with 16 years of experience in the green industry.
Each week we dive into stories, strategies, and
successes from lawn care professionals who are
building their business from the ground up and
creating real legacies for their family in the
future. And tonight we have Danny Hernandez.
with all that grass lawn care. Danny, thank you
for joining the lawn hustle. Thank you very much.
I appreciate you having me. Well, you and I last
week spent the entire week, Monday and Tuesday
at the LCR Summit and Wednesday through Friday
at the Equip Expo. So let me ask you, what was
your biggest takeaway? from the LCR Summit? Biggest
takeaway I got from the LCR Summit was... Wow,
it was so many great speakers, so many good things
that was said. You know what? From the LCR Summit
in itself, I could say that I thought I know
until I know, right? So there were some things
that... We came back home and I actually wrote
in my book that I needed to change in business
that I thought I had it figured out. And one
of those things was pretty much my numbers. It's
easy to cut grass, it's easy to do those things,
right? But Pay Jack said it, clear he couldn't
have said it any any clear um you know knowing
your numbers is going to be very important and
and i also get it from mike andy's too um but
yeah uh that's what i took from it you know is
is knowing your numbers is so important strategically
like like i know the numbers but it was like
making sure that you have an account for everything
You know we could dive in a little bit more into
that if you want But yeah, that's that's what
I took from it and how important it was to make
sure you have an account for Not only for your
business, but you have an account for for maintenance
You know for for you, you know Because you put
got to put money in your pocket and for other
things that revolve around business, right? I
think it's vitally important for every lawn care
business to not only know their numbers, but
understand their numbers. And to be able to work
those numbers to where you can control. Not only
your top dollar revenue, but your bottom dollar
revenue and your profit margin Because we're
all in business to make money Yes, you know that
that's one of my wise why I started my business
is because I wanted to have the freedom To make
as much money as I could Yes, and So I I did
place a lot of value on what PayJack had to say,
you know, profits with PayJack. I encourage you
to listen to that podcast. And I thought Eric
Triplett, the pond digger, was tremendous. You
know, learning how to talk to your customer,
learning. What your customer is going to say
to you and how they're gonna say it and what
the response to you is You know and how it's
said and what it really means. I thought that
was tremendous What about equip expo? What was
your? Take away from equip how many years have
you attended equip my first year? It was my first
year What what I took from equip is to never
give up on yourself. And I think Jesse couldn't
have said it any better. You know, um, you know,
I actually got an opportunity to, to sit through
his, that, that event through Cress and Jesse,
you know, I remember he, you know, he pretty
much said, you know, my dad used to tell me if
you're going to swing at some, make sure you
swing very hard, you know, and, and his message
was that life, if you're going to do something,
man, It's all or nothing, you know, and that's
what we got to like kind of remember, you know,
like we're in business yet to make money. But
also, you know, business is taking risks as well.
And I'm not saying, you know, to take a whole
bunch of risks. But what I mean by that is in
life, you got to be able to believe in yourself
and continue to believe because nobody else is
going to believe in you the way how you believe
in yourself. Right. And there were a lot of moments
where I just And throughout business, through
the five years that I've been in business, and
I started very slow. And when I first started,
I thought I had to be very high. And you know
that saying, it's better to grow slow than to
grow fast. It's better to build your foundation.
first and make sure you're building the right
foundation so it doesn't crumble five years down
the line. I want to be here 10 years later so
I'm looking at the long haul. So what I took
from it is to learn to forget about what anybody
is going to think about you and to take risks
and to go hard. Like I said, I've been in this
firm going into my 17th year and I've seen a
lot of lawn care businesses locally. Where I
live take off like rockets and fall like rocks
Because they have no structure they have no processes
they have no Systems set in place To help them
be successful So failure was inevitable. It was
going to happen and it does matter how you start.
But more importantly, how are you going to end?
Are you going to end in defeat because you didn't
do your work and set the processes and systems
in place to help you be successful so you failed?
