All Episodes
Trades Talk Podcast — 139 episodes
Nathan Dirksen: 38 Years From Crewman to CEO, and the Non-Family Leader of a 70 Year Family Business
Weekly Update #62: Inside the Landscape M&A Frenzy (12 Deals in 3 Weeks)
Cameron Herold: The COO Who Scaled 1-800-GOT-JUNK From $2M to $106M in Six Years
Weekly Update #61: Consistency Beats Intensity (and AI Might Be Your Biggest Distraction)
Peter Murphy Lewis: 100 Jobs on Camera, 200 CEOs Coached, One Playbook for Trades Storytelling
Weekly Update #60: Are We at the Top of the AI S-Curve?
Al Levi: The 7-Power Contractor and Why Systems Beat Talent Every Time
Weekly Update #59: Building AI That Actually Serves the Field, Not the Boardroom
Josh McMillan: The 30 Year Climb From Employee #5 to Nine Figure Landscape CEO
BONUS: The AI Guide That Wrote Itself
Weekly Update #58: The Two Levels of AI and the Audit Every Operator Needs to Run
Jerry Schill: How the Landscape Collective Scaled to $200M and 2,000 Team Members
Weekly Update #57: K&D's 300% Maintenance Sales Jump and the 54% AI Adoption Gap
Steve Wheatcroft: From a B Minus Business Plan to Canada's Biggest Landscape Company
Weekly Update #56: Teasing the K&D Operating System and Why Justin Is Stepping Back
Tim Hendricks: Lessons From Valley Crest, Cagwin, and the High End Residential World
Weekly Update #55: Fable 5, The Trillion Dollar Coach, and Permission to Cancel That Meeting
Ben Hansen: Why More Revenue Will Not Fix Your Profit Problem
Weekly Update #54: Inside the K&D AI Operating System with Sean Laux
Jeremy Ross: How K&D's Design Build Division Grew to $8 Million
Trades Talk Weekly Update 53: LeanScaper Takeaways, the Profitability Squeeze, and Why the Bottleneck Is at the Top
Michael Ding: Inside the $35 Million Series A That Could Triple Construction Productivity
Austyn Roth: From Mowing Lawns at 11 to Selling Lucky Landscaping at 23
Weekly Update #52: The Year One Lessons That Are Reshaping K&D
Kendel White Part 2: From the 2008 Recession to a $1 Billion BHAG
Weekly Update #51: The 7 Day Workflow Sprint That Sets Up Agentic AI
Kendel White Part 1: A $100 Truck, a Sears Credit Card, and the Beginning of K&D Landscaping
Weekly Update #50: Lessons from Peter Lemon, a Tour of Cal Poly, and Why Consistency Wins
Peter Lemon: How Graniterock Built a 126 Year Legacy in the Trades
Weekly Update #49: Inside the Top 100 List and the Three Layers of Capital Behind Every Platform
Bob Grover: Just Don't Suck at the Landscape Part
Weekly Update #48: The Owner Operator Advantage in an AI World
Anna Halstead: How to Build a Marketing Engine That Actually Drives Growth
Weekly Update #47: Why Owner Operators Have the Biggest Advantage Right Now
Kory Mitchell: From $8M to $200M and a Nine Figure Exit
Weekly Update 46: Pain, Profit, and the AI Gap
Orlando Castillo: Build a Sales System That Actually Scales
Weekly Update #45: The Future of Landscaping Is Being Built Now
Naylor Taliaferro: Why Authenticity Wins in the Lawn Care Industry
Weekly Update #44: The Power of Purpose in Building a Great Company
Get Strategy Done: Jonathan King on Leadership Alignment and Profitable Growth
Weekly Update #43: Unlocking the Future of Blue Collar Industries: How AI and Industry Shifts Create Unprecedented Opportunities
How NAIAD Irrigation Books 4,500 Jobs a Season w/ GM Jeff Soch
Weekly Update #42: Voyager Delivery Week w/ Sean Laux
Stop Guessing, Start Scaling: Kevin Scott’s Playbook for Landscape Growth
Weekly Update #41: AI Agents Are About to Run Your Business
How Brian Fullerton Built One of the Biggest Lawn Care Brands in the Industry
Bonus Episode: Derek Clelan & Your Haven are Revolutionizing Design-Build
Weekly Update #40: Lessons From LeanScaper and the Future of Landscape Leadership
How Richard Sperber Built Billion Dollar Landscape Companies and Why He Walked Away From Sperber
Weekly Update #39: Opening a New Branch, Autonomous Mowers, and the AI Stack Behind K&D
Disrupting the Next Generation: Jonathan Goldhill on Scaling Family Businesses
Trades Talk Weekly #38: I Built an AI Valuation Tool (and It Changes Everything)
Unlocking the HOA Market with Mike Perlof and Kara Foley of HOA Pros Podcast
Weekly Update #37: I Offered My Team $15,000 to Quit
How Chris Angelo Scaled Stay Green Inc into a California Powerhouse
Weekly Update #36: What Are You Waiting For? A Leadership Wake Up Call
Leadership, Labor, and Technology with Aaron Witt of Dirt Talk
Weekly Update #35: Live From SilverTip Heli-Skiing Lodge
Benji Carlson on Building a Revenue Engine with LeanScaper
Weekly Update #34: How AI Is Changing Customer Buying Patterns
Finding Soul in Landscaping w/ Tony Battistella
Weekly Update #33: Simon Sinek, Leanscaper, Voyager Updates
Automate First: The Story of MindCloud with Jamie Royce
Weekly Update #32: 2026 The Year You Stop Playing Small
