The GROW! Show

Upcoming Events: Sign Up for The Landscape Pro's Sales Training (Virtual - May 13-14, 2026) Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #164  Meet Michael Ding, the brilliant young man behind the revolutionary BobYard bidding software! In this episode, Marty is joined by BobYard founder and CEO Michael Ding to discuss the inspiration behind their takeoff software and how it saves time for estimators and salespeople. They talk about the journey to create the tool, how systems can make estimates more consistent, and what teams can do to spend more time on the activities that actually drive value for companies. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Best Businesses Solve Hard Problems with No Shortcuts: If a market has a shortcut, everyone takes it and you end up competing on price. Pick problems where the only solution is the hard one. Then nobody can follow you without doing the hard work too. Estimators Should Sell, Not Click: Before BobYard, 50 percent of an estimator's day was spent clicking on screens doing takeoffs. Estimators are some of your most savvy people. Their job is to bring in money, not to count plants. An Order of Magnitude Better Changes the Conversation: A 10 percent improvement is a hard sell. A 10x or 100x improvement sells itself. BobYard cuts a 4-5 hour commercial takeoff down to 30-60 minutes. That is not marginal, that is transformational. Hire People Better Than the Average: Every new hire should be better than the previous one. It forces the existing team to grow into a new bar. The best hires shatter your expectations of what a great hire looks like. Ownership Means Other People Sleep Well: Define ownership by how easy everyone else can sleep at night knowing you are in charge of your area. If you are losing sleep over something, that is a sign someone needs clearer ownership of it. Trust and Ownership Are Two Sides of the Same Coin: If you do not trust someone, you will not give them ownership. If you do not give them ownership, they know you do not trust them. Great people want autonomy and partnership. Do Not Go Looking for Nails with a Hammer: Do not ask “where can we apply AI in our business?” Ask “where can we improve?” Then pick the right tool. Sometimes it is AI. Sometimes it is just better systems or a clearer SOP. Run a Real AB Test on Software Vendors: The best customers ab test products, run paid trials, build financial models for the ROI. Smaller companies often buy on emotion. The exercise of evaluating software forces you to ac... Chapters (00:00:00) - Start(00:00:28) - Welcome & TY Sponsors(00:01:42) - Meet Michael Ding(00:02:29) - From Stanford to Bobyard(00:04:22) - Why Michael Bet on Landscaping(00:06:55) - The Takeoff Bottleneck(00:09:28) - What Bobyard Actually Does(00:12:51) - Solving the Estimator Shortage(00:13:45) - Why AI Was the Hard Solution(00:17:12) - Doubts and Finding Product-Market Fit(00:19:48) - Why You Should Do the Hard Thing(00:21:50) - The Competitive Edge of No Shortcuts(00:23:29) - The Current Estimating Software Landscape(00:24:22) - Manual + AI is One Tool(00:25:08) - Why You Should AB Test Your Software(00:27:05) - Where AI Fits in Landscaping Operations(00:28:37) - Raising the Bar Without Forcing AI(00:30:08) - Delegation, Culture, and Letting Go(00:34:23) - Ownership, Trust, and Sleeping Well(00:36:33) - If Michael Were Starting a Landscaping Company(00:37:15) - Hiring Better and Asking for Feedback(00:40:11) - How to Reach Bobyard(00:42:30) - Please Subscribe & Share!

Upcoming Events: Sign Up for The Landscape Pro's Sales Training (Virtual - May 13-14, 2026) Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #163  We can't control other people, but we can control our own work, attitudes, and approach. When a client is upset, team members have disagreements, or a vendor drops the ball: the way you react matters. Keep your cool this spring with Marty's best tips for handling adversity, because we all know even the best plans sometimes go sideways. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode 100 with Rich Grunder Key Learnings You Can Only Control Three Things: Your attitude, your effort, and your response. That is it. Everything else is out of your hands. Strong leaders pause and ask what is actually in their control before reacting. Ask the Right First Question: When something goes wrong, ask yourself what am I doing or not doing that is getting me the results I don't want. That is ownership. Reacting emotionally never solves the problem. Leaders Stabilize, They Do Not Escalate: If a client yells and you yell back, the situation gets worse. Leaders bring calm, clarity, and direction. They reduce tension instead of adding to it. A Growth Mindset Changes Everything: A fixed mindset says this should not be happening to me. A growth mindset says this is part of the process, what can we learn. Adversity is not the exception, it is the norm. Slow It Down Before You Respond: Not everything needs an immediate reaction. Saying let me think about that can completely change the outcome. Separate the issue from the emotion. Replace You Are Wrong with Help Me Understand: That one shift keeps disagreements productive instead of personal. It shows the other person you respect their perspective and want to work together. Focus on Solutions, Not Blame: Blame looks backward. Leaders look forward. The question is not who caused this, it is what is the next best step. Use Mistakes to Improve the System: Acknowledge the issue clearly. Take ownership where needed. Ask the team what we can do differently next time. Move forward quickly. Do not let mistakes linger or define the team. Clarity Beats Chaos: Even if you do not have all the answers, give direction. Your team is looking at you. If you need time, say so, but follow through. Silence creates uncertainty. Reflection Questions The last time something went wrong in your business, did you react emotionally or pause and ask what was actually in your control? When was the la... Chapters (00:00:00) - Start(00:01:02) - Shoutout to Rich Grunder (Episode 100)(00:02:04) - What To Do When Plans Go Sideways(00:03:25) - The Three Things You Can Control(00:05:08) - Why A Growth Mindset Changes Everything(00:06:03) - How to Handle Conflict Without Escalating(00:08:36) - Turning Mistakes Into Better Systems(00:10:06) - Staying Resilient When the Pressure Is On(00:12:14) - Final Takeaway - Please Share This Episode!

In this episode, Marty Grunder sits down with Jimmy Hendricks, Senior Group Leader at Grunder Landscaping Company. Jimmy oversees the construction crews and shares the habits that separate great team leaders from average ones. From pre-planning the night before to walking the property before unloading a single tool, this episode breaks down what it takes to start every job on the right foot, finish at or under budget, and keep the client happy. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings Great Team Leaders Start with Pre-Planning: They review prints, read notes, confirm equipment, check permits, and verify the property is marked before they leave the day before. You cannot spend your entire day chasing the job if you want to make money. The Three O'Clock Call Sets Up Tomorrow: Team leaders report what they need for the next day. Group leaders meet to allocate equipment. If you wait until morning to figure this out, you are putting out fires. Knock on the Door Before You Unload a Single Tool: When you arrive on site, the team leader goes to the door first. Communicate that Grunder Landscaping is on site. Then walk the property and identify utilities, cable lines, and anything you could damage. Turn Wheels In and Get Cones Out Immediately: Safety is non-negotiable. This happens before anything else. You talk about it every day in the morning huddle so nobody forgets. Treat the Property Like It Is Your Own Home: Keep the site clean. Tarp concrete before rain. Put boards across sidewalks if you are crossing 50 times. Do not leave wheelbarrow stripes on the driveway. Smile When a Neighbor Approaches: If someone comes out upset, walk up to them smiling. It will change their attitude before they start yelling. This is trained behavior. Coach by Asking Questions, Not by Telling: When checking in with a team leader, ask them what they are doing tomorrow. Let them explain it. That is how you see if they actually read the notes or just scanned them. The Three Habits of a Great Team Leader: Pre-planning, coaching their team, and reviewing their own work. If they are not judging themselves and saying what did not look good today, they are not ready to lead. Reflection Questions: How far in advance are your team leaders planning their work? The night before, or scrambling in the morning? What does the first five minutes on a job site look like for your crews? Is there a consistent process? Are your team leaders developing the people under them, or just fixing their mistakes? Resources: BOBYARD  Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:01:02) - The Power of Compliments(00:02:18) - Meet Jimmy Hendricks(00:03:50) - Planning As a Team Leader(00:05:07) - The 3 PM Call(00:06:07) - Attendance & Accountability(00:06:55) - Bonus Program Basics(00:08:55) - Using Aspire for Planning(00:09:53) - Planning and Scheduling for Equipment(00:12:14) - Coaching New Leaders(00:14:08) - Share the Plan With Your Team(00:16:11) - Morning Truck Systems & Routines(00:20:53) - Weekly Safety Meetings(00:22:05) - Language Barrier Solutions(00:23:11) - Jobsite Arrival Checklist(00:24:21) - Trailer Hitch - Near Miss(00:26:07) - The Onsite Service Mindset(00:27:30) - Paperless Operations(00:28:16) - Promoting Team Leaders(00:32:38) - The Toughest Thing as a Team Leader(00:33:45) - Quality Closeout Photos(00:35:47) - Route Optimization(00:38:59) - The Three Main Habits of Effective Leadership(00:39:51) - Please Share & Subscribe!

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder delivers a warning: a full spring schedule can lie to you. If April and May are booked but you have no work for July, August, or September, that is not a production issue. That is a sales issue. The best companies are always selling 60 to 90 days ahead, and the smartest ones are selling a year out. Marty walks through where to find work, how to fill holes without panicking, and why your schedule is not just a production tool but a sales scorecard. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings A Full Spring Schedule Can Lie to You: Companies get busy, stop selling, and then panic in midsummer. A full spring does not equal a healthy business. You need to know what July, August, and September look like right now. The Best Companies Sell 60 to 90 Days Ahead: If you do not like what you see 60 days out, that is not a production issue. That is a sales issue. The bigger your firm, the further out you should be looking. Your Schedule Is a Sales Scorecard: Backlog is future revenue already sold. Gaps are future problems you can already see coming. You should be able to answer instantly what June, July, August, and September look like. There Are Only Three Places to Find Work: Existing clients are the fastest and highest ROI. Unsold opportunities are leads you already have that nobody followed up on. New work should be targeted and fill specific holes. Your Next Best Job Is Already on a Property You Service: Enhancements, add-ons, deferred work, plant replacements, outdoor living, safety issues. Walk the property with your phone and start taking pictures. When You See a Hole, Do Not Panic: Do not discount. Do not take on bad work. See the problem 90 days out and mobilize sales immediately. Jump in yourself. Increase activity. Call your top 20 or 50 clients. Enhancements Are Your Ultimate Shock Absorber: They fill gaps quickly, carry strong margins, and deepen relationships with clients. This is how great companies smooth out the year. You Are Not Building a Schedule, You Are Engineering a Year: Match demand to capacity based on the season. Sell summer work in the spring. Sell next spring right now. Level out the revenue instead of riding the ups and downs. Reflection Questions What does your schedule look like 60 to 90 days from now? Do you have enough work for July, August, and September? How many unsold opportunities are sitting in your pipeline right now that nobody has followed up on? When was the last time you walked a property you already service and looked for enhancement work? Resources: BOBYARD  Proven Winners: Allium Serendipity

The best salespeople are not just lucky. They are diligent, organized, and manage their time well. In this episode, Marty is joined by Dawn Arnold, Director of Sales at Grunder Landscaping Company, to talk about what separates top performers from everyone else. Dawn shares how she coaches salespeople to boss their calendars, focus on leading indicators, and develop the habits that drive consistent results. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings People First, Then Process: You can have all the processes in the world, but if you do not have the right people and someone leading them, the processes will not be followed. One-on-Ones Save Time: If you do not give your team a dedicated weekly time with you, they have free reign to interrupt you whenever they want. A one-on-one creates a safe space and actually reduces the constant interruptions. If You Cannot Sell Yourself in the Interview, You Cannot Sell to Strangers: Energy, connection, and the ability to build rapport in a short window are non-negotiables for sales hires. The interview is when they are at their best. Top Performers Know What Needs Attention and When: The best salespeople understand low-hanging fruit, stay connected with clients, and have a sense of urgency. They do not wait for things to happen. They make them happen. Leading Indicators Over Lagging Indicators: Sales numbers are lagging indicators. You cannot change a report. Focus on the activities that drive sales: proposals out, presentations delivered, pipeline managed. Boss Your Calendar: If you do not have time blocked for proposals, client meetings, and follow-up, you are most likely not going to do it. Top performers are regimented with their calendars. Do Not Hire Before You Are Ready to Lead: If you do not have processes, structure, and clear goals in place, a good salesperson will get frustrated and leave. Good salespeople want a system they can plug into. Development Must Be Intentional: Do not assume everyone knows how to network. Teach them how to dress, how to start conversations, how to follow up. Pair newer people with stronger ones. Family Members Do Not Get Special Treatment: If you let family get away with something, everyone will see it. Clear expectations, accountability, and no gray areas protect the culture. Discipline Equals Freedom: Spring is intense. Leaning on good habits and structure all year means you do not have to turn it on during the busy season. You cannot build habits in a crisis. Reflection Questions: Are you tracking leading indicators like proposals and presentations, or just looking at lagging sales numbers? If you hired a great salesperson tomorrow, do you have the structure in place to develop them, or would you be figuring it out as you go? Resources: BOBYARD  Proven Winners: Allium Serendipity Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:00:39) - Thank you to Bobyard(00:02:03) - Meet Dawn Arnold(00:03:32) - Building a Sales Team(00:04:33) - Grunder: Collaboration Culture(00:06:04) - One on Ones That Work(00:09:55) - Quoting Clinics for Your Team(00:12:22) - Dawn’s Initial Challenges(00:16:28) - Hiring Good Sales People(00:20:41) - Habits of Top Performers(00:22:09) - Activity Based Accountability(00:24:08) - Visibility and Competition(00:26:03) - To Grow, You Need Processes(00:29:15) - Home Shows & Sales Pairing(00:30:31) - Family Members in the Business(00:37:22) - Bobyard Free Trial(00:40:42) - Behaviors in Weekly Sales Meetings(00:43:00) - Building Trust on Your Team(00:45:23) - Sign Up for Virtual Sales Bootcamp!

