From Franchise to Growth: Daryl Turner of Grounds Guys Boiling Springs

Daryl Turner shares how Grounds Guys of Boiling Springs, South Carolina has grown into a customer-focused, one-stop landscaping and yard services company built on communication, training, and quality work. He talks about the value of franchise support, hiring reliable team members, staying organized with planning and schedules, and growing steadily without sacrificing service.

Guest contact info:

daryl.turner@groundsguys.com

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!
Bill

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:35

All right, welcome everyone to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff McCrae with Action Coach Business Growth Partners, where we work with local business owners to turn big ideas into real scalable growth. Today I'm excited to be uh joined by Daryl Turner, Grounds Guys of Boiling Springs, South Carolina. Uh so Daryl, thanks for being here. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 0:56

I'm doing pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Yeah, doing great. All right, perfect. So let's go ahead and jump right in. Um so yeah, for those of you who may not know it yet, who is Daryl Turner and what is Grounds Guys of Boiling Springs, South Carolina?

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Um I was born in the upstate here. Um and we started, we're a part of a franchise, uh 250 locations nationwide. And uh I'm over this owner of this local location that covers uh pretty much all of Spartanburg County and a couple of zip codes of Greenville County. And uh what we try to do is give the best experience to our customers. Uh, and it's we like to say we're a one-stop shop. We can do everything from small jobs, big jobs, commercial, residential, uh, whether it be regular lawn maintenance, uh, hardscape, irrigation, pretty much anything yard related.

Why Daryl Chose A Franchise

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Okay, love it, love it. So take us back to the very beginning. What made you say, you know, yep, I'm doing this, I'm starting this business?

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Well, I I did a little bit of research. Uh in the beginning, I didn't know that I was gonna go the grounds guys route. Um, and uh pretty much I'm probably sometimes an overthinker. Um I just uh I knew kind of a couple of areas I wanted to go. And uh what drove me to the grounds guys was the quality and the participation um, not only with us, you know, you get our ethics and our quality and value, but the corporate, if there's something we get stuck on or need a little help on, they're they're always uh step right in and and guide us with the right direction. And and we're pretty much a family. If I if I get say if we're on a new job or we run into a problem we haven't encountered before, uh I reach out to one of our coaches at the grounds guys, and they will tell us one of those 200 locations that may have encountered that same problem or did that, does that type uh thing on a real regular basis, and they kind of walk us through it. Uh so it's just like a big family. Not going.

Services And The One-Stop Approach

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Okay, okay. So so what exactly is it that your company does?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Um, we we help customers beautify their homes, their yards, um, whether it be routine maintenance um from the Moblo Edge and Go, uh, or if they need fresh sod, um, if they need an irrigation system installed, or if they have one that's got problems, we'll do the repairs. Um, fire pits, uh hardscape patios, pretty much everything yard related.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

So let's just say hypothetically, if you had to start again from absolute scratch, you know, no brand, no clients, no franchise. Well would you do anything differently the second time around running your business?

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Could you repeat that one more time?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

No, I was asking, so you know, this is and this is all hypothetical. If you had to start again from absolute scratch with no brand, no clients, no safety net, would you do anything differently the second time around running your business?

SPEAKER_02 4:29

That's kind of a tough question. Uh probably not, because again, they being with the franchise, they guide us in the right direction. You know, as far as uh employees, we do background checks on them, we train them instead of just throwing them in the field. Um, we just try to do it right. We try to give the customer the best experience, not only in quality, but experience from start to finish. And then on the employee side, same deal. We try to be the the go-to place that the cust that the employees want to come work for with as little drama as possible.

unknown 5:10

Mm-hmm.

Profit Timelines And Money Myths

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Okay. So what would you say is a lesson you learned the hard way as a business owner that no one really prepares you for?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Hmm. I guess the the length of time it takes to get in the green. I mean, it takes a little bit more time to get into that profitable margin.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Okay. So just really just about getting getting from being a loss to being green to coming out positively. That's kind of your biggest the biggest thing, yeah. So what's one common myth you would say people believe about running a business that makes you laugh now when you hear it?

