What's up hustlers welcome back to the lawn hustle
the podcast built to grow stronger businesses
and build better leaders. Because if you think
you're a leader and no one is following you,
you're just taking a walk. Today's episode is
built around one simple but powerful truth. Dividends
are paid. according to your discipline. I want
to give a shout out to Eric Triplett, the host
of the Deep End podcast. On one of his podcasts
I was listening to, he talked about this subject,
discipline, and how discipline will reward you
with dividends. It might come in the form of
a new piece of equipment, a new truck, a new
trailer. Whatever it is, it is discipline that
brings dividends. So if you have never listened
to the Deep End Podcast, search it, Apple Podcast,
Spotify. subscribe to it and hit the notification
button. You don't want to miss an episode. I
promise you it will motivate you. It will inspire
you. It makes me want to get up and go to work
and strive towards my goal. That's what the Deep
End Podcast will do for you. So make sure you
subscribe to it and listen to it. But today we
want to talk about how dividends are paid according
to your discipline. They're not paid according
to your talent. They're not paid according to
your intentions. The road to success is paved
with good intentions. Dividends are not paid
according to your excuses. But dividends are
paid according to your discipline. according
to my discipline. Rewards are not given to the
lazy. They're given to those who are disciplined
enough to work. You want something, work for
it. I could say that again. just for emphasis.
If you want something, work for it. We're going
to take a break here, and I want to hear a word
from our show sponsor, Eartha Pro. If you need
a CRM, I challenge you to contact Eartha Pro.
Set up your phone call. let them walk through
with you what their CRM has to offer you and
what it can do to help you run your business
more efficiently. Eartha Pro Backoffice software
makes it simple for solo guys and small lawn
care and landscaping crews. Schedule, invoice,
and organize all in the same place. We also have
a mobile app and integrate into QuickBooks. Sign
up at EarthaPro .com with promo code THELAWNHUSTLE11
for a $50 Amazon gift card, 10 % off, and personalized
onboarding. Eartha Pro, you run the outside work,
we run the office. Catch my interview with Courtney
the co -founder of her the pro on YouTube It's
on Facebook and I believe it was on Instagram.
So check those out Listen to it. She walks you
through on her computer how to set up invoicing
how to set up your onboarding and get your clients
and how to I send out invoices. Very informative.
And I am totally impressed with Eartha Pro. I
challenge you to check them out. And if you register
using the Lawn Hustle 11, you get your discount.
You get a $50 Amazon gift card and specialized
onboarding. So I challenge you to check those
out. You will benefit from it. Today we're talking
about dividends and how they are paid according
to your discipline. Have you ever wondered why
some businesses, whether it's in lawn care or
the home service business, some businesses seem
to grow consistently year after year after year
or season after season. And have you ever wondered
why? Why some businesses grow and some businesses
stay stuck. Some businesses take off and some
businesses never seem to get off the ground.
It's because of discipline, it's because the
ones that take off set up systems and processes
to help them consistently grow. If there is no
growth in a business, that business is dying,
that business is failing. You cannot stay where
you are. You might have given it everything you
had to get to where you are, but that's not going
to take you to where you want to be. You've got
to be disciplined day in and day out, week in
and week out, month after month, year after year,
disciplined. Set your goal. and do everything
within your power to work towards reaching that
goal. When most people hear the word dividends,
they think money. The old Johnny Menzel. Money.
But in business, especially in the green industry,
dividends show up in a lot of different ways.
Number one, when you're disciplined, dividends
show up in consistent customers. And when the
cheap guy comes around and knocks on their door,
they won't fall for the cheap guy. They'll stick
to you because you have proven to them that you
are disciplined, that you work hard, that you
do the job, and you're worth the money. Predictable
cash flow. When you are disciplined, you know
constantly how much is coming in. how much is
going out and where it's going to. When you don't
have a clue about what your income is, what your
outcome is, what your revenue is going to be,
what your profit margin is going to be, and you're
just stabbing in the dark, or you could say just
throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.
