QUALITY YARD AND HOME MAINTENANCE

BY ALANA SETTLE

Jeremy Nestor started Quality Yard and Home Maintenance, based out of Pataskala, in 2010 with just a pickup truck, mower, and trailer. Over the past thirteen years, Jeremy has grown his business to include 49 employees and $4.67M in annual revenue.

OGIA: How do you set your company apart from your competition? What are you most proud of?

Jeremy: I focus as hard as I can on the culture of our company. I want a place where employees can work in a clean environment and be encouraged. If an employee ever parts ways, I want them to say they have grown and are better off than when they started with me.

Sometimes, in our industry, the work environment can be very negative, with harsh comments, inappropriate joking, etc. and folks have to watch their backs. I don’t allow that in my company. The world throws enough at people and I don’t want our company to be a place where folks have to put up a guard. We have monthly meals so we can break bread together and just enjoy each other’s company and get to know others from different departments.

I also love being heavily invested in my community and give back every chance I can. I love my hometown and I’m glad I can sponsor churches, daycares, little league teams, etc. We like to have a community day each year where I pay everyone’s salaries and we all go and do a project, such as installing the landscaping at our new police department and YMCA.

OGIA: How do you invest in your employees?

Jeremy: I am big into training and education. I love sending folks to industry trade shows and training opportunities so my employees can become professionals themselves versus just doing something because the boss said to. I love exposing them to how big the industry is, and the many directions one can go. I also realize that I can only teach so much and that others can explain things differently or have more knowledge. Sometimes it’s just easier to hear things from someone other than the boss.

OGIA: Regarding day-to-day operations, anything you’re proud of that you’d like to share? What are you working on?

Jeremy: There have been a few things that I look back at that have been game-changers.

In the beginning I bought and started using QuickBooks. I think this is the best software for a business to have all financial data at your fingertips with a few clicks.

When I got close to the $1 million mark, I hired my first production manager and started splitting responsibilities which allowed us to manage more workflow and growth. Two years later we hit $1.75 million and I started putting a few managers in place for different divisions. Things were going well so I hired a consultant, Phil Harwood, (whom I still work with today) to learn what we were doing well so I didn’t mess it up. It has been a blessing being able to tap into someone else’s gifts.

The first thing the consultant did was help us establish a leadership team and set up bonuses for division managers, which led to each of them taking ownership of their areas of the company while growing and thriving.

Around the same time, we switched our CRM software over to Arborgold which allowed us to send out better quotes more efficiently and streamlined our renewal process. As we started to grow, the old way of doing things was getting to be way too time-consuming and wasn’t scalable. The more organized our jobs were tracked the better we could understand our efficiency #’s and start tracking for the crews to see.

One thing we are trying to get better at is our snow removal. This is an area we are very weak and downright behind most companies our size. My excuse is that we are 90% residential with all our green services, so it’s hard to attain commercial snow contracts, but we are learning how to be more intentional in attaining contacts and bidding commercial snow accounts.

OGIA: What are your goals for the company?

Jeremy: I really want to be a blessing to our community and our employees. Our mission statement is “The Mission of Quality Yard & Home Maintenance is to Honor God with Business then to run a successful all-around company to serve local customers a high-quality service with integrity and morals.”

I’ve felt led to start a mentorship in our area, at no charge, for other business owners to share what I’ve learned with “trusting and honoring God through business”. It seems very common in the business world to be dishonest and shady, but if a person is willing to do things God’s way, paths become straight. There is no safer place than in the middle of God’s will. It’s most rewarding getting the opportunities to encourage folks along the way!

OGIA: Any advice you’d like to share for landscape business owners who are just getting started?

Jeremy: If you make a mistake, do whatever it takes to make it right. This is the best ROI there is. And fix it immediately once it’s brought to your attention, not once you get the rest of the chargeable jobs done. Our company rule is all service calls must be completed within 24–48 hours.

Realize that every client may not be the best fit for your company. It’s better and easier to attain clients by doing great work that is priced right. Folks don’t mind paying good money for work if they are getting what they paid for. Being the cheapest guy is not a sustainable business model. Unexpected expenses will pop up. The winner of the “race to the bottom” gets to file bankruptcy. You don’t want a company full of clients that refer to you as the cheap guy. You’ll run yourself ragged. The key in the beginning is to know your value and price your jobs properly. And if someone leaves you for the cheapest, don’t worry about it, that’s not the kind of client that you really want anyway.

Understand the cost of trying to do everything yourself vs leveraging labor from other people. Don’t be afraid to hire someone that seems out of your price range. Cheap employees normally cost you money. Expensive employees can make you money. Make sure any employees you bring on know how much you appreciate them. Be a blessing to them. They will take care of you.

Learn more about Quality Yard and Home Maintenance at qualityyhm.com