New Year's outlook: Be ready in 2026

I had the chance to moderate our annual State of the Industry webinar in December. The panel was made up of contributors to Lawn & Landscape and they had a wealth of knowledge to share.

Visit Lawn & Landscape's webinars section on the website to see who was on the panel and listen to the hour-long discussion. Here are some of my takeaways:

Not every company can pick and choose who they want as a customer, but if you get to that point, you should take advantage.

With people having increased expectations for their yard, some customers may not be worth it from an attitude, spend or service needs standpoint. At some point throughout the year, evaluate what customers are profitable for you.

Be prepared. I had not heard much from landscapers about employees being approached by ICE agents until early December when emails began to trickle in. Advice ranged from cooperating with the agents to making sure your I-9 forms are up-to-date.

Everybody talks about trying to find labor to hire, but once they are on staff, they are on their own with minimal onboarding.

One panelist said that the companies that can master onboarding will have dominance in their market. If you have a good 30, 60 and 90-day and beyond onboarding process, it will help you train and retain the best talent.

Crystal ball. Panelists were asked where they see the industry in 3-5 years, and the answer is similar to what is happening now — artificial intelligence, technology and private equity/mergers and acquisitions.

All three will help the industry become more professional and change the perspective of outsiders that this is an industry where you can have a career and not just a job. Another future trend is platform companies will buy each other instead of single companies, much like the Experigreen and Turfmasters merger that you can read about on page 10.