If you aren’t prepping your business for the snow season, chances are you have a bit of an offseason until next spring. So what can you do in this “time off” period? Hopefully you will relax to some degree. You go nonstop for a good chunk of the year and your body and mind need a little reprieve.
But once you’ve gotten a chance to catch your breath and rejuvenate yourself, you will want to think of your business and its upcoming year. Growing your lawn care business is and should always be your goal and the offseason is a great time to work on this. Reflecting on your businesses strengths and weaknesses from last season is a great place to start, but where to go from there?
Set Goals
Goals give your entire team something to work towards. You aren’t just shoving them out the door with no idea of what direction they or the company should be going. Use the following SMART goals to get your guys on the right track:
- Specific - Your goals should be as specific as possible. For example, don’t set a goal to grow revenue. Set a goal to grow revenue by 10 percent.
- Measurable - The great thing about the previous goal – growing revenue by 10 percent – is that it’s measurable. Whatever your goal, make sure it’s measurable – and the easier to measure, the better. If it’s not measurable, it’s going to be very hard to determine if you were successful.
- Attainable - Just like you wouldn’t expect a baseball player to set a goal of hitting .500 in 2013, you shouldn’t set unattainable goals. Likewise, you don’t want goals that are easily achieved. Find a happy medium. For instance, if you grew revenue by 5% the previous year, set a goal to grow it by 7% next year. Use your past experience and expectations for the coming year to set attainable goals.
- Relevant - Setting a goal to open a new shoe store isn’t relevant to your lawn care business. Find metrics that matter to your business.
- Timely - Add a time element to your goals. For instance, setting a goal to have $5 million in revenue isn’t really timely. When are you going to have $5 million in revenue? Next year? In 2050? Be sure to specify by when a goal should be achieved.
Buy New Equipment
The quality of your equipment can make or break a strong team out in the field. The offseason is the perfect time to go through and look at all of your equipment, from in office to out in the field. Your main focus should be on software/hardware, trucks, and parts/equipment.
- Software/Hardware – Now may be the time to purchase that field service software you have been demoing and researching. The offseason really is the best time for installing new software because you have the time to have it properly set up and to learn the system before the busy season hits.
You should also look in to the hardware in your office and out in the field. Black Friday is a really good day for deals on phones and computers and may be your best bet if you are in need of newer hardware, or know you will possibly need some in the next season. It may not hurt to buy a few extra phones when the deals are really good so you have backups in case one breaks during your regular season. - Trucks – Get your basic service needs done and over with in your down time. Oil changes, new tires, and cleaning the filters are all things that can be done in this time. Obviously any issues you have with vehicles that hinder performance or safety should be handled immediately, but things that can be done whenever should get done when you aren’t at your busiest.
Besides the basic maintenance, now is also a good time to brand your truck. Putting the company logo, decals, etc on your truck is an efficient and cheap way to market your business. You can’t really have your trucks out of commission during your busy season, so use this slow period to get this done. - Parts/Equipment – Take a look at what you used over the last year. Use these figures to estimate what you will need for next season and stock up. Be proactive so your techs and customers are not stuck waiting for a part to come in.
Also, don’t be afraid to splurge on the newest equipment out there. Sometimes the high upfront cost can be overwhelming, but if the piece of equipment is as good as the suppliers say it is, it should pay for itself within a year.
Learn and Train
You cannot grow if you never learn anything new. It’s a proven fact. Your business may grow for a little while, but it will eventually reach a plateau and no longer increase sales and revenue. Do one or all of the following to increase your knowledge as a business owner and a company.
- Network – Network with your peers. This is a very simple way to stay educated and up to date. When you attend conferences, which I will touch on a little further down, introduce yourself to those in your industry. Networking with your peers at conferences is great because they are usually too far away to be your competition, but still understand your business.
- Education –Small business classes are a great option in the offseason. You have the time to go to an all-day session and test out what you learned before the busy season hits. An alternative to physically going to the class is attending webinars from the comfort of your desk or home.
- Conferences – I cannot say enough good things about industry conferences. The information you gain from these are immeasurable. Conferences are my favorite on this list because they provide you valuable information from outside sources all in one place. You can attend presentations given by professionals, speak with experts in your field, watch demonstrations, and preview the newest and greatest equipment out there. Plus, it helps you build connections to network with in the future. It is always a good idea to have contacts that you can bounce ideas off of or ask for advice.
- Employee Training – Don’t be selfish! Share the wealth of knowledge with your employees. Encourage your techs, office staff, and whoever else works for you to attend workshops and to come with you to conferences. You want an experienced staff working for your business, and what better way to get that experience than to attend training classes?
The offseason is a great time to grow. You have the time to invest and concentrate on helping your business, instead of thoughts of scheduling and billing bouncing around.
Want a more in depth look in to growing your business in the off season? Check out the 10 Ways to Improve Your Field Service Business in the Offseason. It is packed full of even more was you can work on your business instead of in it!
