the podcast dedicated to the men and women who
are building real businesses and creating real
legacies in the green industry. If this is your
first time joining, thank you for investing your
time here. Today's conversation centers on one
powerful truth. Success in the lawn care and
landscape space does not happen alone. Community
is the advantage. And that's what we want to
talk about today. Community being the advantage
to help you grow, help you find success, and
help you avoid some mistakes that people have
already made. The green industry is built on
relationships. Every day, you and I are out there
serving homeowners, serving property managers
and neighborhoods. What we do is community work
at its core. Yet many business owners still feel
isolated in their operational struggles. Pricing,
hiring, equipment failures, scaling challenges.
cash flow pressure. We all fight the same battles.
Belonging to a community of peers transforms
that isolation into momentum. Let's talk about
that for a minute. Belonging to a community.
The green industry takes your isolation and it
turns it into momentum. There's something about
being around peers that have struggled with the
same struggles. They have fought the same fight.
They have been through the ups and downs just
like you just like me but when we get around
them and they can share their story or their
testimony with us on how they overcame the struggle
what systems did they put in place what procedures
did they activate in their business to help them
overcome the cash flow issue or the hiring issue
or just the day -to -day operation. The struggle
is real. But when we get around people who have
been through the struggle, they've been through
the fight, they've been through the difficult
times in running and operating a business. And
they share their story. They share their testimony
with us. It brings encouragement. It brings momentum.
And it begins to build that self -confidence
that says, you can do it. You can make it. Don't
stop now. Don't give up now. So that's what I
appreciate about the green industry. It's a community,
a community of peers, a community of people that
some are bigger than I am, some are smaller than
I am, but I can learn from those that are bigger.
I can learn something from those that are smaller.
We don't want to make anybody feel like there's
any big I's and little U's in the green industry.
So it transforms isolation into momentum. When
you connect with others, advice becomes accessible.
Innovation spreads faster and everyone wins.
If you help someone during their struggle, they
win. And because you are willing to help, you
win. Everyone wins. Community elevates the standard
of excellence in our craft, and it reinforces
why our work matters. Last week, I had the opportunity
to attend the LCR summit hosted by Naylor Taliaferro,
the lawn care rookie. On Monday and Tuesday of
last week, that event was life and business transformational.
Those that were there, including me, will take
what we were taught and activate it and put it
to action in our business. It will make us better
business owners. It will make us better husbands.
It will make us better individuals. Naylor gave
me a hat. It's my favorite hat. It's because
at that moment I can activate what I have learned
and become the best version of who I am. I will
cherish that hat and use it as a motivational
piece. in my podcast studio, in my office, because
I want to be better than I was yesterday. I want
to be better than what I am today. I want to
get better every single day. I don't want to
lose ground. So after At the LCR Summit, I attended
the Equip Expo. It's a community on a national,
worldwide stage. For many, that sense of belonging
becomes real at Equip Expo in Louisville, Kentucky.
Equip... is to the green industry what the Super
Bowl is to the NFL. What the World Series is
to Major League Baseball. What the Championship
Series is to the National Basketball Association.
Equip Expo is the third largest trade show in
the United States. And it invites every business
owner, every lawn care provider to come check
out the new tools, check out the new equipment,
demo the equipment. Thousands of professionals,
30, I think right around 33 ,000 attended this
year's event. It was a powerful display of community
because what I found that there are people that
are in the showroom, people walking the halls,
people in the outside demo area. They have a
bigger business. They have more revenue coming
in than I do, but they have accepted me for who
I am and where I am. knowing that I desire to
improve myself and I desire to grow and scale
my business to the next level. There are companies
that are not as big as I am and I welcome them
and I want to offer them encouragement. If I
can grow a business, you can grow a business.
We've got to take it. personally. I'm going to
do this with intention. I'm going to do this
with a spirit of a servant and I'm going to serve
with a spirit of excellence. So belonging to
a community, it will transform your business.
