SPEAKER_03 0:01

Okay, talk about frustrating. We probably were talking for like another seven or eight minutes. And I didn't see the top corner going. And sorry, we were talking about shirts.

SPEAKER_05 0:11

Probably when you were obsessively checking your DoorDash.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

How dare you? How dare you? Okay, so we talked about Monday. I burned 3,300 calories. Yeah, anyway, we don't need to rehash everything. Okay. Um we're getting to the meat and the potatoes now.

SPEAKER_05 0:26

Yeah. Okay. So today's episode is going to be about growth potential. And I want Jake to talk about one, how how it is to, what are you looking for?

SPEAKER_03 0:38

I got it right in front of my face, Scott.

SPEAKER_05 0:40

Um how it is to go from uh through such rapid growth in a year. And then also to say how he goes through growth within the company, right? He's got a couple guys now um building a pretty like hefty team. We've got a couple of trucks out on the road at all times. So how do you handle the like internal growth when people are like, I want to raise, I want to do this, I want to um take on more responsibility. Can I can I do this? Can I drive one of the vehicles? Like, how do you balance um the growth aspect of it versus like learning how to let go from you just doing everything?

SPEAKER_03 1:29

So there's a lot of questions there. Let's do them one at a time.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

All right, so hit me with number one.

SPEAKER_05 1:36

So, how do you manage growth in such a rapid or at such a rapid pace?

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Well, one prayer, because I found that when you feel overwhelmed, I realize this is God testing me. And so, like, I'm talking to God all the time during the day. I'm like, why is this happening? Like, there's something going on here. So I actually look at the growth or the problems that are coming with the growth as I mean, truly, it's it's God testing me. Like, this is good, this is good, this is good, this is good, but this is a reminder that like not all days are gonna be good. And you're gonna, yeah, you had an easy day today, but wait till tomorrow. Does that answer the question?

SPEAKER_05 2:23

I mean, kind of, but like I'm talking about logistically, like I get it, you rely on faith for a lot of like you know, how you get through the day. Okay. But how do you handle such rapid growth? Like, obviously, you've had to buy more trucks because of the growth. You want to have more crews out on the road, you want to get more into landscaping because that's where a lot of like the meat and potatoes of the money is. So, like, how do you handle all of that?

SPEAKER_03 2:50

So I look at the gross profit margin for what we're gonna generate from a mowing standpoint. And then I base that only like a month or two out because you could have some people fall off because one, they might move, they might not like you as a service provider, they might die. I mean, you name it, you could lose them.

SPEAKER_05 3:12

Yeah, things happen all the time. So then we have a couple clients right now where we're just handling the lawn until the house sells. So which is great.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Like that's just I don't even count that. That's just bread and butter.

SPEAKER_05 3:25

Yeah, that's like six, seven weeks of service. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:28

So I know what is gonna for sure come in. Then I know my expenses, on average, your insurance, your gas, all the back end bullshit that's boring to talk about. Then I know what I'm paying my guys, I know my profit margin. Then I have to make the decision okay, can we grow more? Yes, we can. Okay, perfect. I'm seeing the workload that's getting done. Then because now we basically have two landscape crews going, which I didn't think would happen this year. And when the calls started coming in this year for landscaping, I was like, I need to, we gotta pick up the pace because there's a lot of money out there. Yeah, in the landscape.

SPEAKER_05 4:19

It's not gonna work to hire a sort of thing.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

No, granted, that's it's a good thing because that then they know you're busy. Yeah, and people want you. So that's good.

SPEAKER_04 4:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

But also, if I can tell someone two to three weeks and then I can get them in in about a week and a half, I'm like, hey, FYI, we're ahead of schedule, good to start. They're like, oh my god, ahead of schedule. That sounds great.

SPEAKER_05 4:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

So then I'm looking at all the gross that's coming in this landscape, and I'm just like, oh my God, I have to get a second crew going. Like, you just have to. And so I'm so not afraid of the unknown anymore. Like, and if something happens, or like having someone in a truck, this is what insurance is for. This is why you do all the boring back-end stuff, because companies like me that are a lot bigger than me, they've got people that probably don't even have licenses driving. So why can't I do it?

SPEAKER_05 5:18

Speaking of that, how did you know that that was like your formula for calculation? Did you know that right away, or did you develop this over time where you're like, okay, I need to look at X, Y, and Z. Was it a lot of like trial and error, or was it pretty much like right off the bat, you knew, okay, here's what my profits. Obviously, it changes from year to year based on the additional equipment and crews and all that that you've got going on. But did you have all this like wherewithal about every because what you're saying is you're having to look at so many different things, right? You're looking at your labor costs, you're looking at equipment costs, you're looking at gas, you're looking at insurance costs, you're factoring in all of these things. You're also factoring in if you have a crew that's uh running late on a project. And so you have to then let the customer know, hey, the original project ran a little late, so we're gonna be starting yours in a couple days. Like that's a lot to handle on one person. So, like, did you always run this way, or was there kind of something that you had to learn along the way?

SPEAKER_03 6:28

Well, you do learn too that if you're delayed because of the quality control at a project, and someone has a problem with that, go work with someone else. I'm not gonna give you a dog shit product. And like, I'm not gonna race from job B to job C until you know job B looks phenomenal, or at least we got to a point where I know someone can finish it up, they can't butcher this, and then we move on to job C. But I'm in, I think you're learning this now, and you were uncomfortable with it at first, but like I'm a risk taker, I'm not afraid of risk, and I'm not afraid of losing everything because if I lose everything, I'm just gonna get everything back, I will find a way to get it back. So you learn, I mean, and too, there's so many mentors out there. I mean, you know, Brian Fullerton with the L'Entrepreneur Academy having his events, that's awesome. Um, you've got these other guys, Nailer. Uh, he just had one in Virginia. But the amount of free information on social media.

SPEAKER_05 7:39

Oh, of course. But I'm like saying how like how hard and stressful it must be to have this like rapid growth while also trying to juggle um it's not stressful, the employees that you're bringing on, correcting behaviors, um, worrying about if everybody's actually working together in a cohesive environment.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

Like it all just comes down to communication. Like I get the reports, you know, from you know Blake and Nico today.

SPEAKER_05 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Wasn't pleased with another team member. So we just know there's an open line of communication. So if there's something off, let me know. I'm gonna handle it. And if something unexpected happens, let me know. I'll let the client know. And we go from there. So if you can over-communicate between your own internal team and with the client, you're you're set up for success.

