Online Contents

Solving problems, not symptoms

Alec McClennan is doing his best at Good Nature Lawn Care to keep his practices as organic as possible.

“We aren’t for everybody.”

Hey, at least Alec McClennan is honest about the organic lawn care he provides.

But maybe it’s that type of self-realization that’s kept McLennan in business for 13 years as owner of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care in Cleveland. Not everyone wants to spend the time and money to have a good looking lawn that is environmentally-friendly. But McClennan has been able to grow his business to around $2 million in revenue by opening a Columbus branch five years ago and one in Akron last year.

“There are certain people that appreciate the service and don’t mind a few weeds,” he says. “That’s who we focus on. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a nice lawn organically. And maybe it just costs a little bit more.”

So you can see the quandary for him. You want customers to spend more money to have more weeds? But that’s not exactly a fair statement. McClennan says there will always be weeds in an organically treated lawn, but he can limit them if the customer is willing to take the time and spend the money to do so.

Visit bit.ly/llgoodnature to read the full story. For more organic lawn care stories, visit bit.ly/llbioenews where you’ll find all the stories from Bionutrition Today newsletter, sponsored by Lebanon.
 

L&L in your ears

We’ve updated our Lawn Care Radio Network with tons of new podcasts to help you run you business better. You can subscribe to the network via iTunes at bit.ly/lcrnitunes. Once you subscribe to the radio network, the podcasts will be uploaded automatically to your device. Below are a few recent episodes.

Don’t fear the deer
Sean McNamara, manager at Great Oak, gives tips about how to keep deer away from where they aren’t wanted, and talks about some methods that don’t work.
bit.ly/lldeerpro

Bad news borers
The problem: Thanks to the continuing drought, trees across the country are stressed and ever more vulnerable to emerald ash borer and its cousins. We check in with Todd Mayhew to see what contractors can do to fight off the pending onslaught and protect their customers’ property.
bit.ly/llemerald

The Marketing Fix: Ads on Facebook
Facebook may still be free to use, but you’ll have to pay if you want to reach your customers. Chris Heiler gives a rundown of what is available to you and if it’s worth the money.
bit.ly/llheilerfb

 
Summer strength

The latest edition of the the tablet app MOWmentum, sponsored by Grasshopper Mower, comes out this month. The issue features stories on heat mitigation, key P&L numbers, adding and upselling services and water conservation. The app is provides grounds maintenance professionals information to improve their businesses. Back issues covered topics like fleet maintenance, mower and crew safety tips and alternative fuel-saving comparisons. Download it for the iPad at bit.ly/mowmentum and for Android at bit.ly/MOWmentumdroid.
 

 
Popular Posts

Here are some stories our followers and friends found the most interesting.

Wet gets wetter, dry gets dryer
An article in the L.A. Times says climate change may increase the risk of extreme rainfall in the tropics and drought in the world’s temperate zones, according to a new study led by NASA.
bit.ly/llclimatechange

Avoid lyme disease
May was Lyme Disease Awareness month and a good time to re-visit methods of protection from ticks in the summer months.
bit.ly/lltickslyme

Bayer sues Syngenta
Bayer CropScience filed suit against Syngenta, claiming Syngenta’s Appear fungicide infringes a patent as well as relies on false superiority claims over Bayer’s Chipco Signature fungicide.
bit.ly/llbayersues

Shady protection
The Chicago Tribune reports that the right kind of landscaping can help keep intruders at bay. Plants, trees, rocks, fences and other elements can make a property unattractive to lawbreakers and mischief-makers, said a former police officer.
bit.ly/llcrime