As citizens of the United States of America, we have so many freedoms to be thankful for. We are free to live where we want, work where we want, go to school where we want, say what we want, worship where we want, vote how we want and so much more it is difficult to even think of all the freedoms we enjoy. You wonder what the founding fathers would think of the USA today.

We all have different ways we observe the Fourth. There are family picnics, fairs, carnivals or festivals, car shows, charity races, concerts, parades, baseball games, political ceremonies and, last but not least, there must be fireworks. The common thread for all these events is community – the community of family, friends and neighbors.

We found some interesting facts on the Internet about the history of the Fourth of July. Here are a few of them:

• July 4th, 1776 commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from Great Britain. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. The Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author, was finally approved on July 4th.
• One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that the members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776.
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826.
• In 1777 13 gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island.
• Held since 1875, the Bristol parade is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.
• In 1778 General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.
• In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
• In 1791 the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
• In 1870 the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
• Since 1916 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, supposedly started as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.
• In 1938 Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
• A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a “salute to the union,” is fired on Independence Day at noon by any capable military base.
• The Boston Pops Orchestra has hosted a music and fireworks show over the Charles River Esplanade called the “Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular” annually since 1973. The event has been broadcast nationally since 2003.
• On the Capitol lawn in Washington, D.C., “A Capitol Fourth,” a free concert, precedes the fireworks and attracts over half a million people annually.
• Since 1959 the International Freedom Festival is jointly held in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, as a mutual celebration of Independence Day and Canada Day (July 1). It culminates in a large fireworks display over the Detroit River.
• In 2009 New York City had the largest fireworks display in the country, with over 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploded.

Take a minute to stop and wonder what kind of life we might have in the USA in 2010 had our politicians in 1776 not voted for independence!

Happy Fourth of July!

Every other week, we produce a newsletter that goes to all our Team Members; it’s called The Team Builder. Some of the things we have worked very hard on at Grunder Landscaping Co. are our mission, vision, and core values. For those of you who have worked on these yourself, you know this is not an easy process nor is it an overnight process. A few weeks ago, one of our Group Leaders, Lance Gallaher, wrote a column for The Team Builder. When I read it, it made me proud. Lance does not report to me; Lance reports to our production manager Walt Peter. I think when you read it, you’ll see we have a young man who understands exactly what it takes to be successful here at Grunder Landscaping Company.

I think one of the toughest things we leaders try to do is to get our people living, believing, and acting with a sense of purpose. I am proud of Lance for what he understands and the efforts he is putting forth to help us grow. It’s a small victory for me as the leader of my organization; I see other leaders stepping up and because of that, I am certain that we have a bright future ahead of us. So, this week, I challenge you—how’s your leadership? Are your people carrying out the vision and mission of your organization? Do they understand what a win looks like? Does their behavior support the core values? How about taking some small steps towards improvement in that area this week? Maybe just sit down with your right hand man or woman and ask them what they think is important to your team’s success? That would be a great place to start. Remember as the old adage goes: Rome wasn’t built in a day—neither is a successful organization.

Here’s The Team Builder; read it and feel free to steal the idea; that’s why I produce these weekly Great Ideas; it’s to help you and you can’t argue with the price.

Genius without education is like silver in the mine.
Benjamin Franklin

We never stop learning. Or we shouldn’t ever stop learning. Even in this tough economic situation, we need to make or take the time and money to find ways to better operate our businesses to enrich both the business and our lives. While we’re waiting for the recovery, this would be a good time to attend seminars or events for yourself and your team members so you can make your plans to improve your businesses and processes for the future.  Unless, of course, you’ve given up! Not!!!!!

There are all kinds of events and seminars all around the country focusing on all kinds of topics. I wanted to take a few minutes and tell you about a new seminar we are offering in Dayton, Ohio, and remind you of the Grunder Landscaping Field Trips this summer and fall and next winter’s GROW! event, also in Dayton.

