Stop Chasing Competitors and Start Building a Category of One — Jeff Korhan’s Blueprint for Landscape Companies

Jeff Korhan, founder of Treemendous Landscape Company® (suburban Chicago) and now marketing strategist at TrueNature.com, brings over 20 years of hard-won experience running a residential design-build landscape company — and another decade helping green industry companies sharpen their brand, win better clients, and grow with intention. Jeff went from corporate America (chemistry and oil) to building an award-winning landscape firm, then transitioned into consulting, speaking, and authorship. In this episode, he gets into the strategies that actually moved the needle for his business and how landscape company owners can apply those same principles today — including how AI is completely flipping the SEO playbook and what you need to do about it right now. Key Takeaways: Brand your process, not just your company — Jeff named his design-build method the “Intelligent Landscape System,” which opened doors, justified design fees, and attracted top talent who wanted a system to follow Use awards strategically — Winning industry awards (including a NALP Grand Award) forced his team to raise their standards and gave them real proof points to back up premium pricing Turn educated clients into your sales force — Teaching clients the why behind your methods (proper pruning, engineered hardscapes, etc.) made them vocal advocates who referred the right kind of customers Communication is a competitive weapon — Consistent follow-up, newsletters, and multi-channel outreach built relationships that competitors couldn’t touch, especially when most didn’t even call back Stop obsessing over the competition — Jeff’s biggest mindset shift was focusing on what made him unique rather than reacting to what competitors were doing or charging The AI SEO shift is real and it’s now — Forget keyword stuffing; Jeff explains why landscape companies need an “AI summary page” on their website written in plain conversational language so ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLMs can accurately recommend and describe your business Meaningful work drives longevity — When Jeff chased commercial contracts against his company’s residential identity, he lost good people; going back to their core niche turned everything around Strategy vs. a plan — Most companies have a to-do list, not a real strategy; Jeff breaks down what it actually means to build conditions for success and align your team around a shared vision The post Stop Chasing Competitors and Start Building a Category of One — Jeff Korhan’s Blueprint for Landscape Companies appeared first on Jeffrey Scott.