Landscape Management, January 2012

ADD ONBIZ EXTEND YOUR BUSINESS Concrete boulders bring Engels Lawncare added revenue BY CASEY PAYTON The boulder business K EVIN ENGELMANN OWNER and operator of Engels Lawncare in Frankfurt IL says that finding an additional business or service to complement his landscape company has always been in the back of his mind When he came across information on Boulder Designs he knew he had the perfect fit As a company that develops made to order concrete boulder products Boulder Designs had many tie in opportunities with Engelmanns landscape business While many of the Boulder Designs franchisees are developing commercial business signage with the product Engelmann saw an opportunity for using the boulders in residential properties The product not only offers an unusual alternative to traditional business signage but it can be a beautiful addition to both commercial and residential SNAPSHOT LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET JANUARY 2012 52 PHOTOS COURTESY BOULDER DESIGNS A small landscape company finds that custom made boulders are a great way to boost business SERVICE ADD ON BUSINESS Boulder Designs of Will County WHY BOULDERS I was looking for something unique that not everyone else was already doing says owner Kevin Engelmann Theres not a lot of competition for this and there are protected territories through the franchise PRIMARY BUSINESS Engels Lawncare NO OF EMPLOYEES 2 CLIENTS 90 residential 10 commercial SERVICES 80 maintenance 20 design build landscape design Im a small landscape company and wanted to find something that was an add on that I could still do myself says Engelmann who is now also the owner of the Boulder Designs of Will County franchise I thought this was something neat and a little different so I gave them a call Its something I really enjoy You get to make something from nothing and end up with a beautiful product that customers love Traditional man made boulder products typically use chicken wire Styrofoam and a concrete mixture and as a result are not always very durable Engelmann says Part of the appeal of the Boulder Design custom made solution is that it uses specially enhanced concrete and is solid This gives the boulders the same characteristics as the real thing he says and ensures the product is strong and durable The secret to building these boulders is proprietary Franchisees are walked through the process and are then able to build their own boulders at their own sites Engelmann says that in addition to the step bystep secret of building the boulders Boulder Designs has been helpful in its marketing support But he says the best marketing has been wordof mouth Its really a see touch feel thing says Engelmann Customers need to see the product to appreciate how neat it is I find the more I get out and sell the more new customers I pick up When people see the product they love it and want one for themselves Besides selling to new customers Engelmann says that this new add on business has been an opportunity to go back to former clients and pitch something new And he says its been a great upsell for his current projects The possibilities are endless when it comes to using the product for landscaping purposes he says A new product were working on now is benches which are really sharp Now that he has the boulder business Engelmann says its another way to keep revenue flowing You might get a call for a landscaping job and then give them a brochure for the boulder business and wind up with that sale too he says Or its happened that maybe I didnt get the landscape job but I still sold them a boulder Engelmann says the learning curve for building boulders was manageable and something that any hands on landscaper would be able to easily pick up It helps to have an artistic side which many landscapers do he adds But its something that isnt too hard to learn I felt that the cost investment was relatively low for the opportunities you have to make that money back For me its really been a great decision The author is a freelance writer with six years of experience covering landscaping Commercial signage is a perfect fit for this add on biz