On Tuesday, July 27th, Ed Eppley and I will be hosting Who Moved My Customer? Practical Survival Tactics for Business Leaders. This will be a one-day event at Cox Arboretum in Dayton, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. We must learn to adjust to the needs of the customer to survive and thrive. And we have to make sure our team knows what to do so we can be successful this year and in future years. We’ll teach you the biggest mistakes leaders are making right now and could potentially make and how to avoid them. We’ll discuss how to make better decisions in today’s economy and selling tactics that work. And we’ll work on problem solving within the group. You can see the agenda on the website. Sign up now. This event will be a complete sell-out; I will guarantee that.

Then we have the Grunder Landscaping Field Trips. This year’s dates are: August 19-20, September 9-10, and October 14-15. We offer an intensive one-day immersion into the workings, processes and procedures of Grunder Landscaping Co. My key people will share our secrets and we’ll send you home with a binder full of forms that you can use at your business. Past attendees have mentioned they feel the forms alone are worth the cost of the visit. The Field Trip is a small group event and is the only way to get all the information on the day-to-day operation of one of the Midwest’s best landscaping companies. Sign up today to experience Grunder Landscaping for yourself.

The 2011 GROW! Event will be held in Dayton from February 10-12, 2011. Business owners and managers from all around the country have attended our GROW! events. This is a three-day event packed with sessions designed to prepare you and your team for a successful year. You’ll have the chance to network with owners of similar companies and they are always willing to share their best, and maybe the worst, experiences to help you learn from them as well. Hundreds of owners have attended our GROW! events over the years to get motivated and prepared to approach their year with a positive attitude and tools to help with their success. You won’t want to miss this event! Click here to sign up.

We are also in the process of scheduling webinars for the remainder of the year. Watch this website for further details.

And if you’re interested in one-on-one consulting, you can contact Nancy at the office and she’ll be glad to explain how we can help you.

There is a recovery coming and you need to be ready. Don’t sit around and wait for things to get better; make them better by making an investment in yourself.  Smart entrepreneurs and leaders are doing that right now; you need to do the same. Now is the time to invest in yourself! Sign up for one of these events today.

“What do you mean we can’t get rid of those weeds in time? Then go over there and put some fancy signs with Latin names in front of them.”

Walt Disney

I love this quote from Walt Disney, always have. In this environment, you can’t say no to clients too much. You have to do everything you can to take care of them. Actually, we should not have needed an economic crisis to learn this lesson but that’s a message for another day.

We all have to figure a way out to survive; we have to deal with the cards that are dealt. Those who will win in the business environment are the ones that figure out a way to go around, go under, go over, do whatever they have to do to succeed. Expect a lot from your team but expect more from yourself. When you do that, it’s amazing the lesson you are teaching to your team!

As you who follow me closely have often heard me say, “Success leaves clues.” You see, I have this belief that too often we wonder why something went wrong rather than asking why things went well. As a mentor of mine, Dave Sullivan says, “If things are going well, you better go and find out why!”

In this recent blog post from Fast Company, Dan Heath hits a bull’s-eye with this message way better than I ever could. Watch it here and let me know what you think by commenting below.

Memorial Day means a lot of things to us. It’s first and foremost the time of year when we say thank you and remember those who lost their lives protecting the freedom all of us enjoy. It’s a day that I will go to the cemetery and visit my father’s grave and say a prayer for him and thank him for all the lessons I learned from him. It’s a day I will spend with my family, have a little barbeque, have my mom and stepdad over and I might even have a beer, to be honest with you.

Memorial Day is a day we need to embrace; it’s a day that I hope never loses its meaning.  A lot of things seem to be losing their meaning. When I was growing up, you sat quietly in church and used that hour to reflect and try to improve your life. When I was growing up, you said thank you to someone who held a door for you, waved to the person who let you over in traffic, and didn’t throw trash out the car window. When I was little, Mother’s Day was a day you spent with mom.

