Live Consulting Call - Marcus Felmley

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Hey everyone, it's Mike Andes.
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I'm the founder of Augusta Lawn Care and the founder of HomeWorks.
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And today, I'm actually doing a one-on-one coaching call in person here in the studio with Marcus from Idaho.
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He's a young entrepreneur, 22 years old, run a business that has $2.3 million doing landscaping and construction work.
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And he's really trying to figure out how do I scale this, but also realizing that the way the business is built now,
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doesn't have a lot of systems, and it's going to burn out really good people.
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And so I really look up to him and admire him for being cognizant of the fact that he's going to have to have systems.
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He's going to slow down for a moment.
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And so we talk a lot about using admin as a way to play defense for 2026 so that in 2027 and beyond, he can get to 5 million plus.
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So this is a one-on-one coaching call in person, in the studio.
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If you ever need coaching, you can always go to mikeannies.com slash coaching and book a call today.
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Currently, I mean, this year we did $2.3 million.
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We average anywhere from 25% to 35% profit.
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It varies across the different services you do, obviously.
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And how much of that is like, kind of give me a breakdown of the major services?
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Sure.
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So I would say our two major services would be construction and maintenance.
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So construction looks like mainly commercial or high-end residential.
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And so commercial meaning we just built an Amazon facility.
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So, I mean, they have like 14,000 plants.
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So big stuff like that, stuff for the state of Idaho.
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We just did a job for Idaho Transportation Department, interstate asphalt, CRH.
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People like that, that's what a commercial looks like.
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High-end residential, BlackRock, you ever heard of that?
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Yep, yep.
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High-end golf course, private.
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We do the landscape jobs, six figures plus for private clients.
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I actually don't like those as much because I feel like the middle millionaires is what I call them.
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Like the most snobby because they have something to prove.
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You know, it's like they have to prove to you that they're wealthy.
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And it's like, dude, just shut up.
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The cheap ones want you to feel like they're wealthy.
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So like, yeah, do whatever.
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And then they're mad when you do it.
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And then they have to spend the money on it.
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So how much of it is that then, the construction side?
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I would say we're sitting about 75, 80% of the revenue.
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So, you know, we're going to be about 1.6, 1.8 million of that.
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Maybe 1.6 of it would be construction.
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And then the rest is maintenance.
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And that usually, that's mainly what I like to call estate maintenance.
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Those BlackRock homes.
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So we have a lot of clients down there.
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Some HOAs.
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We've had a hard time getting into the commercial maintenance.
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So if you have any insight on that, I'd love to hear it.
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It seems like...
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They just are happy with their current providers and over there in Idaho.
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It's like Ten years behind everybody so it doesn't matter, you know, it doesn't seem to matter how much you're on the internet and
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I'm happy with Billy.
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Him and his boys have been doing it for 20 years.
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Maintenance is a lot of times a little more price sensitive on commercial.
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They just want the lowest price.
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Whereas the install, they're like, we want to make sure it's done right.
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But then after that, we'll escape by.
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That makes sense.
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And one of my bigger competitors is my buddy.
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Like I've gotten to know him really well.
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He's helped me out on a couple of things when I was first starting doing construction.
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So I don't know how to step on his toes.
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And he has some of the commercial contracts that I could go after.
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Got it.
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Because he has a commercial construction company doing the landscape install.
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Yeah.
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And then he just started a maintenance company.
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Mm-hmm.
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So now he's just taking on the work that he does, right?
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He builds it, does the huge HOAs, and then he just takes on the maintenance.
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Got it.
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So I don't really want to step on his toes.
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And so that's one of the things that's keeping us from really growing in that sector is trying to be careful with that.
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And in the last few years, like, so well, since 2020, what's kind of been the growth revenue each year then?
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So last year we were at 1.2.
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The year before that, we were at 440.
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And then the year before that, we were at like 80 something.
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That was awesome.
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So basically nothing, 400, 1.2, and now 2.3.
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And then assuming nothing changes next year, probably just momentum, you're doing over three.
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Yeah, I mean, or actually I'm probably actually going to slow down the growth a little bit.
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Okay.
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Because I would like to step out of the business.
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Okay.
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Not like out, out.
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I want it to be like what you say, where if you chop the octopus head out, right?