SPEAKER_05 8:31

And how did you build out your pricing structure? Because you have a very clear formula for what we do for giving people quotes. So for anybody who's listening that's maybe struggling in their business or trying to figure out like how I can go from just making just enough to actually creating a profitable business, what would you tell them is something that you've done or like a formula that you have to help to know have a profit.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

You need to know what your break-even point is. Do you know what that is? Yeah, so you need to calculate what you're spending a month on every little thing. Divide that by 30. That's how much you have to make a day before you make a penny. That has to be paid for. Then you you just work backwards. So then, okay, if I'm paying six guys this much on average, 40 hours a week, okay, factor that in. Then I gotta factor in like, I mean, just the and like I said, everything mowers, trucks, you name it. But like, and then I figure out, okay, I know roughly what the market is going for. I'm not the market. What I deliver is far superior to the market. And I'm the owner. I get to charge what I want to charge. There's nothing wrong with that. Every other company does it.

SPEAKER_04 10:00

Capitalism.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

It's capitalism. And I'm capitalizing on the market. And our pricing structure, in certain areas, it's competitive, but it's higher. And then there's other areas of our business where we're gonna be the most expensive, no questions asked. Our product stands that price point. And it's it's funny, I was thinking about this the other night when you were upstairs showering while I was finishing cleaning up before I joined you in the shower. Um, but think about Sax Fifth Avenue. Do you know the story behind Sax Fifth Avenue?

SPEAKER_04 10:40

No.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

So when it came out, am I talking too loud? Yeah, when it sax came out, they wanted to be different than Sears, whatever, whatever stuff was around. And they said, nah, I want some expensive shit in my store. And I want people, one, to know that this is from Saks, and I want people to brag that they bought their clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue. And that's what we're creating. We're truly creating a brand now where I hope and pray people say, Yeah, we got JLC. Or who did that patio? Uh JLC. Who's Jake's Lawn Care? Really? That sounds so sophomoric. Like, what a is this a high school kid? Nah, this is uh a guy that's had this company a while. And uh wow, do they do some amazing work? And like I want this to be an experience. I don't want this to be a we're we're not a service provider, we're a solutions-driven business that happens to dabble in lawn care, landscaping, hardscaping, snow removal, everything minus fertilization. I don't want to get into fertilization. Maybe we will eventually. Maybe I'll talk to Joe DePace, Bet Bay's Lawn Care, and go talk to me. What are your numbers like? Maybe we do it. I don't know. But I want this to be a totally different era of lawn care and landscaping because people are burying themselves slowly and they don't even realize it.

SPEAKER_05 12:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

They're literally having to rob Peter to pay Paul. That's not how you run a business.

SPEAKER_05 12:25

No, you should never be scared when payroll comes and being like, oh my god, this leaves me with $200, you know, until the next time I get paid.

SPEAKER_03 12:36

Oh, and then you're talking about how do you factor this all in? Owner's profit.

SPEAKER_05 12:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

One, you need to own, you need to add in owner's profit. And you also need to add in.

SPEAKER_05 12:45

Basically, like a set thing that you're paying yourself. Correct. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Yeah. Paying the big boy. But and then also, oh, what what's that? What's that thing you need to who who comes cutting collects on uh oh the IRS?

SPEAKER_03 12:59

Yeah. So then you also need to be factoring in tax, add an extra 30% on top of everything.

SPEAKER_05 13:05

Yep. And then not to mention like the fluctuation in the market with like gas prices and insurance going up every year and potential issues with mowers that you've got to fix.

SPEAKER_03 13:16

Yeah, and like the taxes and the insurance. I mean, that just that's driven every year, right? You know, our prices increase every single year. It's not because I want to make more money, I want to put more money in my pocket. No, I have to keep up with inflation, I have to keep up with insurance, you name it.

SPEAKER_04 13:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:34

But I'll tell you what changed my life, and I told Alex this in the truck yesterday. Stanley Dartmonkey. And if anyone is anyone listening to this podcast, I want to make sure this is still recording. I think it is. Test test, yeah. Um, he was getting so big. Like he's one, he has a million subscribers on YouTube. I don't know if you know that. Really cool content that he does on YouTube. Instagram's getting big, but he had multi-million dollar landscaping company, multi-million dollar construction company, multi-million dollar store removal company. And he said, This is a big headache. I am killing myself running this company, and I am killing myself managing people, uh, managing clientele. I don't like the business that I've built. And multiple multimillion dollar businesses, who wouldn't be happy with that, right? But everything has its own headaches. He said, Yeah, so I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna cut my customer list by 50%. I'm gonna trim the fat. The customers I don't like, don't like working for, and they're just cheap, I'm getting rid of them, and I'm raising my prices. So his first year in business of doing this, he cut 50% of his customers, raised his prices 50%, and he made the same amount of gross profit margin with half the clientele. Then the next year he said, that went so well, I'm gonna dial it in even more. He cut the list in half again. He doubled his prices again. Same gross profit margin, 50% less work, then the next year 50% less work. It's working smarter, not harder. And it's not to say that this is scummy. I I admire the hell out of this guy. You're the owner, you are taking the company in the direction you want to. If he can do that, good for him. Have I tried have I done that? Somewhat, yes. But as you can see, that mowing list gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger almost every single week. But it's because we can handle it. But we're getting to the point where we're gonna need a third mowing crew soon. And that's cool. It scares the hell out of me, but I love it. Because if I'm not challenging myself and I'm not scared, I'm not going anywhere.

SPEAKER_05 16:07

Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's the definition of what we're talking about with growth is like, you know, being so scared to like invest in another vehicle and invest in another couple guys for another crew, but like on the back end, if it increases the profits of the company, like this is how people grow.

SPEAKER_03 16:30

Numbers don't lie. Yeah, they never lie. So you have to take the time to actually sit down, whether it's with your CPA or yourself and go, Whoa, I've been lying to myself. I thought I was making so much more money.

SPEAKER_05 16:46

So, in your opinion, how often should you be doing this, like not necessarily an audit of your business, but how often should you be looking at everything being like, is it every year, like at the start of every year, where you're like, okay, I think I'm gonna look at prices, I think I'm gonna, you know, change up my formula? Like, what would you suggest people do?

SPEAKER_03 17:11

If you're serious and you actually have some lofty goals, you should be looking at every single month. You should be looking at these numbers. I mean, honestly, weekly, but it requires a lot of effort.

SPEAKER_05 17:24

But how how would you do that when somebody is locked in to pricing? Is this your only thing? Then you're seeing new prices.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

Your lawn care agreement form is not your contract is not set up properly. We get shut down tomorrow, can't get any fuel, fuel triples, quadruples. What is your contract state? Are you allowed to increase prices? Or if you're not, if you're not rocking a contract, there's nothing wrong with that either.

