Trusted partnerships

Her parents had a successful landscape company in the Aspen Valley, but while growing up, Rio Crandall had little desire to be a part of it. While attending Chapman College in Southern California, she worked on a degree in communications and honed her skills in sales. After earning her degree in 2013, she returned home to the Colorado Rockies and helped her father manage his business prior to its sale in 2017. It was this combination of experiences that helped her develop a skillset that she was not only good at but that she also enjoyed. After the sale of her father’s business, Rio worked for an Aspen landscape architect and managed the maintenance and installation part of the business.

Opportunities

The Aspen Valley market provided excellent opportunities for a hard-working, ambitious entrepreneur with Rio’s background as a number of the established landscape businesses in the area were in an ownership transition phase. It was through her social network that Rio met Mary Bright. Mary is the founder and owner of Elite Landworks, a landscape company that installs large projects in the valley. As the two discussed and considered opportunities, Rio knew that it was time for her to work with rather than for fellow entrepreneurs. She and Mary decided to join forces.

They decided that there would be two independent companies: Mary would run Elite Landworks and focus on high-end installation projects; Rio would run Isabel Stone Studios and focus on high-end gardening and maintenance. The two would collaborate and share resources. Rio was optimistic about the opportunity that her market provided and her budgeted revenue for ISS in her first year (2023) was a conservative $2.2 million. Actual revenue exceeded $4.4 million. Budgeted revenue for 2024 should be a bit more accurate at between $4.5 to $5 million. Mary’s budgeted and actual revenue for Elite Landworks are similar. As additional opportunities presented themselves, they purchased a stone supply company last year and a sod supply business this year.

Success factors

I asked Rio what factors contributed to her and Mary’s success. Her answers were insightful but not that unfamiliar to fellow entrepreneurs in the green industry — or any industry, for that matter.

First, Rio and Mary have well-defined roles that they both respect. In other words, they have clear boundaries that help them stay in their respective lanes, so to speak. Next, both Mary and Rio are excellent team builders who value their Latino work force. Mary speaks Spanish fluently. Field crews are respected, cared for, well-paid and receive good benefits.

Aspen and Vail are ultra-high-end markets that demand a very high level of service that few businesses can provide. Because Mary and Rio have lived and breathed this high-level customer service culture for decades, they understand it. They know that they have to be flexible and able to pivot quickly as challenges arise. Not only do they understand the need to listen to clients, but they also know how important it is to take responsibility and own problems as they arise, even if the problems aren’t entirely theirs. Passing the buck is not an option.

Systems and procedures are a work in process. The goal is to have new software fully implemented by the end of 2024. It hasn’t been easy to implement due to all the growth and transitions taking place. However, once implemented, it should significantly improve processes and increase control.

Undergirding this endeavor is an entrepreneurial spirit that Rio was first exposed to in her parents’ business. It was there that she saw both the need for hard work and its potential payoff. Today, her father is a subcontractor for her business and her mother does annual flowerpots. Early on, Rio knew that it would take a lot of time and preparation to design and build a successful business. Like a well-designed garden, there’s a design, a building and a growing phase, and lots of long days in between. Work-life balance is a concept that Rio thinks is pure B.S. If that’s what you want, she recommends that you don’t start your own business.

Conclusion

Business is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, male or female, rich or poor: If you have the right attitude(s), are willing to work long and hard, and have a burning desire to provide customers with exceptional products and services, chances are you’ll be successful. Mary and Rio are successful for a couple of reasons. First, they understand that the only place where success precedes work is in the dictionary. Second, they’re very lucky. That is, they’re lucky that they weren’t born lazy. And that’s why they are such a great example for others to emulate and why I wanted to do this article about them.

Travels with Jim follows Jim Huston around the country as he visits with landscapers and helps them understand their numbers to make smarter decisions. He can be reached at: jhuston@jrhuston.biz.