The Cost of Doing Business

Looking ahead is important. From time to time we need to raise our nose off of the grindstone and think about "where am I trying to get to?" Otherwise, the business will lead you around to the squeakiest wheel forever. Owning the business instead of the business owning you requires vision and planning. I had a good time interviewing Elmer Fisher from Potted Luck in PA, discussing his vision and ch...

Keegan Grove is the founder of Mountain Strong Landscaping in West Virginia. His story is a literal embodiment of what I built SynkedUP for - unlocking hard-working contractors and getting them from surviving to thriving in their businesses. There are a lot of hard workers in this industry. But unfortunately, hard work is not a guarantee of success. It's a necessary ingredient, yes, but not the ti...

Luke Neathery is not only a hardscaper, but also a talented water feature artist, cowboy, and horse trainer. I pick his brain on how and why he incorporates water features into his projects. We also cover some of his tough experiences in business, and the lessons he's learned. Give Luke a follow on his Instagram, he posts some awesome projects.  Instagram (@neatherylandscapellc) And his website: ...

Once you dial in your numbers, the next challenge to overcome is streamlining your sales process. It's easy to waste time and frustrate potential clients if your sales process isn't dialed to produce results. The three of us pick apart the different strategies and tactics people use, and talk about what's worked for us. Follow Evan Newcombe with Pride Hardscape at  Instagram (@pride_hardscape) Pri...

If dialing in your numbers is the difference between breaking even and making 10+% net profit, focusing on your efficiency can easily produce just as much juice for the squeeze. Listen in as Jonathan Guinipero shares his experience from his own company Stateline Landscaping from MA, as well as his observations from visiting Tussey Landscaping. Give Jonathan a follow on IG  Instagram (@stateline_la...

I connected with John Sheppard from Southern Cross Outdoors at the Pool and Spa Expo in Las Vegas, which was great because I got to pick his brain on what was going on in his business in his absence. Give him a follow here:  https://instagram.com/ southerncrosscompany?igshid= MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://southerncrossga.com/ If you're interested in learning more about SynkedUP, check us out:  SynkedUP...

Joel DeLa Paz from Nunez Outdoor Living in Traverse City in Michigan is a newer SynkedUP user, aka SynkedUP Crew. And I kept running into him at all these events! Cruz Lon's boot camp, HNA, Las Vegas, and more. This made me curious, as many contractors manage to get away to an event or two a year, but Joel was investing heavily! So we sat down and had a conversation, I picked his brain on why he w...

Nikita's story is remarkable to me. There's a lot that happens between mowing lawns as a side gig to doing high-end pool projects. And Nikita did it very quickly. 3 years. I'm impressed. Listen in as I pick his brain on how he did it that quickly, and what the journey looked like. And how he developed as a leader. Give Nikita and Outdoor Influence a follow on Instagram  https://instagram.com/oides...

Greg and his sons run a family business in the Pittsburgh area. Greg has been through the "war" of business. Dealt with the sting of failure and defeat. But through humility, and being willing to change, has risen to be a glowing example of what working smarter, not harder looks like. Today his sons Ryan and Cody are in charge. They take pride in their operation. Their story truly is inspiring. Gi...

If anyone has figured this out, Sean and Catherine from Premier Outdoor in NJ have. When you have bills to pay, it's hard to say no to jobs that don't fit your  ideal job profile. But honestly, that's what it takes. If you wonder how some people (like Sean) always get those sick jobs, it starts by getting really clear on the jobs you want and saying no to the others. That's how you get a brand goi...

I first ran into Lee at the Techo Showcase events as he was manning the In-Lite booth next to me. I found out he used to run his own hardscape business, then got out of it to work for In-Lite. I wanted to pick his brain to find out why he made the switch, and what the good and the bad were. Listen to the show and let me know what you think in my Instagram DMs at @synkedup . Give Lee Beecher a foll...

Today we're sitting down with Frank Bourque, live at the HNA show in Louisville Kentucky. Frank is a business consultant, who's been there and done that. One of the cool things about observing so many businesses over the years is he's been able to map out the 5 stages of business, and we talk shop about the challenges and bottlenecks in the different stages, and how to advance to the next stage an...