SPEAKER_04 17:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

Like if you're if you're growing and this is first, second, third, fourth year, and you don't have a solid contract or lawn care agreement form, you obviously need to reach out to the client and say, um, I can't work for free, let alone I can't pay you to do your lawn. So you need to, it's just like in a divorce or a prenup, you need to protect yourself.

SPEAKER_05 18:14

And also, like, I feel like that means that both parties have skin in the game. They're signing this form, which, you know, whatever, they're signing it, and then you're agreeing to provide the service. So for people who aren't doing that, I mean, you probably want to look into it, but also like you know, it kind of helps you have some, in my opinion at least, some backing behind what you're saying about your business. You can say, Okay, I don't know how many clients I have because I'm doing like X amount. And you can be like, no, this is how many agreement forms I have, this is how many clients are I'm doing every week.

SPEAKER_04 18:54

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 18:54

These are the expectations that I've set for them, which avoids me then so many headaches of them contacting me. And then, you know, we're both on the same page of what needs to be done.

SPEAKER_03 19:06

But I would definitely tell you the secret sauce is getting a good team behind you. And I'm not talking about an in-house team, I'm talking about an out-of-house team that becomes in-house, a CPA. You need to have a CPA, one, that is obviously a professional, but two, a CPA that you can be dead honest with. And you can say this scares me, or this is where success is at. Because again, like I said, numbers don't lie, and the CPA is gonna be able to tell you the truth. So having just one, a good CPA, but then also a guy underneath the CPA that might be an assistant, or um, you know, learning to be a CPA that can just you can be in constant communication with. Because my CPA, busy dude. You know, he's the owner of the company. But like if I have a question, he's gonna make time for me. Like we had that dinner meeting.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

And if I have a random question, I'm not gonna ask him first. I'm gonna go through Jacob Yanava because if he if Jacob can't answer it, which I don't expect Jacob to know 100% of things, but he can't, he'll talk to the big dog and then he'll report back. My accountant is so busy, I'm not gonna bother him. When I if I really need him, he him and I know I can text him. Uh personally, it doesn't need to be an email. But it's just following the chain of command and just making sure. Like, I had a question the other day for Jake Bianata, and I thought it was the stupidest question. And he's like, nah, it's actually a really good question that you're I don't think anyone's ever asked me that.

SPEAKER_04 20:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:53

He said, Let me go talk to Dave about this. Okay, cool. So let me know when you whenever you get it. It's not urgent.

SPEAKER_05 20:58

Okay, cool. Well, I think that's also like a wealth building tool that you've developed, which like, you know, obviously you want to build a profitable business, but like you said, having these types of people that are in your circle that are you can bounce things off of, or they're looking at your tax returns every year for the business, and they're saying, you know, for instance, when you got to the end of the year and they're like, Hey, you can go buy some stuff for the business, and we can write it off to offset what you're gonna be paying. And like, of course, you want people in your corner that are gonna tell you that, like, why should it go to the government if you can reinvest it into your business?

SPEAKER_03 21:42

Of course. Pay yourself first.

SPEAKER_05 21:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:46

Um, but it's funny too, because I feel like I've always just had I've always been a saver my entire life, ever since I was a kid. I've always saved money. If I didn't need it, I wasn't gonna get it. And it's not because I was my family was broke or anything, but like, I don't know, ever since I was a kid, I just loved saving money. And so I'm always cautious about things I buy. And then I feel like I've gained more confidence after I've learned one, how important it is to leverage debt. Also, leveraging free debt, zero percent loans. If I got something on business and you're giving me 0%, I'll take that all day. I'll take as much as you'll give me. And then once you do a couple of those loans, because you know your numbers, you know what you're making, you know how to cover your ass, and you know you're gonna be profitable, it's no big deal. So you gain it, it's like anything, it's like a muscle. You just the more you work it out, the stronger it's gonna get. And you actually will actually learn how to train more efficiently. So instead of being in the gym for an hour, you know how to work yourself out with lighter weight, more effectively and quicker.

SPEAKER_05 23:06

Yeah, I mean, like you said, there's knowledge everywhere. I mean, you could go on the internet and find like anything. Like we love the guy that does the school of hard knocks that goes around to people and asks them, you know, and asks them um, you know, what business advice they would give to the younger generation.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

I mean, I mean, that's super cool too.

SPEAKER_05 23:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

But if you want to waste time with entertainment, chat GPT.

SPEAKER_05 23:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

It is all at our fingertips. It's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_05 23:33

Yeah. Yeah. I think that um, you know, we've had a lot of growth over the past couple years, and I feel like um when you talk about just like rapid growth, for me, that's scary. For you, obviously, it's not. You're the owner, you're like much more cautious of like, you know, taking out a loan or you know, doing certain things for the business because, you know, it's just that kind of stuff like makes me nervous.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

But I've had to because that's how your that was your way of life. Yeah. That's how you were a single woman for forever. Yeah. Only depending on yourself, and you knew exactly what you were making too.

SPEAKER_05 24:16

Yeah, it's so different from somebody who gets a paycheck every two weeks, no matter what, versus somebody who is has their own business, and it's like you don't get paid unless you're Oh, I want that new brand new truck.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

I'm gonna go make more money.

SPEAKER_05 24:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

And I'm just gonna pay for half of it, and then I'm just gonna take out a loan for the other half. Yeah. Give me two weeks.

SPEAKER_05 24:36

But what I've noticed too is like how cool it is that like, you know, for you and for us now, since you're gonna be the sole breadwinner at the end of July, um, is that there's such a freedom in that though. Like there's such a freedom in knowing that there's no ceiling.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

Yeah, but there's a lot of people depending on you.

SPEAKER_05 25:00

A lot of people depending on you, but also like you've built up this foundation that you have where you know you've got your recurring clients, you know the X amount of jobs that you've got coming in.

SPEAKER_03 25:14

But that's that's when that's when shit hits the fans when you get too cocky.

SPEAKER_05 25:18

That's true.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

Like it could all crumble tomorrow. The Lord can take as quickly as he gives.

SPEAKER_05 25:29

But like you said, I mean, if that ever were to happen, we would just rebuild. Yeah. And we would just pivot and do something else. I mean, any reputable business person will tell you that they've failed probably more times than they've succeeded. Because all success is is doing one time, doing it right one time. You can fail 99 times, but if you get the hundredth time correct, you're a success. You're a success. So um, do you have anything that you want to add about just like the growth of the business and how you manage everything? Any advice to the listeners if they're trying to grow or scale a business or if they're trying to figure out how to because I know like you started doing coaching, obviously, and you've had a couple people that reach out and they're like, Am I like paying my guys too much? Am I you know doing this? Am I doing that? Like, is there anything that you would tell them?