Taking shortcuts is a good thing when it saves you time without sacrificing the experience your clients, team members, or the community has with your business. In this episode, Marty Grunder shares the shortcuts he takes to work more efficiently so he can get more done in a day. As AI is becoming more available, there are so many ways to save yourself time. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Shortcut Filter: Before implementing any shortcut, ask three questions: Does it maintain or improve quality? Does it actually make us more efficient or just faster in the moment? Does it make our team better or just busier? Good Shortcuts vs. Bad Shortcuts: A good shortcut saves you time and nobody notices. A bad shortcut saves you time, but your customer feels it, your team feels it, and you feel it in the wallet later. If your shortcut creates rework, it was not a shortcut. Truck Positioning and Work Sequencing: Where you park the truck can cut walking distance in half. Every extra step gets multiplied hundreds of times a day. Installing trees before final grade or mulch before grading means reworking your work. Boss Your Calendar: If your sales team is zigzagging across town, the day is gone. Group appointments geographically. Plan your day the night before. Drive the conversation and let clients accommodate you. Prequalify Your Leads: If you screen your calls right, you can close most of them. A few simple questions upfront saves a lot of wasted trips. AI Helps You Prepare, It Does Not Replace the Relationship: Use AI for drafting emails, organizing proposals, and researching prospects. But if your sales process starts to feel robotic, you have gone too far. AI should enable you to spend more time with clients and team, not run your whole life. Visibility Reduces Phone Calls: Pictures on work orders, videos attached to tickets. The more visibility your team has, the fewer calls, emails, and site visits you need. Prepare every work ticket as if you are going on a cruise without cell service. Reflection Questions: What shortcut are you taking right now that is quietly costing you time, money, or quality later? Are you bossing your calendar or is your calendar bossing you? If you were unreachable on a cruise for a week, would your work tickets have enough detail for your team to execute without calling you? Resources: BOBYARD  Chapters (00:02:20) - The Shortcut Filter: Three Questions to Ask(00:03:34) - Production Shortcuts: Truck Positioning, Sequencing, and Routing(00:06:58) - Sales Shortcuts: Bossing Your Calendar and Prequalifying Leads(00:09:14) - Using AI Without Losing the Relationship(00:10:48) - Administrative Shortcuts: Templates, Checklists, and Automation(00:12:37) - Visibility Systems and When Shortcuts Go Wrong(00:13:45) - Shortcuts Aren’t the Problem(00:14:34) - Please Like, Share and Subscribe!

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder shares his five-step crisis framework for handling angry clients, crew mistakes, and the constant firefighting that comes with spring. The real issue is never the crisis itself. It is your reaction to it. Marty walks through how to pause before responding, separate emotion from facts, own the outcome, solve in layers, and build systems that prevent repeat fires. Leadership is not about reacting better. It is about building a business that does not need constant reacting. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:30 - Welcome to the Grow Show 01:43 - Spring Pressure and Crises 02:53 - Why Leaders Lose Their Cool 03:43 - 1: Pause First 04:18 - 2: Get the Facts 05:16 - 3: Own the Resolution 06:07 - Handling Customer Complaints 06:54 - A Lesson from The Beginning 09:30 - 4: Solve in Layers 10:26 - Correct Mistakes WIthout Fear 11:43 - Systems Prevent Firefighting 13:15 - Marty’s Challenge Key Learnings It Is Not the Problem, It Is Your Reaction: Most of the time, the damage comes from how we respond, not from what happened. Action: Pause before you lead. Count to four. Lower your voice. Ask what actually happened. Separate Emotion from Facts: When a client says you destroyed their yard, that is emotion. Your job is to get the facts. Action: Ask for a picture. Ask what assumptions you are making. Facts make it manageable. Own the Outcome, Not the Blame: You do not have to admit fault immediately, but you do have to own the resolution. Action: Say: "I am never going to let this get in the way of our relationship. I am going to make it right." Ask What They Want: The most powerful question you can ask an upset client is: What would you like for us to do? Action: Let them vent. Accept responsibility. Ask what they want. Respond with a clear plan. Solve in Layers: Every issue has four layers: containment, client reassurance, internal correction, and process prevention. Action: If you skip the prevention step, you guarantee repeat fires. Correct the Behavior, Protect the Dignity: When a crew messes up, do not explode and do not ignore it. Both are leadership mistakes. Action: Pull them aside privately. Ask what happened, what should have happened, and what we do differently next time. Constant Firefighting Is a Systems Issue: If you feel like you are always in crisis mode, that is usually a sign your systems are weak. Action: Install one prevention system this week. Strong systems reduce emotional leadership moments. The Five-Step Crisis Framework Pause before you lead  Separate emotion from facts  Own the outcome  Solve in layers (containment, reassurance, correction, prevention) Build systems that prevent repeat fires  Reflection Questions

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder breaks down why growing companies struggle to stay consistent and what to do about it. Growth exposes every crack in your operation. Customers do not see departments or branches. They see one company. Marty walks through his consistency framework: clear standards plus trained leaders plus enforced systems. He covers the three areas where most companies break down: culture, quality, and client experience. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:30 - Welcome & Please Subscribe! 01:06 - Inspiration From Dan Pink 01:57 - Why Consistency Matters 03:51 - Three Consistency Pillars 06:08 - Non Negotiables at Grunder 06:45 - Leaders Model Culture 09:36 - Quality Standards System 10:28 - Visuals & Scorecards for Your Team 12:15 - Inspect and Coach Fast 13:26 - Client Journey Mapping 14:04 - One Voice Messaging 14:59 - Feedback and Snow Lessons 16:44 - Consistency Framework Recap 17:54 - Action Steps 18:39 - Please Subscribe and Share! Key Learnings Growth Exposes Inconsistency: What works at one crew breaks at five or ten. Customers see one company and expect consistent delivery. Action: Identify where your span of control has broken down. Fix the handoffs. Culture Is Behavior, Not Posters: You can post values on the wall, but culture is what your people actually do on job sites. Action: Define what doing it your way looks like in observable terms. Role play it. Show real examples. How You Treat Leaders Is How They Treat Clients: What goes downhill flows all the way to the customer. Action: Ask yourself how problems get handled. Do you correct with respect or frustration? Standardize the Non-Negotiables: Core behaviors should never change regardless of crew or location. Action: Document one standard this week. Train to it. Inspect it. Quality Requires Documentation: You cannot inspect what you have not defined. Photos of good, better, and best give your team a target. Action: Build visual standards. Use photos. Make quality observable. Inconsistency Lives in the Handoffs: Map the client journey from first call to final invoice. Transitions are where consistency breaks. Action: Identify who touches the client and where the handoffs occur. Tighten those gaps. Feedback Is a Control System: Reviews, surveys, and follow-ups catch patterns before they become problems. Action: Secret shop your own company. Ask clients over lunch what they would do differently. The Consistency Framework Clear Standards + Trained Leaders + Enforced Systems = Consistency Culture: Defined behaviors. It starts with you. Quality: Documented processes. Pictures of good, better, best. Experience: Standardized communication. Eliminate "that's not my job." Reflection Questions Where are you inconsistent right now? If you hired your own company, where woul...

In this episode, Marty is joined by Bob Marks, owner of EMI Landscape in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Bob grew the company from $700K to over $13 million in revenue and has built one of the most impressive snow operations in the industry. A former Audi mechanic who returned to his family's business when his stepfather was injured, Bob shares the details of their fleet, how they manage large zero-downtime facilities, and how they keep 150+ employees motivated through long storm events. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 01:35 - Meet Bob Marks 02:23 - From DC to EMI 04:35 - Scaling EMI 06:21 - Working with Mack Trucks 07:45 - EMI’s Fleet 09:38 - Plows and Efficiency 11:04 - Snowfall and Forecasting 13:03 - Buy vs Leasing Strategy 16:09 - Maintenance and Options 20:08 - Zero Tolerance Clients 21:45 - Saying No to Grow 26:47 - Selling Snow Work 28:04 - Subcontractor Labor 29:24 - Fair Subcontractor Partnerships 30:51 - Accountability With Brokers 32:31 - Year Round Snow Planning 33:43 - Equipment Ordering Strategy 35:36 - Staffing & Training Bootcamp 38:07 - Projector Based Site Training 38:40 - Truck Brush Safety Costs 40:43 - The Storm Communication Playbook 43:35 - Motivation, Culture, and Bonus System 46:31 - Biggest Snow Challenges 50:09 - Pride in People First 52:49 - Please Like, Share and Subscribe! Key Learnings Make Sure the Client Wants What You Are Offering: If they do not want it, you will not make them happy. Getting expectations clear upfront saves everyone. Action: Be clear on who you are, where you are going, and who you want to work for. Say no to work that does not fit. Partner with Your Dealer: The biggest equipment mistake was not building a relationship with a local dealer who could advise on specs, options, and configurations. Action: Go to lunch. Talk regularly. Learn what you do not know about quick couplers, transmissions, and winter packages before you buy. The Implement Matters as Much as the Machine: A small plow on a $200,000 loader means you are not getting the efficiency out of that machine. Action: Invest in hydraulic wing plows and proper attachments. EMI reduced their fleet by 15% and did the same amount of work. Snow Never Turns Off: Planning is year-round. Equipment orders happen now. The SIMA Symposium in June kicks off the next winter season. Action: Finalize equipment and personnel by September or October. Train regional managers before training everyone else. The 48-24-12 Rule: Give your team 48 hours notice when snow is in the forecast, 24 hours to confirm availability and send referrals, and 6-12 hours for the final call. Action: Communicate early so people show up prepared. No sneakers, no excuses, no last-minute surprises. Treat Subcontractors Like Partners: Pay them faster than you get paid. Give them all the work on their site, not just the big storms. Treat them like human beings. Action: Be picky...

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder explains why spring success is not decided in May. It is decided by what you notice or miss in March and April. Most owners look at lagging indicators like revenue, profit, and backlog. Those tell you how you did. This episode is about leading indicators: the signals that tell you early whether spring is going well or quietly slipping away. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:28 - Welcome & Thanks to our sponsor BOBYARD 01:10 - People First Leadership 01:50 - Spring Leading Indicators 02:34 - Production Efficiency Signals 05:38 - Morning Rollout Speed 08:26 - Sales Op Handoff 10:50 - Weekly Metrics Matter 13:07 - BobYard Ad Read 16:12 - Training During the Peak Season 19:06 - Eliminate Fires with Client Communication 20:53 - Early Season Challenges 23:17 - Wrap Up - Please Share & Subscribe! Key Learnings Production Efficiency Shows Up First: Crews running long on jobs they have done a hundred times before is not bad luck. That is inefficiency leaking out. Action: Watch weekly revenue per labor hour, job duration versus estimate, and efficiency ratings. If you are not watching hours, spring will decide for you. Morning Rollout Tells the Truth: A smooth morning rollout is indicative of a very well run company. Daily mobilization speed matters. Action: Are work tickets decided the night before? Are trucks set up so crews are not sharing equipment? Watch how fast crews leave and return. Sales to Production Alignment: If sales and operations drift right now, the gap only widens as volume increases. Action: Do not let jobs get sold and posted on the schedule that are not set up correctly. A sold job means nothing if it costs more than you bid. Fewer Metrics, More Frequently: Spring does not require more metrics. It requires fewer metrics reviewed more frequently. Action: Focus on weekly labor efficiency, billed versus produced revenue, missed production days, equipment breakdowns, and staffing gaps. Train for Consistency, Not Excellence: Spring is not your training season, but some training is non-negotiable. Rework during peak season is margin poison. Action: Avoid long classroom sessions and new system rollouts. Focus on job setup and team leader communication. Get them doing most of it right. Client Communication Prevents Fires: Most spring client issues are not operational problems. They are informational problems. Action: Go to clients and tell them things before they start wondering. Promise a week or a window, not a day. Clients tolerate delays far better than silence. Small Misses Compound Into Big Problems: If 30% of your crews are not following the process, that is not a coaching issue. That is company-wide. Action: Do not assume volume will fix efficiency. The earlier you correct what is off track, the cheaper it is to fix. The Core Message The hardest part of spring is not the work. It is thinking clearly under p...

