The season is here and what better time to curate a list of LMN’s recommended business books especially for landscapers looking to grow. While many start out as people with a passion for working outside; in order to build successful and sustainable businesses, they need to make the transition from talented landscapers to profitable entrepreneurs.
Business education is critical, whether it’s through formal training courses, respected mentors and even online sources such as Google. One way successful business owners stay educated is by reading.
Here at LMN, we’ve compiled a list of tried, true and new recommended books for landscape business owners sourced from our very own LMN VIPs! Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned landscaper trying to change and grow your landscape business, check out some of the business and entrepreneur books for landscapers below.
1) 9 Super Simple Steps to Entrepreneurial Success by Marty Grunder
Recommended by: Andrew Wilson, Cut and Clean Lawn Care, Missouri
“I met the author Marty Grunder in person and interviewed him on my channel a few years ago. Then out of nowhere, he sent me a signed copy of his book and as I was reading, it really spoke to me on a personal level. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and love hearing how other people invest in themselves as entrepreneurs”
You’re 9 steps away from the business of your dreams!
If you’ve ever hoped to start your own business – or already have one, but want it to grow – this is the book for you!
Entrepreneurial wizard Marty Grunder details 9 clear, practical strategies necessary for achieving entrepreneurial success. Grunder knows they work – he used them to transform the small lawnmowing business of his youth into Grunder Landscaping Co., a firm that generates $3 million in sales a year!
9 Super Simple Steps to Entrepreneurial Success on Amazon
2) The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Recommended by: Richey Plemons, Plemons Lawn Care, Georgia
“It was a book we had on our reading list in the United States Marine Corps not only for tactics and wars but as a form of inspiration and source of business tactics. Being in the fastest growing industry in the country, you better have some tactics to take on your competition.”
Preserved in China for more than 2,000 years before it was brought to the West by the French, this compact little book is widely regarded as the oldest military treatise in the world. More recently, it has also been viewed as a valuable guide to competing successfully in business. A valuable guide to the conduct of war, this classic of military strategy is indispensable to military personnel, history enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by competition and rivalry.
3) Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Recommended by: Shawn Spencer, Spencer’s Lawn Care, Ohio
“I just love learning other ways of doing business and picking bits and pieces and making it my own. I appreciate the writer’s insights about not having to make a lot of money to be rich and his stories about how his Dad and his friend’s Dad shaped his life.”
Here are money-making secrets that can change your life. Inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s magic formula for success, this book will teach you the secrets that will bring you a fortune. It will show you not only what to do but how to do it. Once you learn and apply the simple, basic techniques revealed here, you will have mastered the secret of true and lasting success. And you may have whatever you want in life.
4) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Recommended by: Caleb Auman, Auman Landscape, Ohio
“It’s a great book that reminds you of the importance of treating people, not how you want to be treated, but how they want to be treated. It also talks about empathizing with others to understand their circumstances and how you can better help them.”
For more than sixty years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. Now this previously revised and updated bestseller is available in trade paperback for the first time to help you achieve your maximum potential throughout the next century!
Learn:
- Three fundamental techniques in handling people
- The six ways to make people like you
- The twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking
- The nine ways to change people without arousing resentment
How to Win Friends and Influence People on Amazon
5) Good to Great by Jim Collins
Recommended by: Mark Bradley, CEO, LMN
“This book details how companies transition from being good companies to great companies and how most companies simply don’t have what it takes. There are many leadership & people lessons for landscapers & the leaders they put in place to help any size company become great.”
Jim Collins asked the question, “Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?” Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. The book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider.
More Book Recommendations from the LMN Landscape Community
“Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Recommended by: Josh Jones, Mass Hardscapes, Massachusetts
“Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too” by Gary Vaynerchuk
Recommended by: Blake Albertson, B&B Lawn Care, Missouri
Honorable Mention Business Book Landscapers Might Like
PLAY BIGGER: “How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets” By: Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, & Kevin Maney.
- Traction – By Gino Wickman – “How to gain control of your business through the Entrepreneurial Operating System.”
- Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade – By Robert Cialdini
- Relentless – By Tim S. Grover – “This book is a blueprint for discovering what you are capable of achieving…”
Other Entrepreneur Faves from the LMN Facebook Community
- Shoe Dog
- The Purple Cow – Seth Goodin
- The Five Dysfunctions of Team – Patrick Lencioni
- The Infinite Game
- Outsizing
- The Age of Intent
- The Gift of Struggle
- The One Thing
- Selling Boldly
- The 100X Leader
You can find loads of valuable landscape business education content through workshops, podcasts, and even YouTube videos. However, there are numerous studies that point to the benefits of reading a good ole’ fashioned paperback, from fighting Alzheimer’s disease and boosting your brainpower to making you more empathetic.[1]
Or, in the words of Dr. Seuss,
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Carve out some time each day to make personal (and professional) development a priority. Read a few chapters daily and your bottom line will thank you!
Ready for more? Another way to grow your business is by using the LMN Software. Try it for free today.
Sources:
[1] Real Simple – 8 Science-Backed Reasons to Read a (Real) Book