SPEAKER_03 26:31

Well, like we said, you definitely want to study your numbers and know your numbers as best as you can. Sorry, I took a bite. But I would say don't take yourself too seriously. I I really think one, you should be making sure that this is what you're passionate about. Because I mean, I hope someone listening to this is like an auto-detailer or something, totally different. The principles are the exact same. This does not feel like work to me. The art of selling, I'm obsessed with it. I love solving people's problems.

SPEAKER_05 27:14

I always tell Jake that he would be great in like a medical sales position because he's so good at selling.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

So one, make sure that you love what you do. I think that's the most important thing.

SPEAKER_05 27:28

Um obviously, trusting God.

SPEAKER_03 27:34

We we've had hard times financially and with the business before. And it didn't matter to me. Because one, this too shall pass. And you just don't give up on yourself. You're you're you're so much more capable of more than you think. And it's like any, I mean, if you wanted to, I know you're quite quitting, but you're retiring. But if you said, Jake, I want to be done with title work and I want to go back into real estate, give it all you got. Go for it. What if I don't sell for six months? Is it something you're passionate about? And we talk at after six months. Yeah, I think I have a plan on how I'm gonna be a better realtor. Great. Are you really passionate about this, Catherine? Yes, I am. Then go for it. What? Because you struck out a couple times, you're just gonna give up. If this is what you want to do, then go for it. If you want to be the solo lawn care operator, there's nothing wrong with that. If you don't like the the skill set that it takes to manage people and you don't want to deal with those headaches, there's nothing wrong with that. Go do what you want to be be the best solo operator you can be.

SPEAKER_04 28:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 28:59

But you say, no, I think I want to have a couple guys, great, get ready for headaches. Yeah, I think I want to have a couple crews, great, get ready for headaches. But I just look at all of these growth problems that we're having as just another challenge.

SPEAKER_00 29:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

And I'm I'm hungry for challenges. I am so addicted to winning. And I'm so addicted, I'm competitive. I've never stopped being competitive. I'm so addicted to winning that I look at every little thing that could go wrong as a little game, and I'm going to win the game. And that's just how that's how I view my business. It's fun, it's a game, it's a trivia game, it's a quick game. Like it's all combined into one, and it's its own unique little sport, and I want to be the world champion of the sport. Now, am I gonna get Detroit Clog size? I don't know. Maybe. Am I gonna be 10 crews? I don't know. Maybe. I'm gonna pray on it. I'm gonna talk to you about it. I'm gonna look at what are your goals in five years, Catherine? Here's mine. I'm not saying I don't want you to accomplish your goals, but like, if we want to get to this, do you support me getting to this? I do.

SPEAKER_04 30:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

Okay, well then I'm not trying to be a dick and have the center of attention, but I don't think we can do your goals right now. And you're like, that works for me. Then boom, we're gonna, we're gonna go. If you say no, Jake, I really want to accomplish this, okay, then I'm gonna scale back. We might not be able to go on that third vacation this year because we're not gonna be, I can't, you know, I can't get the business to that level like we did last year if you want to accomplish this goal. You're like, yeah, that sounds great. Like you just have to keep talking. It's just like we're the customer. Open line of communication. Now, if I was a single guy and I had no son, I wasn't married to you, I would be killing myself. I would be working sun up to sundown. Just because I love it that much. But I love you guys more. So but it it's it's a constant.

SPEAKER_05 31:20

But I think that it's like that with anything, like the more you scale, the kind of more that you have to let go of control a little bit. Because I mean, even in my job when I was managing, the bigger the office got, the more you have to let go and you have to trust the people that are below you.

SPEAKER_03 31:39

You hire them for a reason.

SPEAKER_05 31:40

You hire them for a reason. Like for instance, um this past week, I have obviously I've stepped down, and the person who got promoted to manager was one of my subordinates. And um I found out that I got an email because I'm I'm working from home, so I'm not obviously in the office every day in the know of what's going on. I got an email that one of the people who works in the office is no longer there effective immediately. And so I just, you know, asked a couple questions trying to figure out like what's going on, because like in my opinion, this person was great, they did their job well, um, they were always super responsive. And come to find out that they didn't come in to work one day, and everybody assumed that they were just sick, and then they just never came back.

SPEAKER_03 32:37

Do you know what day this person didn't come in?

SPEAKER_05 32:40

So it was um Friday of last week. Okay, because I was off when this all happened. There were two call-ins that same day. You were off Thursday and Friday, right? Correct. So Friday um she had called in, and then apparently Monday did not show up, Tuesday did not show up, today did not show up. Um the office manager was called.

SPEAKER_03 33:03

Could she be dead?

SPEAKER_05 33:04

I don't know. The office manager called her, texted her, no response. So my point is that ring or straight to voicemail?

SPEAKER_03 33:14

Do you know those dates?

SPEAKER_05 33:15

Probably straight to voicemail, or just ringing.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

I mean, babe God God bless her. I mean, could she be hospitalized? Do you think?

SPEAKER_05 33:25

No, I don't think so. I don't think so. Wow. Um, so all of that to say, like, even when you're at the scale that our company is, where you know, you're at hundreds of locations across the United States, you know, you've got um a manager in place that's kind of like learning what's going on, and then you get hit with uh you gotta terminate somebody because meanwhile I'm gonna be leaving in a month, so they're still trying to fill my position. But again, growth pains that these people are dealing with. There's growth potential. Like, use this to either ruin you and say, like, I'm so pissed that I accepted this position, and now, you know, all of this stuff that I'm dealing with, or use it as no, this is an opportunity for me to learn about the hiring process. It's an opportunity for me to learn how to get better at interviewing, it's an opportunity for me to maybe bring somebody new into the staff that has new ideas. Um, look at it as that versus, oh, I'm just, you know, I'm pissed that this is my situation that I'm in, and I'm just I don't want to deal with it.

SPEAKER_03 34:37

Yeah. And I think that helped with what you're saying. Do you remember like two years ago how stressed out I would get with snow?

SPEAKER_05 34:46

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

I finally just said, okay, I'm changing my total mindset. This is just gonna be problem solving.

SPEAKER_05 34:53

I mean it would be literally like you wouldn't be able to sleep. That's how like you were that's all plow people.

SPEAKER_03 35:00

But I just looked at, I said, nope, this is gonna, this is just gonna be a problem solving storm. And then I mean, you saw like I was excited to go out, and then I'm calling you having so much fun. And don't get me wrong, I'm dog tired by the end of it because it's so much problem solving.

SPEAKER_04 35:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:22

Time crunch. Then you also you you know who your high demand clients are and you know who the low demands are.

SPEAKER_05 35:29

Plus, typically, like you're running in the middle of the night, so of course, like you're exhausted already, and then you're in the dark, so it's making you even more tired.