In this episode, Marty shares 5 things he sees people doing as leaders that undermines their credibility or relationships with team members. He gives common mistakes that can hold you back in your career or limit the growth of your direct reports to help you notice if you're doing these things and course correct while there's time. ACE Peer Groups Register for ACE Discovery - March 25-27th ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 01:27 - Why Respect Erodes 02:20 - Apologies That Disappear 03:31 - Actions Over Words 04:46 - Stop Cancelling Meetings 06:07 - Regulated Leadership Wins 07:49 - Think Through Optics 10:11 - One Change This Week 10:42 - Please Like, Share & Subscribe! Key Learnings  "Leadership isn't what you intend. It's what people experience." - Marty Grunder The Apology That Disappears: The moment you say "but," you erase the apology. No one remembers what came before it. Action: If you are going to apologize, let it stand alone. Say "I was wrong, I own it, I will handle it differently next time." Then stop talking. What You Do Matters More Than What You Say: Your team does not follow your declarations. They follow your patterns. Action: Your calendar reveals your priorities. Your reactions reveal your standards. Your tolerance defines your culture. Your behavior is the real policy. Canceling Meetings: When you cancel, your team learns that commitments are flexible and that your time matters more than theirs. Action: If you schedule it, honor it. If you must cancel, do it early, give a real reason, and go to great lengths to reschedule. Spend time Sunday planning your week. Do Not Let Them See You Sweat: Your team reads your nervous system. If you look rattled, they feel rattled. Your nervous system is contagious. Action: Vent up, not down. Problem solve across. Reassure down the org chart. Find a spouse, mentor, or peer group member to process with. Think Through the Optics: People do not judge your intent. They judge what they see. Optics are the receipts of trust. Action: Before you make a decision, ask yourself: if I were them, what story would I tell about this? Does this match the sacrifice I am asking others to make? The Core Message Trust is not rebuilt with speeches. It is rebuilt with consistent behavior that people can see. Do not try to fix all five. Pick one behavior you are going to tighten up this week. Reflection Questions When was the last time you apologized and then added "but"? What would it look like to let the apology stand alone? If your team only watched your behavior and ignored your words, what would they say your real values are? What decision have you made recently that might look different to your team than it felt to you? Resources: ACE Peer Groups Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Fi...

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder delivers a direct message for landscape business owners heading into the busy season: Spring does not forgive. It does not slow down, and it does not wait for you to feel ready. This is not a tactical checklist. It is a mindset reset for leaders who want to enter the season decided rather than hoping things work out. Event Home: GROW! 2027 2026 Discovery - NOLA | ACE Peer Groups ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:56 - Grow 2026 Recap & Announcing Grow 202702:15 - Spring 2026 Mindset: Why Spring is Dangerous03:37 - Execute the Plan: Focus Over New Initiatives06:00 - Leader Energy Sets the Tone07:27 - Build Processes, Not Heroes: Clarity Beats Complexity08:44 - Set Client Expectations Early to Avoid Surprises09:52 - Owner Stamina: Be Intentional Through Peak Season12:42 - Don’t Do Spring Alone: ACE Peer Groups15:24 - Please Share & Subscribe! "Spring doesn't create problems. It reveals them."— Marty Grunder Key Learnings Spring Is Not a Surprise: Anything you avoid addressing, spring will expose. Strong companies enter spring decided, not hoping.  Action: Identify the decision you have been kicking down the road. Make it now. Now Is the Time to Execute, Not Innovate: Spring is for selling work and doing work. New software, demos, and initiatives can wait. Action: Say no to distractions. Execution beats innovation in the spring. As You Go, So Goes Your Team: Your team mirrors you. If you are stressed and reactive, expect the same from them. Action: Be present. Spring leadership is about presence, not perfection. Process Over Heroics: If your best people save the day every day, they are not heroes. They are hostages. Action: Build simple, repeatable processes. Spring rewards clarity, not complexity. Set Client Expectations Early: Most spring problems are expectation problems. Silence creates assumptions. Action: Communicate early. If someone is sick at 7 AM, call the client at 7, not noon. Protect Your Energy: Spring is when owners burn out. Your energy matters because your team is watching. Action: Sleep seven hours. Eat right. Move daily. Skip the gas station lunch. Do Not Isolate Yourself: The difference between owners who handle spring well and those who do not is whether they go it alone. Action: Sharpen your thinking with peers. The best leaders do not prepare alone. Reflection Questions What decision have you been avoiding that spring is about to make for you? Where is your business relying on heroics instead of process? Who are your hostages? What does your team see when they look at you right now: calm and focused, or stressed and reactive? Resources: ACE Peer Groups

Vince Torchia shares insights from over 250 members across 19 ACE peer groups about what's top of mind heading into spring 2026. From creating more leaders without micromanaging to understanding the difference between owner math and financial knowledge, to the red-yellow-green client rating system, Vince breaks down the three critical areas landscape business owners are focused on right now. ACE Peer Groups Register for ACE Discovery - March 25-27th ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:51 - Key Topics for Spring 2026 01:02 - Leadership In Your Organization 05:24 - Enhancing Financial Knowledge 08:52 - Defining Your Company’s Vision 12:40 - ACE Discovery 2026 Key Learnings  Leadership: Create Leaders Who Can Make Decisions Without Permission – What do I do to get more leaders at my organization? What kind of environment do we need to create where somebody can make a decision for a customer, make a decision for our team, invest time or money without having to come ask me as the owner? We've set up an organization where people can go take action and have some autonomy. The Nick Saban Coaching Tree Analogy – All four coaches that made it through the college football playoffs were coaches under Nick Saban at one time or another. His ability to be a great coach was also an ability to create other leaders, not just people that did whatever Nick Saban wanted them to do. The more people that we have at our organization that are leaders, the better that we will do. Soft Skills Are the Real Skills – It's really not about the technical side of landscaping or maintenance or irrigation or snow. It's all about the soft skills. How do you have a tough conversation? How do you coach? How do you lead? How do you give corrective behavior tools and still have them appreciate and respect what you're doing? 10 Years Ago It Was Just Me, Now It's Eight Leaders – Marty talks about it a lot. 10 years ago, he felt like it was him, maybe one other individual from Grunder who thought like an owner. Now there's eight of us on the leadership team, and many managers feel the same way about having the ability to make a decision, the ability to run the ball. Owner Math vs. Financial Knowledge – A lot of ACE members are great at owner math or napkin math. We know how many trucks are going out, we can tell by morning activity what we're at from a capacity standpoint. But my cash isn't matching my P&L. I have no strategy around debt servicing or liquidity. People are paying slower now. My AR days are higher than usual. Profitability and Cash Flow Are Not the Same Thing – The profitability moves from your P&L to your balance sheet. It's an accounting equation. The more we understand those levers, the better we can operate, the better we can have conversations with our banker, our lawyer, our insurance agent, our vendors. Red, Yellow, Green Client Rating System – Green means we love working with them, it's sustainable, profitable, enjoyable. Yellow, I don't know about these people, we might need to value engineer. Red, we're not making money, we're never making them happy, they're not referring us. Honor your contracts this year, but rate them and make a plan. Spring Is When You Ask the Hard Questions – Every spring, we go back out on clients' properties and the question enters our mind: should we be doing this work for this client? When we're at our most stressed is when we really start to ask the...

The busy season is around the corner and will expose the cracks in your systems. Prepare for the spring rush now with these tips from Marty Grunder on organizing your calendar, setting and focusing on priorities, planning ahead, and more to calm the chaos of spring. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:55 - Proven Winners and Marketing Ideas 01:52 - The Busy Season is Coming 03:31 - Use Your Calendar as a Leadership Tool 04:02 - Sales Leaders: Proactive Client Communication 05:17 - Operation Leaders: Planning and Coordination 07:02 - Owners and Senior Leaders: Strategic Thinking 10:08 - Look Ahead & Reduce Surprises 12:03 - Doing Tomorrow’s Work Today 15:27 - Habits for Handling Pressure 18:48 - Prepare Now or Pay Later 20:29 - Please Share & Subscribe! Key Learnings  The busy season doesn't create problems, it reveals them. If things feel chaotic in April, they were probably disorganized in February. Your calendar is a statement of priorities. If something is not on your calendar, it's optional, and optional things don't survive a busy season. The people who win the spring are the people who prepare in the winter. Things never slow down, they just change shape. Sales leaders need three daily habits: prospect, nurture, close. Every day I prospect, every day I nurture, every day I close. Without planning, you're not leading, you're chasing your tail. Operations leaders need time blocked for planning, crew coordination, equipment readiness, and problem prevention. Somebody has to be thinking about tomorrow, next month, next year. If your calendar doesn't have any time for thinking as an owner, is that really where you want to be? When pressure goes up, memory goes down. Write things down and capture commitments, or you'll forget customer requests while driving. Your brain is for thinking, not storage. Clear your head daily before you go home so you can lead. Simple beats fancy every time. One program with a couple bolt-ons at most, not 16 different programs on your iPad. Prepare now or pay later. You can either prepare now and lead calmly, or react later with a raging river and out-of-control mess. What to Calendar Right Now SALES LEADERS: Proactive client communication Proposal review time Relationship building Daily: Prospect, Nurture, Close OPERATIONS LEADERS: Planning time (spring cleanups, construction, leaf season) Crew coordination (who's on what crew, where) Equipment readiness Problem prevention (review last year's issues) OWNERS & SENIOR LEADERS: Time for thinking (staring out the window counts) Reviewing the business Talent development conversations Planning for tomorrow, next month, next year Resources: ACE Peer Groups Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder La...

This episode's a little different: we're bringing you Marty's keynote address that opened GROW! 2025 as we're onsite in Dallas, TX for GROW! 2026. Listen to hear Marty's take on growing a landscaping business. He shares the hurdles that stood in the way of growing Grunder Landscaping Co., how they overcame them, and what's ahead for businesses that are excited for the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 01:53 - Keynote Intro 04:34 - The Importance of Growth and Community 07:53 - Personal Stories & Lessons Learned 13:48 - Early Business Challenges & Successes 20:42 - The Birth of a Speaking Career 21:40 - Financial Struggles & Family Values 23:03 - Lessons Learned Through Growth 27:33 - The Importance of Team and Client Relationships 29:40 - Creating a Positive Company Culture 38:40 - Please Like & Subscribe! Key Learnings Growth Isn't Linear – In my 41 years of business, I've found that growth isn't linear. It's not a straight line. It doesn't happen that way. And it's not easy. I'm a 40 year overnight success story. Training Is an Investment, Not an Expense – The best way that you can grow a team is by making an investment in them. Sending them to something like this is way more than training. This is an experience. This is what can happen when you get around other risk-taking peers and let your hair down. The Christmas Party I Threw for Myself – I spent a lot of money on a nice party at a fancy restaurant. An employee pulled me aside: "We had to buy nice clothes. Our pallets aren't as sophisticated as yours. Pizza and bowling would've been fine. Give us a cash bonus." Who'd I throw the party for? Myself. I made that party about myself. Our New Mission Statement Puts Team First – Creating opportunities for our team to grow and succeed by enhancing the beauty and value of every client's property. The first sentence there, creating opportunities for our team to grow and succeed, that is our focus. Not about Seth, not about Marty, it's about the team. Business Is Like Golf – You grab that club real hard and swing harder and the ball doesn't go anywhere. You hold the club like a bird and swing it real easy and it's amazing how far the ball goes. I'm hitting my five iron 30 yards longer. Business is the same way. When we try too hard, when we push, when we make it about ourselves, we lose. $2.1 Billion in Combined Revenue in This Room – The combined revenue of all the landscape companies in this room right now is $2.1 billion. If we all leave here with our head on straight, with new ideas, making it about the team, not about ourselves, a rising tide raises all boats. Don't Go to Dinner by Yourself – The only way you're gonna get in trouble with me here today is if you go to dinner by yourself. This is a warm, caring community that wants to help you. I don't care how big or small your business is. Learn From the Little Guys Too – I got a buddy in a peer group with all these huge companies. Third year he quit. They were talking about captives, vacation houses, investments. He said, "I want to talk about where are you parking the truck and how are you maximizing that? How are you keeping those hourly workers?" There's secrets in those day-to-day struggles. Stress Is Caused Because You're Out of Control – Look for ideas so you and your team can work together with less stress. Doesn't that sound fun? Stress is caused because you're out of control and you don't know what...

