Budgets & cash flow
Know what's coming in and going out, month by month. Your statements, prepared and explained.
Fractional CFO · Landscaping & green industry
A part-time CFO for your landscaping company
Monthly budgets, job costing and cash flow, plus help when it's time to sell. Every number traced back to your books.
EquiStat report card
Sample landscaping company · September 2026, year to date
Revenue YTD$2.41M+6.2% vs. last year
Gross margin58.4%1.6 pts below the 60% goal
Net profit11.8%$284K year to date
Realized rate$58.20Revenue ÷ crew hours
Dashed line = 60% gross margin goal
30+ yrsrunning landscaping companies
$2Breal-estate company's landscaping, managed nationwide
Free1-hour consultation, Zoom or phone
$1,200a month, packages from
Services
A finance department, by the month
Your books closed, explained and turned into decisions, without hiring a full-time CFO.
Job costing & pricing
Know which contracts make money, and price the next one right.
Try the free job estimatorSystems & training
QuickBooks and your field software set up right, and your office trained to use them.
Packages from
$1,200/mo
Fees scale with company size.
Getting started takes one call
Free consultation
One hour on Zoom or the phone to look at your operation.
Proposal
Services, monthly price and flexible terms, in writing.
Monthly work together
Your one-page EquiStat report card, every month.
What you get every month
Three reports that show where the money is
EquiStat · monthly
Your numbers on one page
Profit, cash and what to fix this month, built from your real books.
EquiFlex · by division
What each line earns
Maintenance, installs, snow: see which make money and adjust prices.
EquiFlow · by contract
What every job earns
Profit on each contract, so you price the next one right.
EquiFlow · pricing a job
Cost × markup = price, line by line
Labor is marked up on wage; burden is counted in cost. Same method as the job estimator.
Line itemCostMarkupPrice
L$259.203.36×$725.76
Direct job labor
8 hrs × $27 = $216 wage + 20% burden ($43.20). Markup applies to the $216 wage.
M$182.402.10×$383.04
Material & chem/fert
Mulch, fertilizer and pre-emergent
E$96.002.25×$216.00
Equipment
Mowers and blowers, 8 hrs × $12/hr
S$140.001.85×$259.00
Subcontractors
Irrigation repair
=$677.602.34×$1,583.80
Total job price
Blended markup on all costs
Gross profit
Price − cost: $1,583.80 − $677.60
Gross margin
$906.20 ÷ $1,583.80 · goal 60%
Closing the gap: the job is 2.8 pts below the 60% goal. Raising the labor markup on wage to 3.87× adds $110.16 and brings the price to $1,693.96, a 60.0% margin.
Run your own numbers through the same method, line by line.
Price your own job: free job estimatorServices · Selling your business
Get ready to sell, and get paid what it's worth
David has run landscaping companies and sold them for clients. He knows what buyers pay for, what drags the price down, and how to present your company to get the strongest offer.
We create the summary package buyers look for when buying a business. Bankers call it a Confidential Information Memorandum, or CIM for short. A CIM is the summary buyers review before making an offer: your earnings, revenue mix, how the business runs and where it can grow. Shared only with buyers who sign a confidentiality agreement.
- Real earnings Your profit with owner perks and one-time costs added back.
- Revenue mix Recurring maintenance versus one-time installs, commercial versus residential.
- How the business runs Your management team, systems and equipment, at a high level.
- Customer base How steady it is, and that no single customer is too big.
- Growth and transition Room to grow, and how the business keeps running after you step back.
- Valuation What your company could sell for, backed by our EquiStat numbers.
Free business valuation
What's your business worth?
Buyers pay a multiple of your real earnings, and that multiple moves with how your company runs. Here's how they'd price an example company. Change it on the card, then run your own numbers.
- About 5 minutes. Upload your QuickBooks reports or type in your numbers.
- The same method as this example. Real earnings, a size-based multiple and the adjustments buyers make.
- Private. We don't keep a copy of your reports. David only sees your results if you ask for the full report.
Sample valuation
Example landscaping company · $4.85M sales · last 12 months
Likely sale value
$3.71M
Range $3.12M – $4.30M
Net profit (bottom line)$514K
+ Interest, taxes & depreciation$249K
+ Owner perks & one-time costs Costs a buyer won't have: here, $60K of owner pay above a manager's salary and an $18K one-time legal settlement. Bankers call these add-backs.$78K
= Real earnings (adjusted EBITDA)$841K
− People a buyer must hire to replace you If the owner handles key accounts, sells or estimates, a buyer has to hire someone to do it. That pay comes out of the earnings they're buying.−$58K
− Profit at risk from one big customer$0
= Earnings a buyer pays for$783K
× What buyers pay per $1 of earnings4.74× (3.99–5.49×)
Change the example to see what moves the price
How much the business depends on the owner
Free Learning Center
Learn to run your company by the numbers
Twenty-two short guides take you from reading a P&L to knowing what your business is worth. Free and self-paced, with calculators and checklists for your own numbers, and the whole library as a PDF.
- Foundations Read your own P&L and Balance Sheet and know your break-even. Guides 1–6.
- Control Make every bid hit your margin goal and run a monthly scorecard. Guides 7–14.
- Strategy Plan a year ahead, build the right team and know what your business is worth. Guides 15–22.
About · President & executive advisor
David Whittaker
GCLP · GCPP · CA24 GCLP: Georgia Certified Landscape Professional. GCPP: Georgia Certified Plant Professional. Both are green-industry certifications from the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture.
30+ years running nationally recognized landscaping companies.
$2Breal-estate company (Post Properties): national landscaping staff & purchasing
$10M+Chatham Landscape growth under his leadership
Nationalportfolio of green-industry businesses
Leadership & mentoring
One-on-one coaching for owners
For owners and managers you're training to lead
Learn more about growing your business- Clarify goals and priorities
- Build on strengths, address gaps
- Communicate and decide with confidence
- Create a culture of accountability
About · Who we serve
Green industry and the trades
Tap your trade to tell David about your company.
Green industry
LandscapingStart-ups to large firmsTalk to David →HardscapeMasonry, walls, paversTalk to David →IrrigationService & installationTalk to David →Pest control & lawnLocal & regionalTalk to David →Grading & erosionLocal & regionalTalk to David →Tree companiesArborists, pruning, removalTalk to David →
Construction & service trades
HVACInstall, service, repairTalk to David →PlumbingInstall, service, repairTalk to David →ElectricalInstall, service, repairTalk to David →FlooringInstall, service, repairTalk to David →Paving & resurfacingInstall, service, repairTalk to David →
Don't see your trade? If you run crews, routes or contracts, we can help.
Software we work in
Contact
Book your free one-hour consultation
Call David, or tell us about your company and we'll call you back within one business day.
770-685-4700Call David directly
Hours
| Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday – Sunday | Closed |
Want a head start? Get a free business valuation before we talk.