As a business owner you wear many hats from sales, purchasing, and accounting to business development, customer service and marketing. You’re constantly juggling multiple things, and frankly, you just don’t have time to do it all. And that’s ok. You set your priorities and delegate responsibilities where you can. When it comes to things like marketing, it’s vital for your …

Lighting is one of the fastest evolving categories in our industry. In the past decade alone, sales of professionally installed landscape lighting [and audio] systems have grown more than 300%. That’s insane growth! Homeowner demand and the trend of outdoor living has helped to drive this growth, especially in upper-income neighborhoods where lighted homes outnumber the unlit ones. This demand …

Spring is here and it’s irrigation start-up season! It’s great to be back to work but as with every season there are systems that just don’t work as they should. Troubleshooting can be frustrating and take valuable time away from other jobs. If the system is through a manufacturer you are unfamiliar with sourcing the resources you need quickly can …

This year is expected to have higher than average rates of mosquitoes throughout every area of the country, from the Northeast and Southeast to the Midwest and beyond.  Ticks will reach epidemic levels in many areas of the country, especially the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest. Mosquitoes and ticks thrive in warm humid weather, reproducing and multiplying rapidly. They’re not …

More and more, our customers are asking pressing questions about what chemicals go on their lawn. Especially with the recently negative news coverage our industry has seen with the Roundup lawsuit. Our customers worry about their kids, their pets, and the environment—and they want to make sure that the chemicals that go on their law are safe. Beyond the Roundup …

Our industry is ever evolving. More and more, our customers are driving purchase behavior—especially when it comes to all-natural, organic, sustainable, and low environmental impact options. Sustainability and organics are big business. Companies from Amazon and General Mills to UPS, Motorola and beyond—are investing in organics or putting sustainable practices in place for their customers. If major global companies are …

We’ve asked John Huber, Central’s Organic and Sustainable Products Manager, to share his insight on how to make your organic-based programs successful. Read below: Each year, more than 60 million tons of fertilizers are applied to the soil in the United States. More than 50 million tons are being applied to agriculture, while professional landscapers and golf courses only apply …

One in three Americans will be millennials by 2020. At more than 73 million strong, millennials are the largest generation. Their sheer size and buying power has a major impact on all areas of our economy—and home ownership is no different. We think of millennials as young kids, finishing up college and starting their careers—this is no longer the case. …

Business is great. How about raising prices. Not sure?  You’re not alone. There are few topics that cause more anxiety [and heartburn]  than raising prices. As we head into a new year with higher material cost, more overhead and labor costs, now is the time to get serious about your company’s pricing strategy. So, how do you raise prices and communicate those increases—without …

Nearly 90% of people check their email at least one time a day with the average person checking fifteen times per day. In addition, more than half of these email subscribers say they have purchased a product from a business after receiving an email from them. If you’re not in your customer’s inbox, you’re missing a giant opportunity to promote …