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Yeah.
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Chop the head off, the entire function doesn't disappear.
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You're still involved a lot in most of the big projects, or do you have a project?
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I had a project manager the year we did 400,000.
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Because I was going to CDL school, my CDL.
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And so I was there for a few weeks, and I didn't pay attention.
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He literally told my guys to just milk the clock.
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Really?
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Yeah.
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I got back and...
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Which...
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My leads were like, hey, you should come down and look at this.
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What were my leads?
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And then I hired this project manager.
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It was impressive because he showed me hundreds of photos of projects he's done.
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I don't know if he just worked on crews that did good work or what, but I was really impressed.
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I'm like, wow, you know what you're doing?
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Sure.
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Go lead this guy.
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He's like a 40-year-old guy.
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Yeah.
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And my leads were like, can you come look at it?
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And I'm like, I'm too busy right now.
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Which I should have just listened to them and trusted that they needed me to come down there.
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Because they didn't want to, you know, totally rat them out.
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But they just like, come see it.
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And then you'll, you know, understand.
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And I was too busy at truck school.
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And I didn't go down there.
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So like three weeks later, I go down there.
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And they had like half of a little wall built.
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I was like, hey, guys, this is unacceptable.
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And they're like, we've been trying to tell you this.
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Like, it's not us.
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And he literally told us to milk the clock.
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And I'm like, well, have you been?
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And they're like, no.
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But what are we supposed to do?
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We don't
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Okay, cool.
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And so kind of getting to that level, what do you kind of see as a constraint from going from 2.3 to a business with 2.3 that has better systems without you having to be that linchpin?
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What's sort of your next step, do you think?
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It's a good question.
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I think my main hesitancy is the fact that when we did the year we did 400, we had like at one point we had 20 people because we were trying to grow.
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And I was just running around putting out fires.
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Like, that didn't last long.
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It was like a few-week period.
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But the end by the end, you know, that year we— or no, I should say that was the year we did 1.2.
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That makes more sense.
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Anyway, so that was that year we did 20.
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We had 20 employees.
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And I had two of my brothers working with me.
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So it helped a little bit because they could help and do stuff like that.
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But we were constantly running around putting out fires.
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And I'm a Christian, my faith with Christ means more than anything to me.
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And having that, the understanding that, maybe not all my clients, but some of them knew that I was a Christian and then my work wasn't backing what I was saying I was believing, to me, it was like, it's not worth it.
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So I ended up firing everybody.
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I had nobody coming into this year.
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And so we grew, and we still grew.
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It was kind of crazy.
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But tried to grow slower and not run as many crews without me.
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And so ran one smaller construction crew doing the smaller stuff, ran a lawn care crew, and then kind of a split lawn care crew where sometimes they're a three-man crew.
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So sometimes one guy would go and do the ramp racks.
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I don't know if you guys still do that, but we have those racks on our trucks now.
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Got it.
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And then I would run the big project crew.
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Got it.
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My problem with just going straight for the 3.5 or just the huge excessive growth is that we lose the quality.
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So we've actually been voted the number one landscape construction company in the entire state in the last two years.
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I mean, I think last year they had 88,000 votes.
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having our name out there as being somebody that you can trust.
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I don't want to fail people.
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And so that's why I'm here.
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Like how do I grow without sacrificing the product?
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And I guess my biggest thing is like, one of my dad's big concerns is owning a company, especially like yours where you have so many different things going on, who do I hire?
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Or how do I hire somebody I trust in the office?
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that can watch our numbers and know our metrics, watch all our financials, know where all our money's going, handle all that, I guess how do I trust that person, how do I know they're the right person for the job, because obviously I've screwed it up when it comes to field guys, and that's not as big of a deal, it's like you fire on whatever, you move on or they quit.
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But when it comes to somebody that's managing your money, or do you say that's my job?
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Yeah, like at the smaller size, like when I say smaller, like usually sub $5 million, you still are going to have that function of the business be outside.
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So like an accountant or a bookkeeper or someone else.
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Because you just don't have a full-time gig for that yet.
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And if you expect your office person to be able to do bookkeeping and like payroll functions even, you immediately just, you know, probably increase their comp by 20% to 30%.
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Sure.