Today, there’s too much talking in church. People don’t say thank you enough, or if they do, it’s via e-mail, not a phone call or handwritten note. People drive way too fast and aren’t considerate. And, we still have those who throw cigarettes out the window, which might be my number one pet peeve in life. A few weeks ago, I spent Mother’s Day at a soccer field and I still don’t feel good about that one.

I’m not here to complain, although I do sound like Andy Rooney, I suppose. I’m just here to tell you, let’s work together and continue to embrace some of the traditions we’ve grown up with. Let’s not lose sight of what’s best for all of us and let’s remember that two of the best things we can do are to thank those who have gone before us and helped us and spend time with our families and friends.

Recently, a friend and mentor of mine Joe Calloway and I were having an interesting discussion about integrity.

Joe talked about Hewlett-Packard: which interestingly enough is now run by a former client of mine, Mark Hurd. I used to do landscaping work for him. Anyway, here’s what Joe said about Hewlett-Packard, “Their business was admirable; they would be like a gyroscope with a core of values that was absolutely stable – never moving – never shaken – never wavering. This core would be surrounded by strategies and tactics that would constantly change to take advantage of emerging opportunities and changing conditions in the market, in competition, in technology.”

The point my very smart friend makes is their business was based on integrity—everything they did was based on this. People want to do business with companies that have integrity. I could go on and on about how important it is to be honest; we all know that. The question becomes: how do you and your team do in the area of integrity? I’m not looking for any feedback; I’m just sharing with you the fact that integrity is important.

This week, think about what must be present for you to do business with someone? And then see how your own company stacks up against that. Only you will know the answer and only you will know what you need to work on.

Also, buy a copy of Joe’s best selling book, Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison.

This week I want to challenge you to think about where your next client is coming from. This is for those who think social media is a waste of time. I don’t think you should be spending any more than 1 hour per week with it but I do think you should have a presence. Just like you should have a phone, fax, e-mail, and website for your business, you should have a Facebook account and you should have a fan page for your company.

Why? There are teenagers and 20-something folks that live on Facebook and in 10-15 years, if not sooner, they’re going to be potential clients for your business; therefore, it makes sense to put your toe in the water and try it out and see what happens.

Who knows where we’re going to be 20 years from now but it’s silly to assume social media will go away and it’s silly not to have a presence, at least on Facebook. Find me on Facebook by clicking here, and read this interesting article from cnn.com on the power of social media.

Every two weeks a salesperson stops by our office. He sells miscellaneous items we use in repairing our fleet. There’s no way he’s a student of time management because if he were, he wouldn’t be doing what he does.

We spend, at the most, a couple of hundred dollars a month with him. We are not a big client. Yet every two weeks he shows up—without an appointment. One of my assistants in the office said to me one day, “Why does he just show up? Why doesn’t he call or e-mail? Maybe show up once in a while, but what a waste of time.” I couldn’t agree more.

Look, I’m all about relationship selling. I am writing a book on that very subject right now. But, you need to be smart about your time and how you spend it. Spend the most face-to-face time with your biggest and best clients and with the prospects you have the best shot at doing a lot of business with. Think about where you get the biggest returns. There are only so many hours in a day; use them wisely.

I am the sales manager of Grunder Landscaping Company and I want my people spending time with all my clients. You never know who you can turn into a big client. But at a certain point you can tell what’s possible and need to spend your time wisely. Smart business people know where their time can be best spent and only smart people get my weekly Great Idea!

This may sound familiar to you. Well, it is. I don’t usually rerun my great ideas but I think this bears repeating, based on your feedback. And it’s also appropriate with graduations and weddings coming up. Maybe somebody you know could use a nudge in the right direction here.

When I was a little boy and we received a gift for our birthday, Christmas, or other special moment in our lives, my mom would not let us play with the toy, wear the new shirt, or do anything with the gift until we sat down and wrote a thank you note. This is a lesson I have carried on to this day.