In this episode, Marty Grunder and executive coach Chris Psencik explore how small, consistent actions compound into extraordinary results. Drawing from Captain Michael Abrashoff's leadership principles in "It's Your Ship," they break down practical applications across the Four P Framework: Platform, People, Process, and Profits. The conversation emphasizes that success in the landscape industry comes from mastering the details that most people overlook. Sign up for Grow 2026! Marty's Desk Pad ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 01:58 - Introducing Chris Psencik 03:50 - The Importance of Little Things in Business 05:00 - Book Discussion: Creating Owners & Leaders 08:37 - The Four P Framework 10:00 - Platform: Speed and Execution 14:49 - People: Training and One-on-Ones 18:01 - Process: Systems and Efficiency 18:54 - Proactive Client Engagement 20:02 - Analyzing and Improving Proposals 21:16 - Maximizing Software Utilization 22:19 - Bite-Sized Profit Strategies 23:22 - Overcoming Sales Challenges 25:17 - The Importance of Peer Groups 30:28 - Success Through Attention to Detail 33:40 - Sign Up for GROW 2026! Key Learnings Speed Kills (In a Good Way):  When a customer is ready to buy, they have Google, ChatGPT, and a list of competitors at their fingertips. The companies that respond fastest win. Chris shared how many businesses complain about needing more sales when the real problem is response time. The calls are coming in. The return speed is the bottleneck. Marty's Take: "Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left behind by those who didn't. Seize the day. What are you waiting for?" Create Owners, Not Employees: Captain Abrashoff's transformation of the USS Benfold offers a blueprint for landscape companies. He turned a failing ship into one of the Navy's most productive by pushing decision-making down, creating clarity, and building relationships at every level. The key insight: you cannot scale by micromanaging. You scale by creating people who think and act like owners. Chris's Perspective: "So many people think they can just white-knuckle those companies and grab their bootstraps and get their hands dirty. But once a company reaches a certain size, it takes successful people to really do that." Leverage the Wins: Recognition does not require elaborate systems. A shout-out with a Payday candy bar. Acknowledging someone in a team meeting who embodied a core value. These small moments reinforce culture more than any policy manual. The mistake most companies make is not capitalizing on things going well. Example from Marty: When a crew member spotted a drainage issue, reported it, and helped close a $3,800 sale, that story became a teaching moment about what "speed kills" means in practice. Train When You Have Time, Execute When You Don't: Chris highlighted how Curtis Atkinson uses the winter months strategically. Instead of viewing slow seasons as downtime, he treats them as preparation time. His team enters spring ready to execute rather than scrambling to figure things out when revenue opportunities are highest. The Principle: "Think with the end in mind. Where do we need to get? We need revenue. When do we want it? First an...

In this episode, Kevin Keim shares what he's learned in his career, the mistakes he's made, and the tips he has for landscape pros to create great SOPs and manage change in their organization. He shares tips for ensuring smoother transitions when you make a change and for documenting SOPs with low-cost (or free) tools. Sign up for Grow 2026! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:30 - Introduction & Welcome 02:40 - Megan’s Background and Connection to Landscaping 04:52 - The Importance of Accountability 10:01 - Skill and Will in Leadership 11:56 - Practical Tools for Accountability 16:47 - Advice for Landscaping Business Owners 22:33 - What to Expect at Grow 2026 Key Learnings My $40,000 Mistake: I Implemented Change Too Fast – I knew this from Dow, I just never did anything with it. It landed very differently after I made my first bungle, which cost about $40,000 in mistakes. That's just what I could calculate. I'm sure there was a lot more residual impact outside of that. The first thing I did when I came in was realize we needed to change our scheduling software. I rolled it out in three weeks. Big mistake. The Five Steps of Change Management – First, create awareness. Why are we doing this? Second, desire. What's in it for me? Third, knowledge. How do I do this? Fourth, ability. Can I actually do this? Fifth, reinforcement. How do we make sure this sticks? Most people skip straight to knowledge without building awareness and desire first. That's where I went wrong. Don't Stare at a Blank Screen, Just Start With Something – Whether it's change recipes or SOPs, just start with something. Starting is how you go do anything. We started on paper, flip charts literally, moved to a digital format, and then towards the end we took all of our SOPs and put them in ChatGPT and they could prompt and ask questions. Baby steps are okay as long as you've got that consistent change and you're communicating the vision. Use ChatGPT to Build Your SOPs for Free – You can go into ChatGPT and say, "I'm the president of a $5 million landscaping company. I'm struggling with how to implement change and get SOPs and get more of my team on the same page. What would you suggest I do?" You will be amazed at the fire starters that come out of that conversation. You can upload documents, ask it to rewrite things in simpler language, create step-by-step guides. An Employee Who Doesn't Know How to Do Their Job Leads to Burnout – An employee who doesn't know how to do their job leads to frustration, which leads to burnout, which leads to turnover, which is extremely costly. Not having an SOP, a documented one especially when you go to onboarding, is not an option. The biggest freeing moment we had was realizing that holding onto bad employees because you don't have a good onboarding process is what was holding us back. Paint the Vision of What's In It For Them – You gotta paint the vision of what's in it for them. You gotta get them to understand how it can make it easier on them. People at your company don't want to show up and have you hand them a pack of papers with drawings and phone numbers in a three ring binder. It's all on their phone now. It's so much easier. But if you're used to using paper, it does take a while to get there. Change Happens in Baby Steps With Consistent Communication – We started with flip charts, moved to digital, then to ChatGPT. Each step made sense for where we were. You don...

In this episode, Marty Grunder is joined by executive coach Megan Parker whose coaching has been instrumental in many landscaping companies' success and whose sessions at past GROW sessions have helped managers become the leaders their teams need. They talk about accountability as leaders and how to encourage accountability among their teams. Sign up for Grow 2026! ACE Peer GroupsStrengthsFinder 2.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:30 - Introduction & Welcome 02:40 - Megan’s Background and Connection to Landscaping 04:52 - The Importance of Accountability 10:01 - Skill and Will in Leadership 11:56 - Practical Tools for Accountability 16:47 - Advice for Landscaping Business Owners 22:33 - What to Expect at Grow 2026 Key Learnings Accountability Is a $10 Word That Gets a Bad Rap – Accountability is one of those $10 words. It's a great word, but a lot of times I find that people don't really know what accountability means or how to do it. When you think of accountability, what word or feeling comes to mind? My guess is your reaction might not have been a positive one.  The Three Key Ingredients of Accountability – First, you have to have clear expectations. If we are not on the same page about how to plant a tree, then you can't hold me accountable for the way the tree was planted. Second, we need to have resources. I have to have the ability to do my job. Third, those consequences. If you and I are not clear on what happens as a result of a failure to meet those expectations, then you can't truly hold me accountable. Skill and Will: Why Accountability Is So Hard – When I think about why it is so hard, I think about two things: skill and will. Does the person have the skill to do it? And do they have the will to hold someone accountable? Skill means do I know how to hold people accountable? Do I literally know how to have a conversation without flying off the handle? Will is, am I willing to hold people accountable, to be the bad guy, to worry about what people will think of me? Flying Off the Handle Sends People Into Fight, Flight, or Freeze – You're gonna send people into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Everyone will have one of those three reactions. When you go into that mode without the skill to have that conversation, you're gonna send people into fight, flight, or freeze mode, and nothing productive is gonna come from that. That's why the skill part is really important. A-Players Don't Want to Work With People Who Aren't A-Players – Do you want to work for someone who will not hold you accountable? The answer is typically no. The biggest issue with people who aren't pulling their weight is that other A-players do not want to work with people who are not A-players. Your best employees, your A-players, they want to be held to a high standard. They want to be held accountable, and they want others on the team to be held to that same standard. The Pilot Never Says "Let Me Call My Supervisor" – Your expectation for the pilot is that they need to get a plane full of people to the destination safely. If you're flying through a storm, you can adjust altitude or fly around it. Never once have you ever heard the pilot say, "I need to reroute, but I need to call my supervisor and ask him." You don't want your clients feeling like the perso...

In this episode of The Grow Show, Vince Torchia and Emily Lindley detail the planning that has gone into GROW! 2026, what will be different about this year's event, and how landscape pros can get the most out of this learning experience - whether they attend or not. Sign up for Grow 2026! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:50 - Introduction to Grow 2026 02:04 - Insights from the Peer Groups 03:45 - Event Space and Logistics 04:50 - Changes to the Tour Schedule and Innovations 08:20 - Networking and Dining Rounds 10:27 - Maximizing Your Event Experience 14:18 - Ways to Follow Grow 2026 Key Learnings We're Expecting About 1,000 More People Than 10 Years Ago – Complete Land Sculpture hosted this event 10 years ago in 2016. We had about 225 people. We might have a thousand more people than that for 2026. Gene and Chris have been to every Grow since 2016, so they have awesome ideas and know how they want their tour to run. More Space Than Last Year—No Crowded Escalators – Last year we had an awesome event in Columbus hosted by Hidden Creek. We had a lot of late signups, which we loved, but there were some tight breakout rooms, tight space with sponsors at happy hours. Other than escalators working in Dallas, I am excited that we have larger space this year—more space in our main stage room, breakout rooms, and general function area. The Tour Is Reinvented: Fewer Stations, More Time – Gene and Chris put together a really good tour schedule that involves less stations that are longer. So we have more time in stations, less movement of people, some more movement of presenters, and finally an actual formal walking tour of the facility. We've also taken some of those tour stations and brought them back to the hotel. Divide and Conquer Breakout Sessions as a Team – I would set up a meeting two weeks before the event with all the people from your team who are attending. Look at the agenda, pick out which breakout sessions everybody's going to. What I would recommend is that teams divide and conquer. Don't all go to the same breakout session. Take your notes and come back together to share knowledge from all the different sessions. Set a Pre-Event and Post-Event Team Meeting – During that pre-event meeting, talk about dine arounds, dinner reservations, what you want to get out of it as a team. Is there a specific challenge you're facing that you really want to find an answer to at Grow? After the event, do a debrief. Talk about breakout sessions, notes, takeaways, action items. Narrow down everything to five things you're gonna implement over the next year. Think: Today, 30 Days, 60-90 Days – Think about what's one thing you're gonna get done today, what's low hanging fruit you can get done right away when you get back home. What's something you're gonna get done in the next 30 days? And then what's something you're gonna get done in the next 60 or 90 days? Make it a manageable to-do list so it doesn't just live in a notebook. We Listen to 210+ Companies to Build the Agenda – We're always listening to not only what we're experiencing at Grunder Landscaping Company, but also taking a deep dive into the over 210 companies that we have in our ACE peer groups. We take into account all those meetings, conversations, accountability calls, and naturally things just bubble up to the top. We'll have more breakout sessions than we've ever had this year. Resources:

In this episode, Vince Torchia shares how he sees landscaping companies set their year up for success early with planning, refining messaging, defining the wins, and communicating all of this with teams. He shares the themes that have driven Grunder Landscaping's growth and messaging, and how to evaluate where your focus should be for 2026. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 01:32 Setting Up for Success: The Importance of a Yearly Theme 05:05 Recognizing and Appreciating Your Team 09:45 Effective Communication Strategies for 2026 13:54 Conclusion and Upcoming Events Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl   Key Learnings 1. PICK YOUR THEME What is your theme for 2026? Is it a culture year? A sales year? An operational efficiency year? There are no right or wrong themes Think about 2025, think about what needs to happen in 2026 Kick it around with managers, leaders, salespeople Examples: "Back to Basics," "Grow Maintenance," "Be the Buffalo" How will you communicate it? End meetings with it? Recognize people for living it? 2. RECOGNIZE THE UNDERAPPRECIATED Team Members: Who needs to feel the love? Thank you notes, praising in public, opportunities for advancement Clients: Who never complains, always pays on time, refers business, but we take for granted? Vendors/Subs: Who springs into action when we need them? Who's making things happen for our business? Host a luncheon, be top of mind for referrals, bring them a meal, recognize their team 3. CREATE YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN Put communication on your calendar for what's happening in the business At Grunder: Monthly "Grow Meeting" - state of the union, all hands on deck, same message at the same time Do you have monthly meetings? Scoreboards? Written communication in English and Spanish? Chart the course so no team member ever has to ask: How are we doing? Where are we trending? What's the update? Reflection Questions If you asked your entire team right now "What's our theme for 2026?"—would they all say the same thing, or would you get blank stares? Who are the three most underappreciated people in your business (team members, clients, or vendors) who deserve recognition but never get it b...

