“I was all in—there was no turning back. It had to work, so we built it to work.” — Al Perreault of Green Collar Landscaping

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

MERX – Canada’s leading platform for accessing public and private procurement opportunities, including municipal landscape contracts.

Latham Pools – North America’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass pools. Green Collar became a certified installer in 2020 to expand construction offerings.

Google Ads – Used by Green Collar to target residential and commercial leads during seasonal slowdowns and market shifts.

Facebook & Instagram – Platforms used for increasing brand visibility and reaching residential landscaping customers

Topics Discussed:

[00:31 ] Intro – Rob welcomes Al Perreault of Green Collar
[01:06 ] The origin story – From weekend grass cutting to multi-million dollar growth
[03:19 ] The breaking point – When Al had to choose between a 9–5 and his business
[06:30 ] Going all-in – Scaling from 10 to 80 employees in under 5 years
[08:55 ] COVID pivot – Adding pool installs during lockdown and surviving material shortages
[10:43 ] The all-in-one advantage – Why customers prefer one company for everything
[11:41 ] Career building – Creating long-term jobs, not just seasonal gigs
[13:08 ] Leading from a distance – The surprising benefits of growing before going full-time
[15:57 ] Growth constraints – Why lack of process and culture holds companies back
[18:16 ] Internal growth – Promoting from within and creating pride in the team
[21:44 ] Core values – How they actually implemented them (not just posters)
[24:56 ] Vision casting – Communicating direction through casual, consistent check-ins
[27:31 ] Marketing in 2025 – Where Green Collar spends budget and why
[30:18 ] Commercial acquisition – How networking and performance lead to invites
[32:45 ] Building processes – Start with what keeps breaking
[36:42 ] Why landscaping – Loving the craft, building with pride, and mentoring the next gen

Actionable Key Takeaways:

Fix what keeps breaking. If it’s a recurring issue, build a system around it.

Use motivation wisely. Fueling at night works better because people want to go home.

Promote from within. It builds buy-in and makes employees proud to be part of growth.

Don’t overcomplicate it. Simple, useful processes beat complex ones that collect dust.

Communicate the vision. Whether it’s at a BBQ or team meeting, keep your team in the loop.

Be present—on purpose. Even if you lead from a distance, culture needs constant care.