So I'm watching The Voice the other night because I couldn't bring myself to watch the Rodgers-less Packers any longer, and there I hear this really good soul singer from Lafayette, LA, comment how he just can't see going back to his job mowing lawns. Most of us would probably rather be rich and famous rock stars, athletes or actors, just like this Ray Boudreaux guy is on the cusp of becoming. But it's just not in the cards. However, owning and managing a landscaping business, or in my case writing about the industry, is the card we've been dealt. How does that make you feel?
I wish I had a statistic that showed how many landscape contractors are really doing what they love to do, and how many are doing it because they don't have anything else to do. We know that one of the challenges this industry faces is the extremely low barrier to entry. You've heard the saying: If a guy has a pickup truck, shovel and push mower, he can become a lawn guy.
At the same time, though, the low barrier to entry, in my opinion, is a good thing for the industry. It has allowed people like Jonny Nichols (who I'll be profiling in our January 2014 issue) get started in this business at a very young age. If I'm not mistaken, many of the industry's true celebrities like Tony Bass, Mike Rorie and Ben Collinsworth also started at young ages with almost nothing.
What makes a Green Industry Pro a real Pro is not where they came from, it's what they've done along the paths of their careers to make a difference and leave a mark.
What kind of mark are you leaving?