SPEAKER_03 35:38

Yeah, and then so basically, I mean, most of you plow guys know this. You know, you you you reach eventually the phase where you're getting really tired, but you're almost done. And then when you're getting to that last lot, two lots, that serotonin starts boosting that dopamine because you're amped. You're like, frick yeah. I did it, I figured out the storm. This broke, but I fixed it. And you like you're just reflecting on all the good things that happened, and then you're heading home to see your family, and that you're just you're stoned, you're so happy. Then you get home and you're double checking in your head everything that you did, making sure. Wait, did I did I double back and do that winrow? Or did I just think I did?

SPEAKER_05 36:25

And then what's it gonna look like in a couple hours if the snow still continues? What time am I gonna have to go out again?

SPEAKER_03 36:31

What's the temperature? What's the air temp? What are the ground temps? Oh my god, do we have a refreeze? But like besides that, then the exhaustion hits, and you're just like true exhaust the true exhaustion, but you really can only sleep for like 30 to 90 minutes, maybe 120 minutes, two hours. Yeah, because your brain is still on this adrenaline high, and you don't get normal sleep for like 24 to 48 hours. But it's fun because guess what? Especially in Southeast Michigan, yes, you have a lot of salting events, but like from a plow standpoint, that's what throws the monkey wrench in things when you have to drop the blades versus just go for a salt run. Salt run's pretty straightforward, you know exactly how long you're gonna be out. Yeah, plowing's a different animal in itself, but like out of the four-ish months of snow removal, what you're plowing in Michigan three to eight, if that. Yeah, yeah, you got 35 to 55 salt events, but like when you put it in perspective of the eight months you're going hard, spring cleanups, lawn maintenance, fall cleanups, it's nothing. Yeah, so like what's a couple nights of really bad sleep, really high stress, it's not a big deal. Yeah, don't take yourself too seriously. Yes, there are people depending on you. Yes, it's a high liability job, but like you just do the best you can.

SPEAKER_05 38:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

And if someone has a problem with that, F off, go find someone else.

SPEAKER_05 38:12

Yep. Um, to close this out, I just wanted to say that um for anybody that was listening to last week's episode, because I got a text from my mother, um, we're not actually re-homing Jittle. Um, she I know probably people are concerned.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

This is uh the eldest Beagle.

SPEAKER_05 38:36

Yeah, we are not re-homing her as much as we talk about her. She's just an old crabby dog, so of course, it comes with us frustrations.

SPEAKER_03 38:44

Like, what did I do when I got home? I petted her. You know what I mean? Like I said, hi Jittle, how was your yay?

SPEAKER_05 38:49

Everybody warns you that once you have a baby, your dogs just annoy you ten times worse than they did prior, and that's 100% accurate.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

All three of these dogs, but I cannot stand most of the we are not getting rid of her.

SPEAKER_05 39:02

Um, do not be concerned. We're not sending her to a shelter.

SPEAKER_03 39:06

Star, we know you're listening. We're directing this directly at you. If you do want to take jittle though, you know, you can vacuum up the fur because I I know you want a hypoallergenic dog. So but like you can have her if you want, but we're not getting rid of her.

SPEAKER_05 39:21

Yeah. We she is a part of the family, so she will be with us until she moves on top of the uh some dental extractions next week. Yeah, Tuesday. Yeah, just getting some teeth pulled.

SPEAKER_03 39:34

Yeah, it's probably gonna cost me six thousand dollars. Yep. And a lung. Maybe a testicle. I don't know. It's just the Dixie Vet will take good care of us.

SPEAKER_05 39:46

Just the uh the perks of owning animals. You know, when they're puppies and into like you know, early adulthood, you don't really have to spend much money on them, and then of course when they get old and to the point where their life is like they're senior, can't see, and can't eat, then they become expensive. Then yeah, you end up dumping a lot of money into them.

SPEAKER_03 40:06

So yeah. Did you have any more like questions? I love it when you ask me questions because then I feel like this is such a good conversation, and I'm not just blabbling. Like, did I answer the questions that you had about growth? Did you have any other questions?

SPEAKER_05 40:24

I don't think so. I just felt like with how much we have been, I feel like this year has just been crazy. And I don't know if it's like primarily because we've gotten a lot more into landscaping, or if it's just because we have tiny now that we're like, you know, I just feel like it's insane.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

Yeah, I mean, I blink and it's like 334. I'm like, ooh, I better get moving here because I want to be with my family.

SPEAKER_05 40:58

I mean, you know, we have to figure, like, we're in July now. We're what over halfway through the mowing.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

This is normally, babe, like June and July are normally dead months in landscaping. And like, look at us, we're swanks.

SPEAKER_05 41:13

So, along with that statement, like, we're you're still sending me quotes, like five, six, seven, eight quotes per day. And that's not even including landscaping, that's just for lawn servicing. So, for that, I just feel like it's like an exponential growth that we've had this past year, which is such a blessing. Um, but it's definitely like an adjustment period for I think both of us kind of try to figure out how to make that work with the tools that we have.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

I'm like, babe, I just don't get it. Like, we haven't had a review since Gretchen last week. And like, don't get me wrong, we've got awesome five-star reviews, but it's not like people are taking time out of their day to leave us reviews. I wish they did, but I'm not gonna beg for these reviews. I I I want them to feel compelled to give us a review, but I don't understand why the phone keeps ringing. I'm not doing anything differently than doing really good work, giving the best product that I can. Why is this year so much different? I don't understand.

SPEAKER_05 42:28

Well, we only have really one branded vehicle and trailer. Because the silver auto is not branded. No, the trailer on the silver auto is not branded, but you've got the RAM that's branded. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 42:41

You have the Shirtrack that's branded.

SPEAKER_05 42:43

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

And then the the zoo.

SPEAKER_05 42:45

We have one and then the zoo that's branded.

SPEAKER_03 42:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:48

So two vehicles that are branded, and we have four to five vehicles out on the road at any time. So, like what you're saying, like you don't know how the phone keeps ringing. Like, it's even ringing when we don't have branded vehicles on the road at all times.