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And so...
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I would say I'd separate – in the book I talk about until you pass $3 million, try to get as much of your admin by specialists.
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Sure.
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Like I want a bookkeeper for my bookkeeping.
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I want a tax person for my taxes.
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I want as much of that moved off the plate so my admin person does the basic functions of answer the phone, do my email, process payments, run invoices, as basic as possible.
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Sure.
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Because otherwise it just gets too expensive and –
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most of the tasks of an admin person aren't the level of like a bookkeeper or a CPA, right?
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And so, and also too, it's nice from a trust perspective, you do need to trust your admin person, especially if they're full-time.
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You don't necessarily trust your bookkeeper as much.
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If they're not on a full-time basis.
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Because if they're not doing a good job, you just bail to someone else.
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And so I would just really try to find a really good bookkeeper.
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Just know your numbers.
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Have monthly reports.
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Have everything reconciled.
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You're never surprised.
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Your balance sheet's always updated.
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I think that's a big turn for me right when I was passing 1 million, 1.2.
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Was like, okay, I need to see a balance sheet reconciled every month.
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I can't be at the end of the year for taxes.
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It can't even be quarterly.
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I've got to have monthly.
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Just that alone helps.
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Really having full insights on the financials.
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Do you do all the bookkeeping yourself right now?
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No, we have a bookkeeper.
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Okay.
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But I don't know how much I trust them.
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Yeah.
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Well, it's actually just like a lady and her helper.
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Yeah.
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The reason I say that is I fired them as my CPA.
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Yeah.
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Because they were doing a terrible job.
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I mean, last year they tried to make me pay like $100,000 in taxes.
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Yeah.
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And then I went to my parents CPA.
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I was on the books for like four years.
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They're local here.
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They are.
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Maybe you know Melvin Danson.
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You ever heard of them?
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No.
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Okay.
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Anyway, they're local here.
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They're downtown.
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They're still doing your taxes.
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Oh, your parents' taxes?
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They didn't do my parents' taxes for all their investments and stuff.
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Cool.
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I was on the books for like four years.
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Every year I'd call.
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They'd be like, no, we're too busy, too busy, too busy.
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Finally got in with them.
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And I called them this year.
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And I was like, well, you got to go back and you got to go file my 24 taxes.
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Yeah.
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And they're like, what?
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Yeah.
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And I'm like, yeah.
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And they're like, well, you're going to pay fines.
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I'm like, I don't care.
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There's no way I owe as much as they say I do.
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Right.
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So they went in and I ended up paying like 15 grand.
236
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Yeah, yeah.
237
00:10:38.755 --> 00:10:42.399
So my point is like at that point, would you fire them as a bookkeeper?
238
00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:43.620
In your opinion.
239
00:10:43.660 --> 00:10:47.024
Like if they did that bad of a job on your taxes, would you say I'm looking for a different bookkeeper?
240
00:10:47.084 --> 00:10:48.826
I do think they're two very different skills.
241
00:10:48.986 --> 00:10:53.190
Everyone lumps them into one because usually a firm that does their bookkeeping will all of a sudden do your taxes.
242
00:10:53.551 --> 00:10:54.372
I think they're different skills.
243
00:10:54.392 --> 00:10:56.634
Just like guys at Mulan say they can put in a paper patio.
244
00:10:56.694 --> 00:11:00.076
Yeah, like my CPA, Brad, does not do my bookkeeping.
245
00:11:00.116 --> 00:11:00.336
Okay.
246
00:11:00.496 --> 00:11:00.656
Right?
247
00:11:00.716 --> 00:11:01.917
He does my taxes.
248
00:11:02.057 --> 00:11:02.217
Sure.
249
00:11:02.397 --> 00:11:04.979
And I meet with him every two weeks, and we go over taxes.
250
00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:06.080
We don't talk about bookkeeping.
251
00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:06.780
We talk about taxes.
252
00:11:06.800 --> 00:11:07.100
Sure.
253
00:11:07.260 --> 00:11:09.402
And I think the skill level is very different, too.
254
00:11:09.462 --> 00:11:12.904
So if someone's like, I'm a bookkeeper, I'm like, okay, you're not doing my taxes.
255
00:11:12.984 --> 00:11:13.144
Right.
