Managing the stress of spring

Start early

“I get to work at least two hours before we are open,” says Jon Merrill, general manager of B.B. Barns, The Garden Company (Top 100 #52) in Arden, N.C. “I am much more productive during this time because phones aren’t ringing, customers aren’t needing help, and other employees are not in yet. This is the most quiet, relaxed, productive time at my desk.”
 

Don’t take work home, plan ahead

“I have an 8-month-old son, a 9-year-old daughter and a wonderful wife who I am not going to bring into my stressful spring,” Merrill says. “I work long hours during the spring, and they don’t need my stress in the short time I am home. They are also what keeps me grounded in knowing what the truly important things in life are.”

Jim Martin, store manager of Zamzows in Meridan, Idaho says, “We try to get everything ready at least 10 to 14 days in advance,” Martin says. “We have meetings to go over what problems will be occurring [ahead of time] or what bug issues we will have.”
 

Stay close with vendors

“I have great relationships with my vendors,” Merrill says. “They are all awesome to work with. They keep me [informed about]what is available, and more importantly, what will be available. This reduces some of my stress of finding special orders for customers, or getting additional plants on the truck at the last minute.”
 

Customers are stressed, too

“I always try to keep in mind that customers have bad days, too,” Merrill says. “I try to not take anything personally if a customer is upset.  We all have to keep in mind that our working environment can be very intimidating to customers. So many varieties and choices, our gardening language (that they may not understand), in combination with their lack of knowing plants or even where to start, can put customers on the defensive as they walk in the door.”
 

Be careful what you promise

If you give customers hard deadlines, especially if your garden center doubles as a landscaping company, weather can ruin your plans and therefore disappoint your customers, says Linda Patejdl, owner of Sawyer Home & Garden Center (Top 100 #39) in Sawyer, Michigan.
 

Watch your weather

Spring usually has its way of creeping back into winter at first, so make sure you’re prepared for 50-degree days and frost-bitten nights. “Make sure you’ve checked your frost blankets, and you know where they’re at, they’re in good condition and you have enough,” Patejdl says.
 

Hire great people

Matt Porter, live goods manager at Molbak’s Garden + Home (Top 100 #15) in Woodinville, Washington, puts his faith in his staff. “I don’t always hire the smartest horticulturist. I look for people with a great, can-do attitude, with a great personality and who like to look at me in the eyes,” he says. Then he delegates tasks to them while he juggles others. “If they can handle it, give to them, and make sure they do it,” he says.
 

Stay organized

Get rid of your desk clutter or whatever other clutter you might accumulate immediately. “Deal with things immediately so that leaves you free to do other things,” Porter says.
 

Don't panic

“It’s really easy to panic, [but] I remember I’m not alone. I have a big team underneath me…It’s going to be the fourth of July soon and it will all be over,” Porter says.
 

Eat often, eat right and sleep as much as you can

Porter’s suggestion. Enough said!