In the past year I have tried to help several people with all kinds of items. I have called a commercial realtor I know several times to let him know his signs had fallen down, blown over, or were stolen. After doing this several times with not even a mention of a thank you, I’ve felt like quitting. My feeling is he thinks I’m annoying and sticking my nose in his business. I just wanted to help but since I’ve not been recognized, I was wondering if maybe he doesn’t want my help.

Recently I mowed someone’s lawn for free while they were on vacation. I never got a thank you and I’m wondering if they realize this was a fairly big deal or were they taking me for granted?

I sent a copy of my book to several people I met recently. I got a few e-mails thanking me for doing this but I haven’t heard from most of them.

Sadly, I could share a lot of instances like this. But I have learned something; I don’t do these things to get thank you notes. I try to help people because that’s the right thing to do. If we only do things to get something back, we’re not helping for the right reasons and that leads me to my point. We all need to help others to help ourselves.

Each of us has two bank accounts. There’s the one where we have our money. The place we deposit our paychecks to save for all kinds of things, such as college, a new car, our retirement, or even just a vacation. Then there’s the other bank account—our emotional bank account—and that resides in our heart. If you don’t make deposits in each of them, you will not be happy and never find your calling.

Paul Stoll is my right hand man at Grunder Landscaping Co. I have learned so much from him. He has taught me a lot about leadership, finance, relationships, and landscaping. Frequently I find myself talking to him to try and understand people. Several years ago I was bemoaning the fact that we had just spent a lot of money on bonuses, given our people some paid time off, and fed them well before Christmas and I didn’t get one thank you, except from him and two others. I wondered what the other 40 or so people on my team felt. Didn’t they know I didn’t have to do this? Didn’t they know this cost a lot of money? Wasn’t it enough? Do they appreciate anything? Paul, in a very calm tone, said, “Marty, the fact your team comes back year after year and does their job well is the thank you.” That was hard for me to understand; after all, my mom raised me differently. I wasn’t allowed to take anything or anyone for granted. But I did see what Paul was saying. And while today I still appreciate a thank you, I have come to realize you may not always get one. And just because you don’t get one, it doesn’t mean you aren’t appreciated. And just because you don’t get a thank you doesn’t mean you should stop trying to help.

With today’s economic climate, there are a lot of people who could use some help. Too many of us sit back and wait for others to take care of problems and complain about how bad things are. When we take action and do the right things, regardless of what we’ll get in return, we lift up everyone. And more times than not, the people who are constantly trying to help win at the game of business.

The leading independent businesses in my hometown are the ones who get behind several causes that help our community. They spend thousands of dollars to support causes; they donate their time just to help. I myself have given away hundreds of copies of my book, The 9 Super Simple Steps to Entrepreneurial Success, to students and groups. My landscaping company is behind several initiatives; some others will find out about; others no one will ever hear about. Those who help also end up helping themselves.

The companies that grasp and embrace the concept of helping will win in the long run. You don’t always have to charge a client or a prospect for services rendered. Sometimes doing it for free will come back to you ten-fold. If you’re working at a home that has a bunch of storm damage and the neighbor has one large branch that you can cut up and haul off on the same trip, do it and don’t charge them; just tell them, “Call us if you need help in the future.” If a client has a death in the family, go over and mow their lawn and clean up the house. If you read that a client or someone you’d like to have as a client is involved with some non-profit work that you have a passion for, send in a check. It’s little acts of kindness like this that will help you succeed in the long run.

I am still working on a brand new book. The working title is “Make Friends, Make Sales: The Art of Relationship Selling.” Helping others is one of the best ways you can make a friend. If all of us were more worried about just doing the right thing, I believe you’d find that many good things will happen to you. This week, well, this month, give some thought to ways you can help and then get to work. You’ll feel better and your business will do better too! Your thank you is the feeling you get from helping and that’s a pretty good thank you from the big guy above!

And maybe there is someone you should thank today!