256
00:11:13.324 --> 00:11:16.726
If they say, I'm a CPA, and I run taxes, I'm like, okay, you're my tax person.
257
00:11:16.986 --> 00:11:19.147
And if you're cheap enough, I'll have you do my bookkeeping.
258
00:11:19.167 --> 00:11:19.448
Right.
259
00:11:19.468 --> 00:11:23.190
Because bookkeeping is not the skill of tax strategists.
260
00:11:23.390 --> 00:11:23.570
Sure.
261
00:11:23.650 --> 00:11:26.932
And also there's a difference between someone running my taxes and someone actually creating a strategy.
262
00:11:27.472 --> 00:11:33.036
So like, for example, if you start getting real estate, like a strategist is like, OK, can we do accelerated depreciation?
263
00:11:33.496 --> 00:11:37.119
OK, can we put a tenant on this so we can, you know, write this off faster?
264
00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:43.683
Like they'll think about those things, whereas someone that is just preparing your taxes is like, yeah, just give me the documents and I'll run it all.
265
00:11:43.863 --> 00:11:44.043
Sure.
266
00:11:44.243 --> 00:11:49.248
And so I think it'd be probably at this size, like definitely worth thinking, like how do you get someone to do your taxes?
267
00:11:49.268 --> 00:11:50.569
It sounds like you got in now.
268
00:11:50.669 --> 00:11:52.470
Yeah, they're just a CPA, that's all they do.
269
00:11:52.510 --> 00:11:53.992
And then they do like year-end planning.
270
00:11:54.339 --> 00:12:02.708
Yeah, so as long as the bookkeeper, like, they have clean files, they're responsive, they get everything done every single week, and they're giving me clean reports, I think they're probably fine.
271
00:12:02.768 --> 00:12:02.968
Okay.
272
00:12:03.028 --> 00:12:05.991
And so there's a very good chance that there are good bookkeepers and lousy CPAs.
273
00:12:06.011 --> 00:12:06.211
Sure.
274
00:12:06.551 --> 00:12:07.232
It happens.
275
00:12:07.492 --> 00:12:07.973
Okay.
276
00:12:08.193 --> 00:12:11.116
And you don't even need to be a CPA to be doing tax prep.
277
00:12:11.436 --> 00:12:14.199
You just need, like, a little license that says, like, you need to run people's tax prep.
278
00:12:14.359 --> 00:12:14.880
Sure.
279
00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:16.341
And so that's likely what they have.
280
00:12:16.361 --> 00:12:16.542
Okay.
281
00:12:16.562 --> 00:12:16.682
Okay.
282
00:12:17.002 --> 00:12:22.646
So I would probably keep them, assuming that they do a good job of bookkeeping, and then keep your other guy for the CPA.
283
00:12:22.666 --> 00:12:27.270
Just because they're bad at tax prep and tax strategy does not necessarily mean they're bad at bookkeeping.
284
00:12:27.650 --> 00:12:28.711
It's just a very different skill.
285
00:12:28.971 --> 00:12:32.534
So in your opinion, then I should be meeting with them once a month?
286
00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:37.740
I would at least have them reconcile your books quarterly, minimum.
287
00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:39.220
Yeah, I know they do it.
288
00:12:39.300 --> 00:12:40.181
I think they do it monthly.
289
00:12:40.501 --> 00:12:45.242
I pay them a monthly fee to just keep up on it, all my QuickBooks and everything.
290
00:12:45.302 --> 00:12:45.522
Cool.
291
00:12:45.542 --> 00:12:49.563
And then do you go over it with them, or is it just like – No, I probably should.
292
00:12:49.623 --> 00:12:58.024
I would go over it mostly because when you get your reports, when you see a number that looks a little off, do you just click on it and double-click into it?
293
00:12:58.344 --> 00:13:00.005
If it's off, I just go, man, it's off.
294
00:13:00.045 --> 00:13:00.625
I know it's off.
295
00:13:00.805 --> 00:13:18.890
okay that's that's that's why i'm here because like i don't do any of that like you're techie you have all this stuff i'm just like you're good i'm like yeah i don't even know what to do i click on it and then it's like you know i clicked on the wrong screen i'm like i gotta back out yeah you know i think the level that you're you're at now is like it's like if you know the numbers wrong it is sure
296
00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:25.855
Like there's almost never a time where I look at a P&L that I'm not managing at the end of the month and I'm like, that looks off.
