The GROW! Show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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