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There was also concern about the equipment that would be needed. "I felt like we were going to have to change the equipment around quite a bit," says Ratliff.

The turning point came when a customer asked Ratliff Landscaping & Excavation if it could design a pond/waterfall feature. "We designed it and he hired us," says Ratliff. "We built it and it turned out great. We had such a great response from it that we decided to branch out."

The company started out with water features, then expanded into different hardscape-type projects. "We do a lot of retaining wall systems," says Ratliff. The company also lays sod, but it doesn't do much with softscape.

This past summer, landscaping represented 50% of the company's business, and is contributing to overall growth. "We found that we have done as much work in the first seven months of this year by doing landscape work as in our biggest year previously," says Ratliff. "It was a dramatic increase toward our income and, of course, cash flow overall."

The concern over not having the right equipment for landscaping jobs proved unfounded. "Over the years, we have found a way to adapt what we have to what we need," says Ratliff.