297
00:13:25.875 --> 00:13:30.097
And I click on it and there's not something like, oh, there's a subscription that we should not be having.
298
00:13:30.498 --> 00:13:32.999
There is someone doubled up on payments.
299
00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:37.102
Like we put two months in one instead of making sure it was every single month.
300
00:13:37.122 --> 00:13:39.144
Like it's always something.
301
00:13:39.184 --> 00:13:42.126
And it's a good way to have your pulse on the business.
302
00:13:42.206 --> 00:13:42.446
Yeah.
303
00:13:42.686 --> 00:13:45.970
And you'll never be able to lose control of it if you just know all those things.
304
00:13:46.170 --> 00:13:48.994
And I think you do know because you're so involved.
305
00:13:49.455 --> 00:13:52.999
And this is the time before you start trying to step away to make sure all that's dialed in.
306
00:13:53.540 --> 00:13:55.282
Because in your bookkeeper, a lot of times they just don't know.
307
00:13:55.302 --> 00:13:58.626
So they just file it because they know you're not going to say anything.
308
00:13:58.646 --> 00:14:00.809
So they're like, oh, we'll put in tools and equipment.
309
00:14:01.229 --> 00:14:04.792
And you're like, well, no, actually, that was a piece of rent.
310
00:14:04.832 --> 00:14:05.513
We rented that.
311
00:14:05.953 --> 00:14:14.000
And so there's little things like that that you can iron out and create rules with them in QuickBooks so that when you start stepping back, those things are accurate.
312
00:14:14.601 --> 00:14:22.248
So sometimes it's good to take a year like you are, not grow as much, systematize little things like that that you're kind of just kind of swept under the carpet.
313
00:14:22.268 --> 00:14:22.428
Sure.
314
00:14:22.548 --> 00:14:25.330
So then as you step back, it's being done right.
315
00:14:25.511 --> 00:14:25.671
Right.
316
00:14:26.231 --> 00:14:26.451
So.
317
00:14:27.052 --> 00:14:27.452
Makes sense.
318
00:14:27.673 --> 00:14:27.833
No.
319
00:14:28.313 --> 00:14:29.254
He will all kind of hand it to you.
320
00:14:29.274 --> 00:14:30.094
Like, I know you have questions.
321
00:14:30.114 --> 00:14:32.675
So, like, let's just go through those and get as much value as we possibly can.
322
00:14:32.695 --> 00:14:33.116
I can pull them up.
323
00:14:33.136 --> 00:14:33.516
Yeah, go for it.
324
00:14:33.576 --> 00:14:45.002
I mean, I didn't, well, I know one of the, I guess one of them that I know is one of my biggest is looking at, you know, where you've been, you know, when you grew your original location.
325
00:14:46.143 --> 00:14:49.365
Talking to me as someone that hasn't got to that five million number.
326
00:14:49.405 --> 00:14:51.726
And that's not even necessarily like it's a number set in stone.
327
00:14:51.746 --> 00:14:52.967
Maybe I don't even go for that number.
328
00:14:53.407 --> 00:14:54.608
But let's just say five million.
329
00:14:55.570 --> 00:15:04.507
What would you say are some of those biggest pitfalls, roadblocks that I can avoid because you've made the mistakes or you've seen other businesses make the mistakes?
330
00:15:04.808 --> 00:15:05.830
What would you warn me against?
331
00:15:06.461 --> 00:15:13.708
The biggest thing, the skill that I had to learn going from like one to five and even ten is the skill of leadership.
332
00:15:13.948 --> 00:15:14.148
Sure.
333
00:15:14.369 --> 00:15:19.554
And that's one of those things where it's like it stinks because it's not like here's the step, do these things.
334
00:15:20.515 --> 00:15:28.562
But the reason it would be important is because the difference between one million and ten million is the ability to have other great leaders in the organization pushing as hard as you.
335
00:15:28.582 --> 00:15:28.682
Yeah.
336
00:15:29.523 --> 00:15:35.188
And finding them and then retaining them when they're that good, it comes down to can you lead?
