WEBVTT 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:53.840 with 16 years of experience in the green industry. 00:00:55.460 --> 00:01:00.560 Each week we dive into stories, strategies, and 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:05.319 successes from lawn care professionals who are 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:09.939 building their business from the ground up and 00:01:09.939 --> 00:01:14.219 creating real legacies for their family in the 00:01:14.219 --> 00:01:18.159 future. And tonight we have Danny Hernandez. 00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:23.530 with all that grass lawn care. Danny, thank you 00:01:23.530 --> 00:01:27.590 for joining the lawn hustle. Thank you very much. 00:01:27.689 --> 00:01:31.969 I appreciate you having me. Well, you and I last 00:01:31.969 --> 00:01:35.849 week spent the entire week, Monday and Tuesday 00:01:35.849 --> 00:01:40.269 at the LCR Summit and Wednesday through Friday 00:01:40.269 --> 00:01:46.010 at the Equip Expo. So let me ask you, what was 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:51.700 your biggest takeaway? from the LCR Summit? Biggest 00:01:51.700 --> 00:02:00.120 takeaway I got from the LCR Summit was... Wow, 00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:03.760 it was so many great speakers, so many good things 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:08.659 that was said. You know what? From the LCR Summit 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:12.340 in itself, I could say that I thought I know 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:15.580 until I know, right? So there were some things 00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:19.169 that... We came back home and I actually wrote 00:02:19.169 --> 00:02:22.270 in my book that I needed to change in business 00:02:22.270 --> 00:02:28.550 that I thought I had it figured out. And one 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:35.770 of those things was pretty much my numbers. It's 00:02:35.770 --> 00:02:39.770 easy to cut grass, it's easy to do those things, 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:46.370 right? But Pay Jack said it, clear he couldn't 00:02:46.370 --> 00:02:49.750 have said it any any clear um you know knowing 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:52.030 your numbers is going to be very important and 00:02:52.030 --> 00:02:55.289 and i also get it from mike andy's too um but 00:02:55.289 --> 00:02:58.810 yeah uh that's what i took from it you know is 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:01.870 is knowing your numbers is so important strategically 00:03:01.870 --> 00:03:05.629 like like i know the numbers but it was like 00:03:05.629 --> 00:03:07.969 making sure that you have an account for everything 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.379 You know we could dive in a little bit more into 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:14.139 that if you want But yeah, that's that's what 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:16.879 I took from it and how important it was to make 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:20.300 sure you have an account for Not only for your 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:24.099 business, but you have an account for for maintenance 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:28.460 You know for for you, you know Because you put 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:30.860 got to put money in your pocket and for other 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:34.719 things that revolve around business, right? I 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:38.419 think it's vitally important for every lawn care 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:45.199 business to not only know their numbers, but 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:57.439 understand their numbers. And to be able to work 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:02.849 those numbers to where you can control. Not only 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:05.889 your top dollar revenue, but your bottom dollar 00:04:05.889 --> 00:04:10.789 revenue and your profit margin Because we're 00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:15.490 all in business to make money Yes, you know that 00:04:15.490 --> 00:04:18.990 that's one of my wise why I started my business 00:04:18.990 --> 00:04:23.149 is because I wanted to have the freedom To make 00:04:23.149 --> 00:04:29.089 as much money as I could Yes, and So I I did 00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:34.949 place a lot of value on what PayJack had to say, 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:37.850 you know, profits with PayJack. I encourage you 00:04:37.850 --> 00:04:44.050 to listen to that podcast. And I thought Eric 00:04:44.050 --> 00:04:48.889 Triplett, the pond digger, was tremendous. You 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:52.610 know, learning how to talk to your customer, 00:04:53.649 --> 00:04:58.579 learning. What your customer is going to say 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:01.660 to you and how they're gonna say it and what 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:06.319 the response to you is You know and how it's 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:08.959 said and what it really means. I thought that 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:13.579 was tremendous What about equip expo? What was 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:16.639 your? Take away from equip how many years have 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:20.660 you attended equip my first year? It was my first 00:05:20.660 --> 00:05:25.699 year What what I took from equip is to never 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:28.319 give up on yourself. And I think Jesse couldn't 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:33.100 have said it any better. You know, um, you know, 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:36.779 I actually got an opportunity to, to sit through 00:05:36.779 --> 00:05:41.639 his, that, that event through Cress and Jesse, 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:45.000 you know, I remember he, you know, he pretty 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:46.939 much said, you know, my dad used to tell me if 00:05:46.939 --> 00:05:48.699 you're going to swing at some, make sure you 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:51.680 swing very hard, you know, and, and his message 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:53.680 was that life, if you're going to do something, 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:57.120 man, It's all or nothing, you know, and that's 00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:59.420 what we got to like kind of remember, you know, 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:02.800 like we're in business yet to make money. But 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:05.980 also, you know, business is taking risks as well. 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:08.639 And I'm not saying, you know, to take a whole 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.399 bunch of risks. But what I mean by that is in 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:14.220 life, you got to be able to believe in yourself 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:17.040 and continue to believe because nobody else is 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:19.160 going to believe in you the way how you believe 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:22.420 in yourself. Right. And there were a lot of moments 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:28.879 where I just And throughout business, through 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.639 the five years that I've been in business, and 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.879 I started very slow. And when I first started, 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:38.019 I thought I had to be very high. And you know 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:40.060 that saying, it's better to grow slow than to 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.720 grow fast. It's better to build your foundation. 00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:45.689 first and make sure you're building the right 00:06:45.689 --> 00:06:48.889 foundation so it doesn't crumble five years down 00:06:48.889 --> 00:06:51.170 the line. I want to be here 10 years later so 00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:53.569 I'm looking at the long haul. So what I took 00:06:53.569 --> 00:06:56.350 from it is to learn to forget about what anybody 00:06:56.350 --> 00:06:59.709 is going to think about you and to take risks 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:03.129 and to go hard. Like I said, I've been in this 00:07:03.129 --> 00:07:09.589 firm going into my 17th year and I've seen a 00:07:09.589 --> 00:07:13.649 lot of lawn care businesses locally. Where I 00:07:13.649 --> 00:07:18.930 live take off like rockets and fall like rocks 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:24.529 Because they have no structure they have no processes 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:33.730 they have no Systems set in place To help them 00:07:33.730 --> 00:07:38.689 be successful So failure was inevitable. It was 00:07:38.689 --> 00:07:44.000 going to happen and it does matter how you start. 