How To Successfully Transition Your Landscape Business. Should you plan to sell your business, or to retire-in-place? Either way, you will need to transform the business in many ways, from accounting to leadership and operations. Plus you will need to negotiate the sale, if you decide to go that route. In this conversation, Jeffrey Scott (interviewed by Kelly Dowell) discusses the intricacies of selling a landscaping business, including understanding buyer motivations, common myths about...

Jeffrey Scott is joined by client Desiree Bouchard, General Manager of Great Lakes Landscape Design, in Oak Park Michigan. And by Sean Baxter, owner of Lawn and Landscape Solutions (KC) and he is also an Executive Coach at Jeffrey Scott Consulting. In this episode, Jeffrey Scott discusses the pivotal role of seconds in command with Desiree and Sean. They explore the journey of becoming a second in command, the importance of trust and communication in leadership, and the dynamics of managing...

Join John Phillips (owner, Gardens For Living, Asheville, NC) and his son, as we discuss how they survived the 500+yr flood that hit Asheville, and how they and their landscape team are powering through it. Their company’s GoFundMe is https://gofund.me/f5ed660d In this episode, they share their experiences during Hurricane Helene, detailing the unprecedented rainfall and flooding that devastated their community. The conversation covers personal stories of loss, the impact on their...

Jeffrey Scott is interviewed by Kelly Dowell (owner of Keldo Digital) where Jeffrey discusses various aspects of converting design-build into maintenance clients. Jeffrey touches on topics such as the role of the enhancement salesperson, the timing of introducing the maintenance account manager to clients, and strategies for kickstarting a weak maintenance division. They also explore marketing methods for maintenance services and ways to showcase the long-term benefits of maintenance....

In this episode, Mitch Katz and Sean Baxter (Executive Coaches at Jeffrey Scott Consulting) discuss the critical aspects of hiring in the landscape industry. They explore the common pain points business owners face when considering new hires, the benefits of proactive hiring, and the importance of defining roles and responsibilities. The conversation emphasizes the need for a clear vision, effective onboarding, avoiding burnout and the potential advantages of hiring from outside the...

Craig is the founder and co-owner of Green Side Up Landscaping based in Richmond VA, with a branch in Williamsburg. He has 36 employees and makes 5M in revenue. He started cutting grass at a young age and eventually decided to start his own landscaping company. He brought on two partners who complemented his skills and helped grow the business. Craig’s goal was to create a business that allowed him to have more free time, and he has been able to achieve that by being intentional with his...

Bryan Stolz, CEO of Winterberry (Southington, CT), shares his journey from being a junior garden designer to running the company. Winterberry is a diversified company that offers maintenance, fertilization, irrigation services, landscape design, and golf course irrigation installation. They have grown from a $10 million company when they were first my client, to a $33.5 million company with 240 employees. The ownership team consists of three partners who have different skill sets and work...

Greyson Walldorff is the founder of Lawn Capital in Decatur, Georgia. He shares his journey of developing an all-electric landscape business dedicated to zero gas, zero toxins and zero noise. His 8 yr old company has 3M in revenue with 25 employees. We discuss his company’s focus on sustainability and their new product, Plan Zero, which is a 100% electric, zero chemical maintenance service. We also talk about the challenges of integrating electric equipment into their operations,...

Ivan Katz, founder of Great Lakes Landscape Design, near Detroit, Michigan, shares his experiences in the landscaping industry, including overcoming embezzlement and a major accident. His firm will hit close to 10M in 2024. He emphasizes the importance of trust, loyalty, and investing in employees. Katz also discusses the value of customer service and the impact of his personal mission on his business. The conversation covers topics such as financial management, employee development,...

Jim and I discuss his history and background in the landscape industry, and his career extensions into property development and consulting. We discuss his “visionary” appraoch to consulting and the impact it had on his business and life. We discuss his latest book, “The Depressed Motivational Speaker”, and his own struggles with depression and how he overcame them. This podcast is a discussion between the old guard (Jim) and the newer guard (Jeffrey) that came up in his wake. Jim...

Ted Carter, is President of Pinehurst Landscape Company in Glen Arm, Maryland. They focus 85%  on residential landscape design, build, and maintenance. The company employs around 40 people during peak season and aims to surpass $6 million in revenue this year. Pinehurst was founded by Carter’s father in 1964. Initially a lawn mowing business, it evolved into a landscaping company. Ted Carter formally joined the company in 2009, following a significant revenue drop during the recession. We...

My guests on this podcast are the real deal: Nag Murty is an aerospace engineer turned serial tech entrepreneur.   Jarrett Herold is co-founder and COO of VC-backed startup Electric Sheep, the first large-scale outdoor maintenance company powered by artificial intelligence and robotics.   This company is acquiring traditional outdoor service providers and progressively transforming operations by deploying proprietary AI software and robots. Electric Sheep’s approach is designed to...