Or are you going to end in victory? It doesn't
matter how far you've come, how far are you willing
to go? So, I remember my first Equip Expo. I
went and I come back with more hats than I could
ever wear. You know, hats and ink pens and bandanas
and masks and all kinds of stuff. But the last
several years, it's not been about the hats.
I get a few of my favorites. But it's about networking.
It's about building friendships, building relationships.
When I walked in the very first time to that
massive showroom, I thought, this is bigger than
I am. This is bigger than professional lawn maintenance
in Newcastle, Indiana. This is a community of
people from all over the world. that show up
at Equip Expo. I've said it before, but the Expo
is to the lawn care industry what the World Series
is to Major League Baseball or the Super Bowl
to the NFL. It is our World Series or our Super
Bowl. But I appreciate you being here tonight
and we're going to talk about some battery -powered
equipment. But before we get started with the
battery powered equipment, let's hear a word
from Joey Coberly, the landscaping bookkeeper.
Did you know that bookkeeping is one of the first
things you should outsource before scaling your
company? Hey guys, it's Joey with the landscaping
bookkeeper, and I wanted to personally invite
you to join our group of more than 50 lawn care
owners that have decided to track and learn their
numbers. With the Landscaping Bookkeeper, you'll
get monthly accountability and peace of mind
knowing that your business is on the right track
financially. You can book a call with us by going
to thelandscapingbookkeeper .com and scheduling
a 15 -minute phone call. I look forward to hearing
from you guys. Thanks. And we're back with Danny
Hernandez, all that grass lawn care, and you're
out of what state again? So we're out of Connecticut?
That's what I thought. Out of Connecticut? And
if you are not connected to Danny on social media,
search all that grass on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook,
liking, following, subscribe to him. His content
will inspire you. And with that being said, we
want to talk about some of the equipment that
you are using. to make your content and to do
your work. Gas prices keep rising. Has anybody
noticed that? Noise and noise complaints are
growing. Has anyone had a complaint about noise?
I have had a lady come out of the neighboring
house where I was working and she just gave me
the what for. because I was making too much noise
at nine o 'clock in the morning and threatened
to call the police on me. I said, call them.
I used to be one. You know, the law says I can
start working 30 minutes prior to daybreak and
I can work 30 minutes after daybreak. So go ahead
and call them. But the gas powered equipment
was making too much noise. according to her.
But battery powered lawn care isn't just a fad
anymore. And we saw that at Equip Expo. A lot
of battery powered equipment. But I believe,
and I'm sure you will agree with me, battery
powered equipment is the future. Absolutely.
And today we're talking with Danny Hernandez.
who's making the switch and providing that battery
powered lawn service. And so I want to ask you
what got you into the lawn care industry to begin
with and what is causing you to make that transition?
from gas -powered to battery -powered. Well,
yeah, to answer your first question, again, I
just want to say thank you for allowing me to
come on your show. I really appreciate it. It's
an honor to be here. I'm happy we met at the
LCR Summit. And to answer your first question,
I got into lawn care due to an injury. For those
of you who don't follow me on social media or
don't know me. I got into it to give you a little
insight. It all started during an injury. I was
in a wheelchair for a year to make a long story
short. I was in a wheelchair for a year. I was
away from my family for about like three and
a half to four months in a rehabilitation center.
And I had to learn how to walk again. I had to
learn how to tie my shoes. There were a lot of
things I couldn't do. I lost my job due to my
injury, not because I didn't want to work. We
almost lost our home. I mean, you name it, that
could have possibly happened to a man. It happened.
The way how I got into lawn care was that I remember
coming home from the hospital was like my first
time coming back. I was paying for a landscaper
to come. And this particular week, the landscaper
didn't show up. He couldn't make it for whatever
reason. I forgot what was the reason. And I physically
got upset. And I remember my wife telling me
that, you know, hey, babe, you can't go outside.