Sean Bartz is the epitome of a hustler and grinder that cracks through the owner/operator bottleneck, builds a team that is doing what he used to do (the sales, production, and admin work aren't all bottlenecked in his head) AND is doing so profitably. That's the power of knowing your numbers. We discuss what it takes to build systems and processes, and get your mindset in the right place to succe...

Jon Williams started his outdoor living business 2 seasons ago and very quickly cracked the $1 million dollar revenue milestone. This year he's added 7 people to their team, investing in equipment, and getting the infrastructure of the business established. The biggest factor that allowed him to achieve this so quickly was his relentless focus on getting their numbers dialed in correctly from the...

Today I sit down with Richard Carroll from Elkhart Indiana and get to hear his story on how he went out on his own while leveraging Instagram to grow his business and brand. We also talked about WHY he went out on his own, and what it takes to be a good leader that retains their best people If you follow Richard, you know his signature designs. Grab your favorite beverage, and join me in learning...

Philip from Summit View Landscaping drops some gold nuggets, hidden throughout the casual conversation, as I pick his brain about his business journey. "Why do one line of work for half the price per man hour when you can sell that same man hour for twice the money?" There's more. Give it a listen. Give Philip a follow here SummitView Landscape & Design ( @summitviewlandscape ) If you're intereste...

Today's episode is with the myth and the legend - Matt Hiner, from Hiner Outdoor in the beautiful Rockies of Colorado. I respect Matt a ton as an artist and peer in the industry. We first met many years ago in the Aquascape circles, and have hit it off since. In our conversation, we explored what it looks like to go from $1 million in sales to $5 million. Matt's story is raw and real, and there ar...

This was an incredible episode with Jeremy Swihart. While visiting his operation, I was totally impressed with his organization and utilization of tools and equipment. And that bled through to his team, you could see the pride they took in their operation and their work. We talked about his journey from barely breaking even to now charging what they're worth and making a real profit, which in turn...

Working hard doesn't guarantee profits. Being talented doesn't guarantee you'll make it. This is why knowing your numbers is so critically important. Listen in to the "painful to talk about" reality of the grind of Jeremy and his brothers at Cable Bros Outdoors. Good news is, they now know their numbers and are well on the path to recovery. Follow their journey at  https://instagram.com/cablebroso...

Jordan Daneker from Evolve Design Build in OBX NC shares his experience of growing his company and using SynkedUP this year. He's very open sharing the mindset challenges, pitfalls, and successes of using the program and rolling it out in his company. Then, in an unplanned twist, we ran overtime on our recording session, and I had to jump onto a call with a business owner exploring using SynkedUP,...

Caleb and I sat down and I picked his brain on what he's using the shop for, why he's building it, and when would be the right time for you to build a shop. The conversation went all over the map from there: how Knowing Your Numbers, and then Efficiency, are the two lowest-hanging fruits to increase profits. Wrapped it up by talking about this Instagram community, and how to think through the comp...

Craig Sheller has a rich history in this industry. He owned his 1st landscape business a number of years ago, then got out of it to work with suppliers and vendors serving contractors. When the pandemic hit, he got back into contracting again, this time much wiser and going at it differently. Craig does beautiful work. Follow his jobs on his Instagram at  https://instagram.com/shelleroutdoorliving...

Sam Nelson runs a landscape company in Castle Rock CO. He started out like most in this industry, mowing lawns, then started doing patios, and trying to be profitable doing it. A big part of growing successfully is hiring the right people. I was impressed with Sam's story of his success with hiring the right people in this tough labor market. I also just finished the Compound Effect book Sam talke...

Isaac Martin from Cheyenne Wyoming talks about his experience in building confidence when quoting jobs, and being a "yes" man; meaning not succumbing to every whim from the client's requests. The root of this confidence stems from knowing your numbers, so you know your limits and know what you can or can't do. Listen to Isaac's take on his journey in this regard, and how he's growing his business...

Zach Hinkle's story of his journey in business is worth listening to. He went through the experience of starting mowing lawns, growing top-line revenue to over $4 million, and realizing he didn't know what he was actually making on that. Then decided to downsize, track his numbers, focus on profit instead of top-line revenue, and build a solid team around a set of Core Values, and standard process...