Don't feel like You're fighting this battle all
by yourself Don't ostracize yourself Don't bury
your head in the sand Come to these events learn
from these events be encouraged be blessed and
be strengthened So equip expo The showroom floor
is packed with the latest tools, but the real
investment happens in the conversations. And
with that being said, let's take a short break
and hear a word from our show sponsor, Earth
a Pro. If you are a solo operator, if you are
a small business, and you need a CRM software,
I challenge you go to earthapro .com. Call them,
connect with Peter and Courtney Kwan. They will
answer your questions. They will serve you with
a spirit of excellence. If you sign up, use the
Lawn Hustle 11. You will receive a $50 gift card.
You will receive personalized onboarding. and
a discount. So let's listen to what Eartha Pro
has to say. Tired of chasing payments and losing
track of jobs? Eartha Pro back office software
makes it simple for solo guys and small lawn
care and landscaping crews schedule invoice and
organize all in the same place. We also have
a mobile app and integrate into QuickBooks. Sign
up at EarthaPro .com with promo code TheLawnHustle11
for a $50 Amazon gift card, 10 % off and personalized
onboarding. Eartha Pro, you run the outside work,
we run the office. And we're back and we were
talking about Equip Expo and how the friendships
And the connections begin in the conversations.
While you're out eating, while you're walking
the halls, while you're sitting down having a
cup of coffee or a cold drink, the conversations,
they draw you in. And when you hear someone begin
to tell their story, how they scaled, their business,
how they grew, how they added more clients, how
they mastered their numbers, how they began to
set systems and processes in place to help them
succeed. And when you see their success, I don't
know about you, But it sure does motivate me.
Because I realize if they can be successful,
I can be successful. If they can grow, I can
grow. If they can set these processes in place
to help their business be more efficient, so
can I. So it is a learning experience. And even
though there's thousands of people there, It's
not so big that you cannot take it personally.
I had the opportunity to go out for dinner with
Tony Rudolph and his wife, Evan Lindman and his
wife, Daniel White, Greg Durbin. I went out to
eat with these guys because They are my friends
and we begin to share and talk and laugh and
have a great time I left that table Encouraged
I left that Table excited about professional
lawn maintenance in Newcastle, Indiana Because
these men they begin to invest in me by their
testimonies, by their conversations on their
business and how their business is growing. At
the LCR Summit, I heard one business tell us
that he has grown 109 % in the last year. You
talk about motivating me. When I heard David
Bratton of Mallard Island, lawn care, Talk about
growing a hundred and nine percent. It lit a
fire under me because if he can do it, I can
do it. If I can do it, you can do it. But you've
got to get involved in the industry. You've got
to put yourself in the room. You know, it's been
said that if you're the smartest man in the room,
you're in the wrong room. Surround yourself within
the industry with men who are smarter, men who
are wiser, men who can help you advance to reach
your goal. So get in the room, attend the LCR
Summit, attend Equip Expo, invest in yourself.
Because at these events, business owners discover
new systems, new suppliers, new levels of confidence.
When you attend these meetings, you don't feel
like you're fighting all by yourself. You don't
feel ostracized. You don't feel... like you're
in the battle all by yourself. When I involved
myself in the green industry, I felt a connection.
I felt like I belonged. I was doing more than
just mowing yards, more than just trimming bushes,
but I was a part of a community. And I encourage
every small business Save up some money between
now and the first of next October. And attend
the LCR Summit. Attend Equip Expo. I want to
see you there. I want to meet you. I want to
shake your hand. I want to encourage you. You
can grow. You can take your business to a higher
level than you ever imagined. When you walk into
the event, you realize that you're not just a
business owner in your city. You're a part of
a national worldwide movement that is shaping
the future of landscaping and outdoor services.
So Monday and Tuesday at the LCR Summit, What
did it do for me? It deepened my relationships
and it gave me words of wisdom to master my business.
