Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85694
Seek Advice from the Best T the way. Even though they each had some 22 years in the landscaping business before forming their partnership in 1999, in their first year together, Henkel and Denmark asked Rod Bailey, a former president of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), to help create their estimating, tracking and operations systems. "Rod also helped with our business plan," Den- mark says, "and he's still with us today. I talk with him once or twice a month." Denmark likens hiring a consultant or finding a mentor to "going to a marriage counselor. You may think the relationship is fine, but an objective perspective will lead you to realize you have a lot of work to do to keep it healthy for the long haul." Making the effort to seek out the best business advice is a theme you'll see repeated in the profiles his time of year, you may be review- ing your business plan. You may also want someone to look over your shoulder in the process. Good busi- ness plans are fluid and open to change. So are good leaders. When you read the remarkable story of our 2012 Landscaper of the Year contest winners, Bill Henkel and Gordon Denmark of Henkel Denmark, page 28, you'll note they do many things well. They leveraged their combined experience and talents into a partnership that made their business lucrative and rewarding. Their projects are beautiful and inspir- ing. They treat employees like family. But they've also enlisted help and advice along Billy R. Sims, Editor billy.sims@rrpub.com To succeed in landscaping, it pays to have a mentor. mentor is "like going to a marriage counselor. Working with a of many of the 2012 Landscaper of the Year final- ists featured in future issues — be it networking with business leaders in their local communities or flying across the country to visit with other suc- cessful landscapers. " One caveat, though, Denmark says: "It's im- portant to find a mentor who speaks a language you understand, at a pace you can absorb it and explains things in a way that you can actually put them to use. "It's been helpful to us," Denmark says. "Some- day, I'd like to do the same for others." So if you want to be a winner, be a life-long learner. And pay it forward. January 2012 / TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE 7