SPEAKER_03 43:01

Little Nico Rico, he must be like handing out business cards every night, not telling me, or like doing some door hangers or something like that. Like we're blessed. Yeah, we're we're so blessed, and I don't for a minute think that this is just gonna keep growing. There's always, and Dana White talks about this. He goes, You gotta fight for your business like someone's trying to steal it. Every day I wake up and I go, because Dana says someone's gonna try and fuck me today. There there are people that will do that, no questions asked. And you you have to rise to the occasion, you have to stand up. But like, I'm telling you too, like, just be a kind person. You know, I last year we had um we would have a lady, her mower like broke down for several weeks or whatever last year. Or this was two years ago. And so we came in and relieved it was a neighbor of a client of ours, cut for several weeks, and eventually her mower got fixed. And then last year, the grass was getting so long, I was like, oh my gosh. She didn't call. And I'm thinking, oh, we might be too expensive of an option, which is fine. No big deal. And so by like the fifth or sixth week of me mowing and seeing how bad this lawn is, I see, you know, unfortunately, like chucking a truck, pull up, not commercial equipment, which is fine. You know, maybe this guy is growing, maybe he's just starting out. And I mean, his mower is getting destroyed at this yard. Now, thankfully, it's only about a 0.4 acre lot. But like if you don't have the right mower, that feels like 400 acres. And Alex was with me. And I don't know if I looked at him or he looked at me, and we just nodded, and we knew what to do. And we just started mowing it, knocking it down, helping this guy out. He grabbed a whip after he grabbed it. Like we both took both of our mowers there, destroyed it, and then helped whip and stuff like that. Didn't ask for anything in return. And he this guy was so grateful. And maybe, you know, maybe this was his backup mower. I don't know. You know, maybe he was down for several weeks, and that's why he couldn't get it. Maybe he had a Chevy 3500 Silverado in the shop.

SPEAKER_02 45:36

That's funny, babe. But like we had the extra time. I have this awesome badass equipment that just wants to cut grass, baby.

SPEAKER_05 45:47

I think too, like, it's something that also like sets you apart because like the other day we picked up a new client. They had um just moved into this property. They really only wanted a one-time cut, but like in my opinion, the way that the guy was so happy with our service, like it'll be He'll be back. He'll be back. And he was. He asked me about aeration and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_03 46:09

Is this the guy we got service within like an hour? Because it just happened to be that we were in the same area.

SPEAKER_05 46:14

So anyway, like Jake um was doing the lawn and he there was a package on his porch.

SPEAKER_03 46:24

And the house is, I believe, vacant because they just moved in, right? Yeah, yeah. It just closed and like it just didn't look like anyone's there.

SPEAKER_05 46:31

So Jake texted me and was like, hey, let's text the guy and ask him if he wants me to at least take the package to the back porch. But like these are the things that I feel like that you do that you think is normal, that is not normal, that is a reason why people are constantly recommending you and the phone doesn't stop ringing, is because this kind of stuff. For instance, like when you were at the new client that we also picked up in Birmingham today, and she had gifted her son uh mowing services until the end of the day. Oh my god, that was so cute. She was just moved it, she he just moved in, so she gifted this to him.

SPEAKER_03 47:10

And she was like, I hope I can afford you because you have raving reviews.

SPEAKER_05 47:13

Yeah. And so Jake does the lawn today as scheduled, you know, it's on our it's on our route. And he texts me and he's like, Oh yeah, I like picked up a couple weeds that were in the driveway, and like gone.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

Oh no, these side bait, these cracks. Oh you would have thought like that this was maybe decorative. Like there were so many weeds in the world.

SPEAKER_05 47:38

Even so, like you did this for them, which you didn't have to do. It's not a part of the scope of work, but you did it, you went the extra mile, and now you have somebody who's gonna be like, Hey, like, I've got this guy to do my son's lawn, he does a great job. Like, why don't you go and hire him?

SPEAKER_02 47:56

Could be.

SPEAKER_05 47:58

I don't think you give yourself enough credit for the extra stuff that you do that most people don't do. I mean, in our subdivision, for instance, I'm home every single day. There's three and four other companies that run through our subdivision every day, and none of them have the same care for the work that they do that you do.

SPEAKER_03 48:20

Well, you do have to understand that probably most of those are employees. They're not owner operators, right? Even so, but it does start at the top, yeah. And if you're just teaching these guys moblo go and you're on to the next one, it might work for a while. But like, we're just so quality driven.

SPEAKER_05 48:44

I mean, there's some there's a company that comes in our subdivision every day that every time they come, because they park right in front of our neighbor's house, every single time they come, the guy that walks out of the truck is literally like walking as slow as a snail to the door of the trailer, opens the trailer door, basically lets it slam on the ground, yeah. And then gets on his way, does the lawn, doesn't blow off the mower after he's done, which like again, you don't need to do that, but like all of these things, extra things that you do to keep your equipment looking nice, to where when people roll up, they're like, Oh my god, like is this brand new equipment? No, I've had it for five to six years, I just take really good care of it.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

So all that to say.

SPEAKER_03 49:29

Yeah, because it just it starts from the top, and like if you one, if you're not taking care of the equipment, like guys, if one you if something happens, just let me know and we'll fix it. But like, if you're not taking care of the equipment, how's it gonna take care of you?

SPEAKER_05 49:42

Well, also if you're want if you want to be in these high-end neighborhoods, do you think they want somebody that's coming in with a rusted out truck or equipment that looks like crap? Yeah, people that are showing up that don't even have you know the brand shirts on.

SPEAKER_03 49:58

What's the um HOA that we're in that's next to Turtle Creek?

SPEAKER_05 50:06

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 50:07

It's um you know the client who the swing set? Apparently, Alex was telling me Turtle Creek, I think it's Turtle Creek. He's like, bro, you think this HOA is impressive? He's like, I used to deliver FedEx in there. He's like, whoa.

SPEAKER_05 50:28

The builder that I work with at ATA builds those homes in Turtle? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 50:33

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_05 50:34

Um Turtle Ridge, I think it was.

SPEAKER_03 50:37

I don't think it's Turtle Ridge. Okay, I don't know. But, anyways, you know, there's a power-hungry security guard at uh the HOA that we go to. She loves the shortcut. She loves her job. Go take a shower. And like, so she's telling Dom, and I think Alex last week, you know, oh, by the way, I'm gonna need a copy of your general liability insurance. Okay, no. I take a step back after a day of thinking about this. She's probably doing this so that way the client doesn't have to reach out to us, right? They want to make oh, it's an you know, the this HOA, they want to make it amazing. Yeah, and and like take less from the clients or the the homeowners.

SPEAKER_05 51:20

Oh, I already got this on your behalf.

SPEAKER_03 51:22

Exactly. But at the same time, are you looking at this truck and trailer? Do you think I don't have general liability insurance? And they're like, Yeah, we'll have our boss email. And the email, it's like her personal email at yahoo.com. Not a chance I'm sending my general liability insurance coverage to a power hungry security guard with a Yahoo email.

SPEAKER_05 51:59

Yeah. Now, if I saw the name of the HOA right at Turtle Ridge Estates or whatever, you know.

SPEAKER_03 52:06

Sure. These people.

