How a small Gippsland nursery gained $30k with levy-funded training
By Jennifer McQueen
Urban Tree Growers in Gippsland is a small nursery with big ambitions. When one of their longest-serving team members was preparing to retire, owners Beth and Chris Dunne knew they needed stronger systems to keep the nursery on track. Through the levy-funded Moshie Lean Leaders Program, they found the structure and confidence to make those changes.
Practical learning, real results
The Moshie Lean Leaders Program is delivered over 20 weeks in 10 half-day workshops. Each session introduces a tool or approach that participants can try straightaway in their own businesses.
Beth says the program stood out because it was not just theory, ‘I did not want another one-day course where you learn a heap and then forget it all. Lean Leaders was different because it ran over 20 weeks in a group format. We kept building on what we learnt, applying it back at the nursery, and the group kept us accountable.’
Strengthening a small team
With only a handful of staff, every role at Urban Tree Growers counts. Beth wanted clearer position descriptions and systems so her team could adapt as people moved on, ‘What really clicked was seeing how skills and personality fit together. I am cautious and a bit of a perfectionist, and my husband is the opposite [laughs]. Mapping both showed us what we would lose when our nursery manager retired, and what we would need to replace. It means that when we hire, we will look for someone who brings the right skills and the right traits. If we get that right, we can save around 0.6 FTE and pay that money to ourselves in wages instead.’
Over the course of the program, the nursery introduced role clarity, and streamlined inventory management and sales management for more effective processes, leading to better team communication.
‘The payoff has been clear: by applying the costing tools from the Lean Leaders program, we have streamlined our operations and identified opportunities that are now delivering results. On average, the changes are likely to equate to around five additional sales each year – worth approximately $30,000 to the business,’ says Beth.
Why it works for nurseries
Program facilitator Bruce Yelland says smaller nurseries often see the biggest shift, ‘For smaller nurseries, freeing up time is often more valuable than cutting costs. Every hour Beth gained back through clearer systems was an hour she could put into customers, strategy or her team. That is where you see the real shift; productivity that improves the business and the lifestyle around it.’
He adds that many businesses hesitate because they feel too busy for training, ‘That’s the catch – the program is designed for time-poor nurseries. Once people see that each step saves time, rather than takes it, the mindset changes quickly.’
Looking ahead
Urban Tree Growers has built momentum beyond the program. With an action tracker in place and stronger systems behind them, Beth and Chris say they feel better prepared for future challenges.
‘The biggest change was realising there are possibilities we had not even considered. When you are running a nursery you often just keep doing things the same way. The program opened my eyes to new approaches and gave me the confidence to try them.’
For Beth, Lean Leaders proved that professional development is not a luxury; it is a direct investment in the strength and sustainability of the business.
More information
Lean Leaders is funded by the nursery levy and delivered nationally.
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All images supplied by the author.
Jennifer McQueen
Director of Communications
Greenlife Industry Australia