You're not supposed to do that. And I was so
mad and just focused like I gotta go cut the
grass because I used to cut the grass all the
time. And prior to my injury, that's why I had
to pretty much go out. So I wound up going out
in a walker. And I remember my neighbor telling
me, hey, can I help you with anything? You're
not supposed to be doing that. And my wife was
saying, yeah, he's not supposed to be outside.
And I remember before, just to give you a little
insight, during that time, I was in a very low
point in my life. And a lot of people don't know.
They see me with a smile. And this is why we
say it's so important for us to try to motivate
and inspire people. That's why I'm so inspired
to motivate people, because you never know what
somebody is going through behind a smile. Right.
And I was going through some very tough times.
I told you in the very beginning, I lost my job.
I was on a verge of losing my home. I couldn't
walk. I couldn't go back to work. I became disabled.
I was disabled. And I just felt very low in my
life. And I didn't want to be here. I didn't
want to live no more. thinking that that was
very selfish of me to even feel that way. I know
I was going through a lot as a man, but I had
so much to live for. I got four beautiful boys.
They're all young. My oldest is 11 years old
now. And I also have my wife. And I remember
telling my wife, the times when she was coming
to the hospital with me, I remember telling her,
I said, Ash, you know, I love you very much.
It's not that I have anyone else, but if this
makes any sense, I don't want to hold your life
up. I don't want to hold you up because... I
just felt like I couldn't do nothing. I felt
hopeless to her. As a man, you know, you always
hear, like, you're supposed to bring home the
bacon for your family. You're supposed to go
out and, you know, and go help your family, you
know, be the best at what they could be. And
I'm a firm believer in that. And I'm sorry if
I'm tearing up, because they always bring me
back. It brings me back to that moment where
I just felt like... I didn't want to live no
more. And I told myself like, what would life
be without dad? I hug my kids every day. I'm
grateful. I speak with a passion. Sometimes people
confuse the way how I talk because I talk with
so much passion and belief. I believe I can do
anything now. And I truly believe that because
I remember the doctor telling me, you can't go
back to work. You can't do certain things. And
I've always had a problem with people telling
me you can't, or the door being shut. I felt
like if there's any trauma that's ever damaged
me as a person, was that, was the no. And it's
always been my determination that when I get
that no, that I make sure I knock those walls
down because Like, we all have a purpose and
a reason why. And during that time that I was
going through that difficult time, I didn't understand
that I had to go through what I was going through.
I had to be in a wheelchair at the time that
I was in a wheelchair. I didn't know that I was
going to fall in love with lawn care. When the
landscaper didn't show up, I went outside and
I was mowing the grass the best way I could.
And during that time I was being yelled at, I
found hope. I found peace. I found a connection
with nature. And that's what people don't understand.
It ain't about the money for me. Yes, I want
to make money. I want to support my family. But
it's bigger than that. I feel like God's given
me a purpose and a reason why to do what I do
today. And I do it with a smile. Every day I
wake up. You said earlier in the podcast, you
got to have a purpose and a reason why. And my
reason why is to let people know that no matter
what you're going through in life, I don't care
what it is. I don't care if you're going through
finance problems. I don't care if you're going
through marital problems. I don't care if you're
going through business problems. You can overcome
anything. that you apply your mind to, and as
long as you believe. And if it wasn't for my
kids and my wife that keeps me grounded each
and every day, I wouldn't be where I'm at today.
I promise you I wouldn't be around. I wouldn't
be here talking to you because I'll never forget
I almost took my life away. And every time I
think about it, it just hurts me and it haunts
me every single day. But now I have a purpose.
I have a reason why I live. And I thank God that
he gave me the mindset to let me know that there
was more to life than what I thought. I thought
it was the end. I hit a brick wall and I thought
that was it. I was hurt. I was so in a low place.
