What it is all about...

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-Joyce Kilmer

Not getting paid

Sometimes you have people who can't pay after the work is done. Luckily most of my customers have been great. I'm going to give them some time before I take other action, but it would be nice if I could just get my fair share for the job I did.

The question is a deep one. Who deserves better pay, the marketer or the accountant? How much are teachers worth? How much is a president worth?

I donated; you should too

Check them out. It's really an amazing charity. PlantsFromParadise.com donated to them!

I donated; you should too

Check them out. It's really an amazing charity. PlantsFromParadise.com donated to them!

The "Little Guy"

Although I recently professed a desire to export to the Caribbean. True, but meeting a woman who devoted her life to helping sick doggies was pretty inspiring. A few trees but it was a great experience.

New marketing approach

In the upcoming month I will be contacting major hotels throughout Latin America concerning the shipment of plants. I can broker the plants at a better price: we grow the best quality in the world!

Exporting

Since we've been exporting plants all across the world, I realized it makes to advertise with google in the countries where the plants are going. I think this is a great way to make contacts and I am encouraged business will boom.

Things have been incredibly busy for plantsfromparadise!

I didn't take on a project to set up an indoor landscape at the Miami Beach Convention Center. To be honest, it wasn't very appealing to work with the people who charge you to plug in a light. No one had anything positive to say about working at the Convention Center. But it was a beautiful design.

I'm expecting big things from this new ad campaign.

Natural spaces

I can help you achieve this.

New nails could save homes!

You seriously need to check out this article:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2006/innovator_5.html

It isn't the wood that gives out in hurricanes- it is the nails.

Big time.

Also check out this article about Los Angeles giving up on palms in a big way. They cost too much to maintain and there isn't enough shade. The fact that they are iconic isn't weighing on the decision.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/us/26palm.html?em&ex=1164690000&en=67b0cb779e8f2873&ei=5087%0A

Check out the links while you can.

Cool idea

What a cool idea!

Lots of fruit trees. I'm going to do this at my new home.

The Garden Guy Furor

The Garden Guy is stupid.

That's all I have to say about that.

Plants From Paradise will be donating...

Seems like a worthy cause.

Plants From Paradise will be donating for 10 trees.

Feeling like the Internet can solve anything

You know when you read this:
http://www.omnidrive.com/

You start to think the Internet and our collective consciousness will solve any problem we encounter.

I don't like to think of needing plants as a problem, it's more of a desire. But it IS a problem if we don't have any plants in South Florida.

Think about the earth....

According to this we will run out of resources by 2050.

Whether or not the link is active, consider how you are hurting the earth.

Most rewarding experience

The many joys of planting a tree.

In the drizzling rain as the sun is going down. Nothing beats the smell of the dirt.

Seeing the customer love the trees.

This has been a great ride. I'm loving it!

Similar to my experiences

This guy in England made a web site about asbestos removal.

Truth is he had tons of calls but knew nothing about it! His experience is similar to mine with MiamiJunkRemoval....But he continued his and made it quite profitable. I let MiamiJunkRemoval lapse.

I already had a plan with Plants From Paradise and I loove plants.

But it's a good article anyways.

Finished the mall

The Hot Dog Stand in Plantation is finished. It was a good project but it taught me that landscape architects don't always select the best plants or even have good plans.

Live and learn.

Success...and more success!

Truth is Plants From Paradisers that I got my trailer into a situation that I couldn't get it out of!

I broke a tile on a patio and I needed a lot of time to get it out. I'm upset with myself and I told the customer to take it off the bill. I'm completely sincere.

But I learned an important lesson though. Saving a few minutes of work can not be an obsession. Though I value efficiency, I must always emphasize the possibility that things don't work out. It's on my mind. No one doesn't make mistakes.

There is a commercial that some of you might last night. This guy needs new windows and he calls "some guy" from the phone book. The guy is fat and can only be described as a redneck. He bungles the entire job and the windows fall out. The other guy calls the window people from the commercial and gets an amazing job.

One problem. When you call the owner who is experienced you ARE likely to get good service. When you call a giant company you are likely to get someone who hates his job. It's not as simple as just running commercials and buying nice shirts that you get instant credibility. At least not to me.

I'm building my credibility one day at a time. It feels good too.

By the way, I miss the junk collection business but it was for the best. Focusing on landscaping and brokering was eminently smarter.