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:47.980 But more importantly, how are you going to end? 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:53.439 Are you going to end in defeat because you didn't 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:57.240 do your work and set the processes and systems 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:02.079 in place to help you be successful so you failed? 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:06.519 Or are you going to end in victory? It doesn't 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:09.740 matter how far you've come, how far are you willing 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:16.699 to go? So, I remember my first Equip Expo. I 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:20.180 went and I come back with more hats than I could 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:26.620 ever wear. You know, hats and ink pens and bandanas 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:32.100 and masks and all kinds of stuff. But the last 00:08:32.100 --> 00:08:34.759 several years, it's not been about the hats. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:39.860 I get a few of my favorites. But it's about networking. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:45.879 It's about building friendships, building relationships. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.200 When I walked in the very first time to that 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:55.519 massive showroom, I thought, this is bigger than 00:08:55.519 --> 00:09:00.159 I am. This is bigger than professional lawn maintenance 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:07.720 in Newcastle, Indiana. This is a community of 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:11.450 people from all over the world. that show up 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:15.470 at Equip Expo. I've said it before, but the Expo 00:09:15.470 --> 00:09:19.330 is to the lawn care industry what the World Series 00:09:19.330 --> 00:09:22.409 is to Major League Baseball or the Super Bowl 00:09:22.409 --> 00:09:28.669 to the NFL. It is our World Series or our Super 00:09:28.669 --> 00:09:34.350 Bowl. But I appreciate you being here tonight 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:39.230 and we're going to talk about some battery -powered 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:42.899 equipment. But before we get started with the 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:46.159 battery powered equipment, let's hear a word 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:49.419 from Joey Coberly, the landscaping bookkeeper. 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:52.519 Did you know that bookkeeping is one of the first 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.440 things you should outsource before scaling your 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:57.059 company? Hey guys, it's Joey with the landscaping 00:09:57.059 --> 00:09:58.899 bookkeeper, and I wanted to personally invite 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.019 you to join our group of more than 50 lawn care 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:02.940 owners that have decided to track and learn their 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:05.549 numbers. With the Landscaping Bookkeeper, you'll 00:10:05.549 --> 00:10:07.450 get monthly accountability and peace of mind 00:10:07.450 --> 00:10:09.309 knowing that your business is on the right track 00:10:09.309 --> 00:10:12.110 financially. You can book a call with us by going 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:14.649 to thelandscapingbookkeeper .com and scheduling 00:10:14.649 --> 00:10:17.070 a 15 -minute phone call. I look forward to hearing 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:20.950 from you guys. Thanks. And we're back with Danny 00:10:20.950 --> 00:10:25.169 Hernandez, all that grass lawn care, and you're 00:10:25.169 --> 00:10:28.470 out of what state again? So we're out of Connecticut? 00:10:28.750 --> 00:10:33.110 That's what I thought. Out of Connecticut? And 00:10:33.110 --> 00:10:39.149 if you are not connected to Danny on social media, 00:10:40.549 --> 00:10:46.169 search all that grass on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, 00:10:47.350 --> 00:10:52.649 liking, following, subscribe to him. His content 00:10:52.649 --> 00:10:56.970 will inspire you. And with that being said, we 00:10:56.970 --> 00:11:00.230 want to talk about some of the equipment that 00:11:00.230 --> 00:11:06.220 you are using. to make your content and to do 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:11.100 your work. Gas prices keep rising. Has anybody 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:16.980 noticed that? Noise and noise complaints are 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:20.559 growing. Has anyone had a complaint about noise? 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:25.200 I have had a lady come out of the neighboring 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:29.220 house where I was working and she just gave me 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:33.600 the what for. because I was making too much noise 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:38.759 at nine o 'clock in the morning and threatened 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.960 to call the police on me. I said, call them. 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:47.360 I used to be one. You know, the law says I can 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:51.360 start working 30 minutes prior to daybreak and 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:54.919 I can work 30 minutes after daybreak. So go ahead 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.820 and call them. But the gas powered equipment 00:11:58.820 --> 00:12:01.929 was making too much noise. according to her. 00:12:04.509 --> 00:12:08.990 But battery powered lawn care isn't just a fad 00:12:08.990 --> 00:12:14.110 anymore. And we saw that at Equip Expo. A lot 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:19.029 of battery powered equipment. But I believe, 00:12:19.269 --> 00:12:22.309 and I'm sure you will agree with me, battery 00:12:22.309 --> 00:12:26.190 powered equipment is the future. Absolutely. 00:12:27.110 --> 00:12:29.570 And today we're talking with Danny Hernandez. 00:12:30.269 --> 00:12:34.470 who's making the switch and providing that battery 00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:42.870 powered lawn service. And so I want to ask you 00:12:42.870 --> 00:12:51.590 what got you into the lawn care industry to begin 00:12:51.590 --> 00:12:56.610 with and what is causing you to make that transition? 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:02.919 from gas -powered to battery -powered. Well, 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:05.419 yeah, to answer your first question, again, I 00:13:05.419 --> 00:13:07.740 just want to say thank you for allowing me to 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:09.840 come on your show. I really appreciate it. It's 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.860 an honor to be here. I'm happy we met at the 00:13:12.860 --> 00:13:17.179 LCR Summit. And to answer your first question, 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:22.279 I got into lawn care due to an injury. For those 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:27.019 of you who don't follow me on social media or 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:31.539 don't know me. I got into it to give you a little 00:13:31.539 --> 00:13:34.779 insight. It all started during an injury. I was 00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:37.100 in a wheelchair for a year to make a long story 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:39.580 short. I was in a wheelchair for a year. I was 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:41.679 away from my family for about like three and 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:44.659 a half to four months in a rehabilitation center. 