Budgets & cash flow
Know what's coming in and going out, month by month. Your statements, prepared and explained.
Margin Drivers › About EquiScape
About EquiScape · The team behind Margin Drivers
A part-time CFO for your landscaping company
EquiScape Business Advisors builds the Margin Drivers Resource Center. When you want these numbers built from your own books every month, with budgets, job costing, cash flow and help when it's time to sell, that's what we do.
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.
Each resource in this library is designed to deliver real value, but no single tool can solve a business challenge on its own. Lasting results come from connecting these tools and concepts into a comprehensive, cohesive strategy. EquiScape partners with you to build that strategy around your company’s specific goals, challenges, and stage of growth.
Job costing & pricing
Know which contracts make money, and price the next one right.
Try the free Job Pricing CalculatorSystems & 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 Pricing Calculator.
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 Pricing CalculatorServices · Selling your business
Get ready to sell, and get paid what it's worth
Our team has run landscaping companies and guided owners through the sale of theirs. We know 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.
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
Leadership reading list
A year of reading for stronger leadership
18 books in four phases. Read one phase each quarter. Part of EquiScape's one-on-one coaching.
Phase 1 · Quarter 1
Mindset
5 books
- The Energy BusJon Gordon
- The No Complaining RuleJon Gordon
- The Shark and the GoldfishJon Gordon
- The Positive DogJon Gordon
- Who Moved My Cheese?Spencer Johnson
Phase 2 · Quarter 2
Purpose & Character
5 books
- The SeedJon Gordon
- Inside Out CoachingJoe Ehrmann
- Season of LifeJeffrey Marx
- Courage RequiredJohn Richie
- Living in the Daze of DeceptionJosh Hibbs
Phase 3 · Quarter 3
Relationships
4 books
- SoupJon Gordon
- The CarpenterJon Gordon
- How to Win Friends & Influence PeopleDale Carnegie
- Love WorksJoel Manby
Phase 4 · Quarter 4
Team & Organizational Leadership
4 books
- Training CampJon Gordon
- The Five Dysfunctions of a TeamPatrick Lencioni
- TractionGino Wickman
- Extreme OwnershipJocko Willink & Leif Babin
About · Who we serve
Green industry and the trades
Tap your trade to tell us about your company.
Green industry
LandscapingStart-ups to large firmsTalk to EquiScape →HardscapeMasonry, walls, paversTalk to EquiScape →IrrigationService & installationTalk to EquiScape →Pest control & lawnLocal & regionalTalk to EquiScape →Grading & erosionLocal & regionalTalk to EquiScape →Tree companiesArborists, pruning, removalTalk to EquiScape →
Construction & service trades
HVACInstall, service, repairTalk to EquiScape →PlumbingInstall, service, repairTalk to EquiScape →ElectricalInstall, service, repairTalk to EquiScape →FlooringInstall, service, repairTalk to EquiScape →Paving & resurfacingInstall, service, repairTalk to EquiScape →
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 us, or tell us about your company and we'll be in touch.
770-685-4700Call us directly
Hours
| Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday – Sunday | Closed |
Want a head start? Run the free EBITDA Valuation Calculator before we talk.