Verde Landscape Design

The Challenge

Carlos Mendez founded Verde Landscape Design 12 years ago with a vision: create stunning outdoor spaces that transform how people live. The company has built an excellent reputation for high-end residential design and installation projects. But as the business grew to four crews and 15 employees, Carlos realized he was flying blind.

"I could tell you we did about $1.2 million in revenue last year," Carlos admits. "But I couldn't tell you which projects made money and which ones lost money. I couldn't tell you which services had the best margins. Everything was in spreadsheets, paper files, or people's heads."

This lack of visibility was costing Verde money. They were underpricing complex projects and over-servicing problem clients. Carlos was making decisions based on gut feel rather than data—and as the company grew, his gut wasn't keeping up.

The Solution

Carlos implemented LandscapeDesk with a specific goal: understand the business numbers. He started by tracking everything—every hour worked, every material purchased, every client interaction.

"The first report I ran showed that our 'best' client—the one we bent over backwards for—was actually our least profitable. We were losing money on every job we did for them because of all the scope creep and revisions we never charged for."

Features that gave Verde complete business visibility:

• Time tracking that crews use right from their phones
• Job costing that compares estimated vs actual hours and materials
• Profitability reports by service type, client, crew, and season
• Revenue dashboards with real-time performance metrics
• Custom report builder for specific business questions

The Results

Within a year of implementing LandscapeDesk, Verde Landscape Design transformed their operations:

• Profit margins increased by 25% through better pricing and scope management
• 100% of jobs are now tracked from estimate through final payment
• 5+ hours per week saved on creating reports and analysis
• Pricing accuracy improved 30% using actual job cost data

"Now I can see profitability by client and by service in real-time," Carlos says. "I make decisions based on actual data, not assumptions. It's like finally turning on the lights in a room you've been working in for years."

Data-Driven Decisions

The insights from LandscapeDesk have led to several strategic changes at Verde. They've adjusted pricing on installation projects based on actual labor data. They've identified which design styles are most efficient to execute. And they've restructured their client base to focus on profitable relationships.

"We parted ways with three clients who were costing us money. It felt scary at first, but those crews are now working on projects that actually make us money. Our team is happier because they're not dealing with problem clients, and our bottom line is healthier."

Verde is now using LandscapeDesk data to plan their expansion into commercial landscape design—a move they're confident about because they can model the profitability before committing resources.

"LandscapeDesk didn't just give us reports," Carlos reflects. "It gave us the confidence to make big decisions. When you know your numbers, you stop guessing and start growing."