337
00:15:35.488 --> 00:15:36.289
Sure.
338
00:15:36.429 --> 00:15:38.550
And so that is not an easy skill.
339
00:15:38.570 --> 00:15:39.751
And you will make a bunch of mistakes.
340
00:15:39.911 --> 00:15:43.134
You just kind of got to realize you're going to because you just will.
341
00:15:43.714 --> 00:15:47.718
And then so you start kind of taking off the rough edges sometimes like how your personality is.
342
00:15:48.498 --> 00:15:50.980
how you interact with people, your thoughts and opinions about things.
343
00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:52.361
You're just kind of like, okay, that doesn't matter.
344
00:15:52.721 --> 00:15:54.643
I'm just focused on getting great people.
345
00:15:55.223 --> 00:16:07.432
And so I think back when you were 400,000, 1 million in between there, and you had that operations manager, you start to identify what good looks like and what bad looks like.
346
00:16:07.872 --> 00:16:15.078
What bad looks like is, okay, this person, the team underneath them is starting to say negative things about them.
347
00:16:15.736 --> 00:16:18.237
Okay, well does that mean I immediately jump in next time?
348
00:16:18.517 --> 00:16:19.737
That can be tempting.
349
00:16:20.077 --> 00:16:21.717
That's probably not the right thing to do though.
350
00:16:21.877 --> 00:16:30.799
So like from my perspective, if a team like you had saying, hey you should come look at this, that was their way of saying like, hey we need this person stinks.
351
00:16:31.420 --> 00:16:35.961
But also what normally happens is they will just straight up tell you like this person's not good at their job.
352
00:16:36.481 --> 00:16:41.462
And what you want to be very careful of, now that you've been burnt in that direction, is that down the road that will happen again.
353
00:16:41.702 --> 00:16:41.882
Sure.
354
00:16:42.422 --> 00:16:43.943
And you'll want to be like, oh, I got to jump in.
355
00:16:44.283 --> 00:16:48.764
And then you could potentially jump in prematurely and make that leader now hate your guts.
356
00:16:48.964 --> 00:16:49.164
Right.
357
00:16:49.344 --> 00:16:50.145
Oh, so you don't trust me.
358
00:16:50.165 --> 00:16:51.505
You're just going to believe whatever they say.
359
00:16:51.545 --> 00:16:51.725
Right.
360
00:16:51.745 --> 00:16:52.926
Just chop their legs off or anything.
361
00:16:52.946 --> 00:16:53.126
Yeah.
362
00:16:53.166 --> 00:16:56.427
You tell me that I got to push them and make them work harder and get these jobs done.
363
00:16:56.767 --> 00:16:58.487
And of course, they're unsatisfied.
364
00:16:58.507 --> 00:16:59.328
They're going to come to you.
365
00:17:00.008 --> 00:17:01.268
It's the daddy mommy situation.
366
00:17:01.288 --> 00:17:01.488
Right.
367
00:17:01.728 --> 00:17:05.250
And so there's always this like yin and yang and there's no like right way.
368
00:17:05.270 --> 00:17:09.411
It's just like there's a blended average and you got to figure out where am I at in the middle.
369
00:17:10.011 --> 00:17:12.112
And so that will be the difference, though, is like finding great.
370
00:17:13.293 --> 00:17:14.634
not technicians, but managers.
371
00:17:14.774 --> 00:17:24.102
And it's like right now, your org structure is likely, like, you have your technicians, I know you're kind of running an operations, but what's the other org kind of look like right now?
372
00:17:24.202 --> 00:17:25.343
So I just set that up this winter.
373
00:17:25.583 --> 00:17:26.283
That's why I love winter.
374
00:17:26.323 --> 00:17:29.826
That's like my favorite part about winter, is the fact that we get to kind of sit down and organize things.
375
00:17:30.347 --> 00:17:31.608
So I have a general manager.
376
00:17:32.028 --> 00:17:32.489
He's awesome.
377
00:17:32.529 --> 00:17:33.329
I think I told you about him.
378
00:17:33.449 --> 00:17:34.951
He's from my supplier.
379
00:17:35.111 --> 00:17:35.691
He was leaving.
380
00:17:36.011 --> 00:17:36.472
Hired him on.
