In this episode I speak with Nick Rickard from Sheoak Design. Nick runs a business based on the Mornington Peninsula where he does not only Landscape Design, but is also starting to do regenerative garden maintenance. Nick talks about how he likes to incorporate biodiversity seamlessly into his designs rather than making them stand out, and he talks about his passion for improving soil quality and be proactive about good soil rather than reactive after a build has started. Nick is also the co ho...
Oct 22, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 79
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 15, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: What contributes most to building business credibility/reputation? hat upgrade of vehicle/machine was most vital in the growth of your business? How often do you communicate with a designer while building their garden? Would you fig...
Oct 18, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 78
In this episode I speak with Nadia Cole from Platylobium Landscape Design, and landscape design company based in Melbourne. Nadia has a great story about how she started in the industry and the value of patience in getting to where you want to go. While always wanting to have her own business, she didn't start Platylobium until she'd worked elsewhere for 14 years. A great example of not needing to start your own business as soon as you've finished studying. Nadia won a Silver Gilt at this years ...
Oct 15, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 77
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 8, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: What's the best quoting software? What's the most recent thing you YouTube'd to work out how to do it? Have you seen a downturn in the industry as predicted? Do you have multiple design packages you offer? You can follow along with t...
Oct 11, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 76
In this episode I speak with Steve Rooney from Living Edge Construction, a landscape construction company based in Bendigo, Victoria. Steve has a fascinating story about his journey in landscaping, having previously been a part of two partnerships with the business and now running it on his own. One of the keys to Steve's success in business has been using business coaches, and he talks about the benefits of that in this chat. Steve also talks about the fact that he studied Horticulture and Land...
Oct 08, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 75
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 1, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: How do you mitigate price rises when quoting a project a long way out? What's your choice of spirit level brand? What are the main threats to the ongoing success of a profitable sole trader landscaping business? How do you think AI w...
Oct 04, 2023•18 min•Season 3Ep. 74
In this episode I catch up with Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design. This is Peter's third time on the podcast as he was a guest on episode 80 and Special Guest Host on episode 124. Peter is coming to Australia in late October to do a couple of talks for the Australian Institute of Horticulture, and you can buy tickets here to see him speak in Cairns and Melbourne. In this episode Peter not only talks about the reason for coming out to Australia and what he'll be talking about when he...
Oct 01, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 73
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 24, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: How long do you spend on an average quote? How quick do you try and get quotes back to clients? What's your favourite timber for decking and your thoughts on composite? Do you take smoko from home or buy it? You can follow along w...
Sep 27, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 72
In this episode I speak with Emm Rice from Embrace Garden Co and Jodie O'Toole from Bay Design Gardens. Both based in Melbourne, they met when Jodie was delivering plants as her role as a plant sourcer/supplier to Emm who had specified them in her role as Landscape Designer. They hit it off straight away and have been friends since. Emm is about to launch a Landscape Design workshop where she'll be teaching students how to tackle garden designs, and Jodie will be a part of the workshop, educatin...
Sep 24, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 71
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 17, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: What was the Floriade judging experience like? How do you time manage all of the different roles in the business you do? What equation do you use to mark up sub-contractors? What's your most hectic concrete pour? You can follow al...
Sep 20, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 70
In this episode I speak with Matthew Sears from Rich Earth Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based in Sydney. Matthew started in commercial landscaping before moving to residential, and a 3 month European holiday turned into a 9 year stay overseas, where he worked, among other places, in a high end residential landscaping company in London, also installing projects in Mallorca and Ibiza. Matthew moved back to Australia and started Rich Earth Landscapes and shares a great po...
Sep 17, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 69
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 10, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: When starting a landscaping business, what are some hidden skills you wish you knew? What are your tips for rains days? What do you spray on your formwork to make deboxing easier? What's something in your contracts everyone should...
Sep 13, 2023•19 min•Season 3Ep. 68
In this episode I speak with Joel Smith from One Landscape Australia, a landscape construction company based in Canberra. This episode is a very relatable one, with many things Joel talks about being exactly what I, and many other people in the industry have been through. Joel has a great mindset when it comes to looking after his employees, and his goal is to do things very differently to how he was treated as an employee, and treat them with a lot more patience and respect. You can follow Joel...
Sep 10, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 67
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 3, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: How do you deal with clients changing the design/plans? What are some key tips for scaling to win back/free up time? What are the three most important factors for a successful landscaping business? Do you think joining Landscaping ...
Sep 06, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 66
In this episode I speak with Luke Smith from Silverstone Gardening, a maintenance company based in Western Australia. Luke is also the host of The Australian Lawn and Garden Podcast and is about 30 episodes into it and has some amazing episodes, particularly one of the first few where he explains how to work out what people should be charging. Luke has a great story about how he started in the industry, getting his first paid mowing job at 15. You can follow Luke on Instagram @silverstonegardeni...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 65
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 28, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: What's your dream work vehicle and setup? Any advice on scaling up the business? What are the biggest trends for the coming season? What's your go to method for laying recycled redbrick paving? You can follow along with the projects ...