I was so low. People don't understand. Like,
I just didn't want to be here on this earth no
more. And I just thank God every day for giving
me a second chance at life. So that's how I got
into lawn care. A lawn care, I feel like I didn't
choose it. It chose me because I enjoy going
out and hearing the birds and nature and having
that wind hit me. I'll never forget that day.
It was a clear day and I was outside and I was
feeling very low. And it was like something just
picked me right up. Like I just I just woke up
and That's how I found my purpose. Well, I appreciate
your story and thank you for sharing it with
us. I know It's an emotional story He got me
a little stirred up here myself I'm sorry. Oh,
no. No, I appreciate the story because lawn care
is one of the things outside of your family,
your wife and your four boys that saved your
life. Finding that purpose, finding that desire
to go forward, to open a business, to grow a
business, to become the breadwinner in your family
and it's just an amazing journey that you're
on. And I appreciate you sharing that with our
listeners. So you started five years ago. Yep.
When you started, was you all gas powered equipment?
Yes. At the time, I only had one push mower and
I had, I didn't have a weed whacker. I had to,
I had some mixed equipment at the time. I had
a Hescavana 21 inch. I had a minivan and I had
a Ryobi. uh, hedge trimmer, uh, battery at that,
at that time when battery was just hitting the
market. Like it was just, it was out. Battery's
been out for a very long time, but in as far
as like lawn care, that's when it was starting
to get very popular and introduced like into
the industry. So that's what I pretty much started
with was just those three. And then little by
little, I had to get my equipment up. So in the
five years you've been in business, Yep. What
motivated you to start the transition from gas
powered equipment to battery powered equipment?
Yep. Well, moving forward, you know, we, like
year two, year three, what I did was I took the
money that I made and I just reinvested it into
the business. and we were we brought uh I had
a toro sit down because at the time you know
I told you I was disabled I was still having
difficulties with walking a lot of people don't
know I have a prosthetic knee and I also have
a machine that drips medication in my spine for
the rest of my life um if not I shake like I
got like Parkinson's and stuff it controls my
nerves um and so I had to as much as they were
telling me that I couldn't do lawn care because
it was very physical, which it is, is a physical,
is a high demand job, right? But I enjoyed it.
And I just had to find an equipment that I was
going to be able to be out there and be able
to do what I was capable of doing. And so we
immediately, like I brought a zero turn, but
then like, long behold, that didn't work because
the yards were very like the gates were tight.
And at the time, this is why I share my story
online is because I brought a lot of equipment
that I had no business in doing. You know, because
I didn't know I was I was new in the market.
I didn't know how to run a business. I didn't
know what equipment to buy. But I knew that I
had to find something that that I was able to
do the job without it affecting my my health.
So we got introduced to battery. I remember I
went to a dealer and the gentleman was like,
hey, have you ever seen this battery line? And
I said, no, I said, no, I never seen it. And
that battery line was Crest. And they were like,
well, we could give you the whole setup. for
your whole um vehicle like for everything and
I said oh really yeah he was like yeah we can
give it to you for like three weeks well they
gave it to me for probably a little over three
it was like a month and a half the dealer like
I signed some paperwork they gave me uh I was
able to hold hold the cyber tank the trimmers
um everything you could think of to run a business
they pretty much loaned it to me so I can try
it out and I fell in love with it. I'm gonna
tell you a couple reasons why. The reason why
I fell in love with it was because I was able
to start earlier. One, I didn't smell like gas
and I didn't have to mix oil. I didn't have to,
you know, I didn't have to do all the other things
that I had to do with gas equipment. But what
really drew me into the equipment was because
I I was afraid to transition over. And I think
it's one of everybody's biggest fears is that,
how long is it gonna last? Am I gonna have enough
juice to actually cut yards? And at the time,
I had enough juice because it pretty much was,
I was doing like six to eight yards at the time.