381
00:17:37.072 --> 00:17:39.594
Anyway, so he runs my entire maintenance division.
382
00:17:39.634 --> 00:17:39.815
Like,
383
00:17:40.475 --> 00:17:40.956
all without me.
384
00:17:41.456 --> 00:17:45.099
I mean, I take maybe one call a week that has anything to do with maintenance.
385
00:17:45.159 --> 00:17:48.423
Everything else is the construction side, which is awesome.
386
00:17:49.143 --> 00:17:53.908
So he runs all of that, and then he will also do stuff for me, and I'll just say, hey, I need this taken care of, do this, do this.
387
00:17:54.688 --> 00:17:57.591
So it's, I kind of look at me being here, he's there, he's there,
388
00:17:58.552 --> 00:18:04.920
What I'd like to have is an office person that can do just the kind of boring, mundane part of like answering the phone, you know.
389
00:18:05.040 --> 00:18:05.881
Who does that now?
390
00:18:06.141 --> 00:18:06.442
He does.
391
00:18:06.542 --> 00:18:06.922
Oh, he does.
392
00:18:06.942 --> 00:18:07.043
Okay.
393
00:18:07.103 --> 00:18:11.929
So, you know, in my opinion for how much he's getting paid, which maybe I'm wrong, maybe he's had to pay people a lot.
394
00:18:12.029 --> 00:18:16.675
But I feel like he should be doing more like important tasks than just answering the phone.
395
00:18:17.175 --> 00:18:19.857
And we have, I have like a whole on like estimating sheets.
396
00:18:20.117 --> 00:18:22.838
So I've got probably 10 different, you know, Google sheets.
397
00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:24.359
One of them is lawn care.
398
00:18:24.840 --> 00:18:28.722
And it's all, they can just plug in the square footage and they get the price.
399
00:18:28.802 --> 00:18:29.642
And so they can do that.
400
00:18:30.123 --> 00:18:31.744
And we've kind of honed it over the last few years.
401
00:18:31.784 --> 00:18:32.604
So it's pretty accurate.
402
00:18:32.624 --> 00:18:33.405
You know, it's not perfect.
403
00:18:33.465 --> 00:18:34.305
Nothing's ever perfect.
404
00:18:34.625 --> 00:18:36.507
You know, you got accessibility, all these different things.
405
00:18:37.347 --> 00:18:40.428
But, so with me, him, that's where we're currently.
406
00:18:40.468 --> 00:18:41.368
And so we're more like this.
407
00:18:41.428 --> 00:18:42.769
We're kind of like this because I run my division.
408
00:18:42.789 --> 00:18:43.249
He runs his.
409
00:18:43.369 --> 00:18:43.609
Got it.
410
00:18:43.649 --> 00:18:47.771
And he's got his lawn care crews, and then I've got my construction crews, and I work with a crew.
411
00:18:47.951 --> 00:18:53.713
So it's kind of, you know, me and a crew over here and then one other little crew down here that kind of answers to me.
412
00:18:53.733 --> 00:18:54.133
Got it.
413
00:18:54.153 --> 00:18:56.174
And then he's over here, and he's got his two little crews.
414
00:18:56.194 --> 00:19:02.256
So he really handles everything, like, on admin side because residential or, like, maintenance is way more admin.
415
00:19:02.676 --> 00:19:03.877
Oh yeah, you know it so much.
416
00:19:03.897 --> 00:19:08.158
Whereas for you, you're probably in touch with the customer, but you're dealing with one or two people.
417
00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:11.400
Exactly, you know, you're on a big commercial job, you know they just bill at the end of the month.
418
00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:12.260
So that's all you do.
419
00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:14.741
Okay, and so right now, who does sales?
420
00:19:14.801 --> 00:19:16.062
Do you do sales for projects?
421
00:19:16.082 --> 00:19:17.383
Do you do sales for maintenance?
422
00:19:17.403 --> 00:19:21.464
Yeah, so for small stuff, we try to do as much as possible just over the phone, right?
423
00:19:21.504 --> 00:19:27.767
So, and then, or what we'll do is for our maintenance stuff, like it's smaller cleanups and stuff, they'll just drive by on their routes and look at it.