That's no way to run a business. You need to
tighten up your belt and become disciplined.
When you are disciplined you develop a solid
reputation. Most customers will buy into you
before they buy into your business. They will
buy into your reputation. They'll buy into your
story. They will buy into your work ethic before
they buy into your business. But once they buy
in, they are your customer. I've got customers
that I have served. This season will be the 17th
year. That I have been able to keep these customers
It's not and I hate to say this, but maybe I'm
not the best But no one will outwork me I promise
you that No one will Outperform me in my discipline
when I Show up, I show out. When I show up, I
do the job with honesty, integrity, and a spirit
of excellence. And when I leave a job site, their
property is the best looking property on the
street. Because I learned a long time ago, I
can do little things that set me apart. I can
do little things that make me better. Willing
up a trash can to the garage door from the street
takes an extra 10 seconds. But it shows your
customer you're not there just to mow their grass.
You're there to serve them. So build a solid
reputation my dad he's gone now I'm missing but
he used to tell me son don't do anything to ruin
your reputation because if you run your reputation
you might not ever be able to rebuild it So you
cannot be a business owner in public and just
put on a show in public. You have to live your
life consistently as a business owner, as a man
of honor, as a man who operates with integrity
and honesty. So build that reputation. When you
are disciplined, there is less stress in the
peak season. When you're disciplined, when the
grass is growing like crazy and you're tired
and you're frustrated because you can't hardly
keep up with the grass, you just keep going out.
You just keep mowing. You just keep doing the
job. You just keep putting one foot in front
of the other. You'll never get from point A to
point B if you get stuck between. So consistently,
stay going. Consistently do the work. Consistently
show up. Consistently... Prove to your customers,
I am worth the investment that you are making
into your property. I've had customers tell me,
I don't care what you charge, I want you to do
my job. It's because I've worked hard year after
year after year to build a reputation and a brand
in my city that when people call me They know
what they're going to get. So I encourage you
to always remember that your dividends are not
just the revenue that you make. Your dividends
are paid according to your discipline. When you
are disciplined it gives you freedom to step
away from the truck and work on your business
and not just in your business Because None of
this happens overnight Dividends are delayed
rewards Let me say that again dividends are delayed
rewards. They are the payoff of things you did
months and years ago before you even saw the
result. You see, when I started my business and
I was struggling With knowing how to operate
Because I thought I just cut grass But when I
changed the way I thought About my business when
I changed my thinking From I'm not just mowing
grass. I am a business owner. I am a legitimate
business. I am registered with my state. I am
insured. I am licensed. I am bonded. I am doing
everything that I'm supposed to do. So I'm not
just showing up to mow grass. I'm showing up
to grow my business. It's discipline that pays
the dividend. the reward. You'll never get better
equipment. You'll never get a better vehicle.
You'll never get better clients if you're not
disciplined. It just will not happen. I'm trying
to reach out and help you because I want you
to succeed. I want you to gain a certain level
of success in this industry because in this industry
you can be successful. You can grow a profitable
business. You can build a legacy. You can pass
it on to your children or you can sell it. when
you go to retire if you do it right and To do
it right you must be disciplined Because dividends
are paid according to your discipline Motivation
is emotional Discipline is intentional. Motivation
is emotional. Discipline is intentional. Motivation
says, I'll do it when I feel like it. Now hear
me out. We all need a certain level of motivation.
But you can't just be motivated because motivation
is a feeling. And when I don't feel like it,
I'll do it later. I'll do that tomorrow. I'll
do that next week. I'll do that another day.
But sadly... The other days don't come sometimes.