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Um I've heard people think just because you've got a business that's running successfully, which I feel like we are, they just automatically think you're I guess rich think you're bringing home big money when that's not the case until maybe many years down the road.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Yeah, that's you're driving that Lamborghini and you're you're doing great, right? Taking vacations to the beach every week and right stuff.

unknown 6:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

They don't a lot of people don't realize the overhead involved. You know, they just think they just see the in what they're paying for a project, or they don't encounter that, you know, you may only be making 15 or 20 percent of the the money collected.

unknown 6:31

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

So, you know, be be honest, are you naturally more of an entrepreneur or an employee at heart?

SPEAKER_02 6:43

A little bit of both. Um, I've I I would call myself an entrepreneur, uh, but I will uh get in there, especially if we're backed up on a job or something, I will get hands-on and help the guys, you know, get the work completed.

Vacation Boundaries And Being On Call

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Okay. So how do you personally handle stepping away from the business, like you know, taking a vacation?

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Uh, that's still a little a little tough. Um, we just train the guys. I kind of I have the schedules ready for them uh for the whole week before we leave. And I'm even on vacation, I'm still on call. I mean, I've got my phone there. Uh, I I still have a meeting in the morning with them at start time by phone. And uh I've only had them had to call a couple times, so that's that's been good. But if there's an emergency or a question they don't understand, I'm I'm usually, you know, I may not answer as soon as they call, but I'll try to get back to them pretty quick. It just depends on if we're on the beach or where we're what we're in the middle of when they call.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Yeah, no, understood. Understood. So uh how do you handle uh you know unplugging in the evening? Are you the kind of person, 6 p.m., you know, you're you're done, go home for the day and you're not thinking about work again, or are you working around the clock? How do you handle that?

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Uh still kind of working around the clock to a degree. Uh, you know, if a customer calls in, you know, with a lead, a new fresh lead, I'll what I'll usually try to do is respond to that lead and let them know that I got their um their message. And if it's urgent, I'll go ahead and call them, but if not, I'll call them like the next morning.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Okay. So if you get something at 8 p.m., you you probably will wait till the next day to handle that.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Correct. I'll I'll usually let them know that I got the message just to keep the communication open. Uh unless it's like an just like an emergency uh we'll touch base the next morning after that initial.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Yeah. And I and I don't see there would be too many instances where it would be like an emergency where you have to drop everything and get out there, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:53

Correct. I mean, if it's an irrigation um a line busted and the water's just flowing, not stopping, but again, they could cut the water off, you know, unless they're just an older person that just don't know how to do that.

unknown 9:08

Mm-hmm.

Communication As The Growth Engine

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Okay. So looking back, what do you attribute most to your growth in your business so far?

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Uh communication, really listen a quality, listening to the customer. I think that's where a lot of people fail is uh not listening to the customer and and staying fully communic communicative. Um if you're running behind on something, let the customer know, don't just leave them hanging. Uh when a customer calls for service or an estimate, you know, speed delete, get back to them as quick as possible so they know that you're taking care of you know what they've called in about.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Yeah. No, that's that's so important. Uh, you know, you know, I don't know how many times I've worked in businesses and you know, you don't hear anything, and it's like, you know, you're chasing them down, and it's like, man, we have more ways nowadays, you know, in 2026, we have more ways to communicate than we ever have had. You know, you could shoot a simple text. I mean, you can email, you don't even have to call somebody anymore. And it's like we we communicate less. We communicate less effectively, even though we have more ways to communicate.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

I feel like I guess that's what's surprised me a lot is how many customers tell us that you know they've reached out and they either haven't heard anything back or heard something immediately, but then two weeks later, nothing.

unknown 10:29

Mm-hmm.

Hiring Reliable Techs And Culture

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yeah, yeah, it's it's very surprising how much that that actually happened to me recently, but won't get into that. But yeah, what's you know, when you're building a team, you know, because I don't know if do you have employees? We do. You do? Okay. How many employees do you have currently?

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Uh uh five in addition. Me and the me and the wife does the office and the scheduling and a lot of the estimating, and then we've got five technicians.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Okay, gotcha, gotcha. So let's say you're hiring for a technician, you're you know, you're building out your team. What traits matter more to you than what's on someone's resume?