You know, and so like I easily I remember like
I got up to like 16 and then I had to cut back
because of my health But easily like I was able
to do like now we cut 12 to 14 yards a day I
could do more but I choose not to just because
I do what I can with what I'm capable of doing
You know, I always say everybody's in a different
different, you know bracket but That was my biggest
thing. Can it last? all day while I'm out there.
And I can honestly say that it literally takes
you eight minutes to charge a battery with Crest.
And when I found that out, I just had to make
it work. How can I charge it while I'm out on
the field? And once I figured that out on how
to charge it, it was all history from there.
I made the switch instantaneously, like immediately,
like without a doubt, because I believe in the
product so much, I was able to use it for over
a month. And the fact that I was able to start
earlier, customers couldn't hear me. And in Connecticut,
in Greenwich, there was a couple areas that I
was doing at Westport. I don't know if you're
familiar with Connecticut and Westport area,
but... They were they changed the law and you
we had to switch over now was getting switched
back over where you could use both now But I
had so I had to make a decision if I want to
service this area I pretty much have to make
a switch I so I had no choice the the prop the
question was which brand do I go with and I tried
I tried two other brands and The brand that stood
out to me the most that I was able to last throughout
the whole day was crest. I was able to charge
on a go. I was able to have juice all day and
start early. Okay, let me ask you this. What
was the first battery powered piece of equipment
you held in your hands? First one was the Ryobi.
It was a Ryobi string trimmer. It was from Home
Depot's and my neighbor had gave it to me. It
was actually his. I just took the battery. I
think it was a 2 .5 amp. I had that battery from
a drill that I had, but that was the first, first,
first battery powered equipment I had. So when
you held that Ryobi trimmer in your hand to the
time when you held that first piece of Cress
battery powered. What would you say is the major
difference between the two brands? Oranges and
apples the power Power the power was there Okay,
let me ask you that she said the power so What
is the power? comparison on a crest trimmer versus
a steel blower gas power Is there any difference
in the power? As far as like a gas, a gas blower
and a gas, I mean, a gas blower and a battery
gas? Yeah, a battery powered crash trimmer versus
a steel gas powered trimmer. Oh, well, one, I'm
all about accountability. It was the power is
there. And the other thing that I liked about
Crest was that Crest was a lot lighter to me.
I was able to maneuver a lot better with the
Crest product, and it wasn't cutting off on me.
With steel, when it gets 90 to 95 degrees around
our area, and mind you, I'm no mechanic, so if
somebody could let me know, you know, but it
would cut, it would just, it wouldn't start.
And I remember I was struggling out there because
I had to pull multiple times and I was injuring
myself all the time. I would I would go to pull
to start my battery. I'm my backpack blower.
I have the BR 800 the BR 800 and I kept trying
to pull it and pull it and it would not start
at all. It would not start at all. You know,
so that's that that that's one of the reasons
why I had issues with that particular product.
So you know how we flip edge a driveway or a
sidewalk. When you're using a battery powered
piece of equipment, do you get the same cut down
that edge as you would if you were using a gas
powered trimmer? Do can you say that again cuz
I was having trouble with the with the Wi -Fi
Hang on one second. I'm trying to fix it Can
you hear me now? Yes, I'm sorry. My question
was when you flip edge Do you get the same result?
Using a battery powered trimmer versus a gas
powered trimmer I honestly feel like I get bet
a better result because I'm able to To to actually
um hang on one second. This is going in and out
Hang on one second. Oh my goodness So we're talking
with Danny Hernandez with all that grass We're
having a little technical difficulty with this
internet. But we're talking about battery powered
equipment. And he is making the transition from
gas powered to battery powered. And his choice
of equipment is the Crest brand. So we're talking
about the trimmer now. When you use a gas powered
trimmer, versus when you're using a battery powered
trimmer. If you get the same results when you're
flip edging, and it's his opinion that he gets
a better result from the battery powered when
he's flip edging, expound on that a little more.