The typical millionaire

There is hope cubicle dwellers:

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/13/crawford.htm

You've got to learn how to think.

Sometimes we all make mistakes. I was in a bit of a hurry and I turned my truck around when my tailgate was down. I have to pay the price: I'll need a new tailgate. My uncle will say "You've got to learn how to think!" after someone does something stupid. I deserve that today.

Otherwise business is good and I've been getting lots of hits lately. We all make mistakes, it's how we deal with them that counts.

Pickers are Few and Growers Blame Congress

Article in the NYT.com about the lack of migrant workers and the rotting fruit. This is something we need to seriously consider: America we still need workers willing to labor in the hot sun. If you want to pay 5 dollars for an apple, hire college graduates to pick the fruit.

I just love working...

I'm trying a new marketing plan. Free installation...

I've never tried such a plan before. Basically I just love working and I'm a little confused why the calls have declined from Google Adwords. Perhaps it's just an inevitable lull. Perhaps tomorrow...

Politics and Business Blogging Intersect

Republicans back "Lawn Care Bill".

Thank you Onion.

A brief update

A letter I received yesterday:
David,

I am SOOOO happy with the yard. I took a few pics and thought you might like to have them as before/after. Also, is there somewhere on your site I can leave feedback? I'd love to tell others what a pleasant experience I've had and how knowledgable and kind you are.

Have a great weekend!

The customer is always right... :)

I'm working on a forum for such things. Also I'm working on miamiplantdelivery.com.

education

"If you are thinking a year ahead, sow a seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people."
Chinese Proverb

Success :)

Looks like my Craigslist ad has been quite a hit. LOTS OF INQUIRIES FOR JUNK.

My confidence as an Internet marketer is GROWING.

Rest assured, plants are still my priority. I'm taking a trip to Central Florida to get some more citrus this weekend. Stick around for my big announcement! Soon I'll be advertising for citrus!

Misrepresenting....

The problem with collecting people's unwanted stuff is they completely misrepresent how much stuff they have.

"Oh it's just a washer and a few pallettes."

No it's about a garbage truck worth of wood that was so high the washer wasn't visible. I just kept driving and lost the gas it took to get out there. If anything I would've charged $200 and I could've gotten it all with my trailer. But that was miscommunication. Communication is why I write this blog.

On the landscaping side of things, I've gotten some great call-backs lately. It's wonderful to hear from old customers.

Removed the remainder of a man's life

A man died and brother and I helped remove his earthly possessions. It was poigniant.

I didn't know what to expect when I started Miami Junk Removal. But it's been an amazing learning experience. Five jobs to date. About four landscaping jobs coming up. In the middle of one. But still less than when houses were selling like crazy...

Creating vs. taking roll

I'm a bit of an academic person. I have a tendency to read www.aldaily.com daily and I am within striking distance of a second master's degree.

Well. I just got an email yesterday on the listserve that makes think twice about being a professional student. This woman already has two master's degrees AND a PhD and she is now working on her second doctorate.

She's not going to make any great discoveries at this point. This is almost selfish!

But designing a yard. Planting flowers. Using heavy equipment to plant large trees. The whole process requires knowledge and the end result is so beautiful. School lead to many things but it isn't the only path. Also when you divorce school from all practicality you get stagnation.

Other people are interested in garbage!

Look at all these people turning junk into gold. Seriously!

Planting vs. garbage collecting

I discovered there IS a market for serious junk removal in Dade county. Truth is it will always remain second to plants and trees. Even if I could rake in the money I would rather focus on landscaping! I'll keep the google ad up and take the calls that fit my schedule...but I'm saying people really don't like touching garbage and they'll pay to get it removed. Potential business, if you want it. Most don't I imagine. Let's say, most who read blogs in their spare time probably don't. But it's an open idea if you want to make a few bucks.

The high cost of gas makes me think in terms of efficiency and I've met some cool customers. I've relieved them of their burdens and gotten paid pretty decently. My truck didn't mind the extra load :) But it isn't my passion.

Why become a customer?

I started this blog as just another outlet to discuss commerce and the ins-and-outs of running a business. But as I'm linking from my business site I'm also trying to sell a product. This post will be a brief look into why I feel ordering landscaping or plants from Plants From Paradise is a smart move.

