From Backyard Installs to Scalable Lawn Care: How Nick Thompson Built Grounded Lawn

Listen now on Spotify or YouTube.When Nick Thompson launched Grounded Lawn, it started as a side hustle doing backyard installs, sod, rock, and hardscape projects for new Colorado homes. By 2021, he realized there was a bigger opportunity. Recurring maintenance wasn’t just steadier income; it was a more sellable business model.In this episode, Nick shares how he turned Grounded into a profitable, scalable operation without relying on paid marketing or debt, while keeping a six-person team working year-round. We talk about the realities of cash flow in a seasonal business, how reputation can grow through simple Google reviews, and why Nick believes buying a business is often easier than building one from scratch.Key Takeaways* From installs to maintenance: Grounded started with project-based installs (median $20K–$30K jobs) before shifting to recurring lawn care for predictable revenue.* Recurring revenue wins: Weekly mowing (27–30 visits per client per year) turned one-off projects into year-round contracts.* Smart seasonality management: Winter months are filled with installs and snow removal, keeping W2 employees fully staffed year-round.* Route density = profitability: Each worker runs solo routes, covering 2–3 properties per hour, maximizing efficiency and reducing payroll bloat.* Tech + transparency: Using Lawn Buddy for routing, tracking, and customer communication helped streamline ops without marketing spend.* Culture of servitude: Grounded’s three values, Responsibility, Quality, Servitude, drive how they operate and win referrals.* Selling the business: Nick’s now preparing for an exit. His main lesson: zero to one is hardest—and buying an existing “engine” can be smarter than building one.Where to find Nick Thompson and Grounded Lawn:* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thompson-b6915587/* Website: https://www.groundedlawn.com/In this interview, we discuss:* 00:00 From backyard installs to Colorado lawns* 00:45 Landscaping vs. hardscaping 101* 1:20 Learning installs from his dad’s DIY projects* 2:05 Targeting new builds during the COVID boom* 3:00 Job sizes: $3K to $75K, most in the $20Ks* 3:40 Why recurring maintenance beat one-off projects* 4:25 Keeping six W-2 employees through winter* 5:05 Snow removal as the off-season bridge* 6:00 Over-communicating with customers* 6:45 The 2021 pivot to recurring revenue* 7:30 Route density: solo crews > teams* 8:15 How Lawn Buddy powers daily ops* 9:00 Splitting commercial vs. residential routes* 9:40 Smarter gear: ramp racks, standers, no trailers* 10:30 Lessons from late-night R&D* 11:20 Grounded’s three values: responsibility, quality, servitude* 12:00 Growth without marketing—just Google reviews* 12:45 Nick’s role today: payroll and check-signing* 13:30 Preparing Grounded for sale* 14:15 “Buying is easier than building”* 15:00 How to know if you’re wired to build* 15:45 Final lessons on leadership and honesty This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smb15.substack.com