While the Equip Expo brings the entire industry
together, the LCR Summit is smaller in attendance,
more personal. you get more hands on training.
It is a focused gathering of growth minded owners
who are committed to mastering the business side
of service. You know, you can be the greatest
lawn care provider by laying the most beautiful
stripe the hedges always look perfect the edges
are perfect but if you don't know how to run
your business things aren't well so you attend
the lcr summit to help you learn and master business
helps you figure out your numbers helps you figure
out route density helps you figure out how to
serve your community. And that's what we all
are. We're servants to our clients. So the LCR
Summit, even though it is smaller, the impact
is so great. Leadership develops financial discipline,
marketing structures, personal growth. All of
these things happen at the LCR summit. These
topics matter if you desire to build something
sustainable. Let me say it again. All of these
things matter. Personal growth matters. Marketing
structures, discipline, leadership development,
the business side of the hustle. All of these
subjects matter if you want to build something
sustainable. At the LCR Summit, conversations
become more transparent. Your heart, or excuse
me, you hear the real stories of success and
struggle from people who get it. people who's
been there, people who's done that, bought the
t -shirt. This is not just networking. It is
a community of accountability. Find you a mentor.
Find someone that can hold you accountable. Find
you a friend. Develop a relationship with someone.
that can hold you accountable to growing your
business and operating your business with efficiency
and more profitability. People show up with a
determination to learn. Our speakers at the LCR
Summit, when they weren't speaking, they were
sitting at the tables with us and they were taking
notes. They were learning, and they leave with
new relationships that fuel their trajectory
all year long. The only thing about it, it's
in October, and we're going into the fall, and
then it'll be the slow season, because we'll
just be waiting on snow. If it was in the spring,
man, we could be fired up and come back ready
to grow, ready to hustle, ready to mow, ready
to do our job to the best of our ability, serving
our clients. The outcome of community, when you
surround yourself with high performing peers,
You begin to do the following. You raise your
expectations. You build stronger systems. You
deliver better service. You scale with confidence.
You stay motivated during the grind. Community,
it changes the way you think. It reminds you
of your purpose. It reminds you of your why.
Why you started? Why did you begin? Why did you
start your business? It brings reminders to you.
It unlocks opportunities that never happen in
isolation. When I started going to the Equip
Expo, In the LCR Summit, I began to talk to brands.
I've made connections with people that I would
have never met because I was living in isolation.
I thought it was just me and my business and
I'm struggling and I'm fighting and I'm trying
to overcome and I'm trying to grow and I'm trying
to learn. I'm trying to... understand my numbers
and my goals. But that's not the case. It's not
just me. There are a community of people that
are willing to help me, teach me, and be a mentor
to me. These meetings will help you stay motivated.
during the grind. If you've not heard, Nailor
Taliaferro teach on the four seasons of running
your business, following nature's plan. You need
to reach out to him. And if it costs you a few
bucks, have him teach it to you. It will change
the way you think about your business. These
meetings unlock opportunities. They reinforce
that we are all a part of something bigger than
I am, bigger than you are. If you've never attended
Equip Expo or the LCR Summit, put it on your
schedule. Begin to plan to attend. Consider what
missing these events will cost you. Not the cost
to attend the events. Because when you pay to
attend Equip Expo, you pay to attend the LCR
Summit. Yes, it costs some money. but it's an
investment in your business. It's an investment
in yourself. You're buying in to growth. You're
buying into opportunities. You're buying into
scaling your business and taking it to the next
level. The greatest investment you can make is
in the relationships that sharpen your skills
and expand your horizon. So thank you for joining
the lawn hustle today. Stay committed to community,
stay committed to growth, and keep hustling with
purpose until we talk again. I hope you have
a great week. I hope you crush it. this week
and I hope you find the level of success that
you have set as a personal goal for yourself.
Thank you for listening to the Lawn Hustle.