00:13:45.659 --> 00:13:48.399 And I had to learn how to walk again. I had to 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:51.580 learn how to tie my shoes. There were a lot of 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:55.659 things I couldn't do. I lost my job due to my 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:58.700 injury, not because I didn't want to work. We 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:02.840 almost lost our home. I mean, you name it, that 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:07.960 could have possibly happened to a man. It happened. 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:12.980 The way how I got into lawn care was that I remember 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:15.340 coming home from the hospital was like my first 00:14:15.340 --> 00:14:17.679 time coming back. I was paying for a landscaper 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:20.259 to come. And this particular week, the landscaper 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:22.120 didn't show up. He couldn't make it for whatever 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:28.039 reason. I forgot what was the reason. And I physically 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.220 got upset. And I remember my wife telling me 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:36.559 that, you know, hey, babe, you can't go outside. 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:40.889 You're not supposed to do that. And I was so 00:14:40.889 --> 00:14:43.629 mad and just focused like I gotta go cut the 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:45.929 grass because I used to cut the grass all the 00:14:45.929 --> 00:14:50.230 time. And prior to my injury, that's why I had 00:14:50.230 --> 00:14:54.070 to pretty much go out. So I wound up going out 00:14:54.070 --> 00:14:58.830 in a walker. And I remember my neighbor telling 00:14:58.830 --> 00:15:02.750 me, hey, can I help you with anything? You're 00:15:02.750 --> 00:15:06.470 not supposed to be doing that. And my wife was 00:15:06.470 --> 00:15:08.409 saying, yeah, he's not supposed to be outside. 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:11.220 And I remember before, just to give you a little 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:16.159 insight, during that time, I was in a very low 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:18.259 point in my life. And a lot of people don't know. 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:20.480 They see me with a smile. And this is why we 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:27.100 say it's so important for us to try to motivate 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:29.440 and inspire people. That's why I'm so inspired 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.460 to motivate people, because you never know what 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:34.059 somebody is going through behind a smile. Right. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:37.360 And I was going through some very tough times. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.139 I told you in the very beginning, I lost my job. 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:43.100 I was on a verge of losing my home. I couldn't 00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:46.259 walk. I couldn't go back to work. I became disabled. 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:53.679 I was disabled. And I just felt very low in my 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.000 life. And I didn't want to be here. I didn't 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:01.639 want to live no more. thinking that that was 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:04.740 very selfish of me to even feel that way. I know 00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:07.539 I was going through a lot as a man, but I had 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:11.639 so much to live for. I got four beautiful boys. 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.720 They're all young. My oldest is 11 years old 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:21.500 now. And I also have my wife. And I remember 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:24.860 telling my wife, the times when she was coming 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:29.360 to the hospital with me, I remember telling her, 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:31.600 I said, Ash, you know, I love you very much. 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:35.279 It's not that I have anyone else, but if this 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:39.600 makes any sense, I don't want to hold your life 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:43.049 up. I don't want to hold you up because... I 00:16:43.049 --> 00:16:44.889 just felt like I couldn't do nothing. I felt 00:16:44.889 --> 00:16:48.269 hopeless to her. As a man, you know, you always 00:16:48.269 --> 00:16:50.190 hear, like, you're supposed to bring home the 00:16:50.190 --> 00:16:52.830 bacon for your family. You're supposed to go 00:16:52.830 --> 00:16:55.990 out and, you know, and go help your family, you 00:16:55.990 --> 00:16:58.809 know, be the best at what they could be. And 00:16:58.809 --> 00:17:03.289 I'm a firm believer in that. And I'm sorry if 00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:05.329 I'm tearing up, because they always bring me 00:17:05.329 --> 00:17:07.910 back. It brings me back to that moment where 00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:10.640 I just felt like... I didn't want to live no 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:12.799 more. And I told myself like, what would life 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:19.319 be without dad? I hug my kids every day. I'm 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.839 grateful. I speak with a passion. Sometimes people 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.980 confuse the way how I talk because I talk with 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:32.599 so much passion and belief. I believe I can do 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:36.440 anything now. And I truly believe that because 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:39.779 I remember the doctor telling me, you can't go 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:44.359 back to work. You can't do certain things. And 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:46.759 I've always had a problem with people telling 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.759 me you can't, or the door being shut. I felt 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:53.960 like if there's any trauma that's ever damaged 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:59.099 me as a person, was that, was the no. And it's 00:17:59.099 --> 00:18:02.519 always been my determination that when I get 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.480 that no, that I make sure I knock those walls 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:09.069 down because Like, we all have a purpose and 00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:11.849 a reason why. And during that time that I was 00:18:11.849 --> 00:18:15.029 going through that difficult time, I didn't understand 00:18:15.029 --> 00:18:17.549 that I had to go through what I was going through. 00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:22.029 I had to be in a wheelchair at the time that 00:18:22.029 --> 00:18:25.109 I was in a wheelchair. I didn't know that I was 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:29.230 going to fall in love with lawn care. When the 00:18:29.230 --> 00:18:31.730 landscaper didn't show up, I went outside and 00:18:31.730 --> 00:18:34.269 I was mowing the grass the best way I could. 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:38.220 And during that time I was being yelled at, I 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:44.599 found hope. I found peace. I found a connection 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:48.880 with nature. And that's what people don't understand. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:52.380 It ain't about the money for me. Yes, I want 00:18:52.380 --> 00:18:55.220 to make money. I want to support my family. But 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:58.660 it's bigger than that. I feel like God's given 00:18:58.660 --> 00:19:02.500 me a purpose and a reason why to do what I do 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:05.640 today. And I do it with a smile. Every day I 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.819 wake up. You said earlier in the podcast, you 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:12.559 got to have a purpose and a reason why. And my 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:16.960 reason why is to let people know that no matter 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.279 what you're going through in life, I don't care 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:21.500 what it is. I don't care if you're going through 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:24.059 finance problems. I don't care if you're going 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:27.500 through marital problems. I don't care if you're 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:31.220 going through business problems. You can overcome 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.819 anything. that you apply your mind to, and as 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.799 long as you believe. And if it wasn't for my 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:40.500 kids and my wife that keeps me grounded each 00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:43.240 and every day, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:45.799 I promise you I wouldn't be around. I wouldn't 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:48.180 be here talking to you because I'll never forget 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:51.579 I almost took my life away. And every time I 00:19:51.579 --> 00:19:54.700 think about it, it just hurts me and it haunts 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:59.380 me every single day. But now I have a purpose. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.839 I have a reason why I live. And I thank God that 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:08.220 he gave me the mindset to let me know that there 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:10.740 was more to life than what I thought. I thought 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:13.819 it was the end. I hit a brick wall and I thought 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:18.900 that was it. I was hurt. I was so in a low place. 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:22.700 I was so low. People don't understand. Like, 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.259 I just didn't want to be here on this earth no 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:30.369 more. And I just thank God every day for giving 00:20:30.369 --> 00:20:34.269 me a second chance at life. So that's how I got 00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:37.450 into lawn care. A lawn care, I feel like I didn't 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:41.789 choose it. It chose me because I enjoy going 00:20:41.789 --> 00:20:45.569 out and hearing the birds and nature and having 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:48.589 that wind hit me. I'll never forget that day. 00:20:48.589 --> 00:20:52.049 It was a clear day and I was outside and I was 00:20:52.049 --> 00:20:54.549 feeling very low. And it was like something just 00:20:54.549 --> 00:20:58.910 picked me right up. Like I just I just woke up 00:20:58.910 --> 00:21:03.289 and That's how I found my purpose. Well, I appreciate 00:21:03.289 --> 00:21:06.009 your story and thank you for sharing it with 00:21:06.009 --> 00:21:12.309 us. I know It's an emotional story He got me 00:21:12.309 --> 00:21:16.089 a little stirred up here myself I'm sorry. Oh, 00:21:16.109 --> 00:21:22.150 no. No, I appreciate the story because lawn care 00:21:22.150 --> 00:21:26.599 is one of the things outside of your family, 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:30.220 your wife and your four boys that saved your 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:35.819 life. Finding that purpose, finding that desire 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:41.539 to go forward, to open a business, to grow a 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:47.220 business, to become the breadwinner in your family 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:51.180 and it's just an amazing journey that you're 00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:53.940 on. And I appreciate you sharing that with our 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:58.819 listeners. So you started five years ago. Yep. 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:02.539 When you started, was you all gas powered equipment? 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:07.440 Yes. At the time, I only had one push mower and 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:09.940 I had, I didn't have a weed whacker. I had to, 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:13.160 I had some mixed equipment at the time. I had 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:18.640 a Hescavana 21 inch. I had a minivan and I had 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:23.789 a Ryobi. uh, hedge trimmer, uh, battery at that, 00:22:23.849 --> 00:22:26.829 at that time when battery was just hitting the 00:22:26.829 --> 00:22:29.769 market. Like it was just, it was out. Battery's 00:22:29.769 --> 00:22:32.809 been out for a very long time, but in as far 00:22:32.809 --> 00:22:34.609 as like lawn care, that's when it was starting 00:22:34.609 --> 00:22:37.910 to get very popular and introduced like into 00:22:37.910 --> 00:22:40.890 the industry. So that's what I pretty much started 00:22:40.890 --> 00:22:43.250 with was just those three. And then little by 00:22:43.250 --> 00:22:47.630 little, I had to get my equipment up. So in the 00:22:47.630 --> 00:22:51.559 five years you've been in business, Yep. What 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:56.440 motivated you to start the transition from gas 00:22:56.440 --> 00:23:00.200 powered equipment to battery powered equipment? 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:05.940 Yep. Well, moving forward, you know, we, like 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:10.460 year two, year three, what I did was I took the 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:13.700 money that I made and I just reinvested it into 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:18.039 the business. and we were we brought uh I had 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:20.539 a toro sit down because at the time you know 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:23.059 I told you I was disabled I was still having 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:25.099 difficulties with walking a lot of people don't 00:23:25.099 --> 00:23:28.140 know I have a prosthetic knee and I also have 00:23:28.140 --> 00:23:30.880 a machine that drips medication in my spine for 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.180 the rest of my life um if not I shake like I 00:23:34.180 --> 00:23:36.420 got like Parkinson's and stuff it controls my 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:40.400 nerves um and so I had to as much as they were 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:41.980 telling me that I couldn't do lawn care because 00:23:41.980 --> 00:23:44.420 it was very physical, which it is, is a physical, 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:47.440 is a high demand job, right? But I enjoyed it. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.759 And I just had to find an equipment that I was 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:54.019 going to be able to be out there and be able 00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:58.160 to do what I was capable of doing. And so we 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:01.299 immediately, like I brought a zero turn, but 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:04.799 then like, long behold, that didn't work because 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:07.869 the yards were very like the gates were tight. 00:24:08.349 --> 00:24:10.970 And at the time, this is why I share my story 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:13.569 online is because I brought a lot of equipment 00:24:13.569 --> 00:24:16.890 that I had no business in doing. You know, because 00:24:16.890 --> 00:24:19.390 I didn't know I was I was new in the market. 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:21.630 I didn't know how to run a business. I didn't 00:24:21.630 --> 00:24:25.990 know what equipment to buy. But I knew that I 00:24:25.990 --> 00:24:30.390 had to find something that that I was able to 00:24:30.390 --> 00:24:33.509 do the job without it affecting my my health. 