How does the quality of a business reflect on its products?

There's an old adage that suggests you can have two out of three options, but not all three: price, quality, and speed. Which is most important to you? I began my business over ten years ago, having learned the right techniques at a land grant university with ample research and resources to ensure quality. I entered the local landscaping market with little competition compared to the number of clients needing installation services. At the time, many lawn care workers and high school graduates thought it was profitable to start landscaping. Every paver manufacturer was aggressively promoting their products during the 2008 recession, and people were eager to earn money. After a brief seminar, these individuals would offer their clients walkway and retaining wall installations. These quick-start installers often ignored the proper base needed for New England installations. I replaced several "contractor" installations that were improperly done over topsoil with sand, and one even left the grass layer intact. Some walls were merely dug 4 inches deep and set in stone dust. This approach made installers feel like they were getting rich quickly, without considering their long-term reputation. My first year working while attending college, I redid three projects I had initially bid on but didn't initially win. When I first approached those clients, they told me they had received another quote at about half my price. At that time, almost half of my price was just for materials! I also hadn't properly accounted for overhead, delivery costs (as I picked up materials myself), or the expenses of growing and maintaining a proper business. Some companies still operate this way, but after my first year, I heeded my grandfather's advice, who was a bank director. He told me about a contractor who gauged his business success by his increasing bank account number. This may seem simple to a new entrepreneur, but it's a costly lesson if not learned early. Returning to the proposal where another installer quoted half, there was a reason. These installers were on a similar path as the man my grandfather mentioned. They calculated their desired (theoretical) $30/hour, which was significantly more than the going rate of around $8/hour if employed by another company. So, the cost of sand, pavers, and polymeric sand, plus labor, seemed profitable to them! Realistically, the cost of the base, compactor rental, paver edging, and soil disposal would have exceeded their entire bill, resulting in a loss. They continued to convince customers of quality installations, which would fail after a year or two, and I would be called back as a "trained expert" to assess their work. I maintained professionalism without mocking the obvious shortcuts they took. I should mention that in my 15+ years of installations, I've made mistakes and encountered jobs I wished to avoid. However, I've always put in my best effort to learn proper installation techniques through books, tutorials, and magazines (before the internet became all-encompassing). With YouTube's evolution, almost anyone can learn the steps to install most products. This doesn't guarantee the best outcome, as experience is irreplaceable, but the technical knowledge is available.

With that said, I train crews across New England, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida. I'm happy to engage with any installer and travel nationwide to teach, learn, or collaborate. With my current skills, we can tackle large projects using concrete as an alternative to natural stone or pavers. We order a concrete truck with grout mix to the site, add a special liquid hygroscopic admixture, and in about four hours, we can sculpt the load into retaining walls, ponds, bridges, fire pits, benches, trees, or any other imaginative creation. This requires many hands with shovels and trowels. I can work with a company unfamiliar with these techniques to successfully complete large projects in a day. I train five to ten people at a time, with sometimes 20 or more observing to learn. Prices vary based on distance and the crew's current skill level. My construction business advice is free, and my designs are fairly priced for what I offer, but there should be no discussion of "cheapest price" if you aim to be the best in your industry.