Happy Holidays listeners! In this episode of The Grow Show, Marty Grunder shares the routine he follows during a holiday week to make equal time for recharging, reflecting, and resetting. Make time for yourself and your loved ones, but don't miss the opportunity to set your 2026 up for success in this final week of the year. Dorothy Lane Market Stihl GTA 26 Cordless Pruner (Complete the challenge below to have a chance to win!)  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 01:47 - The Holiday Dilemma for Landscapers 02:32 - Managing the Week Between Christmas and New Year’s 05:03 - Recharge, Reflect, and Reset: The Three Buckets 05:45 - Five Practical Areas to Focus On 08:25 - The Grow Show Christmas Week Challenge 10:03 - Please Share & Subscribe! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl   Key Learnings How You Manage This Week Says a Lot About How You Manage Your Business – The worst thing you can do is let this week become a Netflix sit-around, eat junk, do nothing this week. That's not good. If you spend six to 10 hours the week between Christmas and New Year's, you'll return to work January 2nd seeing your business in a whole new focused way. Resting Is Okay, Drifting Is Dangerous – I organize this week around three buckets: Recharge, Reflect, and Reset. Recharge is time with family. Reflect means looking at reality, the good, the bad, and the painful truth. Reset means making decisions—what will I stop doing? What will I delegate? What am I gonna double down on? I Get to the Coffee Shop at 5:45 AM While My Family Sleeps In – I head to a coffee shop around 5:45 AM on the days they're open, even though I don't drink coffee, because I like that environment. I open my calendar, scroll month by month. What felt heavy? Where did we have callbacks? Where was I overwhelmed? I delve into Aspire, check dials, reports, numbers, because data doesn't lie. All Planning Is Good, But Planning Only Happens When You're Intentional – You've heard me say this many times. All planning is good. Credit to Dave Sullivan from 1997. This process I'm sharing with you is planning. At some point you're gonna have to say, I'm getting my act together. This is that week. Chaos Is Really Expensive, Order Pays Dividends – People come in my garage and they say, my goodness, what happened here? You could eat off the floor. It's always like that. I guess it's my OCD, but I just feel so much more in control when I have things organized. Chaos is really expensive, folks. Order pays dividends. The Daily Rhythm for Winning This Week Each Day: One hour in the morning for yourself

In this episode, Marty details what the Complete Landsculpture team shared during our tour session rehearsals that had him frantically scribbling down notes to help the team back at home. He shares what impressed him from this, and then what he's working with his own team to implement as a result. Cookie Recipe Sign up for Grow 2026! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:54 - Upcoming Grow 2026 Event in Dallas 03:29 - The Four P’s Framework 06:39 - Focus on Your People 08:41 - Process Excellence at Complete Landsculpture 12:20 - Insights on Procurement and Profits 14:03 - Sign up for Grow 2026! 16:09 - Please Share & Subscribe! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl   Key Learnings Every Presenter Mentioned Their Mission and Focus – Complete Land Sculpture's mission is to create complete outdoor client experiences and exceed those expectations. They're fanatical about it. Every single one of them mentioned that main focus in their presentation. Even HR mentioned that maintenance is their focus of growth right now. I was listening to people that weren't at the top of the org chart talking about the value of doing maintenance and the reoccurring revenue. Your External Customer Service Will Never Exceed Your Internal Customer Service – When I see a company that offers good service, I know that the team is well managed. The team knows that people care about them, and that's just a byproduct of taking care of your team. The place oozes with consistency of the brand, the looks, the smells, the way the office and the shop and the grounds are set up. They Give Clients a Weekly State of the Union Email – They communicate well with their clients, giving them a weekly state of the union email with full reports—amazing detailed reports with photos of how the job's gone. They do a complete budget, but then they put the budget into the months that they think their client could spend and they give them the budget. Many of their property managers struggle with that, so they try to make it easy on them. Take 5-7 Clients to Lunch and Ask for Feedback – Scott said they take five to seven clients to lunch and ask them how they're doing, ask for feedback. It goes over well because it's five to seven clients that are in the similar industry, real estate, and they like talking with each other. He said, we know we're good and we don't have anything to hide. So we have a conversation with them about what we can do better. Procurement Is Where Most Companies Waste Money – Xavier handles procurement for Complete Landsculpture. He didn't look at his slides, didn't look at his notes. Gene said, we can tell you know what you're doing. Xavier said, I don't have to look at them, this is what I do all day. It's not sexy, we just don't do it well. We waste...

In this episode, Marty Grunder and Vince Torchia recap what 2025 looked like for Grunder Landscaping Co. and the ups and downs that we saw. There were some great wins and also some lessons learned, all shared in our best effort to help other landscaping teams. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:54 - Landscape Pros Playbook Overview 01:48 - Reflecting on 2025: Wins and Learnings 02:19 - Platform: Culture and Growth 08:56 - People: Team Additions and Changes 18:02 - Process: Improvements and Challenges 21:14 - Profit: Financial Insights and Investments 26:56 - Looking Ahead to 2026 30:20 - Please Share & Subscribe! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: We Added $4 Million and 40 People—Training Couldn't Keep Up – We grew a lot this year. We added $4 million in revenue and about 40 more people. When you grow like we have, you assume people know how to do things and you don't slow down enough to train them. We've gotta train better. We have a saying here that's trust the process, but you can say that as long as you understand the process. I think we have so many new people here, they don't understand the process. Landscaping Isn't Simple When You Do This Many Transactions – We often hear from people or the inference is that landscaping's a simple business. I don't think it is when you do the number of transactions that we do. Now in lawn care, some of those transactions are $80 lawn apps and you have weather to deal with and all these people and complicated projects. There's just a lot, and when you grow and add new people, it takes a while for them to understand how to do things. Our Peer Groups Give Us a Reality Check – The great thing about our peer groups is the barometer that we get out of almost 250 companies. That's closing in on one and a half billion dollars in collective revenue. When you're in those meetings and you hear what other people are dealing with, you realize you're not alone and you get perspective on what's normal versus what needs fixing. Cash Management Requires Daily Review—Not Just Systems – The biggest thing I've learned this year was accounts receivable communication with the team. Yes, it's centralized and yes, we have a process for how we do it, but just because you are not involved in that collection does not mean you just get to put your arms up and be like, well, I'm not getting involved in that. Everybody on the team has to understand who owes money, why they owe money, and what we're doing to collect it. Nothing will ever beat daily review of cash in, cash out, and AR balances. We've Learned More About Our Ideal Client This Year – We've done a fountain project, we've done a historical renovation of a property, we've landed more commercial snow work this year than ever before. We changed the mission statement to create opportunities for our team to grow and succeed. I think from a platform perspective, we are doing that through looking at our ideal client in a new perspective for the kind of work...

Grunder Landscaping’s Cincinnati location recently secured a high-profile account simply because a prospect walked by one of their crews and was impressed—even though they couldn't see the actual work being done in the backyard. In this short episode, Marty breaks down the four key philosophies that turn job sites into referral generators, from treating your internal team better than you expect them to treat clients to consistently looking for the good instead of just pointing out problems. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:57 - Site One Early Order Program01:55 - The Importance of How We Work02:22 - Securing High Profile Accounts04:24 - Four Key Philosophies for Success08:16 - Internal Customer Service > External08:32 - Be Great At What You Want to See09:38 - Be Present and Engage12:43 - Look for the Good14:36 - Training and Systems Matter16:30 - Please Share & Subscribe! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl   Key Learnings Your External Customer Service Will Never Exceed Your Internal Customer Service – How you treat your team is how they're gonna treat your clients. If you treat your team poorly, you don't give them the tools they need, you don't respect them, you don't appreciate them, you don't have their paychecks ready on time—they're not gonna treat your clients well. You Gotta Be Great at What You Want Your Team to Be Good At – I can't expect my team to wave at people, throttle down blowers when someone walks by, be kind, and wave at the competition if I'm not modeling that behavior myself. We teach our people to wave to people, to be polite, to look like they care. That starts with me. Be Present and Bump Knuckles – I listened to a podcast with Corey Ballard who said you gotta get in there and bump some knuckles. You gotta be talking to people, firing them up, setting a good example, being present. When I'm in town, I go in early, I partake in our stretch and flex, I walk around with my nail apron stuffed full of candy. Lenin, one of our lawn care technicians, said "I missed you. I haven't seen you in a while." That made me realize showing up and being seen matters. Look for the Good and Reinforce It – When I have my apron on and passing out candy, I often see things that are bad. Yesterday I saw a truck that hadn't been cleaned out, a bald tire, and a mesh gate pushed out. I took a picture and sent it to the managers, but I don't go yelling at people. I'm a cheerleader, I'm a knuckle bumper. I look for the good, reinforce that, talk about it in circles, and post pictures of good jobs. The Exercise That Changes Everything Marty closes with this powerful exercise he uses when working with groups: The Question: Knowing what you know about landscaping, what would a crew have to do—to look like, to sound like—if they were working at the neighbors of your brand new vacation home in Florida that you just built because you did so well with your landscaping company? What would that team have to do to impress you to the point...

Sign up for Grow 2026! Chris Strempek and Gene Freeman have been partners at Complete Landsculpture in Dallas, Texas for 34 years. In this conversation, they reveal why they would've hired consultants and learned their numbers much earlier, how treating team members like owners transformed their culture, and what makes their partnership work after more than three decades together—essential lessons whether you're building a partnership, scaling your business, or just trying to figure out your next hire. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 01:52 - Chris’s Journey: 40 Years from College Job to Company President 04:06 - Gene’s Story: 34 Years of Partnership 05:58 - Roles and Responsibilities for Gene & Chris 06:55 - Business Development at Complete Landsculpture 07:52 - Company Structure and Services 08:55 - Unique Value Proposition & Customer Service 11:31 - The 5-10 Rule 13:55 - Growth and Challenges for 2025 19:06 - What to Expect at Grow 2026 25:26 - The Opportunity to Challenge Our Team 26:20 - Labor Situation & H-2B Program 28:37 - Challenges in Staffing & Growth Opportunities 31:21 - Celebrating Team Success & Culture 34:47 - Time Management Tips 38:02 - Community Involvement and Giving Back 41:46 - Relationships Matter At All Levels 43:18 - Chris’ Leadership Style Over the Years 46:44 - Thoughts on Private Equity 52:11 - Advice to Younger Self 58:41 - Please Subscribe! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Key Learnings: The 25-Year-Old Me Needed a Consultant Yesterday – I would seek the advice of consultants and get help developing a real, executable, goal-oriented business plan. The biggest tendency for operators starting out is spending all your time as a technician, virtually no time in the entrepreneurial or visionary role. You can't articulate to team members what you don't know yourself. We Didn't Know Our Numbers—Top Line Blinded Us – We just looked at top line. God, if we get to $4 million, we're gonna be on high cotton. We thought we'd be sitting pretty, wondering where we'd spend all the money. Not knowing your numbers, not knowing what you don't know, that held us back. Labor costs, material costs, ratios, overtime, indirect time—these KPIs are transcendent whether you're in Washington or Texas. Treat Team Members Like Owners and Challenge Them – We empower our team to make decisions and think like owners. We've learned over the years that there are things we suck at, but we have rock stars in our organization who can take those areas well beyond what we ever could. We gotta get out of their way. Don't Let Pride Get in the Way of Your Success – You've got to be willing to own your mistakes. We're far from perfect and we're seeing cracks right now. We try to acknowledge them, bring them forward, make them public, and learn from them. Make sure...

