Ep. 3: Gross Margin with Ed Laflamme

As the old saying goes, "what gets measured gets managed, and what get's managed gets improved."Ed Laflamme of The Harvest Group Business Consulting will show you how to set gross margin goals and how to set up a system to track these goals. Tracking your gross margin is so important for the success of your landscape business. By doing this you will not only know if you are making money but also be alerted to potential problems in your estimating process, including markups and installation issues.Laflamme is the author of the nationally acclaimed book, "GREEN SIDE UP, Straight talk on growing and operating a profitable landscaping business." He started his own business with $700 that he borrowed from his mother, bought two lawn mowers and began by working out of the trunk of his car. Nine years later he sold the residential segment of his business and concentrated on commercial and industrial maintenance. Always a "big thinker" Laflamme set his sites on the mother of all commercial contracts: General Electric's World Headquarters in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1985 he was awarded his first multimillion-dollar account.Today Laflamme is an author, professional speaker, consultant/coach and mentor to landscape owners nationwide working as the East Coast's Head Harvester at The Harvest Group. He uses his unique "sounding board" approach to act as a silent partner, helping his clients' businesses thrive and grow as a result of his personal mentoring. Laflamme is a Landscape Industry Certified Professional and currently sits on PLANET's membership committee.He lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two sons.He can be reached at [email protected] or 203-858-4696. For more information visit www.harvestlandscapeconsulting.com.