00:24:34.950 --> 00:24:38.089 So we got introduced to battery. I remember I 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:40.970 went to a dealer and the gentleman was like, 00:24:41.170 --> 00:24:45.769 hey, have you ever seen this battery line? And 00:24:45.769 --> 00:24:49.089 I said, no, I said, no, I never seen it. And 00:24:49.089 --> 00:24:52.450 that battery line was Crest. And they were like, 00:24:52.529 --> 00:24:56.269 well, we could give you the whole setup. for 00:24:56.269 --> 00:24:59.289 your whole um vehicle like for everything and 00:24:59.289 --> 00:25:01.549 I said oh really yeah he was like yeah we can 00:25:01.549 --> 00:25:03.230 give it to you for like three weeks well they 00:25:03.230 --> 00:25:05.210 gave it to me for probably a little over three 00:25:05.210 --> 00:25:08.930 it was like a month and a half the dealer like 00:25:08.930 --> 00:25:12.170 I signed some paperwork they gave me uh I was 00:25:12.170 --> 00:25:16.269 able to hold hold the cyber tank the trimmers 00:25:16.269 --> 00:25:19.730 um everything you could think of to run a business 00:25:19.730 --> 00:25:22.529 they pretty much loaned it to me so I can try 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:27.529 it out and I fell in love with it. I'm gonna 00:25:27.529 --> 00:25:30.630 tell you a couple reasons why. The reason why 00:25:30.630 --> 00:25:33.089 I fell in love with it was because I was able 00:25:33.089 --> 00:25:38.029 to start earlier. One, I didn't smell like gas 00:25:38.029 --> 00:25:41.170 and I didn't have to mix oil. I didn't have to, 00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:43.789 you know, I didn't have to do all the other things 00:25:43.789 --> 00:25:49.230 that I had to do with gas equipment. But what 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:51.750 really drew me into the equipment was because 00:25:51.750 --> 00:25:55.109 I I was afraid to transition over. And I think 00:25:55.109 --> 00:25:59.130 it's one of everybody's biggest fears is that, 00:25:59.329 --> 00:26:03.390 how long is it gonna last? Am I gonna have enough 00:26:03.390 --> 00:26:06.569 juice to actually cut yards? And at the time, 00:26:07.369 --> 00:26:15.269 I had enough juice because it pretty much was, 00:26:15.609 --> 00:26:18.349 I was doing like six to eight yards at the time. 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:22.460 You know, and so like I easily I remember like 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:25.299 I got up to like 16 and then I had to cut back 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:28.440 because of my health But easily like I was able 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:32.680 to do like now we cut 12 to 14 yards a day I 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:36.220 could do more but I choose not to just because 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:39.000 I do what I can with what I'm capable of doing 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.720 You know, I always say everybody's in a different 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:46.240 different, you know bracket but That was my biggest 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:50.009 thing. Can it last? all day while I'm out there. 00:26:50.769 --> 00:26:55.190 And I can honestly say that it literally takes 00:26:55.190 --> 00:26:58.230 you eight minutes to charge a battery with Crest. 00:26:58.650 --> 00:27:02.170 And when I found that out, I just had to make 00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:04.789 it work. How can I charge it while I'm out on 00:27:04.789 --> 00:27:07.569 the field? And once I figured that out on how 00:27:07.569 --> 00:27:09.869 to charge it, it was all history from there. 00:27:09.930 --> 00:27:13.710 I made the switch instantaneously, like immediately, 00:27:13.950 --> 00:27:17.240 like without a doubt, because I believe in the 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:21.319 product so much, I was able to use it for over 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:23.819 a month. And the fact that I was able to start 00:27:23.819 --> 00:27:27.440 earlier, customers couldn't hear me. And in Connecticut, 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:29.740 in Greenwich, there was a couple areas that I 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:31.900 was doing at Westport. I don't know if you're 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:34.440 familiar with Connecticut and Westport area, 00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:39.240 but... They were they changed the law and you 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:41.619 we had to switch over now was getting switched 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:44.640 back over where you could use both now But I 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:46.720 had so I had to make a decision if I want to 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.660 service this area I pretty much have to make 00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:53.500 a switch I so I had no choice the the prop the 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:58.339 question was which brand do I go with and I tried 00:27:58.339 --> 00:28:03.200 I tried two other brands and The brand that stood 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:07.319 out to me the most that I was able to last throughout 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:09.779 the whole day was crest. I was able to charge 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:13.759 on a go. I was able to have juice all day and 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.920 start early. Okay, let me ask you this. What 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:20.240 was the first battery powered piece of equipment 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:24.799 you held in your hands? First one was the Ryobi. 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:29.589 It was a Ryobi string trimmer. It was from Home 00:28:29.589 --> 00:28:32.809 Depot's and my neighbor had gave it to me. It 00:28:32.809 --> 00:28:35.730 was actually his. I just took the battery. I 00:28:35.730 --> 00:28:39.849 think it was a 2 .5 amp. I had that battery from 00:28:39.849 --> 00:28:43.210 a drill that I had, but that was the first, first, 00:28:43.210 --> 00:28:47.150 first battery powered equipment I had. So when 00:28:47.150 --> 00:28:52.130 you held that Ryobi trimmer in your hand to the 00:28:52.130 --> 00:28:55.170 time when you held that first piece of Cress 00:28:55.170 --> 00:29:00.279 battery powered. What would you say is the major 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:05.339 difference between the two brands? Oranges and 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:10.460 apples the power Power the power was there Okay, 00:29:10.460 --> 00:29:14.759 let me ask you that she said the power so What 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:20.200 is the power? comparison on a crest trimmer versus 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:27.430 a steel blower gas power Is there any difference 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:32.430 in the power? As far as like a gas, a gas blower 00:29:32.430 --> 00:29:35.670 and a gas, I mean, a gas blower and a battery 00:29:35.670 --> 00:29:41.250 gas? Yeah, a battery powered crash trimmer versus 00:29:41.250 --> 00:29:50.509 a steel gas powered trimmer. Oh, well, one, I'm 00:29:50.509 --> 00:29:53.730 all about accountability. It was the power is 00:29:53.730 --> 00:29:56.869 there. And the other thing that I liked about 00:29:56.869 --> 00:30:00.730 Crest was that Crest was a lot lighter to me. 00:30:01.369 --> 00:30:05.710 I was able to maneuver a lot better with the 00:30:05.710 --> 00:30:08.890 Crest product, and it wasn't cutting off on me. 00:30:09.210 --> 00:30:14.069 With steel, when it gets 90 to 95 degrees around 00:30:14.069 --> 00:30:18.730 our area, and mind you, I'm no mechanic, so if 00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:21.430 somebody could let me know, you know, but it 00:30:21.430 --> 00:30:23.250 would cut, it would just, it wouldn't start. 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:25.519 And I remember I was struggling out there because 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:28.680 I had to pull multiple times and I was injuring 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:31.339 myself all the time. I would I would go to pull 00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:34.440 to start my battery. I'm my backpack blower. 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:40.079 I have the BR 800 the BR 800 and I kept trying 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:42.759 to pull it and pull it and it would not start 00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:46.960 at all. It would not start at all. You know, 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:50.720 so that's that that that's one of the reasons 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:57.529 why I had issues with that particular product. 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:01.769 So you know how we flip edge a driveway or a 00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:07.210 sidewalk. When you're using a battery powered 00:31:07.210 --> 00:31:10.890 piece of equipment, do you get the same cut down 00:31:10.890 --> 00:31:15.910 that edge as you would if you were using a gas 00:31:15.910 --> 00:31:21.880 powered trimmer? Do can you say that again cuz 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:25.079 I was having trouble with the with the Wi -Fi 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:28.579 Hang on one second. I'm trying to fix it Can 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:33.259 you hear me now? Yes, I'm sorry. My question 00:31:33.259 --> 00:31:38.559 was when you flip edge Do you get the same result? 