Marty Grunder announces the new Landscape Pros Playbook, an 8-year dream project created with Landscape Management magazine. Learn why training should target specific pain points, how to answer "Would you want to work for you?", and why competitive pay with career paths transforms seasonal workers into department leaders. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:41 - The Landscape Pros Playbook: A Dream Realized01:23 - The Importance of Landscape Management Magazine01:57 - Unveiling the Landscape Pros Playbook04:16 - Training: An Investment, Not an Expense06:35 - Would You Want to Work for You?07:34 - The Importance of Competitive Compensation11:34 - Career Paths & Growing Opportunities14:29 - Please Subscribe to The Grow Show! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: Training Should Be Based on Last Year's Problems – I tell companies to look at where you had issues: client complaints, callbacks on plants or pavers, team member injuries, workers' comp claims. Track when these problems happened, then build your training calendar around preventing them proactively—you're better off in fire prevention than firefighting. Time Your Training to Your Calendar – I don't think it makes sense to train on snow removal in May. Train on snow removal in October, November, and again in December through February. Match your training topics to when your crews will actually be doing that work. The Playbook Came from My Own Need as a 19-Year-Old – I was a sophomore at the University of Dayton running my business, and I'd rip open this newsletter and start reading it walking up the driveway. It told me when to buy fertilizer, when to apply it, how to sell pruning and maintenance packages. That newsletter gave me direction—and the Landscape Pros Playbook is that resource for today's professionals. Turnover Costs More Than Just Wages – I see companies focus only on what they're paying to replace someone. But look at what turnov...

Marty Grunder reveals how to identify your personal superpower and spend 80% of your time leveraging it for maximum business growth. Learn the StrengthsFinder framework that unlocks hidden potential in your team, plus four practical tips to work more in your strength zone - even when you're doing it all yourself. StrengthsFinder 2.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:00:30 Introduction and Welcome  00:01:04 Leadership Team Success  00:02:24 Understanding Superpowers  00:03:21 Marty's Superpowers  00:06:35 Brian's Journey to Success  00:09:35 Discovering and Leveraging Superpowers  00:11:42 Lily's Story: Finding True Passion  00:17:07 Practical Tips for Identifying Superpowers 00:20:25 Conclusion and Call to Action Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping

In this episode, Marty Grunder is joined by Greenius' Matt Crinklaw to talk about the mistakes that come from not teaching your team the skills that they need, experiments in how onboarding impacts success, how to successfully train your team, and the tools available to support landscaping companies in effectively training your team. Matt shares the different learning styles people have, tailoring training to what works for your team, the importance of training documentation, and the impact great training has on individuals and organizations. Grunder Landscaping Co. Field Trips — The Grow Group ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:59 - Meet Matt Matt Crinklaw: Journey to Greenius 02:53 - The Birth of Greenius 04:53 - The Importance of Training in Landscaping 09:10 - Understanding Adult Learning 11:13 - The Three Ways of Learning 19:23 - Career Pathways and Employee Retention 24:10 - Effective Training Setups and Greenius Benefits 27:31 - Avoid Costly Mistakes Through Training 30:19 - Getting Started with Greenius 32:56 - Common Mistakes in Training Programs 37:00 - Emerging Trends in Landscaping Technology 39:36 - Big Announcement from Grow & Greenius 43:12 - Sign Up for a Field Trip to Grunder Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: Training Gets New Hires to Productivity 40% Faster – I measured new hires against employees with one year of experience on 50 properties. The experienced employees were 40% more efficient....

Barrett Chow, Executive Coach with McFarlin Stanford, joins Marty to discuss why the green industry's approach to human resources is fundamentally broken—and how to fix it. Barrett shares the strategic framework that transforms HR from a cost center into a growth enabler. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:30 - Episode Welcome 02:51 - Barrett’s Journey: From PGA Tour to Green Industry Coaching 04:23 - Why the Green Industry Is Different (And Better) 06:46 - Leaders Are Bringing in HR Much Earlier Now 09:34 - Why “People Operations” Eliminates the Grim Reaper Stigma 12:07 - Ways to Improve Your People Operations 16:29 - Transformational HR Practices 18:04 - Building a Positive Company Culture 23:06 - Defining Your Company’s Unique Value 24:14 - Creating an Inviting Workplace 25:10 - Managing Employee Engagement 27:28 - Promoting from Within 31:28 - The Importance of Stay and Exit Interviews 40:08 - HR Predictions for 2026 43:26 - Please Like, Share, Subscribe to the Grow Show! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: HR Is a Philosophy, Not Just a Department – I heard the president of SHRM say "HR is not a department, it's a philosophy." Poorly run HR pits employees against the company, where people go to HR when they don't like a policy. That creates tension that's not needed. Well-run people operations creates strategic partnership. Leaders Are Embracing HR Much Earlier Now – We're seeing leaders embrace HR a lot earlier in their business lifecycle. Before, you had to be $15-20 million with over 100 team members for it to make sense. Now we're bringing in HR professionals earlier so they get to build the foundation for a company to grow on versus trying to be an add-on. Rebranding to "People Operations" Eliminates Stigma – At Lifescape I rebranded HR as "People Operations" because of the stigma—if HR is in the room, you did something wrong. There's a joke that I was known as the grim reaper: if Barrett asked you to bring your computer charger, you knew what was happening. Rebranding allowed people to see me in a different light. COVID Shifted HR from Cost Center to Strategic Partner – COVID turned HR on its head. We're now seeing that shift from "this is a cost center" to "this is my strategic partner, this is strategic enablement for me to focus on areas in my business that I know nothing about." Owners themselves can be the biggest HR issue—that's where you need a partner. Onboarding Separates Top Performers from Underperformers – The difference between your top performers and adequate performers and underperformers comes down to: did you set them up for success from day one? It's not just the first day or week—it's the first 30, 60, 90 days where you're continually checking in on expectations. Stay Interviews Matter More Than Exit Interviews – Exit interviews tell you why people left, but stay interviews tell...

Marty Grunder, founder of Grunder Landscaping Company and the Grow Group, sits down with his daughter Emily Lindley, the Grow Group's Content and Event Manager, to reflect on 30 years of the Grow Conference and the evolution of their $18 million landscaping company. From hosting the first Grow event with just 14 people in 1994 to today's conferences drawing over 1,000 attendees, Marty shares how staying stuck at $4.5 million for 12 years taught him the difference between being comfortable and truly scaling, why he once bought a racehorse with the dining room table money, and how his wife's unwavering support became as important to the business's success as any employee they've ever had. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:30 - Introduction and Episode Overview04:05 - Why Both Roles Feed Each Other (Not Harder to Balance)06:45 - The Origins of Grow: Starting at Age 26 with 14 People10:44 - “Say Yes to Get to $2M, Say No to Grow Beyond It”18:42 - Dawn’s Rule: “Do One More Thing Before You Go Home”19:40 - Cashflow Then and Now: “Paper Rich, Cash Poor”22:47 - Peer Groups: Layering Best Practice on Best Practice26:22 - “You Did Not Miss Big Things, You Were Always There”32:55 - Stuck at $4.5M for 12 Years: The Wake-Up Call36:59 - “Sometimes You Gotta Push, Sometimes You Gotta Trick ‘Em”43:58 - “A Different Kind of Person Shows Up to Grow”50:20 - Please Like, Share, and Subscribe!   Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Key Learnings Say Yes to Get to $2 Million, Say No to Grow Beyond It – What gets you to a million (adjusted to $2 million today) is saying yes. What gets you beyond that is saying no. I didn't know what the word "no" meant in the early days. We said yes to way more than we should have and didn't have the focus we have today on the right kinds of work. The Basic Foundations Never Change – In many respects, it wasn't a whole lot different in the '90s than what we do today in terms of basic business strategies. I've always known you gotta have your clients happy. I...

In this episode, Emily Lindley talks about what she's seen from facilities as she's toured landscaping companies and previews what our GROW! 2026 attendees will see and takeaway from our tour of Complete Landsculpture. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 00:44 - Exploring Various Facilities 02:10 - Complete Landsculpture Tour 03:06 - Adapting Spaces for Growth 04:49 - Innovate Facility Ideas 07:31 - Evolving Workspaces 09:51 - Career Path Signage 12:25 - Final Thoughts & Grow 2026! Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: Make Your Space Work for You – Complete Landsculpture built their facility in 2008 doing $8 million in revenue and now does $24.6 million out of the same space. They built with foresight into where they wanted the business to go, stayed flexible, and changed layouts to accommodate growth without adding new buildings. Design Around Your Business Model – Both Complete Landsculpture and Hidden Creek have design showrooms where clients come to them to see sample materials, past project photos, and make final selections. This eliminates pain points of bringing trunk-loads of samples to client sites or needing multiple meetings when clients don't like initial options. There's No Right or Wrong Way – Emily has seen fancy offices and bare bones ones focused purely on operations and efficiency. All the companies are successful - it's about knowing who you are as a business and making a decision that fits your brand and approach. Use Vertical Space – Complete converted a disorganized storage loft into open-air collaborative workspaces by...

In this episode, Marty reconnects with RJ Lawn & Landscape owners Ryan & Annette McCarthy who hosted the GROW! Tour at GROW! 2024 in Des Moines, IA. We hear about what's changed in their business since we visited, what challenges their business is currently facing, and what they've learned in their years in business.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 02:31 - Meet Ryan and Annette McCarthy 03:28 - The Journey of RJ Lawn and Landscaping 06:12 - Working Together as a Married Couple 06:45 - Current Business Challenges & Achievements 15:14 - Leadership and Growth Insights 22:26 - Building Confidence and Leadership 24:31 - Reflecting on Personal Growth 26:02 - Learning From Mistakes 30:53 - The Impact of a New Facility 35:34 - Challenges and Triumphs of Women in Leadership 39:02 - Balancing Marriage and Business 43:27 - Please Share & Subscribe!   Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: RJ's Growth Journey - Ryan started RJ 26 years ago with a previous partner. Lots of struggles and changes, but the last 10 years got real momentum. Grew from two guys with a pickup truck and mowers to 110 team members doing around $14 million. Annette joined business in the field when the company was 2-3 years old while in college, left to work for a construction company, came back to RJ in 2008 when they saw an opportunity to really make it go if they added layers like job costing and office support.  Current Year Challenges

In this episode, Vince shares what he’s seeing across the five ACE Peer Groups he facilitates; the real-world growing pains companies are facing, how revenue mix is often being shaped by the market instead of leadership decisions, and practical ways to drive more accountability inside your business. He also invites listeners to take the next step and join us at ACE Discovery, where owners and leaders come together to learn, connect, and grow. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:32 - Introduction: What Vince is Seeing Across 60 ACE Companies01:13 - Growing Pains: Systems and Processes Breaking Down03:15 - Growing Pains: People Need Better Training05:37 - Your Mix of Sales: Market Control vs. Leadership Control10:15 - Accountability Is Slipping Across Organizations11:08 - Accountability Step 1: Look in the Mirror12:00 - Accountability Step 2: Put Team Members in the Box13:58 - Accountability Step 3: Vision, Focus, and the “Number One”16:08 - Recap and ACE Discovery Invitation Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes:   Growing Pains: Systems Breaking Down - Companies growing post-COVID with more demand and better tools. Result: growth breaks systems and processes. Vince: "The systems that got you here won't get you to the next level." Solution: Identify 3-5 core systems/processes in each function (sales, ops, admin, finance). Review every 90 days. Where can technology help (meeting recordings, Zapier automations, ChatGPT)? Growing Pains: People Breaking Down - Companies promote technically skilled people into management without soft skills training. They manage work instead of leading people. Grunder's solution: Refocused training through Grainus, one-on-ones, hip-to-hip field training. Ask your people: "Have I trained you to be successful? What support do you need?" Vince: "At a minimum, people will feel heard and appreciated." Sales Mix: Are You in Control or Is the Market?

 In this interview, Marty Grunder is joined by Taylor Milliken to talk about changes that come when you grow a company and the journey from being a high-schooler striping lawns to now being an impressive, professional operation serving Nashville's growing market. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Start 01:01 - A Heartfelt Thank You 01:50 - Meet Taylor Milliken 02:31 - Taylor’s Background and Early Days 05:13 - Building the Business 07:13 - Challenges and Lessons Learned 15:19 - Focus on Customer Service 18:22 - Balancing Innovation and Focus 19:49 - Embracing Peer Groups and Industry Advocacy 21:17 - Balancing Ideas and Implementation 23:32 - The Importance of Vision and Core Values 24:26 - Write This Down! 26:03 - Leadership and Empathy in Business 29:34 - Streamlining Technology for Efficiency 34:39 - The Power of Continuous Learning 36:41 - Future Outlook and Closing Remarks     Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: The Strategic Reset: Going Backwards to Go Forward The Problem (2023-2024): Revenue dropped from $14M to $13M Got so focused on chasing sales that they forgot about current customers For...