Yep. So, yeah, it's better that the Glinch is
not glitching. Now, fix the Wi -Fi. I'm sorry
about that. but yeah no so when I flip when I'm
using the stick edger and I flip um it's not
that you get better results so much I get possibly
the same results you know um with with both products.
The thing is, is for me, where I was struggling
that because of my injury, like I got a machine
that you can't see it's right in right in front.
So all the time when I when I flipped the edger,
I would struggle with steel because steel was
a bit a lot heavier for me. In my opinion, this
is just my opinion. It was a lot heavier for
me and it was a bit harder for me to maintain
the consistency while I was coming down, you
know, to actually make that edge where we crest.
I was able to keep a consistent. You know keep
a consistent line coming down, you know on any
property that I was doing because it was more
comfortable for me So that's why in some of my
videos you'll hear like i'm all about comfortability
Um, and I I am because you know in this industry
you have to use what works for you and what's
most comfortable for you So would you say that
when you are using your battery powered trimmer
or blower or hedge trimmer, whatever it is that
you get the performance that meets your expectation.
Yes. And the reason why I say that is because
I don't know if you're aware of it or if you've
ever seen it. In fact, I'm going to start making
content on it. So what I love about Crest is
that they have like a vest. I don't know if you've
ever seen the vest. Yes. They have a vest and
I use that a lot. And so you, I know, Know a
lot of people will probably ask well Can you
elaborate a little bit where you're saying is
heavy because the battery is heavy yourself,
right? But I can offset the weight by applying
the vests on and that's where it becomes Like
you could literally pick up the trimmer with
your pinky and just flip it over like it becomes
that light I Used a hedge trimmer and equip expo.
Oh you did okay the echo brand okay, and they
had these dowel rods sticking straight up, and
you were cutting those dowel rods off. And that
Echo brand battery -powered hedge trimmer, it
ate through those dowel rods with no issues at
all. I mean, just right through them. And I don't
know that my gas -powered hedge trimmer would
have cut that well. So, I was really impressed
with that. But... My biggest concern has always
been number one, the cost of the battery powered
equipment. Number two, the battery life. I think
the battery life is improving. I believe they're
coming out with more innovative ways to charge
your batteries, to keep you running every day.
But do you feel like you will get a return on
your investment? With battery power and and I
can most certainly talk about that if you have
any questions Absolutely, let's talk about this.
So you got to look at it when you're investing
into it That's one of the biggest things about
battery. Right is that a lot of people They're
afraid to transition over because it's the cost
the upfront cost is what is the it's expensive
but the way how you have to look at it as You're
paying for your gas up front Okay, you're paying
for your gas up front and Absolutely. Are you
gonna get your return back? Yes in the span of
the years that you have the product Yes, you
will get because you no longer have to pay for
gas You're paying for it up front the bat as
far as like the battery We've had our crest batteries
now for two years. I had no issues with them
I've haven't seen a difference in performance.
So, you know how sometimes you use battery batteries
and they'll last a little bit longer when you
first purchase them. We put them through the
ringer and we use them to throw on the backpack
blower or we'll switch out the batteries and
use them for hedge trimming. So that being said,
you got to look at it as paying for your gas
upfront. And it pays for itself. You no longer
have to, it's brushless motors. You no longer
have to pay for spark plugs, fuel filters. air
filters. I mean, what's your average cost when
you bring one string trimmer? Let's, let's do
one call a string trimmer to the dealer. You're
looking at 89 average 89 to like 110 bucks for
service, where, you know, a battery a cost you
the their main battery. It's, it's like, it's,
it's like $470 where I'm currently at here in
Connecticut, plus tax. So, you know, In four
years, it pays for itself. These batteries are
are the warranty on the batteries are for seven
years. Seven or seven or about seven or eight
years, I think, for Crest. And we've had no issues
with them at all. So when you talk about. You
know, not spending money no more on paying for
maintenance. I think it pays for itself, in my
opinion, you know. That's good. I've heard people
say that they felt like battery power was for
residential. It didn't meet the standard for
commercial work. What's your opinion about that?