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:42.960 Using a battery powered trimmer versus a gas 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:49.839 powered trimmer I honestly feel like I get bet 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:53.720 a better result because I'm able to To to actually 00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:57.940 um hang on one second. This is going in and out 00:31:57.940 --> 00:32:12.779 Hang on one second. Oh my goodness So we're talking 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:16.289 with Danny Hernandez with all that grass We're 00:32:16.289 --> 00:32:18.789 having a little technical difficulty with this 00:32:18.789 --> 00:32:23.190 internet. But we're talking about battery powered 00:32:23.190 --> 00:32:28.589 equipment. And he is making the transition from 00:32:28.589 --> 00:32:34.569 gas powered to battery powered. And his choice 00:32:34.569 --> 00:32:39.390 of equipment is the Crest brand. So we're talking 00:32:39.390 --> 00:32:44.210 about the trimmer now. When you use a gas powered 00:32:44.210 --> 00:32:48.970 trimmer, versus when you're using a battery powered 00:32:48.970 --> 00:32:52.009 trimmer. If you get the same results when you're 00:32:52.009 --> 00:32:56.190 flip edging, and it's his opinion that he gets 00:32:56.190 --> 00:33:01.809 a better result from the battery powered when 00:33:01.809 --> 00:33:04.730 he's flip edging, expound on that a little more. 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:09.349 Yep. So, yeah, it's better that the Glinch is 00:33:09.349 --> 00:33:11.690 not glitching. Now, fix the Wi -Fi. I'm sorry 00:33:11.690 --> 00:33:15.650 about that. but yeah no so when I flip when I'm 00:33:15.650 --> 00:33:19.589 using the stick edger and I flip um it's not 00:33:19.589 --> 00:33:23.650 that you get better results so much I get possibly 00:33:23.650 --> 00:33:28.769 the same results you know um with with both products. 00:33:29.250 --> 00:33:32.049 The thing is, is for me, where I was struggling 00:33:32.049 --> 00:33:35.089 that because of my injury, like I got a machine 00:33:35.089 --> 00:33:37.869 that you can't see it's right in right in front. 00:33:38.210 --> 00:33:42.170 So all the time when I when I flipped the edger, 00:33:42.630 --> 00:33:45.549 I would struggle with steel because steel was 00:33:45.549 --> 00:33:48.319 a bit a lot heavier for me. In my opinion, this 00:33:48.319 --> 00:33:50.799 is just my opinion. It was a lot heavier for 00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:54.299 me and it was a bit harder for me to maintain 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:57.400 the consistency while I was coming down, you 00:33:57.400 --> 00:34:00.700 know, to actually make that edge where we crest. 00:34:01.859 --> 00:34:06.349 I was able to keep a consistent. You know keep 00:34:06.349 --> 00:34:09.829 a consistent line coming down, you know on any 00:34:09.829 --> 00:34:12.010 property that I was doing because it was more 00:34:12.010 --> 00:34:14.130 comfortable for me So that's why in some of my 00:34:14.130 --> 00:34:16.750 videos you'll hear like i'm all about comfortability 00:34:16.750 --> 00:34:19.909 Um, and I I am because you know in this industry 00:34:19.909 --> 00:34:22.789 you have to use what works for you and what's 00:34:22.789 --> 00:34:28.090 most comfortable for you So would you say that 00:34:28.090 --> 00:34:31.690 when you are using your battery powered trimmer 00:34:31.690 --> 00:34:36.940 or blower or hedge trimmer, whatever it is that 00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:43.059 you get the performance that meets your expectation. 00:34:44.219 --> 00:34:47.039 Yes. And the reason why I say that is because 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:49.059 I don't know if you're aware of it or if you've 00:34:49.059 --> 00:34:51.559 ever seen it. In fact, I'm going to start making 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:54.539 content on it. So what I love about Crest is 00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:57.039 that they have like a vest. I don't know if you've 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:00.260 ever seen the vest. Yes. They have a vest and 00:35:00.260 --> 00:35:04.949 I use that a lot. And so you, I know, Know a 00:35:04.949 --> 00:35:07.510 lot of people will probably ask well Can you 00:35:07.510 --> 00:35:09.389 elaborate a little bit where you're saying is 00:35:09.389 --> 00:35:11.289 heavy because the battery is heavy yourself, 00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:14.869 right? But I can offset the weight by applying 00:35:14.869 --> 00:35:18.250 the vests on and that's where it becomes Like 00:35:18.250 --> 00:35:20.250 you could literally pick up the trimmer with 00:35:20.250 --> 00:35:22.829 your pinky and just flip it over like it becomes 00:35:22.829 --> 00:35:28.889 that light I Used a hedge trimmer and equip expo. 00:35:28.969 --> 00:35:34.699 Oh you did okay the echo brand okay, and they 00:35:34.699 --> 00:35:37.539 had these dowel rods sticking straight up, and 00:35:37.539 --> 00:35:41.119 you were cutting those dowel rods off. And that 00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:45.440 Echo brand battery -powered hedge trimmer, it 00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:49.119 ate through those dowel rods with no issues at 00:35:49.119 --> 00:35:53.519 all. I mean, just right through them. And I don't 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:56.960 know that my gas -powered hedge trimmer would 00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:00.679 have cut that well. So, I was really impressed 00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:07.269 with that. But... My biggest concern has always 00:36:07.269 --> 00:36:12.190 been number one, the cost of the battery powered 00:36:12.190 --> 00:36:16.610 equipment. Number two, the battery life. I think 00:36:16.610 --> 00:36:20.449 the battery life is improving. I believe they're 00:36:20.449 --> 00:36:24.070 coming out with more innovative ways to charge 00:36:24.070 --> 00:36:27.469 your batteries, to keep you running every day. 00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:31.630 But do you feel like you will get a return on 00:36:31.630 --> 00:36:36.960 your investment? With battery power and and I 00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:39.099 can most certainly talk about that if you have 00:36:39.099 --> 00:36:42.119 any questions Absolutely, let's talk about this. 00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:44.820 So you got to look at it when you're investing 00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:46.840 into it That's one of the biggest things about 00:36:46.840 --> 00:36:50.619 battery. Right is that a lot of people They're 00:36:50.619 --> 00:36:53.579 afraid to transition over because it's the cost 00:36:53.579 --> 00:36:57.500 the upfront cost is what is the it's expensive 00:36:57.500 --> 00:37:01.780 but the way how you have to look at it as You're 00:37:01.780 --> 00:37:05.469 paying for your gas up front Okay, you're paying 00:37:05.469 --> 00:37:09.630 for your gas up front and Absolutely. Are you 00:37:09.630 --> 00:37:12.230 gonna get your return back? Yes in the span of 00:37:12.230 --> 00:37:14.630 the years that you have the product Yes, you 00:37:14.630 --> 00:37:17.190 will get because you no longer have to pay for 00:37:17.190 --> 00:37:19.869 gas You're paying for it up front the bat as 00:37:19.869 --> 00:37:23.550 far as like the battery We've had our crest batteries 00:37:23.550 --> 00:37:27.590 now for two years. I had no issues with them 00:37:27.590 --> 00:37:30.710 I've haven't seen a difference in performance. 