In my work with landscapers I get asked questions all the time cover a wide variety of topics. Many of the questions I get asked I don't have answers to myself. I thought you might enjoy and learn something from some of these questions so here are 3 questions I get asked often and my answers to each of them. There's no way I can fully develop each topic here so expect to hear more from me on these in a future column.

What do you in the winter? Oh, the all-time, most-asked question of myself and landscapers in general. I have exhausted all the efforts I know to try and find things that are profitable for us to do at Grunder Landscaping Co. in the winter. We have tried all sorts of things here. We have tried selling Christmas Trees; that was a disaster. We tried selling gift baskets, a bigger disaster. We explored laying off everyone and disconnecting our phone for about 2 minutes-bad idea. How is that supposed to work if you're really committed to the business and your future?

So, here's what we do at Grunder Landscaping Co. and here's what I personally do. And I must tell you, what I am about to share with you might frustrate you as it's nothing brilliant. At Grunder Landscaping Co. we work our tails off for 9.5, 10 months up here in Ohio and then use those 2 months that we aren't busy to work on systems, update and perform maintenance on our equipment, and, most importantly, network and build stronger relationships with our clients.

I am actually amazed at how many landscapers don't do what we do. We do a little bit of snow removal, but trying to do more in Southwest Ohio has not been successful for us-it's just hard to count on snow. I could never justify basing the business on it. I know some folks around me make that work; however, we haven't been able to. As we're growing, we might try it again using a different model. The most important thing we have to do is to get ready to take care of clients for the other 9.5 months. Turn off our phones? Lay everyone off? No way. How would we ever come up with the all the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) we have. How could we ever have the fleet we do have looking like it looks if we didn't run it through the shop for some "touch ups" and preventive maintenance? How would we ever do the training and education a top-notch landscaping company should be doing? Sure, we do training when we are busy, but the really good stuff, the people development, the leadership development stuff, we do that in the winter. We feel like we become more efficient in the winter with this training, we don't feel it costs, we feel it pays.

Me personally? As a result of many winters of thinking about what I could do in the winter to make money, around 1994, my tenth year in business, I decided to take a stab at teaching other landscapers. Today, we have thousands of landscapers we have done business with. We offer seminars, coaching, and products designed by a landscaper for landscapers to help them grow their business. Now, I'm not saying you can do this or should do this; I'm just saying there are things that come from thinking and asking the question. Simply giving up and saying, "Well, there's nothing I can do" isn't the answer. I know of landscapers who buy properties and fix them up. I know some who send their crews to warmer climates to work. And I know some who do a ton of snow removal and winter pruning. Whatever your case may be, look carefully at what your core business is and make sure that whatever you do in the winter doesn't hurt or detract from that. Structure always follows strategy is something I like to say. What that means is you don't try something unless you know it conforms to strategy.

How do you find people? Oh man, that's a huge question right now and it's going to get asked more and more, I fear. The economy is better. Is it where we want it to be? No! However, most entrepreneurs are just seeing that you have to deal with the hand you are dealt and make it work. We're having trouble finding people who want to do the work ourselves. This year we're using the H2B program. And we're getting involved in colleges and tech schools letting young people know that there are other options beside college. I am a college graduate, my parents were, and my younger brother and sister were too. But let's be blunt; college is not for everyone. Basically, at Grunder Landscaping we're looking all over the place for people. My entire management team is looking for people; it's not just my job or my HR manager's job; it's our job. And here's another key point. The number one way to attract people to work at your company is to have a good company to work at in the first place. So, do everything you can do make your place a fun and fair place to work. Most new hires come from referrals from the existing ones.

I have seen landscapers do well with help wanted signs, ads in papers and ads on Craig's list. We offer a referral fee to our people who bring in new hires. We try all sorts of things and are focused on it 24/7. Just like finding something to do in the winter, if you focus on hiring, you'll make some improvements.

What do you do for fun? I am 45 years old and I know myself pretty well. Those of you who have met me know I am an intense, focused fella. I feel I have a good sense of humor too. I have to laugh at myself today. Twenty years ago I used to think that if I just worked harder and harder, I would make more and more money and achieve more and more success. I have come to learn, and realize, that hard work works up to a point. I now realize one of the best things I can do is go home and just call it quits to doing more work. So, what do I do for fun? I like to read business books (that's work sorta, right), I love girls'/woman's soccer, and I love to just spend time with my wife and 4 kids. I don't get to do that as much as I used to with one away at college and another one going away in the fall. Fun to me is being around them, seeing them develop into productive, good people. Thomas Edison said, "When a man dies, if he can pass enthusiasm along to his children, he has left them an estate of incalculable value."

I'm doing my best to leave them with a very valuable estate! My two businesses will always take a second seat to my family. My experience taught me, when I placed them first, my work took on more meaning and I made more money as I now had purpose to everything I was doing.

Think Spring!