In this newsletter we will discuss: 2023 prepay online and save discount still available, new phone system, NEW! Tip-A-Tech, small business financial challenges |
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While winter is our "slow" season, there is still quite a bit happening for us. Everyone loved taking a little vacation last year to Sarasota, FL so we decided to do it again! We enjoyed a tiki bar boat tour and some good food and celebrated Lawn Doctor of West Lake County's 20th season! Unfortunately, we were missing a couple of integral people on our team, so please excuse my poor photo editing skills. |
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Our management staff also spent a few days in Nashville on a "work" trip at a training session. While there were no actual pictures as evidence of them working, the enthusiasm they came back with leaves no doubt that the training was incredibly productive. And they got to enjoy beautiful Nashville in their downtime. |
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We are in the process of switching to a new phone system that will enable our staff to better serve our customers. Please be patient with us through this transition, there is a good chance that we may inadvertently hang up on you or some of our messages may be incorrect (if something in our messages doesn't seem correct, please let us know so we know to fix it!) We purposely did this over the winter so we had a reduced call volume to try and work out most of the kinks in the system.
**Please make sure the only phone number you have stored for Lawn Doctor is 219-440-7098**
If you have a different number stored for us, it may be an old line or extension that may be phased out with our new phone system.
You can also text us at that same phone number if that is more convenient for you. Texting is by far the best way to get a hold of the technicians as they are out in the field all day and will not answer a call if they are in the middle of servicing a lawn or talking with another customer. You can also reach our sales and office staff through the same number.
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We are always trying to find ways to give our amazing employees the recognition they deserve. There is a new option to do just that, but we need help from you, our awesome customers! We are introducing a new program this year called Tip-A-Tech. As a small local business, reviews are a lifeline for us and can make or break a company. Here is how the program works:
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If you have a great experience with one of our employees (I know it's called Tip-A-Tech, but it can be any employee), go to our Google review site (link below).
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Write a good review and mention the employee's name (this is very important so we know who to tip!)
- That employee will get $25 as a bonus on their next paycheck.
- That's it! This will cost you nothing except a few minutes to write a review on our business page.
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Click here to get started!
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2023 Prepay Online and Save - Still Available! |
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If you missed the earlier January deadline to prepay for your services, there is still time! You can still save 5% on your 2023 services if you prepay by 3/15/2023.
If you want to go online right now you can head to www.lawndoctor.com/customer to login. Be sure to select 2023 for the service season so that you can prepay online and save 5%!
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SERVICES CONTINUE FROM SEASON TO SEASON, FOR A CHANGE IN SERVICE PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE. |
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Snow Mold Less of a Threat This Year |
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Snow mold is rarely an issue for us, and unlike last year, so far this winter it has not been an issue. While we have had some snow this year, it has been melting away and not sitting on the lawns for extended periods of time. Exposure to the sun dries out the surface area of the turfgrass and snow mold doesn’t get a chance to really flourish. However, winter is not over yet, according to the groundhog we could have another 6 more weeks so we are not in the clear just yet.
We deal with 2 types of snow mold, Pink and Grey snow mold. Grey snow mold favors temperatures between 32 and 36 degrees. Thin snow cover provides an insulated blanket trapping moisture and heat right below the snow but above the soil. Grey snow mold is rare for our area. Pink snow mold is much more common, and its damage can extend late into April. The reason it is so much more common, although still rare for our area, is that it grows in a much wider range of temperature 32- 50 degrees. Most of the time, Pink and Grey snow mold will be located along curbs, sidewalk edges, driveway edges or any place we packed a bunch of snow while shoveling. Sometimes the snow in these areas may also be trampled down from dogs running, mailmen delivering, or kids playing.
What to do if you think you have snow mold damage:
#1. Take a picture and email or text it to us (please include your name and address or customer number).
#2. If the damage is minimal, we may recommend doing nothing and let the grass recover on its own once our fertilizing kicks in.
#3. Mild damage may require a bit of raking to that area but let us see the photos first.
#4. Severe damage could require core aeration and power seeding.
Picture taken by Lawn Doctor of Antioch
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Nick's Notes: Big Business vs Small Business |
In this section, I would like to discuss the differences between small and big businesses and how multiple factors affect us differently. Small businesses (defined here in the US as having less than 500 employees) make up 99.9% of businesses in the country. Of those businesses, 89% have fewer than 20 employees. We are a part of that 89%.
In general, bigger businesses can absorb increased costs more easily than small businesses can. I like to use my example of what I call the "Egg McMuffin Index." When I first opened in 2003, nearly every morning as I got on the road with a loaded truck for service, I would stop at the Schererville McDonald's and grab a large unsweet iced tea and an Egg McMuffin. 20 years ago, an Egg McMuffin cost me $0.89. (on sale 2 for $1). Today that same Egg McMuffin costs me $4.29, an increase of 382%!
To compare that to our pricing, our minimum price for a 3000 square foot lawn was $29.99 20 years ago. Today, our price for that same area is only $53.90 an increase of about 80%. If I were to raise my prices the same percentage as McDonald's, a 3000 square foot lawn would cost $145.55 for that same area, per treatment and I would be out of business because no one would be willing to pay that. Just like McDonald's, the costs of my business increase every single year. Employees, gas, equipment, materials, I could go on and on, but rarely does anything get cheaper.
Admittedly, the cheesy, melty, warm Canadian bacon with egg on a well toasted bun is far more important than lawn care (you gotta eat, you don't "need" lawn care... or do you?) Most bigger businesses can absorb a lot of these costs with minimal disruption to their profits (or some having record profit years). Small businesses usually run on much smaller margins and cannot so easily deal with significant increased costs without having to adjust pricing accordingly. With all of the uncertainty from the post-Covid era, prices of our materials have skyrocketed, and at times have been in short supply. When items are in short supply, for example like vehicles, typically small guys like us are going to get the short end of the stick. Unfortunately, our business uses the same van models as Amazon and with that one giant company ordering so many new vehicles, it took us until Spring of 2022 to get the new van that we had ordered in October of 2019!
With all of these challenges, we are still posed to have a great year and have been trying to do what we can to minimize the impacts on our business. We are now ordering and taking in product earlier than we ever have to make sure that we are able to continue providing the quality services to you, our customers. We have been investing in our team with training and also just trying to show them how much we appreciate them to keep continuity of employees from year to year. And looking at alternative options for new vehicles, not just the vans that we are struggling to find. All in all we are optimistic for the future of our business, here's to another 20 years!
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We are looking for a few good people to join our team! Do you know someone that loves working outdoors? That enjoys working independently but also likes feeling like part of a team? We pride ourselves on providing a family-like environment in a company that promotes from within and provides a bonus structure that awards hard work.
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SERVICES CONTINUE FROM SEASON TO SEASON, FOR A CHANGE IN SERVICE PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE. |
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