00:37:30.710 --> 00:37:33.820 So, you know how sometimes you use battery batteries 00:37:33.820 --> 00:37:36.360 and they'll last a little bit longer when you 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:39.840 first purchase them. We put them through the 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:43.280 ringer and we use them to throw on the backpack 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:45.320 blower or we'll switch out the batteries and 00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:48.219 use them for hedge trimming. So that being said, 00:37:48.239 --> 00:37:50.500 you got to look at it as paying for your gas 00:37:50.500 --> 00:37:56.559 upfront. And it pays for itself. You no longer 00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:59.260 have to, it's brushless motors. You no longer 00:37:59.260 --> 00:38:03.079 have to pay for spark plugs, fuel filters. air 00:38:03.079 --> 00:38:06.179 filters. I mean, what's your average cost when 00:38:06.179 --> 00:38:08.760 you bring one string trimmer? Let's, let's do 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:11.099 one call a string trimmer to the dealer. You're 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:15.659 looking at 89 average 89 to like 110 bucks for 00:38:15.659 --> 00:38:19.579 service, where, you know, a battery a cost you 00:38:19.579 --> 00:38:23.280 the their main battery. It's, it's like, it's, 00:38:23.360 --> 00:38:27.500 it's like $470 where I'm currently at here in 00:38:27.500 --> 00:38:31.840 Connecticut, plus tax. So, you know, In four 00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:35.019 years, it pays for itself. These batteries are 00:38:35.019 --> 00:38:37.800 are the warranty on the batteries are for seven 00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:41.239 years. Seven or seven or about seven or eight 00:38:41.239 --> 00:38:45.619 years, I think, for Crest. And we've had no issues 00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:50.619 with them at all. So when you talk about. You 00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:53.920 know, not spending money no more on paying for 00:38:53.920 --> 00:38:58.000 maintenance. I think it pays for itself, in my 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:03.760 opinion, you know. That's good. I've heard people 00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:08.179 say that they felt like battery power was for 00:39:08.179 --> 00:39:15.159 residential. It didn't meet the standard for 00:39:15.159 --> 00:39:18.480 commercial work. What's your opinion about that? 00:39:23.099 --> 00:39:26.320 This is an opinion. I disagree with that because 00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:29.360 I do commercial properties now. So if you go 00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:31.800 to a property and it's a property that you've 00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:37.840 never done before, yeah, you probably, it's not 00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:42.039 that the power isn't there. It's just a property's 00:39:42.039 --> 00:39:44.960 never been touched by you and you're touching 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:49.820 it for the first time. I would say to that is 00:39:49.820 --> 00:39:54.039 that That's more of an opinion because you could 00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:57.199 still get the job done. There's no more. Crest 00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:02.719 has made it so easy that you can charge your 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:05.619 batteries in eight minutes. I never run out of 00:40:05.619 --> 00:40:08.440 juice, and I would challenge any commercial guy 00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:14.239 out there that's using a battery versus gas. 00:40:15.500 --> 00:40:19.300 Try it. Give it a shot. Don't knock something 00:40:19.300 --> 00:40:26.219 if you never tried it. I know that they are coming 00:40:26.219 --> 00:40:30.440 out with a brand new backpack blower and it's 00:40:30.440 --> 00:40:36.059 gonna be stronger than a gas backpack blower. 00:40:36.119 --> 00:40:39.400 So the power is there. The you being efficient 00:40:39.400 --> 00:40:43.179 and the power is there already. Their backpack 00:40:43.179 --> 00:40:47.920 blower, to me, I use it all the time. Everywhere, 00:40:47.980 --> 00:40:49.500 everywhere I go, it doesn't matter if it's a 00:40:49.500 --> 00:40:52.440 new property, old property, at all, because I 00:40:52.440 --> 00:40:54.840 charge my batteries within eight minutes. Eight 00:40:54.840 --> 00:40:57.280 to nine minutes, you know? Especially the white 00:40:57.280 --> 00:41:00.360 battery, their big battery. That's the battery 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:03.960 that goes inside their mower and their backpacks. 00:41:04.019 --> 00:41:09.199 And even the smaller batteries go on the backpacks 00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:12.739 as well. You can put up to two. So I think that's 00:41:12.739 --> 00:41:16.889 more of a preference of what people like. And 00:41:16.889 --> 00:41:20.110 I try not to get caught up into, if you like 00:41:20.110 --> 00:41:23.289 a brand, stick by what you like. But at the end 00:41:23.289 --> 00:41:27.170 of the day, as far as people saying that, this 00:41:27.170 --> 00:41:30.289 isn't gonna work or I don't think is there, the 00:41:30.289 --> 00:41:33.369 technology is there. The technology is there 00:41:33.369 --> 00:41:38.190 and the numbers don't lie. I've used it long 00:41:38.190 --> 00:41:40.590 enough and we've used it on commercial properties 00:41:40.590 --> 00:41:44.880 and I believe in that product. I believe in Crest 00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:47.079 and I'm not just saying it just to say it. I 00:41:47.079 --> 00:41:49.500 mean, I brought my equipment with with my money. 00:41:49.800 --> 00:41:52.800 So people want to know like, you know, did he 00:41:52.800 --> 00:41:55.579 purchase it or was it given? No, it was I purchased 00:41:55.579 --> 00:41:57.500 it with my money. That's how much I believed 00:41:57.500 --> 00:42:01.480 in the product. Let's take a short break and 00:42:01.480 --> 00:42:04.840 hear a word from my show sponsor, Eartha Pro. 00:42:06.119 --> 00:42:08.119 Tired of chasing payments and losing track of 00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:11.730 jobs? Eartha Pro Backoffice software makes it 00:42:11.730 --> 00:42:14.690 simple for solo guys and small lawn care and 00:42:14.690 --> 00:42:18.429 landscaping crews. Schedule, invoice, and organize 00:42:18.429 --> 00:42:21.090 all in the same place. We also have a mobile 00:42:21.090 --> 00:42:23.989 app and integrate into QuickBooks. Sign up at 00:42:23.989 --> 00:42:26.989 EarthaPro .com with promo code TheLawnHustle11 00:42:26.989 --> 00:42:31.489 for a $50 Amazon gift card, 10 % off, and personalized 00:42:31.489 --> 00:42:34.429 onboarding. Eartha Pro, you run the outside work, 00:42:34.429 --> 00:42:40.619 we run the office. So we've been talking about 00:42:40.619 --> 00:42:44.320 battery powered equipment versus gas powered 00:42:44.320 --> 00:42:49.800 equipment. We've talked about how you believe 00:42:49.800 --> 00:42:54.280 you will definitely get a return on your investment. 00:42:55.880 --> 00:43:00.679 Let me ask you, what is your opinion? In the 00:43:00.679 --> 00:43:04.880 next five to 10 years, will battery powered equipment 00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:10.190 take over? the green industry and gas powered 00:43:10.190 --> 00:43:13.570 equipment be no more? Or will we always have 00:43:13.570 --> 00:43:21.650 gas power equipment? Just just for the record, 00:43:21.690 --> 00:43:26.690 I still I like gas. I'm not anti gas, so I want 00:43:26.690 --> 00:43:30.969 to make that clear. I like gas. Where the market 00:43:30.969 --> 00:43:34.769 is going, we all seen at the expo, Andy and you 00:43:34.769 --> 00:43:38.730 know, autonomous mowers, every brand, I don't 00:43:38.730 --> 00:43:42.829 care if you're steel, if you're Echo, if you're 00:43:42.829 --> 00:43:47.389 Shindawa, if you're Crest, whatever brand it 00:43:47.389 --> 00:43:51.090 is, they all have new technology coming out and 00:43:51.090 --> 00:43:53.309 all of the new technology that's coming out, 00:43:53.809 --> 00:43:56.190 you either gonna jump on board or you gonna get 00:43:56.190 --> 00:43:59.219 left behind. It's kind of like remember years 00:43:59.219 --> 00:44:01.500 ago when when they came with it with the pagers 00:44:01.500 --> 00:44:05.480 you had a beeper and then Magically we had two 00:44:05.480 --> 00:44:08.159 ways and then from two ways next hell and then 00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:11.340 from next hell all of a sudden we got touchscreen 00:44:11.340 --> 00:44:17.159 Technology is taking over the industry and I 00:44:17.159 --> 00:44:20.650 mean that in the in the in the good way. And 00:44:20.650 --> 00:44:23.570 I like where's it going. And the reason why I'm 00:44:23.570 --> 00:44:27.690 so intrigued by it is because technology is making 00:44:27.690 --> 00:44:30.969 our jobs a lot easier on the field by being able 00:44:30.969 --> 00:44:34.449 to tell you how efficient you are. Is this more 00:44:34.449 --> 00:44:38.920 more productive out on the field? You know then 00:44:38.920 --> 00:44:41.559 you taking it to this property, you know, I mean 00:44:41.559 --> 00:44:44.900 just recently at the Equip Expo John Deere had 00:44:44.900 --> 00:44:48.079 the autonomous mower where it'd tell you what 00:44:48.079 --> 00:44:51.059 properties your mower is more productive on and 00:44:51.059 --> 00:44:53.280 Where you should put the mower or what you should 00:44:53.280 --> 00:44:56.739 be using for this type of area like that's how 00:44:56.739 --> 00:44:59.659 innovative Technology is getting it's becoming 00:44:59.659 --> 00:45:02.239 to the point where you're gonna know cent by 00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:05.500 cent dollar by dollar How much you're gonna make? 00:45:05.820 --> 00:45:08.480 And if you have that information in front of 00:45:08.480 --> 00:45:13.019 your face, why wouldn't you jump on board? The 00:45:13.019 --> 00:45:17.480 numbers don't lie. Numbers don't lie. And so 00:45:17.480 --> 00:45:23.340 to answer your question, we're moving very fast 00:45:23.340 --> 00:45:27.500 with AI. We're using AI now. And I'm intrigued 00:45:27.500 --> 00:45:30.260 by all the autonomous mowers that are out. And 00:45:30.260 --> 00:45:36.320 I'm happy and I'm interested to see where this 00:45:36.320 --> 00:45:39.420 industry goes with all this new technology. And 00:45:39.420 --> 00:45:42.300 I want to stick very close by it because I believe 00:45:42.300 --> 00:45:44.960 that this industry is going to grow. Whether 00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:48.800 you like it or not, it's going to go eventually 00:45:48.800 --> 00:45:52.480 all over to gas. Eventually, you will not probably 00:45:52.480 --> 00:45:57.099 see gas. Gas will be used, but there will be 00:45:57.099 --> 00:46:02.280 more battery than gas. I have seen more changes. 