![]() Who is the landscaping industry? I don't mean, what companies make up the landscaping and lawn services industry. What I mean is, who are the people behind the industry? Who are they and how do they live? Most have not considered this. I'll be honest: Until I entered the landscaping industry myself, and began to spend time with the wonderful people who make it happen, I did not consider this either. Men like Raul and Marcos and Richard and Jose and Miguel. Thousands of others who work extremely hard, sacrifice, spend hours upon hours of time in the extremely hot sun, push their endurance to the limit, working 10-12 hour days, even on the weekends ... and are paid little. What's little? How about, on average, $125-150 per day before taxes? I will say this with good confidence: These men (and women in many cases) work harder and longer than almost anyone else in any other industry. And they are paid in a way that makes it extremely hard to pay even meager bills, and put food on the table. Many work paycheck to paycheck, not because they are wasteful or bad at budgeting and prioritizing, but because there is simply not enough. Why is this? Are landscaping companies taking advantage of them? Are they pocketing the profits at the cost of their peoples' livelihoods? No... margins in the industry are very small. It is a hard industry in which to operate as a business owner. Equipment and fuel and supplies are very costly. Counter that with a customer-base who tends to go with the lowest bidder, thinking they are making a profit and not simply "desperate" and low-balling as a result. Please hear me: This is not because customers are somehow evil or anything of the sort. They are simply unaware. I am confident that - if they knew - many would want to counter this issue by paying a little more. This is one of our main purposes at YardaBella - one of the key reasons we entered this industry: To do our part toward righting this issue which has too long persisted. So what are we to do? Great question. I'm glad you asked.
I'll add this note: If you must go with the lowest bidder (which will not be YardaBella), please tip them well. IF it's a $40 lawn, give them a $5-10 tip. If a $500 tree trimming, give them an extra $50-100. I know you likely believe you don't have enough to be so generous, but they have even less. Just a thought to ponder. A YardaBella endeavors on this crusade, it means we are risking a lot.
With this information, we must act. "All it takes for evil to persist is for good men to do nothing." (MLK Jr.) I'm prayerful that you'll join us in this mission - to right a wrong that's been overlooked for quite a while. God bless.
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![]() Trees. Ever lay down in the soft grass and just stare up at the branches of a tree? Branches *cricking* and *cracking*, leaves rustling in the light, cool breeze. Beautiful. Trees are a gift from God Himself ... for His glory and for our enjoyment. And we're called to take dominion over them. To care for them, to make them thrive, flourish, grow. The ideal is that they live long lives, stretching up to the Sun, growing a system of deep roots, providing shade and comfort for families or campers or fuzzy forest creatures. But we live in a "post-fall" world. Bad things happen in this world, unfortunately. Trees grow out of control and must be trimmed back - for their own good and/or the good of the structures around them, or just to be more conducive to a thriving yard. Trees die, and must be removed, stumps ground down, and branches hauled away. A single tear rolls down the cheek. But that's why YardaBella is here: To handle the manicures and haircuts and - yes - funeral arrangements for trees in the North of DFW area. We know it's expensive, so we try to keep prices low for you. We know most don't pay close attention to detail and artistry, so we stand out above the rest. We know most services companies focus more on the job than the post-job clean up, so we put special emphasis on leaving your yard cleaner than when we arrived. YardaBella is about Trees. Yes, we're about other things in the landscape arena, too, but our love is making trees beautiful or making them into mulch. You can trust YardaBella to make your trees look crisp and clean! You can trust YardaBella to make it seem like there was never a tree there at all! Whatever the case, give us a call and rest assured that you will not regret it. Want a free estimate? Or just have a question? Visit TreesBeautiful.com >> It is clear in the inspired, infallible Word of God, that our Creator made the heavens and the earth. So to say that "we make beautiful lawns" is a bit of a stretch. More aptly put, "we take what God has created, in the way it was created, and we manipulate it in a way to make it all it can be." Further, we do that with the time and talent that this same Creator God gave us. So, it's all Him. We just charge a reasonable fee for it ;) We are launching this new venture with great hopes and an unorthodox vision ... one that is more aligned with His way of thinking - we believe. As we endeavor to build yet another landscaping business in the Denton County area, we want to do a few things very differently, which we hope will make all the difference. Here are just a few: Elevating the front line worker.Our mowers, trimmers, blowers and landscapers - the front line at YardaBella - work very hard. It's hot out there in the outdoors of North Texas. As such, I believe they deserve to be given whatever they need to accomplish exceptional work and take home more for their families than with our peers in the industry. As such, we pay more. That makes it harder to compete, and makes our margins pretty slim, but it's the right thing to do. Delighting the customer."If they ask you to go 1 mile, go with them 2 miles." (Matthew 5:41) This verse is our quasi-mantra. If we see something that needs to be done, even if we weren't asked to do it, we will, and usually we'll do it for free. This is what makes the difference, we believe. Going the extra mile is rare these days ... but it won't be at YardaBella. Doing it all, as unto Him.Our front line guys, our managers and supervisors, and I aren't working primarily for YardaBella, but for Him. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Collossians 3:23-24) To be direct, we're not working primarily for our customers either. And they should find that very reassuring - refreshing in fact. We all wish to please Him who made a way (The Way) for us. He is worthy of nothing less than a beautiful lawn. And - as would be expected - while the individuals employed by Yarda Bella tithe (10% minimum), so does Yarda Bella itself. YardaBella is a company that will be after God's own heart.
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Greg Dean, Founder, YardaBellaFollower of Christ, husband, father of 3, business owner. Archives
February 2022
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