Addressing a question we received from a listener, Marty Grunder talks about the importance of understanding how hours impact the profitability of a job, how he helps his team understand the impact they can have, and what they do to monitor and manage hours. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Start00:31 - Why Production Hours Matter: You Sell Time03:09 - Get Off Paper: The Case for Software Systems07:36 - The Estimation Standardization Meeting09:54 - How Grunder Grew from $4.5M to $18M12:31 - Finding Your Minimum Job Size & Profit Sweet Spot14:00 - Start Simple: Taking Action on Production Hours Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: Core Principle: You Sell TIME Every hour you pay for labor needs to be billable vs. unbillable (travel, training, loading/unloading, repairs, shop work). The sooner your entire team understands this, the better your financial performance. Universal Language: Hours transcend language barriers. Sold for 110 hours, took 130 = No bueno. Sold for 110, took 105 = Bueno. Get Off Paper, Get Software Why It Matters: Pay teams to serve clients, not push papers Young workers expect technology - paper systems hurt recruiting Impossible to scale or create sellable business with paper trails Software eliminates human error, provides real-time data Recommended: Aspire or LMN (far ahead of other landscape software) The Chick-fil-A Test: Imagine writing your order by hand for someone to read before cooking. That's the inefficiency of paper systems. The Estimation Standardization Meeting

In this episode Jason Cromley talks about the community he discovered by attending the GROW! Annual Conference, what it was like to host the conference, and what they've been up to in the six months since they hosted the tour during GROW! 2025. Jason shares how they're finding leads, what challenges the team is navigating this year, and what he hopes to see in the future for Hidden Creek Landscaping. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 00:57 - The Importance of Walking & Routines 01:54 - Jason Cromley: Updates and Insights 02:56 - Reflections on Hosting Grow 07:02 - Sales Goals and Marketing Strategies 12:47 - Operations and Hiring Challenges 19:43 - Sales Challenges and Client Follow-Up 21:16 - Importance of Client Referrals 25:18 - Marketing Success and Peer Group Insights 26:51 - Operational Improvements and SOPs 28:05 - Role of a Fractional COO 31:30 - Networking and Industry Involvement 36:39 - Planning for Future Growth 38:56 - Final Thoughts and Conclusion Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: The Power of Walking: Marty emphasizes the importance of movement and walking for business leaders, describing it as essential for physical health and mental clarity. He shares his personal struggle with maintaining step counts but acknowledges walking as a "cleansing experience" that enables better thinking and decision-making. Jason's Morning Routine and Recovery: Jason details his disciplined...

In this episode, Marty Grunder and Vince Torchia talk about the leadership traits they look for when adding to the team at Grunder Landscaping Co, how they manage planning conversations, and how great leaders push each other to get better. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 01:03 - The Importance of Kindness in the AI Era 01:53 - Leadership Challenges and Concepts 03:01 - The Art of Effective Communication 07:15 - Procrastination & Decision-Making in Business 08:41 - The Value of Clear Vision and Mission 13:43 - Real World Leadership Examples 15:52 - Field Trips And Leading By Examples 18:10 - The Importance of Recognition 20:10 - Handling Tough Situations 25:38 - Team-Centric Leadership 29:03 - Please Share & Subscribe Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: The Five Leadership Hot Buttons 1. A Leader is Someone Who Can Return a Serve The Tennis/Pickleball Metaphor: Leadership requires the ability to engage in back-and-forth dialogue, not just receive orders. What This Means: Leaders need people they can "volley" with intellectually Simply saying "okay" to every idea creates no productive exchange Great conversations involve building on ideas: "Here's how I see that playing out from a production team perspective..." <...

Jarod was an early member of our ACE Peer Group Program and has been a longtime friend. In this episode, him and Marty reminisce on their businesses and where they started, how things changed, and what that journey looked like. They talk about the services they've offered and how that's changed as they've refined their businesses, how their roles have changed over time, and what drove each of those changes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   Social Media Accounts for Earth, Turf & WoodFacebook Twitter/X Instagram Pinterest Client Communication Sample for Earth, Turf & Wood   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 01:45 - Meet Jarod Hynson 03:57 - The Importance of Family 07:10 - Balancing Business and Family 09:22 - The Evolution of Earth, Turf & Wood 17:27 - Building a New Facility 22:54 - Client Relationships & Sales Process 25:02 - Key Standard Operating Procedures 25:53 - The Importance of Setting Appointments 28:03 - Leadership and Team Processes 29:44 - Safety Meetings & Team Pride 31:36 - Client Communication Strategies 36:08 - Reflecting on Business Mistakes and Growth 37:24 - The Value of Peer Groups and Networking 42:38 - Planning for the Future and Exit Strategies 47:04 - Please Like, Subscribe and Share!   Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn

In this episode, Emily Lindley shares three tips for landscaping companies to put a focus on their organic social media presence. She shares tips for planning out content, securing your account, and also ideas for content that will appeal to your clients. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Episode Intro 00:32 - The Power of Professional Landscaping 02:34 - The Importance of Organic Social Media 05:00 - Consistency in Social Media Posting 08:43 - Securing Your Social Media Accounts 12:44 - Creating Engaging Content 18:35 - Upcoming Events Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes: Social Media Influences Business Decisions – Emily's personal home building experience showed how impressive social media presence nearly swayed her decision: "It was a little hard for me not to go with them... just the work that they do is so beautiful and they do such a great job of photographing it." Social Media as Trust Builder – Strong organic presence provides social proof through client comments and engagement: "Are the clients like raving about them, past clients, raving about them in the comments? It's just that social proof that we're always looking for." LinkedIn Offers Best Organic Reach – "You can get a lot of organic traction on LinkedIn still, in ways that it can be harder to on Instagram and Facebook without having some paid ads in the mix." Consistency Over Frequency – Better to post 3 times per week consistently than post daily for a week then disappear for two weeks. "You do need to have some consistency there."

The devil is in the details, and smart leaders know that the hardest part of their job tends to be consistency. In this episode, Marty shares 5 things that landscaping company leaders need to be doing or thinking about in order to be successful in their roles. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! The Power of Cleanliness in Landscaping (Youtube Episode) Marty's Tips on Planning Ahead (Youtube Episode) Episode Chapters: 00:30 - The Power of the Family Group Chat 02:12 - The Importance of Generating Business 03:35 - The 5 Things Every Landscaper Should Focus On 04:01 - Breaking Down Efficiency Rating 05:31 - Have Consistency In Your Brand 06:55 - The Social Media Test 10:00 - Cleanliness Standards 10:18 - A Leadership Lesson From Pam Morris 14:12 - Team Member Wellbeing 17:20 - The Rehire Question 19:53 - Playing Favorites and Accountability 20:35 - Leaders, Check Your Ego 21:45 - Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses 23:20 - Recap of the 5 Areas to Focus On Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping    Marty Grunder LinkedIn   Stihl     Show Notes:  Efficiency Rating as Universal Language – Calculate budgeted hours divided by actual hours. "If you bid a job for 150 hours and it took 140, that's good. That's bueno. If you bid 150 and it took 175, that's bad. No bueno." Everyone understands this metric regardless of language barriers.

Procrastination can be a silent killer in your business and in your personal life. In this episode, Marty talks about how procrastination holds people back and the impact of not procrastinating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   00:00 - Episode Intro 01:00 - The Power of Walking 02:20 - Procrastination: The Silent Killer 03:33 - Personal Stories of Overcoming Procrastination 06:11 - Strategies to Beat Procrastination 06:30 - Do You Have a Vision? 11:19 - Organize for Success 17:16 - Reward Yourself 21:02 - Please Share and Subscribe!   Show Notes: "Procrastination is the Language of the Poor" – Marty's controversial banner message (that he had to take down) reflects his core belief that delaying action prevents entrepreneurs from reaching full potential. This is a message for owners/leaders, not team members. Personal Health Transformation – Lost 23 pounds through walking (150,000+ steps/week) and changed eating habits. Went from 223 pounds, baggy clothes, and getting winded jogging up the driveway to being physically capable and energetic. Vision as Anti-Procrastination Tool – Having clear vision of what you want your life to be like AND what it will be like if you procrastinate. "I know very clearly what I want the second half of my life to be like... physically, financially, socially, emotionally." Movement Begets Movement – Physical activity creates mental clarity and energy that transfers to business execution. "I have more energy, more time to think, been able to see more clearly what procrastination can do." Three Core Solutions to Procrastination: Have a Vision - Know what happens if you do/don't take action Be Organized with Accountability - Share goals with mentors, spouse, partners Reward Yourself - Gamify progress with small and large rewards OneNote as Life Operating System – Everything organized digitally: life plan, financial plan, business plans, daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly goals. "Great joy crossing out things I want to get done today." Accountability Partners are Critical – Regular breakfast meetings with successful mentor, sharing vulnerabilities and goals. Wife as accountability partner who knows business plans and struggles. Pre-Vacation Productivity

Team Grunder works on multi-year plans so that they can project growth and know what investments are needed now for it to be possible later. In this episode, the team talks about what goes into making equipment purchase decisions. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 02:18 - Introducing Bill Rosell - Grunder Landscaping 02:55 - Managing the Fleet with Aspire 04:06 - Equipment Purchasing & Insights 05:57 - Truck Types and Their Uses 08:07 - Box Trucks for Mowing Crews 08:58 - The Benefits of the Box Truck 10:28 - Land Keeping Trucks 13:27 - Heavy Construction Trucks 15:20 - The Switch to Isuzu Trucks 16:43 - Training and Maintenance Procedures 17:11 - Monday Morning Truck Checks with Aspire 21:17 - Sales Vehicles & Their Importance 22:56 - Mini Skids and Loaders 23:40 - Mower Brands and Outsourcing Repairs 25:02 - Stihl Products at Grunder 25:19 - Final Thoughts on Fleet Management   Show Notes Always Look Forward, Not Backward – Bill's philosophy: "You always have to look forward and see what you need to change... what we did three years ago is not gonna work for us next year." Growth requires constant adaptation, not rinse-and-repeat approaches. Test Before You Invest – When considering new equipment, "we will at least bring in one as a pilot and put it with one of our experienced crews to get the feedback before we go and make a big purchase." The Box Truck Revolution – Switched from pickup trucks with trailers to self-contained box trucks. Benefits: mobile billboard, storage, no loading/unloading, better maneuverability, first in/last out efficiency. Aspire Integration for Fleet Management – Using Aspire software to track maintenance, mileage, and vehicle status in real-time. Enables immediate access to fleet data and automated maintenance scheduling. Monday Morning Truck Inspections – Mandatory weekly inspections using Aspire tablets. Team leaders check fluids, lights, tires, etc. Issues automatically report to fleet manager for prioritized repairs. Specialized Trucks for Different Functions

When you work on properties and landscape installations as large as the ones in McHale Landscape Design's portfolio, managing materials becomes either a weakness or an opportunity to excel. In this episode, Emily Lindley details what she sees the McHale team doing to find the plants and materials they need and get them where they need to go. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   00:00 - Start 00:35 - Preview of the NALP Field Trip 01:44 - Material handling Insights 02:44 - Centralized Plant Farm Strategy 05:18 - Operations Team as Logistics Managers 07:34 - Direct Delivery of Non-Green Goods 10:04 - Conclusion & Event Details   Show Notes: Centralized Plant Farm Strategy – McHale operates a large-scale plant yard where they buy plants, care for them until mature, then install larger specimens than competitors. Creates "instant maturity" for clients who want immediate privacy and full landscapes. Be Your Own Supply Chain – By controlling plant material from purchase to installation, they can offer mature specimens that look established immediately. Differentiates them in the high-end residential market where clients want instant results. Operations as Logistics Managers – Their operations team functions more like logistics coordinators than traditional supervisors. Sales team manages installs and supervises work while operations handles material flow, delivery timing, and supply chain coordination. Direct-to-Site Delivery for Large Projects – Non-green goods (hardscape materials, etc.) delivered directly to job sites for large installations. Eliminates double-handling and transportation costs for major projects. Plant Material Direct Delivery – For projects with large quantities of trees/shrubs, direct delivery to job sites makes more sense than routing through a facility. Requires planning for on-site plant care in project bids. Design Operations Around Ideal Client – McHale's entire supply chain and operations are designed around what high-end residential clients want: mature plants, seamless experience, instant results. Every system serves this client preference. Sales Team as Single Point of Contact – Maintains relationship continuity by keeping salesperson as primary client contact throughout the project, even when operations handles logistics behind scenes. Account for On-Site Plant Care in Bids – When plants are delivered direct...

