17 Oct The landscape Lighting business is not the only trade that has its challenges
By Mike Gambino
Last week I spoke about the challenges of operating a successful landscape lighting business. It is comforting to know that we are not alone as fellow Green industry trade people share some of the same challenges.
When the World Bites, Don’t Bite Yourself Back!
This was the title of a post that Greg Wittstock of Aquascape inc. made to his personal facebook page on October 9, 2014. I really connected with this passage as it parallels with experiences I have had in my personal and business life. I humbly say that my career in landscape lighting somewhat paralells Greg’s career in the pond world (albeit in a much smaller way of course). Our personality type is very similar, his drive and passion to succeed and be the best is something I have an affinity for. I have followed his career from the start and am very inspired by his spirit and passion for the trade that he loves, aqualtic water features.
Let me give you a little background about Greg Wittstock if you don’t already know him. Without going into great detail-started a pond building business at a very young age, expanded it into a manufacturing empire, built a business complex, Aqualand, a sort of shangri-la workplace and of late landed a reality tv program featuring his custom pond building business which is giving his company and the pond industry much positive exposure. He is probably hands down the single most successful business person to ever work in the Green industry that I know of and that is saying a lot because he is only 44 years old. What he has accomplished to date, most in a lifetime would never come close accomplishing. That being said he is probably one of the most polarizing figures and probably has as many admirers as he has detractors. In fact there are some in his industry that downright hate him and the products he brings to market and construction methods he uses and teaches to build ponds.
Along with his successes over the years there have been some tough times. His first major competitor was his father who had become estranged , left Aquascape to start his own company which was in direct competition to his son ( after a few yrs the two made up, the father closed his company and he and Greg now maintain a good relationship). The economic downturn hit his company hard starting in 2008 and for the first time had to lay off personnel instead of hire. A few yrs after that the roof of his office building which was lauded as being environmentally friendly and before its time had its roof collapse after a very heavy snow fall leaving the company without a workspace for its significant number of employees. Through all this adversity he has prevailed, continues to move forward and prosper and does not let setbacks big or small get him down. For this reason I have great admiration for him and wish him continued success.
In this facebook post he talks about how other successful trade and television personalities like Cesar Milan, Wayde King, Dr. Pol have their detractors, haters or whatever they are to be called who question, criticize and malign their philosophies, processes and ways.
I will let him tell you with his own words the most recent challenges he faces from his new found television fame.
I’ve been watching a lot more TV lately (go figure.) Of course, my channel of choice is Nat Geo Wild. It really is a good channel with interesting shows that the whole family can watch together. One of my favorite shows is Cesar 911. For years I have been a Cesar Millan fan, absolutely loving not only what he does with “training people and rehabilitating dogs” but also his immigrant to riches true Hollywood story. What a stud! It was while I was watching his show that something he said resonated profoundly with me. Cesar was aggressively bit by, of all dogs, a family’s yellow lab. It was a vicious, scary attack and of course made mesmerizing TV. How Cesar responded by keeping his trademark cool and backing that disturbed dog down is why the dude has reached the top dog in his field! But it wasn’t just his reaction that struck a chord with me. How he described the attack hit me right in the heart!
On his way to the hospital to get stitches in his hand he described the attack by saying this: “It’s not the pain from the attack that gets you, it’s the transfer of all the negative energy that occurs when a dog sinks his teeth into you.”
I’ve now spent over $300,000 dollars in legal bills alone defending myself against bogus and frivolous lawsuits that have arisen since we landed our show, Pond Stars. Believe it or not landing a TV show brings out the haters and manipulators in droves! I’ve always had my fair share of detractors and with this platform I’m attracting even more. I’m far from alone in that regard. Cesar has entire websites and forums attempting to discredit his training methods. The loveable Dr. Pol is maligned by many a modern vet who claim his old school methods are outdated. Wayde King from the show Tanked gets as many as 8,000 emails from across the world after a show from viewers reacting to something they saw, or think they saw, that they disagree with. Insane but it’s the reality of TV and our world. I can only imagine what kind of mail the Kardashians get when they apply makeup!
Lawyers have a place in this world, but it’s a place I want to give the least amount of my energy to. Truthfully for me to be able to even breathe, it can’t be any other way. I was a blocking fullback in high school, tasked with taking out the middle linebacker to open up a running lane for my teammates. That position suited my personality to a “T” back in the day. Today if I tried to pull that off against all the people I feel like doing it to, I’d just end up with even more legal bills! I’d also end up in the hospital from exhaustion. You can’t fight every battle in life but that doesn’t stop many people from trying. Worse, many people find battles to start that they can’t win even if they do. If you win on one front, but have a heart attack from the fight, do you really win?!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 44 years it’s this: Haters are going to hate. Hurt people try to hurt others. Yes, it hurts when this happens! But what you can’t do is feed that hurt, that pain, that negative energy by fueling it. When that dog attacked Cesar he kicked it off quickly with his foot then stood his ground. He never lost his cool. He didn’t feed that dog’s negative energy. I love his example for what it is at its core. The more you live, the more out there you are, the more you’re going to get bit. It’s just the way of the world is. If you try biting back at it, more often than not all you will end up doing is biting yourself.
Life’s hard enough as it is. Why fuel negative energy in order to “win?” Win what, anyway? Money? Respect? Justice? Please! There will always be a competitor or maybe even just an ex-spouse biting at your heels. And you better believe right beside them will be a lawyer ready to sink their canines in you both! I say no thanks. After all, I’d rather spend my limited time, energy and attention enjoying biting into the filet mignon of living life to the fullest.
Carpe Diem
Best of luck Greg and don’t let the negativity bring you down. Much of it is professional jealousy coming from those much less successful than you. Your television efforts can only have a positive effect on your industry which will benefit all not just Aquascape. I enjoy watching your show Pond stars on Nat Geo wild and I hope it is renewed for a second season and beyond.
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