Management

March 2008

Hit the Jackpot!

As activities really start ramping up for the spring sales rush, it might be hard to imagine doing anything but managing your garden center's busy operations and taking care of your customers by the beginning... more »

March 2008

Web 201: Complementing Design and Function

Good websites don't just happen. A lot of forethought, planning and organizing goes into creating a website that is useful, purposeful and resourceful. Once you have a master plan for your website — the things... more »

March 2008

Don’t Just Break the Rules…Change Them!

You've been reading about this sustainability thing, right? Everyone — from the New York Times and your local evening news to the magazine you are holding in your hands — seems to be telling you... more »

February 2008

Brains, Like Plants, Never Stop Growing

New varieties, new procedures — not to mention the new gardeners each year with dozens of question. Keeping up to date with the industry takes as much work as caring for your inventory. However, your... more »

February 2008

The Next Generation

Remember Generation X? Well, the times they are a-changing. Generation X is a dated term in today's world; our realities revolve around constant change, breaking news, technological advances and a culture of instant gratification. Two... more »

February 2008

A Holiday Humdinger

Ever since that mean sixth-grader let it slip in the lunchroom that Santa Claus wasn't real, Christmas has seemed like something of a gamble to most of us. The National Retail Federation reported last month... more »

January 2008

A Fad with Staying Power

On Jan. 29, 2007, the cover of BusinessWeek magazine proclaimed that a world where eco-friendly business practices help a company's bottom line was closer than we thought. Corporate America, it reported, had discovered sustainability as... more »

January 2008

The coming year

It's often been proven that the sales trends of the Christmas holiday selling period are a precursor to what's in store for retail in the first half of the following year. If that's the case,... more »

January 2008

Web 101: Getting Your Garden Center’s Website Off the Ground

To create a presence on the Internet, explain what your business offers and help your customers find your business, there are two important steps to take before you begin to merge onto the gridlocked information... more »

January 2008

Get On Board with “On-Boarding”

It makes no difference whether you use the term "on-boarding" or "new-hire orientation" to describe what you do to help new employees successfully transition from outsiders to insiders. The effort that you put into the... more »

January 2008

A Fresh Start

For many in our industry, 2007 presented more than its fair share of challenges, from the unpredictable environment to a shaky economy. But when we asked these six industry leaders — two garden center owners... more »

November 2007

From Beans to Beats

What is a company supposed to do once it has become a household name synonymous with its main product? Expand even further. At least, that is the answer for Starbucks Coffee Co., the coffeehouse powerhouse... more »