So motivation says, I'll do it when I feel like
it. Discipline says, I'll do it because it needs
to be done. A couple of years ago, I was having
some trouble with my feet. I had knots come up
on the bottoms of my feet. And by the end of
the day, I was in so much pain I couldn't hardly
walk. But I can tell you one thing, it never
stopped me from showing up to work. I remember
one day, this property that we were mowing had
a heel. in the front. It was a hard job. It was
a hard mo. Walking and trimming, climbing that
hill. It was hard on me physically. And my feet
hurt so bad. I got down on my hands and knees
and I crawled back to my truck. I don't say that
to get anyone to give me any pat on the back
or anything like that. But I say that to tell
you that when you are disciplined, the dividends
will be paid. When someone seen me, they came
over to talk to me. They said, if you're that
disciplined, we want you to start doing our property
because we just don't have the time. We're busy.
We work a couple of jobs. We just don't have
the time. to take care of our property so we
want you to do it because you have proven to
us through your showing up week after week after
week after week and being hurt and being in pain
and you still show up, you still work hard, you
still do the job and it looks great. Talking
about discipline, bringing some rewards. Bring
me some dividends. You want a new truck? You
want a new piece of equipment? Maybe a new trailer?
Work for it. Nobody's going to give it to you.
Work for it. Someone asked me one time, what
is your best piece of advice that you were ever
given? And my answer was They told me I couldn't
do this. So I was disciplined enough to prove
them wrong. Show up. Show out. Do the job with
honesty, integrity, and a spirit of excellence.
And serve your customer to the best of your ability.
because dividends is not just money. It could
be they sign you up for next year's service or
they decide to build that patio or they decide
to install that mulch and they're going to call
you because you're disciplined and you show up
and you show out. You must be disciplined. Because
discipline will bring dividends, not just money.
Bring customers. It brings consistent cash flow.
It brings a solid reputation. It brings less
stress. It brings freedom to step away and work.
on your business and not in your business. So
discipline, what does it look like? What does
discipline look like? Discipline looks like showing
up early even when you're tired. Answering the
phone. when you don't feel like it. I could not
tell you how many people tell me you're the first
one that returned a phone call or you're the
first one that answered your phone. It's not
that hard. If someone is calling for an estimate
and you don't answer the phone, by the time you
get around to it, They've already went down the
Google list and they've already contacted the
next guy Because we live in a world when they
decide they want something they want it started
at least Finding someone to do it right away
If you don't return a phone call you don't answer
your phone you've already lost It's true. You've
already lost. So answer the phone when you don't
feel like it. Return phone calls when you don't
feel like it. Send out your invoices on time.
So you get paid on time. You don't want to wait
past your terms before you send the invoice out.
Someone get The invoice and the terms are a week
or two or 30 days, whatever your terms are. And
you did the work 30 days ago. Send out that invoice
as quickly as possible. On my CRM, I send them
out before I pull away from the job site. And
most of the time the people pay me before I get
around the block. because I have developed consistency
and discipline in my invoicing. I don't wait
on money. The day I do the job, the bill is due.
We had a plumber at our house recently. Had to
install some new shutoffs to the water softener.
When he was done, and his mess was cleaned up,
he'd come upstairs and the first thing he said,
do you want to pay by check or credit card? I
said, I'll pay by debit card. He ran the debit
card. He said, sign here. Thank you. We appreciate
your work. We appreciate you calling us for the
estimate and appreciate all the work that you've
given us through the years. The money was due
when the job was complete. Don't wait on your
money. If you're not getting paid, maybe it's
because you're not disciplined enough to send
the invoice. If you're not getting the estimates,
maybe it's because you're not disciplined enough
to get the estimate returned to the potential
client as quickly as possible. discipline brings
dividends. So you want to maintain equipment
before it breaks down. Service your equipment
according to the manufacturer's recommendation
and do it consistently. Be disciplined. Yes,
there's days that we don't feel like getting
up and going to the shop early and servicing
the equipment before the day of mowing even starts.
