About the Landscape Juice Network

Since arriving at the Landscape Juice Network site, you are probably wondering what it is all about and how it works and who the heck is Philip Voice?

A bit about me first - I started my life as a garden odd jobber back in May 1984 running my little enterprise from the back of a mini car. I had never intended to be a gardener but it was the case of needs must after having a motorcycle accident whilst working as an assistant greenkeeper on Blackmoor Golf Course.

The golf course was a fantastic environment to work in and I felt really comfortable being in the open air and amongst so much nature and wildlife.

After being forced to leave Blackmoor because I could not walk (something quite essential for the job) I spent eighteen months recuperating until unfortunately I had a second accident and was hit by a car!

A brief but wonderful time was spent working as gardener and gamekeeper on Lower Roundhurst Farm at the bottom of Blackdown Hill near Haslemere, ended when the farm had to be sold.

However, I needed to earn money and to do this I started a little gardening round charging £20.00 per day.

I was hungry for experience and quickly built a gardening round with regular customers. My problem was keeping up with demand so I started employing a casual helper.

Whilst I was gaining real experience and learning well, I felt going to college would help so I paid for myself to attend Merrist Wood on a three year course (day release because of the commitment to my customers)

Later, I took a two year greenkeeping qualification at Sparsholt to enhance the lawn maintenance side of the business.

The business grew to sixteen personnel at its peak with a variety of grounds, garden and landscape construction contracts.

I never designed or built a Chelsea award winning garden (although I did win an APL award for best garden under £10,000). However, I built hundreds of small (£1,000 - £20,000) projects that made a real difference to the lives of the client.

I sold the business, now Voice Groundscare, which still runs and bears my name, in 2004 and moved to France where I, with my wife Donna and two children Henry and Fleur have renovated an old farm - visit Perigord Vacance.

Two years ago, after encouragement from Craig McGinty - who had helped me start my French blog - I started Landscape Juice which has surpassed all expectations.

I have been looking to add value to the blog for some time and flirted with a forum. Conventional forums are now dead and when the opportunity to start the Landscape Juice Garden Network came along, using the amazingly powerful Ning software, I had to seize the chance.

My intention is to build a set of tools that enable small businesses to lever the net to their advantage.

I made my company successful through drive and enthusiasm but in the early days, I did not know who to turn to in order to help me understand pricing, costs, profit and loss etc - it is this lack of knowledge that leads to most small gardening and landscaping companies folding up.

I want to grow this site organically for the benefit of you. There is no real aim to seek thousands and thousands of members and I would take great pleasure in the knowledge that I may have helped a small number of garden businesses understand the challenges of profitably running a company.

With this in mind, I am always accessible and available for a chat and that is why I advertise my name and post my picture on the site. There are a number of similar sites that wish to remain in control of how its members use their platform.

Their anonymity is off-putting for anyone wishing to get involved. There is also a sense of competition with a few 'aggressive' members who are intent on making as many friends as possible and ignoring the real reason for what the platform is designed for and in the process putting off other members.

The point about my network is 'real' relationships benefiting real situations. I have made the point before that the information that is available here today, may not become of use for another six months. I do not mind if you pop in once in a blue moon providing, that when you are here, you are getting something back for your time.

One last point, which I have made several times before is about the way in which this site is optimised. Already, your details are coming up in searches - on the web and as we grow, so will the opportunities, as searchers, who are looking for landscaping, design and garden services find your details.