First of all I'm lower priced than most retail nurseries and the big box chain stores. There's nothing wrong with a plumbago from Home Depot but you might pay close to 9 bucks after taxes. Also you have to lug it around and bring it back to your house. I'm cheaper and I'll deliver it. You'll love the quality.

But I'm not the cheapest either. If you are looking for a pure commodity, drive down Krome Avenue in Miami and stop into any one of the nurseries. Quality differs immensely. Some places will sell the nastiest things you've ever seen and some are quite good. I've gotten to know the business and I know which nurseries deliver quality. But you have to get that education for yourself and you might not want to invest the time into it. Also, is the minimal break in price worth all the driving and hassles?

I do have a slight competitive advantage. Our nursery is one of the best around! People have been coming for a long time and now I've got an online venture which has been successful for the past year.

That covers plant delivery. But why trust Plants From Paradise to design a landscape? First of all, I know the plants and trees. I know what they need to grow. I know where to plant them. I'm never going to promise something I can't deliver. I have fun designing it and putting it from conception to reality. It's a beautiful thing.

This business has a low cost to entry and anyone can pretend to be an expert. Ask tough questions of anyone promising things that will be part of your home for potentially decades! I'm confident that as my customer list grows and grows, Plants From Paradise will earn even better business from referrals and I'll need to hire managers instead of just landscapers to install.

View of Mr. Stinky's Webcam

If you don't go to Fairchild and you live in Miami...I say shame on you! You are missing a beautiful experience!

Here's a webcam of a Mr. Stinky in Brooklyn:
http://bbg.org/vis2/2006/titan/webcam/

What will we do with all those lawn mowers?

SO many people work to cut yards. SO many people build lawn mowers. But this article claims they are close to developing grass that doesn't grow past a certain size:
http://www.hhmi.org/news/chory20060504.html

Amazing. I don't know what to think.

Hurricane Palms

My business blog started off so strong and I let it lapse for four days. Hmm...I was busy with plants and I couldn't get a chance to get to it.

I have been noticing so many dead queen palms outside of people's homes from the past hurricanes. Don't they want to have living trees? Also wouldn't they want to plant trees that do well in hurricanes? I'd recommend sable palms and alexander palms over queen palms!

Plant Progeny

Here's an article about plants and their ability to transmit information to their offspring:
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060731/full/060731-16.html

Nature.com is a great site by the way!

David

The Royal Poinciana

The royal poinciana grows 4-5 feet per year once established and I've seen many fall down in storms. Nothing scientific, just my observations.

You'll spend a lot to maintain it...but when it's in bloom...WOW!

People love trees and plants

It's fun to do a landscaping job for someone who really loves plants.

The thing is, that's mostly everyone who calls or emails me. So people are usually really, really happy about their plants. Are things 100% perfect? No, of course not.

Actually I wanted to write about all the positive experiences but one negative experience jumps out at me. This is a good platform for me to give my side of the story.

A customer called for arecas. I gave her the sizes and prices. She said she had a row growing and that she needed two more. What could be easier?

I drive across town and show her the two best arecas I could find in the nursery. Her reaction? She says they are "too orange".

"Well, ma'am arecas in the sun usually take on an orange tint," I explained.

"No they don't."

So I noticed arecas all over the neighborhood. I walked across the street with her and showed her the orange looking areca fronds. She still didn't agree. She wanted something GREEN.

She pointed to a pygmy date palm and said she needs color like that.

"But that's a different species of palm."

Now she was mad at me for being persistent. "I KNOW that's a different species of palm. I can't use the palms. I'm sorry. Good bye."

I was so shocked at having to lift two heavy trees back on the truck. I have so many happy customers. I wanted to start dropping names and giving numbers about revenue and web presence and number of acres my family owns and their revenue...

But that would've been pointless. The customer is not always right but it is her right not to buy arecas if she doesn't want them. It seems stupid to refuse a perfectly good plant and waste my time and require me to drive all over town spewing gas fumes only to send them back for being orange when they get that way in the sun.

If she thought they were too small, I could accept that (even though they were overgrown). If she realized she was broke and she couldn't afford it, I could accept that (even though she lived in a big house). I could accept almost any reason for wasting so much of my time and gas, but slightly orange arecas? I mean the second result a google search brings up is this: "Leaves are ascending, curved at the apex with sheaths and petioles yellow or orange tinged."

