landscaper of the year finalist
and a wife in graduate school.
"But while it was challenging," he adds, "it was
one of the most rewarding things I've done with
my life. I put everything we made back into the
business. The best investment you can make is in
yourself."
Mostly through word-of-mouth referrals, Gordon's business grew and focused almost entirely
on residential properties and homeowners associations (HOAs). The work varied from maintenance
and plantings in spring and summer to snow
plowing in the winter. He added several more large
estates to his portfolio, and these have been the
key to Total Turf's success.
They also proved to be a mixed blessing when
the economy tumbled in 2008. That year, Total Turf
grossed nearly $1.4 million, but then the phone
stopped ringing and his business dropped nearly
10 percent.
"It hit me that I had 15 guys working for me
and a fleet of trucks and equipment," he says. "If I
Total Turf prides itself on the service they provide
to homeowner associations (HOAs). This HOA
sits on the banks of the Hudson River.
wanted to keep going, I would have to do things
differently."
Savvy Advice
In early 2009 while attending a landscape association meeting, Gordon decided to check out a
seminar presented by Strategy Leaders, a business
Win a
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/tlcmagazine
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26 To t a l L a n d s c a p e C a r e . c om N O V E M B E R 2 013
Enter to
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