SPEAKER_05 52:09

Yeah. Oh my god. But it just goes to show that like the more you try to play in these larger neighborhoods, like the headaches that you're gonna get, but also um, you know, you have to come correct when you're coming to these expensive neighborhoods because I know everybody says this about your personal, but like appearance is everything.

SPEAKER_02 52:35

Everything.

SPEAKER_05 52:36

So like if you're coming to an if somebody comes to our home, for instance, for an estimate and on a some type of work that we're getting, and they come with a rusted out truck, they don't have their working gear on, so like I don't even know who they are, and they're coming in and gonna give me an estimate. Do you think I'm gonna hire that person? Like, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03 52:59

Now, yes and no. If the person is coming up in a rusted out truck, right? But they look the part, they speak very well, and you can tell they're grinding, I want to throw money at you.

SPEAKER_05 53:14

But looking the part involves wearing your company's branding somehow, even if it's a freaking name tag.

SPEAKER_03 53:21

Yeah, but what I'm saying is like if someone comes in with, you know, a 20-year-old truck, right? And it's got some rust on it and stuff like that, but they've got, you know, decent outfit, they got a little bit of logo, but they're a good salesperson, I'm like, oh yeah, he's riding that truck till it dies. He's reinvesting his money elsewhere.

SPEAKER_05 53:44

Okay, but what I'm saying is like appearance is everything.

SPEAKER_03 53:47

Yes, it does play a very big role in the right.

SPEAKER_05 53:48

When I am a woman, when my husband is not home and you're coming to my home, you don't have your branding on, you're knocking on my door, expecting you to let let me let you into my home, which is the most personal place that you have, and you don't And by the way, I have four different guns in the house.

SPEAKER_03 54:07

I know where every single one is, sir.

SPEAKER_05 54:09

You don't have like like, come on, like you know you're not gonna get the business. So, I mean, like I said, appearance is everything. So if you, you know, are going to do a job or on an estimate, like you better believe you should be, you know, even if you don't have branding on your vehicle, at least go and introduce yourself. Hey, I'm this with this. Like we hired um Lowe's to do our carpet when we first moved into this house.

SPEAKER_03 54:38

Oh god.

SPEAKER_05 54:39

And they subcontracted it out, like they always do. The people who come to do the you know, the measurements are Lowe's people, but then the the subcontractor that they use came in with like a rusted out van. Just a total logo on it, no nothing, did not have anything that they were wearing that indicated where they're from.

SPEAKER_03 55:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 55:04

And they come to install carpet in my home. What?

SPEAKER_03 55:07

Yeah, you were like, I'm getting trafficked. I remember like you were telling me, like, you're like, this is so sketched.

SPEAKER_05 55:13

It's so uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_03 55:14

Yeah. And I was like, okay, but you like I literally I had a conversation. Do you remember? I was like, you know where the gun is, right? Yeah. And you were like, Yeah, I think so. And I was like, Well, it is loaded and it is hot and there is no safety on it. So use it at your discretion.

SPEAKER_04 55:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:28

And you're like, okay, I hope it doesn't come to that.

SPEAKER_02 55:31

And I said, I hope so too, but like, you know how to do this, you know how to shoot a gun now.

SPEAKER_05 55:37

At this age where like everything is online, you have access to everything. Like, why are you not coming like that? You know? At least just like slap a freaking name tag on or like give me a magnet. You know, instead, these two they look like children roll out of the truck and they're like, Yeah, I'm here to install your carpet, and you're like, What? Hey.

SPEAKER_02 56:01

You're from Lowe's?

SPEAKER_05 56:02

Yeah. Okay. But all that goes to show the importance of people who actually come professional, like the water people that come whenever the plumbing people that we use, whenever we've got an issue that we really like.

SPEAKER_03 56:20

Umalox. Oh, you love yeah, yeah, that's that's your guy. Yeah, you love Avalux, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 56:28

Super in the area, but like they're always super great. They come professional. They, you know, and then even the um electrician. Wendell that's coming, like very professional, comes in, introduces himself, gives me his business card, like things to make me feel comfortable.

SPEAKER_03 56:46

He just smells like money.

SPEAKER_05 56:48

Okay, let's let's oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 56:50

God, I love Wendell.

SPEAKER_05 56:53

All right, guys. Jake, you can end it off.

SPEAKER_03 56:57

I'm ending it. Yep. You're normally the closer.

SPEAKER_05 57:00

Nope. You got this.

SPEAKER_03 57:01

Um we covered a lot of ground this evening.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Um let's see. So we got 10 minutes that uh didn't get recorded, but we had 10 before. So we're probably a little close to like an hour 10.

SPEAKER_03 57:15

This was I think this is one of the best ones we've had. I feel like we covered a lot of ground.

SPEAKER_05 57:21

All while you were eating your DoorDash.

SPEAKER_03 57:23

Yep, all while I was waiting for DoorDash. Um babe, you really threw me for a loop having me close and then making fun of me earlier in the podcast. I mean, I'm just disheveled right now.

SPEAKER_05 57:35

Um if you guys have any questions about growth or um things that you think that you might be doing, you could be doing differently with your business, or even just like general questions you have about like what type of things to look for in a CPA or whatever, you know, message Jake on Instagram at Jake's Longhair248. And but I'm not an expert.

SPEAKER_02 58:01

Like I want you guys to know that I'm just like you guys, I'm trying to figure it out every single thing.

SPEAKER_05 58:05

Yeah, you're trying to figure it out, but also like you can provide people the information that you got when you started out, and you know, that can only help somebody else.

SPEAKER_03 58:14

Yeah, that's all I want to do is help people.

SPEAKER_05 58:16

Yeah, is looking for you know, way things that they can do that maybe, you know, there's power in community and asking other people, getting ideas from them, and you, you know, them getting ideas from you.

SPEAKER_02 58:27

I think this is how we're gonna close this. July is a new month, right?

SPEAKER_03 58:33

Yes, certain expenses are finally going down. Um, but I challenge you guys like fuel's going down a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 58:42

Oh, yeah, not diesel, but unleaded as I was about to say our household expenses are going up this month.

SPEAKER_03 58:47

Oh, great. What's going up?

SPEAKER_05 58:49

We have gentle surgery for her teeth extraction.

SPEAKER_03 58:52

Yeah, yeah, no worry about that. Um, so anyways, I challenge you guys to raise your prices for July because more than likely, most of you, I'm not saying all of you, you're in a position where you're going, I wish I was making more money. Hey, me too. I wish I was making more money too. I got a wife with expensive taste.

