Management

Making Dreams a Reality

Making Dreams a Reality

Ideas are swirling around the industry to collaborate on a nationwide grassroots marketing campaign — instead of competing against one another for business.Dreams that have conviction and passion behind them have a chance to become... more »

July 2009

Strategic Shopping

Gift shops are serious business for many garden centers, and after the peak spring selling season — especially around the holidays — it's even more important to carry an array of unique products to keep... more »

July 2009

Back in the Game

Expectations and conjectures about what was headed our way this spring were all over the map. Going into 2009, we all wanted to be optimistic that signs of an economic turnaround would begin showing at... more »

June 2009

Room to Grow

Early this spring, the White House announced a $15-billion, multipronged plan to help ease the credit crunch affecting so many lawn and garden retailers. One program earmarks extra funding for loans and technical assistance by... more »

June 2009

Feeding the Senses

Flowers and food are powerful triggers, evoking memories of life's happy events and those we've loved. Baked goods can remind you of childhood birthday parties and lovingly prepared after-school snacks. At the sight of a... more »

May 2009

The Rules of Engagement

A tumultuous economic climate, droughts and other forces of nature can make it difficult to make a profit. Add to this identifying, hiring and leading a multigenerational workforce, and there's a lot to think about.... more »

April 2009

The Two Faces of Leadership

Back in the first century B.C., Publilius Syrus, a Latin writer and philosopher, said, "Anyone can steer the ship when the sea is calm." But when the seas have 30-foot waves threatening to capsize the... more »

April 2009

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Ed Bemis' garden center was full of poinsettias with no place to go. After an ice storm in December, he had leftovers to give away but no customers to take them. So he sent out... more »

March 2009

Viva Las Vegas

In today's high-stakes economy, taking even a few days outside your garden center for trade shows or industry bus tours — or, God forbid, vacation? — might seem like a gamble you can scarcely afford.... more »

March 2009

Point of No Return?

The current economic climate is forcing many garden retailers, from the biggest of big boxes to the smallest mom-and-pop retailers, to find new ways of cutting costs. Marketing efforts, eliminating dead weight and shortening employee... more »

The Write Stuff

The Write Stuff

I am just old enough not to know how to design a web page. To me, code is something in a spy novel. Java is tasty with a little French vanilla. Oh, and if HTML... more »

What Does Your Sign Say About You?

What Does Your Sign Say About You?

When thinking about small business marketing, the standard means of promotion such as newspaper ads and postcard mailings most often come to mind. While these "tried and true" methods can be effective, they are not... more »