Man of Mantras

With so many insights into the world of business, Joshua Eike may well be a philosopher disguised as a landscaper. From the time he started mowing lawns at age 13 and throughout the development of his company Bluejay Lawn & Landscape, Omaha, Neb., Eike has formulated a long list of axioms for business success. Here are a few of his words of wisdom:

On Training …“Hire personality, train skills.” From field workers to foremen, Eike comments that he’s gotten more than one raw deal by hiring individuals with “expertise” in certain areas who proceed to rest on their laurels when hard work rolls around. “Instead, we hire good people and train them to a specific skill,” he says, adding that he and all of his superintendents and foremen are either self-taught or gain their education through vendor or trade show seminars.

On Sales …“You’re only as good as your next deal.” Though he has hired an additional salesperson, Eike remains the point of contact for the majority of the company’s clients. “Between 9 a.m. and 5 or 6 p.m., I’m on the road meeting with clients,” he says. “I’m working new deals all the time and sometimes I’m just touching base with existing clients and I may try to extract some enhancements out of them. Getting more leads and not missing anything with my customers was what turbocharged our growth.”

On Small Business …“All small businesses encounter the same challenges.” With memberships in his local chamber of commerce, as well as the Young Entrepreneurs Organization, Eike has gained substantial business knowledge through networking. “Sometimes you do have business-specific issues, but chances are other small-business owners have encountered something similar and you can take a lot away from their experiences and advice.”

The author is assistant editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at lspiers@lawnandlandscape.com.