This is an opinion. I disagree with that because
I do commercial properties now. So if you go
to a property and it's a property that you've
never done before, yeah, you probably, it's not
that the power isn't there. It's just a property's
never been touched by you and you're touching
it for the first time. I would say to that is
that That's more of an opinion because you could
still get the job done. There's no more. Crest
has made it so easy that you can charge your
batteries in eight minutes. I never run out of
juice, and I would challenge any commercial guy
out there that's using a battery versus gas.
Try it. Give it a shot. Don't knock something
if you never tried it. I know that they are coming
out with a brand new backpack blower and it's
gonna be stronger than a gas backpack blower.
So the power is there. The you being efficient
and the power is there already. Their backpack
blower, to me, I use it all the time. Everywhere,
everywhere I go, it doesn't matter if it's a
new property, old property, at all, because I
charge my batteries within eight minutes. Eight
to nine minutes, you know? Especially the white
battery, their big battery. That's the battery
that goes inside their mower and their backpacks.
And even the smaller batteries go on the backpacks
as well. You can put up to two. So I think that's
more of a preference of what people like. And
I try not to get caught up into, if you like
a brand, stick by what you like. But at the end
of the day, as far as people saying that, this
isn't gonna work or I don't think is there, the
technology is there. The technology is there
and the numbers don't lie. I've used it long
enough and we've used it on commercial properties
and I believe in that product. I believe in Crest
and I'm not just saying it just to say it. I
mean, I brought my equipment with with my money.
So people want to know like, you know, did he
purchase it or was it given? No, it was I purchased
it with my money. That's how much I believed
in the product. Let's take a short break and
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we run the office. So we've been talking about
battery powered equipment versus gas powered
equipment. We've talked about how you believe
you will definitely get a return on your investment.
Let me ask you, what is your opinion? In the
next five to 10 years, will battery powered equipment
take over? the green industry and gas powered
equipment be no more? Or will we always have
gas power equipment? Just just for the record,
I still I like gas. I'm not anti gas, so I want
to make that clear. I like gas. Where the market
is going, we all seen at the expo, Andy and you
know, autonomous mowers, every brand, I don't
care if you're steel, if you're Echo, if you're
Shindawa, if you're Crest, whatever brand it
is, they all have new technology coming out and
all of the new technology that's coming out,
you either gonna jump on board or you gonna get
left behind. It's kind of like remember years
ago when when they came with it with the pagers
you had a beeper and then Magically we had two
ways and then from two ways next hell and then
from next hell all of a sudden we got touchscreen
Technology is taking over the industry and I
mean that in the in the in the good way. And
I like where's it going. And the reason why I'm
so intrigued by it is because technology is making
our jobs a lot easier on the field by being able
to tell you how efficient you are. Is this more
more productive out on the field? You know then
you taking it to this property, you know, I mean
just recently at the Equip Expo John Deere had
the autonomous mower where it'd tell you what
properties your mower is more productive on and
Where you should put the mower or what you should
be using for this type of area like that's how
innovative Technology is getting it's becoming
to the point where you're gonna know cent by
cent dollar by dollar How much you're gonna make?
And if you have that information in front of
your face, why wouldn't you jump on board? The
numbers don't lie. Numbers don't lie. And so
to answer your question, we're moving very fast
with AI. We're using AI now. And I'm intrigued
by all the autonomous mowers that are out. And
I'm happy and I'm interested to see where this
industry goes with all this new technology. And
I want to stick very close by it because I believe
that this industry is going to grow. Whether
you like it or not, it's going to go eventually
all over to gas. Eventually, you will not probably
see gas. Gas will be used, but there will be
more battery than gas. I have seen more changes.
in the green industry in the last three or four
years than I have seen in the previous 15 years.