Keeping your trucks clean is more than just a to-do list task: it's part of the daily company culture at Grunder Landscaping. In this episode, Marty Grunder is joined by members of the Grunder Landscaping production teams who share how they manage to keep things clean, how organization makes their jobs easier, and what goes into keeping everything in order. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!     00:00 - Episode Intro 00:30 - Introduction 01:57 - The Importance of Cleanliness in Landscaping 02:26 - Nick: Cleanliness Culture 05:48 - Zack and Brian: Safety and Cleanliness 09:32 - Lorenzo: Consistency in Cleanliness 12:03 - The Importance of Sensory Experience 14:31 - Investing in Clean Facilities 16:16 - Hiring for Healthy Habits 19:30 - Leadership and Leading by Example 22:17 - Final Thoughts   Show Notes Create Daily Micro-Habits – Like Nick's turn signal analogy, build tiny cleaning actions into existing routines (fuel up = wipe down, end of shift = trash out) Invest in Employee Spaces – Quality bathrooms, break rooms, work areas show you value your team and set expectations for how they should treat client spaces Use All Five Senses – Audit your facility for what people see, hear, smell, feel when they walk in. Each sense communicates your standards Implement Monday Inspections – Weekly vehicle safety and cleanliness checks create accountability and prevent small problems from becoming big ones Hire for Culture Fit – Interview questions about organization/cleanliness, then check candidate's personal vehicle to see if actions match words Model the Behavior – Leaders must personally demonstrate the cleanliness standards they expect from others Create Visual Systems – Labels, outlines, designated spots make it easy for anyone to know where things belong, regardless of language or experience Address Issues Immediately – Don't let messes or low standards slide "just this once" - consistent enforcement prevents decay   Resources:Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  The Grow Group    Grunder Landscaping   

In this episode, Marty is joined by Brian Fullerton of Brian's Lawn Maintenance. They discuss the landscaping industry as a whole, running a business while raising a family, and the challenges that they've both faced as business owners. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Brian's Shop Tour at GrunderBrian's Lawn Maintenance (YT Channel) Marty's Turn to 2 Interview 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 01:31 - Meet Brian Fullerton 02:31 - Brian’s Early Career and Challenges 05:41 - Changing Careers to Start Brian’s Lawn Maintenance 07:33 - Growth and Success 08:13 - Relatibility and Community Engagement 09:55 - Reflecting on Humble Beginnings 13:45 - Creating Content for Landscapers 22:08 - Lessons Learned: Leadership and Team Building 26:29 - Get Feedback From Your Team 29:46 - The Importance of Company Culture 33:10 - Common Mistakes in Landscaping 37:22 - Operational Efficiency and Morning Routines 39:30 - Takeaways from Visiting Grunder Landscaping 45:42 - Future Goals 49:58 - Please Share and Subscribe!  Show Notes The Blade Sharpener Artifact – Found his original $20 blade sharpener from 20 years ago in mom's shed cleanup. "It felt like a memory... like an old warrior picking up his old sword." Keep reminders of your humble beginnings to stay grounded and grateful. Humble Beginnings Build Character – Started cutting grass in trailer park in southeast Detroit with push mower at age 10-12. Had more cash than most 30-year-olds. Proves you don't need perfect circumstances to start building wealth through hard work. The TruGreen "Baywatch Moment" – Watching two guys in shorts drinking Gatorade cut grass while he was in full PPE, rubber boots, tanker truck at 5 AM. Sometimes seeing what you don't want crystallizes what you do want. Accidental Content Creation Success – Never intended to be a social media personality. Introvert who reluctantly started making videos to "leave breadcrumbs for the Brian's Lawn Maintenance of 10-15 years ago." Authenticity beats polish. $600 Trailer Pu...

Lights in the turf, grass running all the way up against a building or fence, low-laying branches, and more. Sometimes the landscape design sets up maintenance crews to fail by making it way too easy to damage properties. In this episode, Marty shares how landscape designers can be mindful of these things when creating plans and how account managers can use these damages as opportunities to sell enhancements. Looking for more work with your existing clients is a great way to drum up more sales! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! 00:00 - Intro 01:18 - Appreciation and Team Morale 02:26 - Finding Opportunities in Client Properties 03:04 - Deep Relationships and Client Focus 04:23 - Sales Strategies and Client Engagement 06:23 - Route Density and Business Growth 08:43 - Practical Examples for Your Advantage 14:02 - Please Like & Share This Episode!   Show Notes Focus on deep relationships over quantity: Build 40 thousand-foot deep wells rather than a thousand 40-foot deep wells. Concentrate on developing meaningful, long-term client relationships that generate significant ongoing business. "80% of that business came from 55 people. We could put 'em on a bus... about 70% of the $18 million worth of business that we will do this year is gonna come from about 30% of our clients." Sell more to existing clients first: Before chasing new prospects, exhaust opportunities with current clients. Send handwritten notes, conduct property audits, and proactively identify additional services they need. "The best two opportunities are, number one, selling more to existing clients. We don't look at that enough." Be a proactive professional consultant: Act like a doctor who identifies every possible issue. Point out problems before clients discover them to maintain credibility and avoid having to fix issues for free. "When you are a professional folks, that's what you should be doing... You're a consultant, you're there to tell them what you can do to help make their property look better." Protect your property managers' reputation: Help property managers look good in front of their bosses by identifying issues before they become visible problems during site visits. "We would never want one of our property managers to look bad in front of their boss because we didn't tell them there was a dead tree or a drainage problem." Identify maintenance hazards and design flaws: Look for low branches tha...

In this episode, Marty Grunder interviews Dan Hoard, the voice of the Cincinnati Bengals, on his career as a sportscaster, what it's like finding creativity in tough situations, and what it's like working in the pro-football world. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Dan's Podcast: Bengals Booth Marty's Studio  00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 01:25 - Meet Dan Hoard: Voice of the Cincinnati Bengals 03:33 - Marty’s Personal Connection to Sports Broadcasting 04:24 - Balancing Family and Career 07:29 - Organizational Tactics and Time Management 08:11 - The Importance of Preparation 16:38 - Handling Tough Conversations 20:32 - Conducting Yourself Daily to Build Respect 21:49 - The Art of Not Talking Too Much 23:02 - The Importance of Short, Direct Questions 24:51 - Leadership Qualities and Communication 26:43 - Joe Burrow: A Case Study in Leadership 32:14 - The Mental Side of Success 39:18 - Prediction for the Bengals’ Season 40:51 - Please Share & Subscribe!  Show Notes Preparation builds confidence: Extensive preparation is the foundation of calm, confident performance. Hoard spends entire days creating detailed spotting boards for each opponent, knowing only 5% will be used but never knowing which 5%. "I find that I'm calm and confident when I'm prepared... When you put in the work, didn't you feel confident when you sat down to take the test?" Follow strict routines during high-pressure periods: Establish and stick to weekly routines that ensure thorough preparation. Monday and Tuesday are Hoard's heavy prep days, leaving the rest of the week for additional details and other responsibilities. "I have a very strict routine that I follow during the football season... if I follow that routine, then I get to the weekend confident." Build relationships before tough conversations: Develop trust and respect with people during good times so difficult conversations are easier when they're needed. Show genuine respect for what others do. "I try to build relationships with all of these players and coaches... when you're in...

In this episode, we dive into why financial transparency isn't just good leadership—it's essential for building a strong, educated team. From using scoreboards and company-wide “State of the Union” meetings to walking through the Penny Exercise, Vince breaks down exactly where every dollar goes in your business. Tune in to learn how sharing the numbers empowers your team and drives smarter decisions across the board. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! 00:00 - Start00:31 - The Importance of Financial Transparency and Literacy01:32 - Tools for Financial Transparency04:39 - Monthly Team Communication06:31 - The Penny Exercise16:13 - Key Takeaways   Show Notes Public dashboards drive transparency: Display real-time performance metrics on monitors visible to all team members. When everyone can see job performance, hours, and revenue data, they naturally connect dots and improve performance. "The scoreboard is just out there. The teams can see the numbers, they can interact with them... Whether they know English, whether they know Spanish... they can look at numbers and tie dots together freely." Monthly state of the union meetings: Gather the entire organization monthly to discuss company performance, goals, and future direction. Make it bilingual and inclusive so everyone gets the same message. "Think of it as our monthly state of the Union. We update the organization in totality... Are we ahead on goals? Are we behind on goals?" The penny exercise teaches financial literacy: Use a $1 job (100 pennies) to visually demonstrate how revenue flows through direct costs, overhead, and profit. This makes complex financials accessible to everyone. "We sold a $1 job. We got a hundred pennies for it... How many pennies are we taking off the table right away just to cover the expenses of that job specifically?" Financial transparency is cultural, not financial: Don't avoid sharing numbers because you're worried about the data - fix the culture or improve the systems that create better data. "These are not financial conversations. These are cultural conversations... we don't have a finance problem, we have a culture problem." Direct costs vs. overhead education: Help teams understand that some costs are tied directly to jobs (labor, materials) while others exist regardless of sales volume (rent, insurance, salaries). "We have what overhead... those expenses that we have at the organization are going to be there whether we sell a job or not." Visual learning works across barriers: Numbers and visual displays communicate effectively regardless of education level or language barriers. "Whether they didn't graduate high school or they ha...

In this episode, Marty is joined by Keith Bowman of McHale Landscape Design who shares what the McHale team does to find new clients, build strong client relationships, find and retain team members, install and maintain award-winning properties, and keep their business running as smoothly as possible. Field Trips with NALP ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 01:27 - Meet Keith Bowman from McHale Landscaping 01:53 - History & Growth of McHale Landscaping 03:12 - McHale’s Unique Operations and Facilities 05:42 - Customer Service and Competitive Advantage 08:40 - Marketing and Networking Strategies 14:30 - Employee Retention and Career Development 20:12 - Family Dynamics in Business 22:53 - Balancing Family and Business 24:22 - Leveraging Subcontractors for Success 26:52 - Protecting Pricing in Landscape Design 30:50 - Efficient Morning Rollouts 36:04 - Equipment Used & Theft Prevention 41:10 - Award Winning Work & Company Culture 43:37 - Challenges at McHale and Authenticity 44:49 - Conclusion & Field Trip Invitation   Show Notes:  People are the competitive advantage: Empower employees with entrepreneurial opportunities within the company. Create "little businesses stacked on top of each other" where team members take ownership. "I believe our competitive advantages are people. And just empowering people... the McHales have given people the ability to kind of go out and make mistakes." Customer service isn't overhead: Exceptional service doesn't require additional equipment costs but drives referrals and long-term relationships. "Customer service doesn't add overhead. If you wanna build up your team's customer service, you're not adding a truck payment." Protect your pricing: Understand true costs and maintain appropriate margins. Compete on value, not price alone. "The number one thing... is protect your pricing... There's a lot of work that goes into landscape design building." Family business done right: Having 37 families with multiple employees creates stability. Treat family members as employe...

Have a vacation planned for this summer? In this episode, Marty Grunder shares how he uses his out-of-office time as an opportunity for new leaders to learn and develop their skills.   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel!   00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 02:02 - The Origin of “The Summer Vacation Test” 04:27 - Strategic Planning & Leadership with Time Off 07:33 - Three Philosophies with Vacation & Workplace Dynamics 08:18 - Don’t Overstate Your Value 08:48 - Would You Want to Work for Yourself? 13:02 - Vacation is a Chance to Sharpen Your Saw 15:18 - Two Things Before You Leave for Vacation 17:57 - Recap & Final Thoughts   Show Notes & Key Takeaways The Notebook Strategy - In 1993, Marty gave his right-hand man a notebook to document everything that went wrong while he was on vacation. "Write down all the things that you wish I would've shown you how to do, or things that didn't get done because I didn't train or we didn't have a system in place." Vacations as Productivity Drivers - "Your most productive time in your business career are the couple days before vacations." Use vacation deadlines to motivate completion of important tasks and proper preparation. Leadership Identification Tool - Vacations reveal who your real leaders are: "This is an opportunity for you to see who your leaders are. Who's gonna step up when you go away? And who isn't interested in stepping up?" The Secret Test Method - Give team members specific responsibilities without telling them it's a test: "Give them a couple tests, see what they do. Chances are they won't realize it's a test and you'll see their true self." Three Leadership Philosophy Foundations: You're Overstating Your Value - "Most of the time, your team is capable of doing way more than you think they are, and often way more than even they think they are able to do." Other People Have Goals Too - "Be empathetic... they want the ball, they want a chance, and we don't realize that we get too self-absorbed and focused on only what we wanna do."