Lessons from Fifth Season Landscapes

By John Corban

Since 2009, Phil Antcliff and Jack Hayes have operated Fifth Season Landscapes, a multi-award-winning residential landscape design, construction and maintenance business based on Sydney’s North Shore. In a recent online discussion with my coaching clients, Phil and Jack generously answered questions about how they have built and sustained their business.

The early years of business

Q: How did your partnership begin?
A (Phil/Jack): We came from similar backgrounds, sporty, outdoors types with a strong work ethic, and ran small landscape businesses in the same area. We would meet on Fridays at the North Richmond Hotel in Sydney and started talking about doing a job together. We trialled a job, it worked, and the business grew from a handshake.

Q: What worked well from the beginning?
A (Phil): We split roles: I was not on the tools full-time, so I could take calls, meet clients anytime and quote constantly. I enjoyed running the office. Jack preferred running sites and doing the physical side of the work.

Q: What did you struggle with most?
A (Phil): Costings and overheads. We would buy vehicles without properly accounting for running costs, maintenance, and wear and tear in our estimates. We were essentially guessing. Also, there was a lack of detail in designs and quotes, and missing scope items meant we often paid for gaps. Over time we learned to build in design detail and layered costing, so construction matched the quote and fewer disputes happened.

Q: By the end of your first five years of business, what was your biggest operational challenge?
A (Jack/Phil): Cash flow. We only invoiced line items once they were complete. Items would sit at 95 per cent finished, which meant we were effectively funding the project ourselves. That became painful as projects got bigger and multiple jobs ran simultaneously.

Design

Q: How did design get added as a service?
A (Phil): We were producing designs informally, often for free, to win work, and clients would sometimes shop those designs around. After losing a few jobs that way, we realised we had to charge for design and build the capability properly.

Q: What design systems and software did you use at the start?
A (Phil): Initially our work was hand-drawn. Then we hired someone skilled in Vectorworks and SketchUp. That improved professionalism and presentation.

Q: Did 3D help your business?
A (Phil): Yes, SketchUp 3D was a great sales tool because many clients cannot easily read plans. 3D clarified levels and intent.

Garden maintenance

Q: Why was maintenance added as a service?
A (Phil): Clients asked for it, so we hired specifically and built that division. Maintenance also supports long-term client relationships and recurring work.

Q: Which garden maintenance app do you use?
A (Phil): Off-the-shelf tools did not fit our maintenance workflows. Many are built for plumbers or electricians rather than landscapers. Recurring scheduling was surprisingly poor, so we built our own and automated it to link with Xero.

Pools

Q: Why did you start offering pools?
A (Phil/Jack): Pool builders were disrupting timelines and creating program chaos. We like being head contractor and controlling delivery end-to-end. Jack got the license, we leaned on strong specialist subcontractors, and we now offer pools as part of a coordinated design-build package. The client benefit is one contract, one communication channel, one invoicing system and clearer warranties.

Non-negotiables

Q: What are your non-negotiables?
A (Phil/Jack): Do not compromise the client outcome, even if it costs us. Reputation matters. Culture matters too; we invest in morale, team cohesion and retention through recognition and shared values like quality and attention to detail.

Pricing model

Q: Do you do cost-plus or fixed quotes?
A (Phil): We mostly do fixed quotes with some provisional items. We prefer fixed pricing. It requires less paperwork and is clearer for clients. Prep/demo/excavation is treated as a higher-risk area and quoted as a provisional/cost-plus item that we track closely. Everything after that is fixed price, e.g., tiling, decking, pools.

Q: How have you fixed cash flow issues?
A (Jack/Phil): We have fixed cash flow issues by weekly invoicing. Each quote has 10–12 line items, and we invoice weekly showing the progressive percentage of each line item. Clients get an updated payment schedule each Friday. It improves cash flow and reduces the risk of large unpaid balances at the end of a project.

Looking back

Q: Looking back over the last 16 years, if you could redo anything, what would it be?
A (Phil): Learn the numbers earlier, define our target market earlier, stop saying yes to everything, and charge what we truly needed with confidence. It would have reduced early financial stress and accelerated the business sooner.

Thank you Phil and Jack for honest, open and informative answers.

John Corban

Landscapers Coach

M: 0433 271 980

E: john@landscaperscoach.com.au

W: landscaperscoach.com.au