A short transcript excerpt from a YouTube video (host: Mike Andes) discussing management problems in a $1.3M landscaping business. The speakers focus on people/management as the primary constraint, low crew productivity (~60% this year), tensions around a new production manager, and historical crew growth (from 6 to 19 members).
Questions this video answers
About 60% productivity this year.
Started with six and grew to 19 (then let a couple go).
What do you all currently see as the constraint before the money? It'd be the people.
I kind of took over here in February, early.
In the year, we brought on our first manager.
You're just a number.
No matter how hard you work, we're like 60% productivity this year.
You're never going to be anything more than a number.
Got it. And so you've been completely removed. I should be, yes. But he's not, which is tough for both people.
When I started, I had six guys. We got it up to 19 and I let a couple go.
He thinks he's doing really well, but.
Now the group we've got is pretty solid.
The reason I haven't let him go is because I feel like I haven't fairly done a good job to tell them what to do. If we look at, like, the. The success metrics of, say, a crew, it is only diminished once we've got a production manager in place. You know, whether or not you think you can tan or cannot hold someone accountable, your crews performed better under you than the current production manager. Like, if a production manager steps in and has experience, they. The crew efficiency and morale of the team and people showing up on time, being safe, and all the other benchmarks of success should go up and they have not.