If you don't believe your own eyes across the street, at LEAST believe google. If it's on the Internet, it has to be true.

Traditional Advertising

Today I went back to my roots. I passed out fliers with two helpers proclaiming a "Summer Sale!" It was so much fun to be riding around and meeting people. I'm excited to see what sort of responses I get.

Business as a creative force

I'm certainly enjoying this blog. Although I don't have readership now, I feel if I keep it up I'll gain readers. In this post I'll explain why I'm so confident of that. I'm riding a technological wave, and amazingly many aren't along for the ride.

I think the Internet is making some corporations much stronger but it is creating amazing new opportunities for individuals. Look at Home Depot and plants, for instance. Home Depot has fine plants and if someone needed just one 3 gallon plant that wouldn't be a bad place to go. It's efficient for such purchases. But most sales associates can't match the knowledge a 30 year grower has. They don't have hundreds of acres of stock on hand. They bring in stuff and slap a price tag on it. Someone who might not even know the type of plant scans it in and you put it in your minivan. Back up the supply chain...

The Internet opens up commerce for so many individuals. To think Craigslist lets people advertise for free (what will the newspapers do?). Google adwords gives me the same exposure as a multinational. Maybe Super Bowl advertising is important for some people and maybe advertising builds a sense of trust for people. Perhaps I'm underestimating the power of the brand because I'm in somewhat of a fragmented industry. No one company monopolizes landscaping or plant brokerage in South Florida.

Obviously this isn't restricted to trees. Moving and storage, logistics, microbrews, etc, specialized marketing on the Internet is a great enabler....I would like to move Plants From Paradise online beyond merely being a place for people to order plants or landscaping to becoming the place for design tips, discussion areas about plants, information how landscaping affects the environment and so on. I envison knowledge to be much more valuable to this undertaking as sweat and muscle.

Obviously landscaping is physical work. It gets hot in the summer and I'm on every job up to this point. True I have helpers and sometimes machines are needed, but it isn't the speed that I can dig a hole which will create anything of lasting value. Planning a landscape is process which requires intimate knowledge of the plants. Such skills aren't quite as fungible as the ability to rapidly dig a hole. (Not that I can't dig quickly- invite me to install a tree, I'll prove it-it's just that creating a landscaping plan and a successful business requires so much more.)

I'm looking forward to seeing where www.MiamiJunkRemoval.blogspot.com will go. It will be a profitable venture, I'm sure, and I can coordinate junk removal after landscaping jobs. The price of gas is FORCING us to become more efficient. Hopefully people won't view this foray into junk removal as a dilution of my goals with PlantsFromParadise.com, because it's merely a way to recoup some gas expenses. It'll be interesting: Bring in Beauty, Bring out Junk. I already have a motto.

In the meantime, I'm reading "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I have to say I recommend it so far. I'd say I lived up to the title today, if you consider snorkeling in the Keys getting something done :)

The Power of Ownership

Warren Buffet once remarked that it is commonly known that you don't wash rental cars.

How similar is it to plants and trees? Generally most customers are owners however there have been some customers who love plants so much that they invest in the land they are renting.

In other words, look how much Money magazine thinks homeowners can expect to pay for a 4" trunk on a tree:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2006/04/01/8373307/index.htm

$1,000?!?

Assuredly in 2006, PlantsFromParadise.com would charge much less for many, many species.

Why start a blog about a blog based business?

A bit about myself: computers help me organize my life. Since I started Plants From Paradise in the summer of 2005 I've emailed, spoken with, and met hundreds. Quite a few have become customers. Many are repeat customers. I've kept up with all the information.

Growing up I was the student to leave homework assignments at home. Now there's just one thing to remember, my Treo 650. If this was a paid endorsement that would be the 700. But it's just an honest confession. My smart phone has enabled me to become an efficient businessman. In my opinion, of course. But it's my blog, so it's my right :) Email me if you think I could improve my efficiency.

I wanted to start this blog and link it to plantsfromparadise.blogspot.com to give some look into the inner workings of a landscaping/plant brokerage company. Obviously it's of interest to me. I love it.

Hopefully this blog will be the place to remember the good times, analyze the difficult situations, and chronicle Plants From Paradise beginning one year after its inception. At the very least, it'll be fun for me. I hope you choose to follow me.