SPEAKER_05 59:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 59:19

No, I'm just kidding. But there's a reason why a lot of people are listening to stuff like this too. And don't be afraid to ask for help. But I challenge you guys, bid that one job that you know you're you're you're hoping you get it, and you're like, man, this $2,000 job would be really nice. But is it really a $2,000 job, or is it really $750, $750 profit, and it's not even close to the profit margin you need to be at. So I challenge you to look at the actual numbers and be brave and go, no, that $2,000 job that is a $3200 to $3,400 job, and have the confidence. Go into that proposal meeting or that sending that email with some cojones and show, but you better back it up. You better be one their best option, but you better give it all you got.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:24

And also I feel like standing up for your pricing, too, would be something that we could tell them to do.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:30

I was gonna the reason I was saying raise your prices is because like the lawn care is just uh it's been abysmal. I mean, that lady yesterday telling us that she's willing to pay $30 after we gave her a quote of 68 to 78.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:43

It's something to say that this is like mid-season, so like routes are already established.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:48

You know, you have your they're people are reaching out at this time of year because they're not happy, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:53

Or they are in a bind. And like, not that you should capitalize on that, but also like absolutely you should capitalize on that. Like you already have your established clientele. So if you're gonna ask me to disrupt my schedule to do this for you, which I'm happy to, it's going to come at a cost. And then for people who are like, Oh, I'm only interested in spending $40. Like, okay. Cool, good luck finding that person. I'm only interested in buying this type of um grocery meat for this price. So I'm either gonna pay the really shitty brand that's super cheap, or I'm gonna buy the same thing. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:30

Yeah, yeah. Um, I love the, you know, well, I'm willing to pay, she said $30 for our nearly $80 quote or whatever it was.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:38

$68 to $78.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:40

When she said I'm willing to pay $30, I almost wanted you to say didn't ask.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:46

Literally don't give a shit what you're willing to pay.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:48

Yeah, like you don't get to dictate what you're looking to pay.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:51

You're you're not running my business. And one, we're the first person you're reaching out to. I know it because we're the highest rated on Google. So I know you're starting with us. There's a reason you're starting with us because you want the best. The best comes at a freaking cost. You can find someone cheaper, but good luck, one, getting a response right away. Good luck then getting the price right away, and then also good luck getting them there when they say they're gonna be there.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:23

And also, like, why is it that people think that they can just dictate price?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:28

I have no idea why on lawn care and landscaping.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:31

It's specific to this industry that people think that they can just dictate it.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:36

Because most of the time, business owners are not running it. It yes, Chuck owns Chuck's.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:43

But like, what do people think? Is it like they think that it's just the kid from down the street that's trying to make 40-30 pucks?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:49

They either think that or it's the burnout guy who didn't do anything with his life, so he's cutting grass or he's landscaping. So they just just to get by. Just to get by. Yeah. So they think one, and it's true, a lot of these owners don't know how to run a company. They're really good at landscaping or mowing, but they actually they're not good at business. And it shows.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:10

And just like us cap comes together, you know, just like us capitalizing on the market, the consumer is going to capitalize on them.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:18

It's a dog eat dog world out there and be ready to come fighting.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:24

I mean, I'm not saying you need to be a dick, but like stand by your price. Stand by the product you know you can deliver. And guess what? If you don't have the best mower right now, then you better have the best weed whacker. You better have the best blower. Have some nuance in your business that makes you the best in that category. Like, oh, I've got the best edger right now for what I got. Edge the shit out of those yards.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:52

As a collective industry, we should be like standing by the pricing so that it pushes up everybody's app to be able to increase pricing. Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:02

Like the guy rising tides raise all ships, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:05

Yeah, the guy that you know you talked to that was like, I'm wanting to pay this much, my guy has raised his rate, and so I just you know want to get some other quotes. And you're like, I guarantee you mine is gonna be higher. So if he's giving you this price, go with him.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:20

Yeah, I think I asked what well, what's the price?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:23

And I think that's so cool because like you're giving validation to this guy that's raising his prices either due to inflation, gas prices, equipment cost, whatever it is. Yeah, you're giving value and saying, No, this is like actually a good price, like you should take this. Yeah, because like any business, prices go up. Why is it okay for grocery prices to go up, gas prices to go up, and you still just like don't even think it's mortgage rates going up, yeah. But like the lawn tax is going up, but the lawn care of landscape.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:54

But I still want to pay $25 for this lawn cut. It's crazy. I don't get it either, babe. Yeah, I don't get it. Because last I checked, we're all going to the grocery store.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:04

Yeah. Last I checked, we're all trying to put a roof over our heads, we're all trying to support our family.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:08

Last I checked, we're all trying to put money away for retirement.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:12

Contributes to the economy. So, like, what what is it with this?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:16

You know, these $20 and $30 guys, I want to know where they're buying the food because I would love to have a cheaper grocery.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:22

I don't get to go be like, yeah, I want to go to Florida for the weekend, and here's what I want to pay for my flight.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:27

Like, you go to Delta, so it's $600 to get to Florida round trip.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:33

Would you do $375?

SPEAKER_05 1:05:35

Yeah, yeah. This isn't a gorilla scale. Like, what?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:38

I'm paying cash.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:39

Yeah, yeah, I'm paying cash. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:42

Yeah, no, like when I go to board, I'll have cash on me. Can we do $375? Yeah. Can we shake on it?

SPEAKER_05 1:05:48

Yeah. Or like, yeah, I want this meal while I'm on the flight. It's $24.75, but I've only got a 20. Can you take it?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:55

Can you take the 20?

SPEAKER_05 1:05:57

No. You idiot.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:00

You idiot. All right. What's your what's your thing?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:04

What do you mean if you're a bitch? You doing a good job. Bitch, you doing a good job.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:09

All right.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:09

I think that's actually really old, and I just found it, and now I'm like.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:13

Oh, you're ta you're talking about old news.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:16

Yeah, probably. All right.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:17

Well, we gotta go read more about um Taylor Frankie Paul. Is that her name? Did I say it right?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:21

Uh TFP, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:23

TFP. Taylor Frankie Paul.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:25

Yeah, Jake um has gotten into the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives since I have been watching.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:30

Since you've been forcing it down my throat.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:32

Yeah. He and then like, it's like such a typical male thing where they're like, why are you watching this stupid drama? And then like I was hooked after having a couple episodes in, they're like, wait, so what happened with this girl? Why is she with this guy?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:45

Yeah. Wait, so she did cheat on her husband? Oh my god. So it was more than just kissing.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:52

Marciano Who? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:54

That's so funny. So we got caught up on that. All right. This was fun. I really liked this podcast with you. This was a lot of fun.

unknown 1:07:02

Cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:03

We're gonna go get showered up.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:04

All right. Toodles getting shower.