From $20M to $40M: Aspire is smart growth platform for Site Landscape Development

No company wants to scale too fast, so Site Landscape Development in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is more than content with its rate of growth.

“We’ve been growing 20%, 25%, something like that,” said Andrew Craft, Site Landscape’s Chief Financial Officer. “Which is a good, manageable amount. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves or anything like that.”

Sound thinking for any company. Just as the 20%-25% growth year over year is sound scaling for any company.

One factor that has facilitated Site Landscape Development’s growth in the past four years is Aspire, the cloud-based software for landscaping and commercial cleaning businesses. Site Landscape implemented Aspire in 2019 and has grown from a $20 million to a $40 million business.

“Aspire gave us the platform to grow more than we would ever have thought we could,” Craft said.

While Aspire was not solely responsible for doubling the revenue, it certainly contributed, Craft said.

“No software is going to fit perfectly for anybody,” Craft said. “But I know as we grow, Aspire is going to grow. They added new features last year, especially all the new construction features. And that's what we need, somebody that's going to grow with us.”

Construction is one-half of Site Landscape Development’s business; the other half is maintenance. Often, the construction feeds the maintenance end because once a new landscaping project is completed, it needs to be maintained.

“We grow organically,” Craft said. “The sales we do is estimating for our construction projects, and then we get those construction projects, we build them, and then those go over to our maintenance department. That helps our maintenance department grow.

“Then just the basic CRM stuff with the property management companies we have now. We do good work for them, and they say, ‘Hey, we have some other buildings. Can you do those too?’”

From basic software to a robust platform

Craft got into the trades several years ago when he bought Titan Fence, a commercial fence company, and then sold it. That opened his eyes to the trades, and six years later, he joined Site Landscape Development, in part because one of its driving tenets is to treat people the way you want to be treated.

At the time he joined, Site Landscape was using basic computer software. He appreciated what the software did but saw much room to improve.

“When things weren’t busy, it was OK, but as soon as it got busy in the summer or something, things would fall apart,” Craft said.

The business had difficulty tracking important data, even things like invoicing and billing. The information fell through the cracks, which prompted the company to search for a new approach.

Craft first learned of Aspire at the Lawn and Landscape Show. He spent time looking at other options but found himself coming back to Aspire.

“There was one clear winner, and that was Aspire,” he said. “They were leaps and bounds ahead, so we made the decision to move to Aspire. It was a no-brainer.”

He quickly saw the benefits and called Aspire’s regular updates a major positive because the software constantly renewed itself. He also said the constant information provided by Aspire provided significant efficiencies.

Craft said Site Landscape Development self-implements the EOS Model, which provides the Six Key Components™ of any business that must be managed and strengthened to be a great business.

“One of the pillars there is data, and then one of the other pillars is process,” Craft said. “Aspire is really the main tool we use for that. That's where all our data comes from. That's where we implement a lot of our processes. That's the tool we use within that tenet or philosophy.

“If you don't have the data, it's really difficult to make those decisions. And Aspire, that's the easiest thing it did.”

Aspire ‘really shines’ on commercial maintenance

Another positive Craft saw in Aspire was its application to commercial maintenance.

“That’s where Aspire really, really shines,” he said. “The whole process. The maintenance contract. Then you win it, it turns into work tickets, goes on the schedule, all that stuff … to the billing. I was joking the other day that we sent 400-something invoices out. It took two minutes. That used to be two days or something back in the day.

“The whole process is just streamlined, including what the customers see. They'll see site audits and irrigation reports, all somewhat automated.”

PropertyIntel, which allows Aspire users to gain detailed measurements and pictures of sites, helps as well. Customers especially appreciate the photos that PropertyIntel provides.

“PropertyIntel has just made our whole estimating process simpler,” he said. “Now we have one tool. This is where we do it. Prior to that, our estimators and managers would use a variety of different tools, so we lost some consistency.

“Now, we're all inside the Aspire umbrella.”

Craft’s overall view of Aspire is that “it’s amazing.” As he looks forward, he sees Site Landscape Development staying with the software no matter how much more the business grows.

“I don't think we could outgrow Aspire,” he said. “We're $40 million in revenue now. There are companies that are hundreds of millions. That would be a good problem to deal with if we get there. 

“As we grow, Aspire's ability to handle things that we might need when we're bigger, they’re going to be there before we are, probably.”