grass. After several years and a few false starts I took the leap and started my own lawn care company. I also offered landscape installations, and that introduced me to the nursery world. After a few years, I sold my company to a competitor and purchased a working tree farm from an older couple who wanted to retire. We had a number of good years and then hit a tough spell. During that time, I started contracting with a friend in the hay business to stack his hay bales in the summer when tree sales were down for the season. That part of my business grew until it made roughly half of our living. Fast forward a few years and the drought impacted both income streams and things got a little tight. To quote Marty Gonzalez, there are no problems, only solutions. The solution has been an increased focus on tree sales and soil health of the tree farm. 2024 ended with near record tree sales stats for which we are very grateful. It also caused me to reach out and begin learning again. I’ve met some awesome people and reconnected with old friends.
I’m still stacking hay and praying for rain, but in the meantime, I’ve learned several things. These aren’t new, but we all need to be reminded.
- God is in charge, and He is the author of all abundance. I want to keep that always fixed in my mind.
- Who we know is more important than what we know. The list of who we know should start with God and always be growing.
- Never quit learning. (This is #3 for a reason. #2 is more important!)
- Effort is rewarded.
- Enthusiasm can be increased and is a worthy investment.
This hasn’t been specifically tree or landscape related, but that will come! I wanted this short article to be an introduction and a chance to ask for any topics or questions you may want to suggest. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll learn. (See #3…)
Until next time, Logan