Very quickly, our industry is changing. And like
you said, you're either going to jump on board
or you're going to get ran over. And if you want
to stay on the cutting edge and if you want to
continue to provide a quality service for your
clients and your community, then you're going
to have to be willing to change with the industry
or, like you said, be left behind. So what advice
would you give the average lawn care company
across America and around the world when it comes
to making that transition and moving towards
battery powered equipment. Would you say go slowly
to help cut the cost, the upfront cost? Maybe
start off with a trimmer or two and some batteries
and chargers and then purchase your blower and
then maybe go into your hedge trimmer and then
eventually maybe a mower. Because if you buy
all that quick equipment up front the price is
going to be astronomical So is is that something
that you feel like people should? Maybe that
are hesitant because of the price Should maybe
think and consider just one small piece of equipment
at a time Until you have a fleet of battery powered
Yeah, that's a great question in the absolutely
start off slow When I started I didn't just buy
everything all at once it is expensive the up
the up cost Front for battery is way more expensive
than you going out to just buy a gas blower and
a gas mower and etc etc, right but The upside
to it is is and and my advice that I would give
To anyone in the industry if you never tried
it. Try it first and start off slow Maybe try
the string trimmer, just exactly how you said,
and just give it a shot. And I promise you, you're
gonna see the difference. Not only are you gonna
be able to start earlier, you're not gonna have
to pay for maintenance no more, you're not gonna
have to deal with oil and gas, and you're not
gonna come home. My wife used to tell me... Oh,
hurry up. Go take a shower. You know what I'm
saying? Go take a shower. You smell like gas.
Like, now she can't even tell. Like, you know,
and I'm not just saying it just to sell it, but
let me tell you something. Crest has figured
it out. And the reason why I like Crest is because
there's no more you could say, is it going to
last while you're out on the field? How long
does battery last, Andy, when you're out there
string -trimming with a gas -powered equipment,
right? How long before you have to fill it up?
You still gotta stop. You gotta stop. So that
narrative of you saying, oh, my gas powered equipment
lasts the whole day. No, you ever hear that saying
in people making a video, the walk of shame,
because you didn't fill up before you start,
you're gonna run out of something regardless.
So before you knock it, try it, because I'm telling
you, you're going to be impressed. by the power
that it delivers and the efficiency. I feel like
I'm more efficient being out there with battery.
And it's been a game changer the way how I do
business and especially now. Like I this year
I did a I had to trim a property and I remember
the lady called me She said Danny did you come
today? I said, yeah, I came I said go you could
go take a look. She said oh my goodness. I didn't
even hear you I said I was there like around
730. It was like 715 730. I started You can't
do that with gas, right? You can't do that with
gas starting at 7 o 'clock you the neighbors
would be mad but Take to answer your question
Start slow if you're if you're on the fence about
it and also just not not only start slow But
give it a shot because regardless whether you
do or not the industry is moving with or without
you Well, that is some solid advice For our listeners
Danny and I appreciate it If you're out there
thinking about making the switch Take this as
your sign. Danny has given us some personal revelation
into battery powered equipment. So do your research.
Test out some equipment. Try it out. And if you
decide to make the transition, I would say go
for it. It's your decision. It's your business.
And you need to decide. What is best for you?
What is best for your company? So thank you for
tuning in to the Lawn Hustle. We're here to help
you build a business that lasts. We're here to
help you build a legacy. Reach out to us. If
you listen to this podcast, leave us a five -star
rating and a nice review on Apple Podcast. If
you listen on Spotify, you can leave us a review
on each episode. So I would appreciate that.
And Danny, again, thank you for joining the Lawn
Hustle. I appreciate you. I appreciate you having
me on tonight. Thanks, Andy. It's been a pleasure.
Well, this episode has come into an end, but...
If you are making that transition or you know
someone who has, share this episode with them.
Maybe there's something, a question that they
had that Danny answered in this podcast that
will help them make their decision. So I appreciate
you listening to the Lawn Hustle Podcast. And
until we talk again, remember the grass is always
greener where you water it.