But it sure beats getting out there in someone's
property and mowing and throwing an engine because
there's no oil in it. Or breaking belts because
you didn't inspect them. Or a tire goes flat
because you didn't look at them and see that
they were low on air. Or that they had a screw
in it and you needed to put a plug in. Come on
guys, get disciplined. And when you're disciplined,
it brings dividends. Nobody's going to do it
for you. And it's not easy. But sometimes we
make it harder on ourselves than what it should
be. So maintain your equipment before it breaks
down. You take care of your equipment, it will
take care of you. Most businesses don't They
fail because they don't work hard. They fail
because there are no disciplines and they are
not consistent. They fail, let me say it again,
because they aren't disciplined and there's no
consistency. Consistency. is key. So let's make
this real. The disciplined operator tracks his
numbers weekly, raises prices when needed, keeps
systems in place, and drains employees. instead
of winging it. The undisciplined operator guesses
instead of tracking undercharges year after year
after year. And then they want to know why they're
not making any money. Because they don't know
where they're staying financially. They don't
know their income, they don't know their out
go, and they have no clue what their bottom dollar
profit margin is. How can you run a business
if you have no idea where you stand financially?
The undisciplined fixes problems when they explode.
The undisciplined blames the weather, blames
the customer, blames the economy. Guess who gets
paid? The disciplined or the undisciplined? It
is the disciplined every time. The business doesn't
reward hustle alone. It rewards discipline. Because
you can be busy and not be profitable. You can
be busy and not grow a business. Not grow a legacy.
You can be busy. and not make a profit. It's
true. You can be busy and not know your profit
margin, know where you stand, know what's coming
in, know what's going out. Some guys don't even
know what they make. We're not just about being
busy. We're about turning a profit. We're about
building a solid profit margin. We're about systems
and processes. We're about growing. We're about
scaling. We're about taking our business to the
next level. And none of that will happen if you're
not disciplined. I was listening to a podcast
and someone asked Dr. Maxwell, how do you write
all of those books? And his answer was, I made
myself get up. one hour earlier. And I can get
a lot done in one uninterrupted hour. I challenge
you at the beginning of this season. Sorry, I
was trying to say season and system at the same
time. But at the beginning of this season, I
challenge you. get up one hour earlier. When
it's the day for me to service my equipment,
I get up and I go to the shop one hour earlier
than I do any other day of that week. And I can
get a lot done before the mowing even starts.
So be disciplined. Make yourself get up. Make
yourself go in early. Make yourself consistently
do what is demanded of you that day. Because
discipline compounds just like interest. Send
out five extra invoices. follow up on 10 phone
calls, improve one system. But over time, those
habits are created and it develops stronger margins,
better clients, less chaos, more freedom. You
see, you don't wake up one day successful. You
wake up one day realizing that your discipline
has finally paid off. Running a business is not
a sprint. It is a marathon. It's not easy, but
you have to be disciplined enough to do it. Let
me leave you with this one question. What area
of your business is costing you dividends because
you lack discipline? Is it pricing? Know your
value. Know the perceived outcome that the client
desires. Is it time management? Are you always
spinning your wheels and running here and there
but never getting anything done? Become a better
time manager. Is it marketing? If you aren't
marketing now for spring, you're already behind.
Because spring's success is built in winter's
cold, chilly months. Is it leadership? Remember,
if you think you're a leader and no one's following
you, you're just taking a walk. Identify one
area this week and commit to discipline. Commit
to action. Not perfection, just consistency.
Because remember, dividends are paid according
to your discipline. You want to make more money?
Be disciplined. You want new equipment? Be disciplined.
You want better customers? Be disciplined. You
want to build a legacy? Be disciplined. Because...
Dividends are not given to the lazy. Dividends
are not given to the uninspired. They're given
to those who are committed, those who are disciplined,
those who go beyond being motivated. Because
motivation is a feeling. And if you don't feel
like it, you just don't do it. Be consistent.
Be disciplined. And watch the dividends come
in. If this episode hit home today, share it
with another lawn care pro who needs it. Make
sure you subscribe. to the lawn hustle, hit the
notification button. If you're looking to surround
yourself with discipline -minded operators, check
out the lawn hustle mastermind on Facebook. I
invite you to join the mastermind group. Until
next time, stay disciplined, stay consistent,
and keep hustling. Thank you for listening to
the lawn hustle.