Owner Health
Perseverance and Progress in the Midst of a Pandemic BY GRANT HARRISON
For most landscape companies, the impact of COVID-19 on the bottom line has been positive. With people spending more time at home, they’re choosing to do more work on their homes, and that includes landscaping. Many landscapers, pool installers, and concrete companies are booking well into 2022. Though we celebrate the financial blessing, business owners have paid a high price for the mental and emotional toll COVID has taken. Never have I spoken with so many business owners who are struggling with stress, anxiety, work/life balance, sleeplessness and exhaustion. At the beginning of COVID, landscapers were concerned that they would not be able to work. Then when they were able to work, they worried that there wouldn’t be enough work. When work started coming in – and lots of it – they were concerned that they wouldn’t have the staff to complete the work. Then there was the material shortage with owners concerned that they wouldn’t be able to get the supplies to finish the jobs they had. In the midst of all this, we were unable to operate our businesses or our lives as normal. No wonder we’re tired. What a roller coaster ride it’s been! The result is owners who are overwhelmed, stressed out, and struggling with mental, physical and emotional health. This leads them to not manage well, not make good decisions, struggle with relationships and feel lost. The health of one’s business is so often directly tied to the health of the owner/management. So let’s talk a bit about staying healthy so your business can be healthy.
GREEN FOR LIFE FALL 2021 • 16