00:46:03.230 --> 00:46:06.570 in the green industry in the last three or four 00:46:06.570 --> 00:46:12.710 years than I have seen in the previous 15 years. 00:46:14.289 --> 00:46:18.590 Very quickly, our industry is changing. And like 00:46:18.590 --> 00:46:20.989 you said, you're either going to jump on board 00:46:20.989 --> 00:46:25.710 or you're going to get ran over. And if you want 00:46:25.710 --> 00:46:28.630 to stay on the cutting edge and if you want to 00:46:28.630 --> 00:46:33.469 continue to provide a quality service for your 00:46:33.469 --> 00:46:37.150 clients and your community, then you're going 00:46:37.150 --> 00:46:40.309 to have to be willing to change with the industry 00:46:40.309 --> 00:46:45.670 or, like you said, be left behind. So what advice 00:46:45.670 --> 00:46:51.070 would you give the average lawn care company 00:46:51.070 --> 00:46:55.989 across America and around the world when it comes 00:46:55.989 --> 00:47:02.030 to making that transition and moving towards 00:47:02.030 --> 00:47:07.389 battery powered equipment. Would you say go slowly 00:47:07.389 --> 00:47:12.309 to help cut the cost, the upfront cost? Maybe 00:47:12.309 --> 00:47:16.789 start off with a trimmer or two and some batteries 00:47:16.789 --> 00:47:21.489 and chargers and then purchase your blower and 00:47:21.489 --> 00:47:24.250 then maybe go into your hedge trimmer and then 00:47:24.250 --> 00:47:27.789 eventually maybe a mower. Because if you buy 00:47:27.789 --> 00:47:31.230 all that quick equipment up front the price is 00:47:31.230 --> 00:47:35.489 going to be astronomical So is is that something 00:47:35.489 --> 00:47:38.429 that you feel like people should? Maybe that 00:47:38.429 --> 00:47:41.750 are hesitant because of the price Should maybe 00:47:41.750 --> 00:47:45.110 think and consider just one small piece of equipment 00:47:45.110 --> 00:47:49.610 at a time Until you have a fleet of battery powered 00:47:49.610 --> 00:47:53.710 Yeah, that's a great question in the absolutely 00:47:53.710 --> 00:47:58.389 start off slow When I started I didn't just buy 00:47:58.389 --> 00:48:01.510 everything all at once it is expensive the up 00:48:01.510 --> 00:48:06.389 the up cost Front for battery is way more expensive 00:48:06.389 --> 00:48:09.849 than you going out to just buy a gas blower and 00:48:09.849 --> 00:48:15.309 a gas mower and etc etc, right but The upside 00:48:15.309 --> 00:48:19.190 to it is is and and my advice that I would give 00:48:19.190 --> 00:48:22.389 To anyone in the industry if you never tried 00:48:22.389 --> 00:48:26.269 it. Try it first and start off slow Maybe try 00:48:26.269 --> 00:48:29.369 the string trimmer, just exactly how you said, 00:48:29.769 --> 00:48:32.210 and just give it a shot. And I promise you, you're 00:48:32.210 --> 00:48:35.110 gonna see the difference. Not only are you gonna 00:48:35.110 --> 00:48:37.690 be able to start earlier, you're not gonna have 00:48:37.690 --> 00:48:39.469 to pay for maintenance no more, you're not gonna 00:48:39.469 --> 00:48:42.230 have to deal with oil and gas, and you're not 00:48:42.230 --> 00:48:45.920 gonna come home. My wife used to tell me... Oh, 00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:47.679 hurry up. Go take a shower. You know what I'm 00:48:47.679 --> 00:48:49.860 saying? Go take a shower. You smell like gas. 00:48:50.920 --> 00:48:53.800 Like, now she can't even tell. Like, you know, 00:48:53.800 --> 00:48:56.320 and I'm not just saying it just to sell it, but 00:48:56.320 --> 00:48:58.400 let me tell you something. Crest has figured 00:48:58.400 --> 00:49:01.739 it out. And the reason why I like Crest is because 00:49:01.739 --> 00:49:05.519 there's no more you could say, is it going to 00:49:05.519 --> 00:49:08.639 last while you're out on the field? How long 00:49:08.639 --> 00:49:11.179 does battery last, Andy, when you're out there 00:49:11.179 --> 00:49:13.179 string -trimming with a gas -powered equipment, 00:49:13.320 --> 00:49:15.769 right? How long before you have to fill it up? 00:49:15.829 --> 00:49:19.449 You still gotta stop. You gotta stop. So that 00:49:19.449 --> 00:49:22.670 narrative of you saying, oh, my gas powered equipment 00:49:22.670 --> 00:49:25.309 lasts the whole day. No, you ever hear that saying 00:49:25.309 --> 00:49:28.070 in people making a video, the walk of shame, 00:49:28.809 --> 00:49:30.909 because you didn't fill up before you start, 00:49:31.070 --> 00:49:33.289 you're gonna run out of something regardless. 00:49:34.150 --> 00:49:37.409 So before you knock it, try it, because I'm telling 00:49:37.409 --> 00:49:40.510 you, you're going to be impressed. by the power 00:49:40.510 --> 00:49:43.469 that it delivers and the efficiency. I feel like 00:49:43.469 --> 00:49:47.389 I'm more efficient being out there with battery. 00:49:48.829 --> 00:49:52.690 And it's been a game changer the way how I do 00:49:52.690 --> 00:49:57.030 business and especially now. Like I this year 00:49:57.030 --> 00:50:00.269 I did a I had to trim a property and I remember 00:50:00.269 --> 00:50:02.210 the lady called me She said Danny did you come 00:50:02.210 --> 00:50:05.469 today? I said, yeah, I came I said go you could 00:50:05.469 --> 00:50:08.150 go take a look. She said oh my goodness. I didn't 00:50:08.150 --> 00:50:10.489 even hear you I said I was there like around 00:50:10.489 --> 00:50:15.969 730. It was like 715 730. I started You can't 00:50:15.969 --> 00:50:18.809 do that with gas, right? You can't do that with 00:50:18.809 --> 00:50:21.369 gas starting at 7 o 'clock you the neighbors 00:50:21.369 --> 00:50:26.099 would be mad but Take to answer your question 00:50:26.099 --> 00:50:30.159 Start slow if you're if you're on the fence about 00:50:30.159 --> 00:50:33.519 it and also just not not only start slow But 00:50:33.519 --> 00:50:36.280 give it a shot because regardless whether you 00:50:36.280 --> 00:50:40.219 do or not the industry is moving with or without 00:50:40.219 --> 00:50:46.579 you Well, that is some solid advice For our listeners 00:50:46.579 --> 00:50:50.639 Danny and I appreciate it If you're out there 00:50:50.639 --> 00:50:54.360 thinking about making the switch Take this as 00:50:54.360 --> 00:51:00.599 your sign. Danny has given us some personal revelation 00:51:00.599 --> 00:51:07.159 into battery powered equipment. So do your research. 00:51:08.380 --> 00:51:11.940 Test out some equipment. Try it out. And if you 00:51:11.940 --> 00:51:15.519 decide to make the transition, I would say go 00:51:15.519 --> 00:51:20.380 for it. It's your decision. It's your business. 00:51:20.900 --> 00:51:24.769 And you need to decide. What is best for you? 00:51:24.809 --> 00:51:28.289 What is best for your company? So thank you for 00:51:28.289 --> 00:51:31.769 tuning in to the Lawn Hustle. We're here to help 00:51:31.769 --> 00:51:35.250 you build a business that lasts. We're here to 00:51:35.250 --> 00:51:40.070 help you build a legacy. Reach out to us. If 00:51:40.070 --> 00:51:44.269 you listen to this podcast, leave us a five -star 00:51:44.269 --> 00:51:48.820 rating and a nice review on Apple Podcast. If 00:51:48.820 --> 00:51:52.340 you listen on Spotify, you can leave us a review 00:51:52.340 --> 00:51:56.039 on each episode. So I would appreciate that. 00:51:56.960 --> 00:52:00.300 And Danny, again, thank you for joining the Lawn 00:52:00.300 --> 00:52:03.219 Hustle. I appreciate you. I appreciate you having 00:52:03.219 --> 00:52:05.360 me on tonight. Thanks, Andy. It's been a pleasure. 00:52:07.300 --> 00:52:13.039 Well, this episode has come into an end, but... 00:52:13.070 --> 00:52:16.550 If you are making that transition or you know 00:52:16.550 --> 00:52:19.530 someone who has, share this episode with them. 00:52:20.110 --> 00:52:23.389 Maybe there's something, a question that they 00:52:23.389 --> 00:52:27.429 had that Danny answered in this podcast that 00:52:27.429 --> 00:52:30.769 will help them make their decision. So I appreciate 00:52:30.769 --> 00:52:34.170 you listening to the Lawn Hustle Podcast. And 00:52:34.170 --> 00:52:39.070 until we talk again, remember the grass is always 00:52:39.070 --> 00:52:41.409 greener where you water it.