Answers for landscaping and lawn care owners.
Route density, seasonality, crew leads, per-visit pricing, and surviving the cash gap between fall and spring.
16 questions, 16 of them with a word-for-word script, the actual math, or a template you can copy.
Finance
All finance →How do I pay myself a real wage instead of whatever's left over?
Set a fixed weekly or biweekly owner paycheck based on a market wage for your role, and pay it on payroll like everyone else. Profit distributions come later and separately, not instead of it.
The math ChecklistWhat numbers should I actually look at every week to run the business?
Pick five to seven numbers you can pull in fifteen minutes every Monday, not a forty-tab spreadsheet nobody keeps updated. Cash, sales booked, jobs completed, and one leading indicator of trouble beat a dozen vanity metrics.
Template ChecklistShould I buy or lease my next big piece of equipment?
Buy what holds its value and you'll run for years past the loan term. Lease what changes fast, gets used seasonally, or you'd want to upgrade in three years anyway.
The mathShould I take on debt to grow the business?
Only if the debt funds something that generates more cash than it costs, on a timeline you can survive even if growth is slower than planned. Debt to cover a cash shortfall from an already-struggling operation is a different and much riskier decision.
The math Checklist
Hiring
All hiring →How do I know if I can actually afford my first hire?
Run the fully loaded cost against the revenue you're already turning away, not against your current cash balance. If the math doesn't clear with room to spare, you can't afford it yet.
The math ChecklistHow do I write up an employee and actually document performance problems?
Write it down the same day, in plain facts, with a clear expectation and a deadline, and have them sign it. A folder of dated write-ups is what protects you and gives the employee a real chance to fix it.
Script TemplateWhat's the right way to fire someone so it doesn't blow up on me?
Make the decision before the meeting, keep the meeting short and factual, and have logistics ready so there's no ambiguity about what happens next. The meeting itself should take five minutes, not thirty.
Script ChecklistHow do I write a job posting that actually filters out the wrong people?
Put the real pay, the real hours, and the real hard parts of the job in the posting, on purpose. A posting written to attract everyone attracts everyone, including everyone wrong for the job.
Template ChecklistHow do I know when it's time to hire a manager, and how do I find the right one?
Hire a manager when the business has outgrown your personal attention span, not your patience. Look inside first for someone who already has the trust of the team, and only go outside if nobody internal is close.
Script ChecklistWhat do I do when a key employee suddenly quits?
Cover the immediate gap first with a short-term plan, then find out honestly whether it was preventable before you rush to backfill the exact same role the exact same way. A rushed replacement hire often repeats whatever problem drove the last person out.
Script Checklist
Operations
All operations →How do I build an employee handbook I'll actually use, not just a binder that sits on a shelf?
Write ten pages of the policies that come up every year, in plain language, and actually enforce every line in it. A fifty-page handbook nobody reads protects you less than a ten-page one everyone has actually opened.
Template ChecklistHow do I cover my own vacation without the business shutting down while I'm gone?
Build coverage in stages over months, not the week before you leave, starting with a written list of every decision only you currently make. If that list has more than a few items on it, that's your actual project before you can leave.
Template Checklist
Pricing
All pricing →Leadership
All leadership →How do I get out of the truck/bay and actually start running the business instead of just working in it?
Replace yourself one skill at a time, starting with the task that's easiest to hand off, and protect a fixed block of office time on your calendar like it's a customer appointment. You won't get pulled out all at once, and trying to will just put you right back in the field within a week.
The math ChecklistHow do I set a real vacation policy for myself as the owner, not just whenever I can sneak away?
Put your own time off on the calendar for the year, in writing, the same way you'd schedule payroll, and treat moving it as the exception, not the norm. If you don't schedule it in advance, it will always lose to whatever feels urgent that week.
Template ChecklistHow do I know if my business could actually survive a week without me?
Run the test for real, not hypothetically: leave for a genuine week with your phone off except for a true emergency line, and see what actually breaks. What breaks is your real to-do list, not a guess.
The math Checklist
Every owner hits these
Not specific to your trade, but they show up in every shop that has employees, customers, and a bank account.