It's hard to believe, but this season we are entering our 39th year in business at Grunder Landscaping Co. On one hand, that means I have a lot of experience, and on the other, it means I have to continue to find new and different ways to grow my team and my business. Relying on what we have always done in the past will not take us to our desired destination.
It's what motivated me to begin The Grow Group in the first place: our companies are better when we bring everyone together to learn and grow. I've met a lot of successful, and savvy, business people through The Grow Group, and when I look at the most successful companies, I see that they all do three things very well:
1. They have a clear vision for success. Successful companies are crystal clear about where they are going. They paint a vision for their team and they work together on achieving that vision. It is clear what success looks like and everyone on the team understands whether they are winning or losing in real-time.
2. They take action on their plan. Vision without execution = hallucination. It is not enough to set a vision, but you must execute the plan. Successful companies in our ACE Peer Group Program have become experts in taking action. They use their accountability group to stay on track and accomplish their goals.
3. They focus on empowering their team. As you have seen at our GROW! events, empowering teams to be successful is the crucial skill that great leaders have. Whether you were with us to see Taylor Milliken's team at Milosi in 2022 or Chase Mullin's team in 2021, you could see that the teams were empowered to set and achieve their goals. It wasn't about Taylor or Chase, it was about the team. Taylor and Chase now have the pleasure of not only being past GROW! hosts, but working together in the same ACE Peer Group to continue growing and getting better together.
For those of you that attended GROW! in Nashville, you got to hear from Sue Knokes and the amazing career that she has had. Did you catch her number one piece of advice to the attendees? Join a peer group. Sue knows that the information and sharing you get out of a group are the key to moving your business forward. I know that the program we run with our partners at McFarlin Stanford is the best in the industry.
The "ACE" in ACE Peer Groups stands for Accountability Creates Excellence. Having mentors in the industry hold me accountable to the goals we set helped GLC to make changes even when they were uncomfortable and difficult. We knew if we didn't make the change, we were going to hear about it next time. We do that with our own peer groups: we push the owners to do what they said they would, and as a result, they make changes they knew were needed.
Peer Groups have changed my business for the better. I know they will change yours too.
Talk to you next week!
Marty Grunder
President & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.
Is an ACE Peer Group Right for You?
Four of the last six GROW! event hosts have been members of our ACE Peer Groups. And our GROW! 2023 hosts, Summit Landscape and Design, are members as well. These companies are some of the best in the industry, and all of them will attribute a portion of their success to being in a group.
So today, take a moment, slow down and consider what an ACE Peer Group like this could mean for you, your family, and your business.
Don't just take it from me. Hear what our current ACE Peer Group Members have to say in the video:
Our ACE Peer Groups are adding new members right now and the first step for any new member is to attend an ACE Discovery Meeting.
At this Discovery Meeting, you’ll experience firsthand what a typical ACE Peer Group meeting includes, get to know some of our ACE members and alumni, and learn from our executive coaches and leading owners how to take your company to the next level.
If you have questions or would like to learn more about our ACE Peer Group Program, email vince@growgroupinc.com.
Or, if you are ready to join us in New Orleans for the Discovery event, click here to sign up.