What's going on, lawn hustlers? Welcome back
to the Lawn Hustle Podcast. First off, let me
just say Happy New Year to each and every one
of you. If you're listening to this podcast,
you made it through another season in the green
industry. And that alone is worth celebrating
because you and I know that being a lawn care
professional is not an easy occupation. The saying
goes, if it was easy, everybody could do it.
It is true. Everybody can mow grass, but not
everybody can cut. There is a huge difference.
So welcome back. I appreciate your support through
the year. I appreciate all of your text messages,
your emails, your DMs on social media. It means
a lot to me to have you in this community. and
I appreciate it. No matter if last year was the
best year your business has ever had, or if it
was a year that tested every ounce of grit that
you have, you're still here, you're still standing,
and you're still growing. So stay in the fight.
Your goals are reachable. So welcome back. I
appreciate you. This podcast is built for lawn
care, landscaping, and green industry professionals
who want to do more than just survive. We want
to build something that will last. Before we
rush into goals or numbers or new equipment purchases,
let's pause for a moment. Last year, you showed
up when it was hot. You worked through droughts,
rain delays, equipment breakdowns, and you handled
customers, crews, and cash flow. You learned
lessons. that you couldn't have learned any other
way. This industry is a teacher. It will teach
you how to celebrate the victories and how to
persevere the difficulties. Every late night,
every mistake, every win, it's all planted seeds.
And here's the truth. Growth doesn't always look
like profit. Sometimes it looks like wisdom.
Because the good days and the bad days are teaching
us valuable lessons. A new year doesn't magically
fix your business. We're right on the verge of
entering into 2026. And this new year will not
fix all of your problems. But it does give you
a fresh season to do things better. If your business
has problems, if your business has issues, the
new year's not gonna fix them. You have to. You
have to get up every day, put on your big boy
work boots, and go to work, and do what you can
to fix your business. 2026. gives you an opportunity
to tighten up your systems, work on your route
density, work on what clients you want to keep
and which ones you want to disregard services.
It gives you an opportunity to price your work
with confidence. Let me just say, when you are
setting your price, set your price according
to your value. And if a $65 property doesn't
take you 45 minutes, it only takes you 30 minutes.
The price doesn't come down. The price is, it's
a $65 property. So they're paying you for your
experience, for your value, and for the outcome
of the job. So remember those when you go to
price your jobs. Price them according to your
value, the customer's perceived outcome, and
your years of experience. Communicate better
with customers. This is a good opportunity on
the verge of entering into a new year. To make
up your mind, I'm going to communicate with my
clients. better. And in 2026, I want you to hear
this. I hope you invest in yourself as a leader.
It's my opinion. You should invest in yourself
equally to investing in your business. What do
I mean by investing in yourself? Go to trade
shows, events, that's going to help educate you
on being a better business owner, which will
make you a better husband, a better father, a
better person. So invest in yourself. Go to Equip
Expo. Go to LCR Summit. Go to Brian Fullerton's
event. Go to these events with an open heart
and an open mind and receive the information
and apply it to your business, to where you are
operating more efficiently. and more profitable.
So invest in yourself as a leader. Buy good books,
join mastermind groups. I have one on Facebook,
The Lawn Hustle Mastermind. Would love to have
you be a part of that. So when you invest in
yourself, You're still investing in your business.
Here's some things you can ask yourself. What
worked in 2025 that I want to continue in 2026?
What drained me in 2025 that I want to or need
to eliminate in 2026? What do I need to stop
tolerating? Maybe it's a difficult client. Maybe
it's a situation where you don't feel like you're
making as much profit on that job as you should.
So in 2025 here, the closing of 2025 is a great
time for you to look at your numbers, know who
you want to eliminate, know who you want to work
for, find out who your ideal customer is, where
they congregate and target those people. So you
can build your client base, which will produce
more revenue and greater profit. So stop tolerating
annoying, pesty customers. I'm dropping a few
myself out of 140 customers. I never hear anything
from 138 of them. But I have a couple that will
drive you Bat crazy. It's not worth it. I'm going
to drop them for my peace of mind, my inner peace,
and I'm going to pick up more that will be my
ideal customer. So learn how to stop tolerating.
Learn how to say no. What kind of business owner
do you want to be in 2026? Do you want to just
survive another year or do you want this year
to be the year that your business turns more
profit, greater revenue? I'm in this business
not to survive. I'm in this business to thrive.
The business will never outgrow the person running
the business. If you think you are a leader and
nobody is following you, you're just taking a
walk. So understand if I want a better business,
I got to be a better man I'm gonna be a better
woman Because the business will not outgrow who
is running it nothing Goes beyond leadership
if you are a leader Your people should be buying
into your vision buying into your dream, buying
into what you want to accomplish because you
are sharing the vision, you are sharing the dream,
you are educating them, you are training them,
you are helping them to become better employees.
So always remember that. The business will never
outgrow the person running it. So you might think,
if my business isn't growing, if my business
isn't thriving, what can I do to fix it? What
can I do to help it become a thriving, profitable
lawn service in your community? If you're listening
and thinking, I'm still small. I'm behind. I
should be further along. Let me remind you this.
Every strong lawn starts as seed. Every solid
business starts with consistency. Let me say
that again. Every strong lawn starts as seed.
Every solid business starts with consistency.
Stay faithful in the basics. Show up on time.
Do quality work. Treat customers right. And they
will treat you right. If they don't, you might
need to consider discontinuing service to that
individual. Pay attention to the numbers. You
got to know them. How much profit did you make
last year? What was your profit margin? Things
you must know. And keep learning. Read good books.
Speaking of that, I have an e -book coming out.
Rooted for the long haul. How to retain customers
in the green industry. If you would like a copy
of the book, Shoot me an email. You can find
that in the show notes And I can send you the
pay links And then we will send you the book
It should be coming out in the next week, maybe
two We're having a little bit of a problem with
the final cut, but we're working through it and
it's going to be released When you practice daily
disciplines, they compound over time. I've heard
business owners say, well, I'm not a morning
person. You need to force yourself to get up,
get dressed, drink your coffee, eat your breakfast,
put your big boy boots on, go to work and develop
some consistent disciplines. that will compound
over time. Let's take a short break and let's
hear a word from Eartha Pro. Eartha Pro is my
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EarthaPro, you run the outside work, we run the
office. I challenge you this year in 2026, set
a business goal. Set a personal goal. Set a leadership
goal. Write them down. Review them weekly. Hang
them on your vision board. Hang them in your
shop. Keep them in your truck. Keep your goals
in front of you. Don't chase everything. What
matters? Remember, busy doesn't equal profitable.
You can be busy and not have a profit at the
end of the year. So busy doesn't equal profitable.
Growth doesn't mean chaos. If you set your business
up for growth, it's not as chaotic. If you have
no systems and you begin to grow, all of a sudden
you feel the pressure to perform and it becomes
chaos. As we step into this new year, know this,
you're building more than lawns. You're building
a reputation. You're building a livelihood. You're
building a legacy. So keep hustling with integrity.
I was reading the scriptures yesterday and in
Proverbs it says, he becomes a shield to those
who walk in integrity. The Lord becomes a shield
to those who walk in Integrity. Keep learning.
Keep growing. And most importantly, don't quit
in the middle of the season. If this episode
encouraged you, share it with another lawn pro
who needs a boosting going into this new year
2026. And as always, this is the Lawn Hustle,
where we work hard, we grow smart, and we build
something that lasts. Happy New Year, lawn hustlers.
Let's make this season count.