Jeremy Ross: The Man Behind Design Build At K&D Landscaping
Weekly Update #31: Building a Billion-Dollar Landscape Company
Bringing The Industry Together: The SYNKD Story With Angelique Robb
Weekly Update #30: 2026 Is The Year of The Disruptor
Scott Hutcheon on How AI Is Revolutionizing the Landscape Industry
Eric Triplett AKA The Pond Digger: From Cancer to Coaching and Closing Big
Weekly Update #29: AI Agents, Revenue Growth, and the 2026 Game Plan
From Zero to 100 Employees- How Jeremy Talboy Started and Grew North Georgia Landscape Management
Weekly Update #28: K&D Goes Global, Doubts Set In, and the Truth About Leadership
Kress Power: Greyson Walldorff, Blake Meahl, & Kress on the Future of Landscaping Without Gas or Noise
Trades Talk Weekly Update: Benchmarking Profitability and Building Your 2026 Strategy
From Operator To Industry Leader: How Ken Thomas Built Envisor and the Green Dot Operating System
Weekly Update #26 - Gratitude and Leadership With Justin White
How To Exit Rich With Nick Bartolo
Weekly Update 25: How to Win in 2026
Peak Landscaping with Mark Pyrah - Leading Through Focus and Discipline
Weekly Update #24 - 1:1 Meetings, Private Equity and Electric Equipment
Diego Lopez on Branding That Actually Builds Trust
Weekly Update #23: Transforming the Landscape Industry: Insights from NALP
Balancing Grit and Growth: Urban Landscapes’ Rise with Andrew Martin
Weekly Update #22: Culture, Clarity, and the Disruptor Mindset
Serving First: Seb Lopez’s Guide to Authentic Personal Branding
Weekly Update 21: Equip Expo Recap and Game-Changing Tech
Leadership, Mindfulness, and the Power of Presence with Jon Gohl
Weekly Update #20- Speed Over Size: Why Fast Contractors Win
How Derek Clelan Built a Design Team Delivering 1,000 Projects a Year
Weekly Update #19 - The Next Three Years Will Change Everything
Growing Together With Granum: Uniting LMN, SingleOps & Greenius
Trades Talk Weekly Update #18 - Upcoming Events, Unlocking Business Growth Through Speed
How Shantel Perez Cut Turnover and Built Real Connections at K&D Landscaping
Weekly Update #17: What 100 Episodes Taught Me
What 270 Pounds Lost Taught Ron McCabe About Business Growth
Weekly Update #16 - Transforming the Landscape Industry: Insights from Recent Conferences
The Ownership Blueprint: How Ryan Markewich Put His Team in Charge
Weekly Update #15: How AI Helped Me Reclaim 10 Hours a Week
From Service Titan to Aspire: Eli Zevin’s Playbook for Growth
Weekly Update #14: Lessons from My Father and the Fight to Keep Growing
Jeff Harkness on Capital, Control, and Creating Real Wealth
Weekly Update #13: Leadership, Planning, and Real Talk
Turf Wars: Todd Zimmerman on the Rise of Robotics and the Fall of Gas
Weekly Update #12 - 6-Week Sprint, Greenius, M&A Webinar, AI Trends, Alex Hermozi New Book
Serve First, Scale Smart: Lessons from Tom Heaviland’s Journey
Weekly Update #11 - Travel Updates, Upcoming Events, What is your focus?
From Job Trailers to Visionary Leadership: Paul Voresis of Delta Landscape
Weekly Update #10: Clarity Over Chaos
Nick Knight and Christian Padgett on Insurance That Pays You Back
Weekly Update #9: AI, Clients, and the Fight for Profit
Building More Than Landscapes: How The Weller Brothers Scaled with Purpose
Weekly Update #8: Lawn and Landscape Tech Conference
Tiffany Peters: Homegrown Leadership- Turning a Family Business Into Her Own
Weekly Update #7: Sweat Equity to Generational Wealth:
Christian Heaviland: From Family Roots to Private Equity Rounds
Weekly Update #6: K&D Landscaping's Growth Playbook
Mark Sedgley: From Mowing Lawns to Merging Giants
Weekly Update #5: Own Your Three – Taking Control & Planning for Success
Tony Battistella: Why Human Connection Still Wins in Landscaping
Weekly Update #4 - Midyear Alignment: Clarity, Culture, and Strategic Execution
Eugene Lee: From Financial Planner to Tech Founder
Weekly Update #3: Inside the Kress Next Summit
Meg Butterly: From Country Radio to Powering the Trades with Kress
Weekly Update #2: Elevating The Client Experience
Ellen Rohr: On A Mission To Connect and Grow The Trades
Weekly Update #1: Trust Is the Foundation for Growth
Maggie Wymore: A Bittersweet Farewell to Trades Talk
Justin White: Leadership Lessons from Aviation
From Mowers to Magazine Covers: The Stephens Brothers' Rise in Landscaping
Joe Lafigliola: How Process Smart Helps Your Business Grow Without the Overhead
Craig Muirhead: Building Safer, Stronger Trades Businesses
Michael Ding: How Bobyard Is Building AI Solutions For The Trades
Carlos del Pozo: Solving the Hiring Crisis in the Trades with Team Engine
Paul Sanneman: Why You Should Never Stop Recruiting
Chris O'Donohue: Redefining Success Through Self-Care and Culture
Mike Loftus: Growth Through Acquisition without Outside Capital
Kris Kiser: Revolutionizing EquipExpo & the Landscape Industry