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Um reliability uh and communication. Um if somebody's gonna show up and be willing to learn, um, I guess what's more frustrating is just someone not not being able to come to work on time and and sometimes if they're late not even you know answering the phone, that's you can't if you can't depend on them, then the customers can't depend on us.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Mm-hmm. Yeah, no, agree, agree. So for those employees, what's one thing you do intentionally to keep your workplace positive, motivated, and productive?

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Uh just reward them and and and give them praise. You know, if they do a good job, just tell them how good they're doing. And usually, you know, we put sometimes we'll put a bonus in place if they show up on time and not out over a certain period of time.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Okay, okay.

Quick Fire: Training Planning Discipline

SPEAKER_00 12:00

All right, so yeah, so I appreciate that. So we're we're gonna head into what's called the quick fire round. Um, so basically how this works is I'm going to I'm going to give you one word and you just tell me the first idea or first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that word in regards to running your franchise business.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:19

First word is education. Training, constant training.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Okay, and and dig into that a little bit more in regards to running your business.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Um, what we do is uh, well, uh if we get an employee that's already has experience, that's always good. Sometimes not the best because if they were trained wrong, then you're having to teach them the right way. But we as a company, uh, we will do some in-house training. Uh, it can be hands-on, but we do have some virtual training as well. But as a on a corporate level, uh, they have trainings across the nation, and usually once a year, twice a year, we'll pick one close. It may be Charlotte, Atlanta, where I may take a couple of the guys to do some hands-on training, uh, whether it be holiday lights, whether it be irrigation or artificial turf. Uh, but also if it's something that say our guys are a little bit uh weak on, need a little advanced training, we could pick a location, say Greenville, and if they've got a job coming up, I may send them to help him to get some hands-on training there.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Planning. Planning. We got we actually um plan the usually the week in advance, um, or sometimes a month in advance, depending on you know the schedule. And uh, we actually build a schedule. We have a CRM that uh builds the schedule for each day for weeks out, and it kind of basically it's it's a two-part. Uh I print the schedule out and they get it on a sheet, but it also they have the app they run through and it they click in and out of each job as they go. Uh and when they leave each morning, they know pretty much what's ahead of of them for the day. It gives them the directions how to get there and how long they should be on each shop. Inspiration. Inspiration. We always have a a huddle every morning, and basically we discuss yesterday, we discussed today what's going on, and we give all the employees a chance to discuss anything personal in their life, uh, whether it's a a birthday, uh, uh a childbirth or an anniversary, anything that they're excited about. And then we also try to have uh at least quarterly, you know, cookouts or something, you know, to kind of keep keep it fun in the process, basically.

unknown 14:58

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Commitment.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

Commitment. Commitment is it's a two-part also commitment to the employees uh to give them a good work environment to make a a living for their family and to help them grow. And a commitment on the customer side is uh a done right process, a done right promise, uh commit to do the best quality uh and give them the best value for their money. Discipline. Discipline is basically that falls back on the what what we discussed earlier about showing up on time. Uh things come up, you know, if you've got to be out, if you're sick, you know, communicate it. Um and and discipline is basically just staying steady and staying strong until you get the job done. If there's anything safety-wise, you know, communicate it. We're never gonna ask our guys to do anything unsafe, but it's up to them to let me know if they think there's a situation that's not safe. Risk. Risk. Uh, as far as doing the job, we don't want to take risks, you know. You know, don't want to do anything that's not safe. Uh sometimes there is a little risk in the the business side of it as far as investment. Um, I guess there was a risk when you started the franchise to it to a degree. Um but uh I'd like to say zero risk on anything that might be unsafe.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Execution.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

Execution is just doing the job as expected and on in a timely manner.

Advice For Overwhelmed Business Owners

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Okay. All right, perfect. Yeah, I appreciate that for the quick fire round. So uh for this next answer, I want you to be as honest and as candid as you possibly can. You know, let's say a a small business owner was listening right now to the podcast episode today and and feels stuck or overwhelmed. What's a piece of advice you'd give them if they hear you today?