Chad Simmons is owner of Playrite, a small but powerful $2M profitable artificial turf company in Knoxville, TN Regarding artificial turf, we discuss his proactive hiring strategy, how he uses competition to drive his business, and how his vendor relationships give him a strategic advantage. Chad is also a BBQ expert, and shares some tips and tricks. You will enjoy our business and personal conversations, and you will be very hungry by the end of this special podcast.

Larry Ryan is founder and owner of Ryan Lawn & Tree, based near Kansas City, KS, a 37 yr old company. Larry and his team have grown their firm organically and through acquisition to approx $75M with more growth planned this year. Jeffrey and Larry discuss the 5 most valuable growth strategies that Ryan undertakes, plus many more facets of the business that everyone can learn from. Ryan Lawn & Tree will be the host company for our upcoming Summer Growth Summit in August. For...

Greg Crabtree is an author and financial expert, and has built a CPA firm focused solely on the needs of entrepreneurs.  Greg works with entrepreneurs all over the country in a broad range of industries. He is the author of “Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits” and “Simple Numbers 2.0: Rules for Smart Scaling.” He has also contributed to Verne Harnish’s book, “Scaling Up.” Jeffrey and Greg talk about many financial topics on this podcast, namely, valuation, labor efficiency, return...

Dennise J. Vidosh owns two Michigan companies, Green Acres Tree farm and RE-TREE, where she has developed five separate divisions serving the tree care space. Dennise is an innovator in the green industry, and a trailblazer in the field of mature tree preservation. Over the course of thirteen years leading Green Acres Tree Farm, Dennise observed a troubling trend in the industry. Magnificent, mature healthy trees were being felled to make way for new construction or due to spatial...

Ted Ventre is the sole owner of Hively Landscapes in south central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. It services high end residential with revenue mix of 33% hardscape, 26% landscape and 41% maintenance. Ted is experienced in both commercial and residential and enjoys serving picky comprehensive wealthy clients the most. We dive into how he came to buy this current business, his approach to delegation, and his unique customer service model. Ted and I discuss some of his favorite...

In reflection of the roller coaster year of 2023, Jeffrey Scott highlights seven lessons that significantly impacted the industry. He also shares 10 predictions for you to pay attention to in  2024. The 7 lessons are based on all the coaching and consulting work he does with companies across the US and Canada. Here is a summary of his seven lessons; he dives into important details on all seven.   * Prioritize Cyber Security: * Harness AI and Technology: * Value Your...

Tim Johnson is co owner of Tim Johnson Landscaping, a two branch, 10+M mixed-services landscape business situated in Statesville and Charlotte, NC Tim has experienced all the growing pains, including ’not being on the same page’ with another owner, carrying everything on his shoulders without a strong leadership team, operating reactively, and being overly focused on the top line. You will learn about his journey solving those struggles, and some secrets of the trade that he has developed.

Marc Nissim is the owner of Harmony Design Group in Westfield, NJ. It’s 18 years old and does $5million in mostly DB business, with 10% maintenance. Marc shares how he overcame Dyslexia, found his true passion in the visual arts, and opened up a design business. He then pivoted from a design only to design-project mgmt, to design-build that relies on sub contractors, and now he it taking it further. We discuss his super powers, his journey to high profit, and his goal of helping others with...

Jeffrey Scott, author, investor and founder of Jeffrey Scott Consulting, talks about “giving back” to charities and the community, from five unique angles.   1. The true meaning of Thanksgiving, and how you can live it every day. 2. How we pledged to raise money for charity from our Summer Growth Summit, and the results of that pledge. 3. Why giving back is good for you personally and your business, based on scientific studies and personal experience, 4. When is the right time to start...

Wade and Dustin Vugteveen are owners of DeHamer Landscaping, a 10M+ firm in Grandville, MI. They do a mix of snow, maintenance, landscape and irrigation. We discuss their history of startups, first with a baseball training business and then in retail. We discuss how hard it was for them early on, and how difficult it is to grow a business as an entrepreneur. These two have taken a series of risks over and over again, which has allowed them to scale their business quickly. Business is more...

Ted Lucia is majority owner and President of the $13M Lucia Landscaping Inc., headquartered in Roseville, Michigan. Lucia Landscaping began as a small business in Metro Detroit and has rapidly expanded over the last 20+ years. Among other methods, this rapid expansion is attributed to diversification, making external acquisitions, and remaining dedicated to company culture and a clear vision of growth and profitability.  Jeffrey and Ted explore how he overcame significant challenges as a...

Steve Griggs is the founder and owner of Steve Griggs Design, based in Baluvelt, NY. He is author of the best-selling book, “Straight Dirt”. Steve is the original OG (“old guard”) and very direct, and shares the straight dirt on contracting and how to work with high-end clientele. Jeffrey and Steve dive into his journey from contractor to design/project manage only. Steve is not your average designer; he has decades in the business as a contractor and is now focused on his design to...