Go. Give. Feel. Great.

Hello everyone, Happy President’s Day!! We hope you had a great Forth of July, Labor Day, First day of school,  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/etc…, New Years, Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day!! Wow, has it been that long since our last post?!?! Well, we had a great ‘all-of-the-above’ (except for the Super Bowl), and are now even in a new location, be it only 10-or-so minutes from the last. Now that we’re settled in, it’s time to get back to story telling. Our triumphant return to the blogosphere begins with a five part series based solely on a book that I think everyone one of you should, at the very least, give a quick browse through. Each part outlines, in depth, one of the ‘Five Laws of Stratospheric Success’, as the book calls them. They are, The Laws of Value, Compensation, Influence, Authenticity, and Receptivity. And if these simple principles don’t shape the way you think about things, either you’re already there, or you never will be… It comes on the heels of two very important projects that have come to be exclusively because of this book, in which we put together two fantastic residential landscape concept plans completely free of charge.   Each plan has brought a level of joy to me as a designer that is unmatched. That is, of course, until the day we can photograph the actual built projects, and enjoy a steak from the barbie if we’re fortunate enough to be invited to the ribbon cutting ceremonies!! This book is a very quick read (maybe a week, tops, and that’s if you’re as lazy with books as I tend...

The law of value

“Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”   What? That’s supposed to be a ‘Trade Secret’ for making it in the business world? According to our main character, “…that sounds like a recipe for bankruptcy! It’s almost like you trying to avoid making money.” His mentor, Pindar, should’ve followed this up with, “Well, I’m not a business major, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night”. That would’ve been hilarious. The first Law of Stratospheric Success, The Law of Value, is always the toughest one to grasp. But once you absorb this one, all the rest make perfect sense. However, the man that is at the center of these laws, an uber-successful fella named Pindar, equates this principle to standing in front of a fireplace demanding heat before adding any wood. Not a bad analogy. The main character, Joe, is introduced by Pindar to another man that has become a very wealthy businessman, chef and commercial real estate magnate after starting with a simple sidewalk hot dog cart. How, you ask? It’s all in the attitude. Instead of trying to become the best hot dog stand in the city, he created the best outdoor dining experience in the city through his interactions with his clientele.  He made buying hot dogs an unforgettable experience by remembering as much about each particular person he served as he possibly could. He made his business (and their meal) more about the person serving them than the hot dogs themselves. And what does this have to do with landscape design? Everything. Let...

The law of compensation

Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.   Wow, this seems incredibly simple, yet especially important to comprehend in today’s social media atmosphere. But this principal ends up getting lost in all the other marketing and advertising and networking advice one takes from the ‘learned’ ones that precede him or her. “Add as many followers/fans as you can!!”, one strategist might proclaim. “It’s all in the numbers!!”, another blogger might gloat. But the reality is that most people post minutia that a lot of us could care less about. The rest of them are trying to promote the heck out of themselves to the point of almost being considered spam. One would argue, “..someone out there cares what I have to say, I just haven’t found my niche yet.” And to a certain degree, they may be correct. But the principle above, aka ‘The Law of Compensation’, takes into account the quantity AND quality aspects. This law is applicable to every sector of our economy, from Twitter feeds and Facebook status updates, to the alternative fuel technologies or water conservation strategies. The core lesson here is something I once heard from a wise old soul named John Kennedy. No, not THAT John Kennedy, but a wise one nonetheless. He said that social media is about education rather than promotion. It’s the same reason we all fast forward through commercials on television or skip adverts on web pages. We hate them, except on a certain Sunday in early February. I’m guilty as charged. But if we show a little restrain by limiting our self-promotion to a...