SPEAKER_02 17:04

Hmm, just not to give up. Um, I mean, sometimes it gets overwhelming, but you gotta, you know, it's just like it's just like life. I mean, life's not easy. You know, you're gonna get sick, you know. If you have a bad day in the business, it's just like being sick in your personal life. You just gotta look and and work your way through it and ask for help. I mean, if if you're struggling with something, don't understand something, or ready to give up, you know, find a counterpartner that can keep you accountable.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Okay, okay. And now now for that same small business owner, you know, maybe they're looking to grow their business. Any w any wise wiz uh words of advice you'd give them to today?

SPEAKER_02 17:45

Huh? Probably um, if it's a small business, um probably get uh probably a coach, maybe like a business coach, somebody that could help them find the right directions they need to go and and and help them put the things in the right place.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

Okay. Do you have you currently have a business coach?

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Uh the franchise does offer, um, we we do have a dedicated coach. Um, and then we have, I mean, and that's one thing I really liked and I found out in the research. Uh, we have equipment coach when it's time to buy new equipment, they tell us, hey, you know, wait, or yes, it's about time. Uh, we have a marketing coach that tells us kind of, and some of that's advice, they can't tell us, yes, it you got to do this, but it's still they they put a lot of time and effort in it knowing what works and what don't work, so it's best to listen for the most part of it. But they and I guess there's a couple locations in the past that have failed, their locations have failed, and that was the key thing when I would say, well, what was their problem? They didn't they can constantly didn't listen to their coach.

Coaching Support And Following Guidance

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yep, yeah. No, I mean it's perfectly true. I mean, they can give you the advice, but you have to follow it and and do the homework. I mean, otherwise, there's no point really. So, um, yeah. So, what's next for Grounds Guys of Boiling Springs, South Carolina? What should people be excited about? What's coming up next for the company in the near future?

SPEAKER_02 19:25

We're wanting to constantly expand uh to a degree. Um, we want to grow every well, what so far we have. This is our starting of our fourth season, and the first three seasons we expanded a crew each season. Uh, this year we haven't expanded uh another crew, but we're spreading out in a couple different uh avenues with a little more advanced jobs. If those take off like expected, we may still expand before the year's out. Um, we don't want to expand too fast. We want to do it at a at a pace that we keep the quality up, but we do want to constantly grow and and uh be the go-to company in the Spartanburg County.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Yeah, so are you all uh currently hiring as of this moment?

SPEAKER_02 20:14

Uh we are. I actually have uh two interviews tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Perfect, perfect. So just in case you don't find somebody and this you know episode comes out and you're still looking for somebody, um, what what do you uh I mean what are you looking for? I mean, I guess you could put it out there.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

Uh we want someone to that's that's willing to stay and grow in the company. Um we're not gonna if somebody comes up and says, hey, I'm going to college next year, I just want a seasonal job. I mean, if they're a fit, it's still a possibility, but ultimately we want to build that core group of people that want to stay and grow. Because with us being a young company, uh, as we grow, when we get another crew, we're probably gonna have uh a project manager or a a salesperson. So there will be other positions that open up that give them room for advancement. So as long as they're reliable, willing to learn, pretty much. I like to say that to a degree the sky's the limit.

unknown 21:12

Mm-hmm.

Expansion Plans Hiring And Contact Info

SPEAKER_00 21:13

Okay, perfect. And finally, what's the what's the best way for someone to connect with you or learn more about what you do?

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Uh you they can go to our corporate website at groundsguys.com. Um, and it basically that's going to get them to the hub that you know they would have to put in our zip code or their current zip code, and it would kind of get them to us. Um, or they can always call if they're curious about either a a job or uh work being done.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Perfect. What's that uh what's that number?

SPEAKER_02 21:47

Uh I like to give out my sale number. It's uh 864-4315111. That way they can bypass, you know, just get straight to me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

All right, perfect, perfect. Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, it's been a fantastic yeah. Thank you for sharing your story, your perspective, and the real behind the scenes of building your business. We really appreciate you coming on the podcast episode today.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

All right, you're very welcome.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Yeah, thank you.