Aug 30, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 64
In this episode I speak with Tim White from Cascade Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Sydney. Tim talks about how he started in the industry, in commercial landscaping prior to starting his own business in residential landscaping at 23 and how he has grown and recently reduced the size of his business and his reasons why. He's got an obvious business mind so there's plenty of great takeaways from this chat with Tim. You can follow Tim on instagram @cascadelandscapes You can f...
Aug 27, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 63
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 20, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: What gaps do you experience between designers and landscapers? How many hours do you work on weekends, whether quoting or on the tools? Can you lay crazy paving on a compacted road base? What's one thing, popular in the industry, tha...
Aug 23, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 62
In this episode I speak with Will Bennett from Wilden Design, a Landscape Architecture firm based in Dubai. Will was born and studied in the UK before accepting a job in Dubai without ever having visited there. He worked for a firm for 6 years before going out on his own three years ago. Will has a natural, sustainable style to his landscapes and is pushing the increased use of natives within the Dubai landscape and has ambitious plans of creating Wilden Design firms in multiple countries, which...
Aug 20, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 61
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 13, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: Body management. What procedures do you put in place for longevity? How do you see the landscape design industry moving forward with AI. Positive or negative? How do you quote excavation to make a profit? Do Dan Foreman and Ashley Ja...
Aug 16, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 60
In this episode I speak with Cam Lynch from Timeless Landscaping Projects, a construction company based in Ballarat. Cam has a great story about how he started in the industry not just working in maintenance, which we speak about as a great first step into the industry, but maintaining gardens designed by Paul Bangay and Edna Walling. Cam talks about the importance of giving all of his clients the same, 100% effort regardless of their budget and he also talks about some pros and cons of social m...
Aug 13, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 59
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 6, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I also answered questions such as: Do you have any plans on getting a second crew going? What is your definition of the landscape trade? What warranty do landscapers provide for plants? Is Dan Foreman the new Jamie Durie? You can follow along with the projects we're cu...
Aug 09, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 58
In this episode I speak with Curt O'Toole from Urban Elements Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Geelong working on residential, commercial and government projects. Curt is in his 30th year in the industry so has plenty of knowledge he shares in this episode, and is probably the person who has taught me the most about how to run a landscaping business. He talks about why his team grew to 20 and how it wasn't his initial plan, and there's plenty of other nuggets of advice Curt ...
Aug 06, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 3Ep. 57
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 31, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday, sometimes Monday, at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this weeks episode we also had Dan Foreman come on to talk about the upcoming Melbourne Home Show and the garden he's designed for that as well as some of the speakers involved. In this episode I also answered questions such as: When starting your company with a t...
Aug 02, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 56
In this episode I speak with Phil Antcliff and Jack Hayes from Fifth Season Landscapes. A landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Sydney. Phil and Jack were both running their own businesses before deciding to join forces and building their business up to where it is today at 20+ employees with a design office based in New Zealand as well. It's a great chat to hear about the importance and value of being patient in growing a business and not employing people just for the ...
Jul 30, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 55
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 24, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday, sometimes Monday, at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: How many square meters of crazy paving are you getting through per day per guy? Get LinkedIn or not? Do you ever go plant shopping yourself or just have them delivered? Are there pro's can cons either option? What's your ...
Jul 26, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 54
In this episode I speak with Kate Seddon from Kate Seddon Landscape Design, a landscape design company based in Melbourne. Kate runs an extremely popular business, and it was awesome to hear her share her story about how she started in the industry, after having a career in sales and marketing prior. She spoke about the benefits of the flexibility in days when she started so she could work around looking after her young kids at the time, and it was so great to hear this example, as many people w...
Jul 23, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 53
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 16, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: How much written detail should you put into a quote? Do you consider only those who have done an apprenticeship, true landscapers? Do you use square meter rates when quoting? Do you consider the maintenance of a garden when designing it? Yo...
Jul 19, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 52
In this episode I speak with Daniel Althaus of Althaus Landscape Designs. Daniel runs his design business based out of Ballarat but works in Melbourne and around Victoria, creating predominantly natural, native habitat gardens. It was great to talk to Daniel who is early in his business to find out how he started and some of the things he's doing to accelerate the growth and success of his business, such as doing a garden at MIFGS and using the advice of a couple of mentors in the industry. Dani...
Jul 16, 2023•55 min•Season 3Ep. 51
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 9, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: Do you own or rent your business premises? What are a few popular computer programs to draw designs? If money was no object, what tools or equipment would you get to make life easier on site? What's your favourite turf to use? You can follow...
Jul 12, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 50
