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Seasoned Gardeners Consulting Flyer
Outlining the Services They Offer
(PDF file)
Winter Produce for Profit
(PDF file)
Should You Start a Winter
Vegetable Market?
(L&G Retailer - February 2024)
(PDF file)
Some of the Services We Offer...
Content Creation
E-Newsletters and Blog Articles
Strategy for Direct Mailings
Tips for Photography
Marketing Plans
Winter Vegetable Program
Greenhouse & Horticultural Specialist
Developing Non-Traditional
Revenue Streams
Customer Loyalty Programs
Preparing Your Business for
Sale and Transition
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Vic & Gail Vanik
Seasoned Gardeners Consulting
Group Service Providers
In the summer of 1998, we sold our business in Pennsylvania, packed up our house and moved 2,000 miles away with a four-year-old and two dogs in tow, to the small town of Dolores, Colorado where we bought Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery.
Vic had been involved in the horticulture industry since he was 14 and I started working in it at age 17, but even though we had decades of experience behind us by then, including a successful greenhouse operation in Pennsylvania, there was nothing that could have prepared us for what we were about to face.
The first years of owning any business are much like the first years in a marriage – it’s a learning experience and there were certainly some rough patches as we worked to figure out our new life. In 2001, Colorado began experiencing the worst drought in its history and to say it was a challenge to make it through that year and the following years would be a great understatement. At one point we seriously considered just giving up.
However, before we moved to Colorado, I had attended a conference and met Robert Hendrickson who introduced us to The Garden Center Group. In the Fall of 2006, I attended their Fall Event in a last-ditch effort to find some answers to help us. I remember excitedly calling Vic from the airport on my way home and saying, “I’m going to change our company!” He just laughed and said, “Yeah, sure. How are you going to do that?” I replied, “Watch me!”
We chuckle about that day now, but we learned what you can achieve with the proper help and guidance. That’s when we started believing in the power and knowledge that a good consultant can bring to your business. With a lot of hard work and by putting what we learned into practice, in 2022 before we sold our company, we achieved a 34% EBITDA setting a new bar as one of the Best of the Best centers in The Garden Center Group.
Seasoned Gardeners Consulting was born of our desire to guide others as we were once guided. We may have made it look easy, but we know what you’re going through because we’ve been there too. We know the struggles with profitability, HR challenges, making payroll, weather problems, growing concerns, and more. With a true passion for this industry, Vic is the numbers and growing guy - after all, he’s been doing this for over 50 years! With a similar enthusiasm for marketing and a keen eye for detail, Gail shines when focusing on advertising and management challenges.
This industry has always been about relationships and sharing, and we have certainly benefited from this as we built our business. With nearly a century of combined horticulture and business management experience, we’re ready to put our expertise to work for you!
We know you’ll enjoy your business more when you’re making more money - but you don’t have to go it alone. Let’s grow together!
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