424
00:19:27.847 --> 00:19:31.489
Because my lead, one of my main leads is awesome and he's really good at estimating.
425
00:19:32.029 --> 00:19:33.931
He does that for the commercial side.
426
00:19:33.991 --> 00:19:38.634
Like anything that requires blueprints or, you know, plan sets, I do that.
427
00:19:38.775 --> 00:19:39.795
So that's my side.
428
00:19:40.436 --> 00:19:43.658
For sales, like we really don't have much in the way of like quote unquote sales.
429
00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:45.240
Like we don't really market ourselves.
430
00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:45.740
Yeah.
431
00:19:45.760 --> 00:19:49.623
I think I told you we're ranked number one on Google for Coeur d'Alene.
432
00:19:49.663 --> 00:19:52.426
So, I mean, during our busy season, we'll get like 200 calls a day.
433
00:19:52.446 --> 00:19:52.866
Yeah.
434
00:19:53.106 --> 00:19:56.128
And so by the time we get to April, we're booked.
435
00:19:56.428 --> 00:19:58.229
And so I've never had the need to market.
436
00:19:58.969 --> 00:20:03.832
But I know if I want to grow, you know, then you're just going to start growing out from underneath that if you don't want to lose the profit.
437
00:20:04.212 --> 00:20:06.813
If you don't mind losing the profit, sure, you can just start taking all the jobs.
438
00:20:06.853 --> 00:20:08.854
But we try to land about 25% of our jobs.
439
00:20:09.375 --> 00:20:12.436
You know, and so by doing that, we get high profit.
440
00:20:13.017 --> 00:20:15.298
But, you know, as we're going to grow, we're going to need to find ways to market.
441
00:20:16.198 --> 00:20:21.622
I feel like when you look at sales, operations, admin in the business, from an operations perspective, you probably crush it.
442
00:20:21.722 --> 00:20:27.766
And the reason for that, I know that is because just even being ranked number one landscaping company, they look at operations.
443
00:20:27.966 --> 00:20:30.208
It's like, do they do great work?
444
00:20:30.528 --> 00:20:36.031
And so that's the part where you're likely crushing it, and you're just good at doing the work.
445
00:20:36.252 --> 00:20:38.253
And you're good at motivating technicians to do the work.
446
00:20:38.633 --> 00:20:44.818
The part that is going to, like, be the bottleneck to growth is, like, the two other aspects, which is, like, defense and offense.
447
00:20:44.838 --> 00:20:45.098
Sure.
448
00:20:45.118 --> 00:20:47.260
So defense being admin, offense being sales.
449
00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:47.661
Sure.
450
00:20:47.741 --> 00:20:50.443
And so I would just look at yourself and be like, okay, I know operations.
451
00:20:50.503 --> 00:20:55.987
And, like, even the fact that you went and got your CDL and, like, these sorts of things, tell me, like, you are really good at doing the work.
452
00:20:56.368 --> 00:21:02.313
And, like, that will probably never be a problem because you have such an intrinsic connection to, like, high-quality work.
453
00:21:02.453 --> 00:21:02.673
Right.
454
00:21:02.853 --> 00:21:04.954
So I don't really even worry about your operations.
455
00:21:05.434 --> 00:21:07.696
I mostly worry about the fact that you have these two levers.
456
00:21:07.916 --> 00:21:10.477
One is a defensive measure, one is an offensive measure.
457
00:21:10.797 --> 00:21:16.120
And I think right now, given what you're trying to do, I would probably pull very hard on the defensive measure of admin.
458
00:21:16.300 --> 00:21:22.824
Like creating all the sheets that you have for getting your estimates out, I would be creating systems and procedures for your admin person.
459
00:21:22.964 --> 00:21:26.706
Because when you do that, you just unlock probably 50% of the time for your GM.
460
00:21:27.226 --> 00:21:28.827
And probably, let's call it 10% of your time.
461
00:21:29.567 --> 00:21:33.388
And I think it's probably actually more than that because there's little things you're doing right now that you just hand off to them.
462
00:21:33.608 --> 00:21:33.768
Right.
463
00:21:33.988 --> 00:21:36.868
But what you want to do is create like, okay, here's all the stuff that my GM's doing.
464
00:21:36.888 --> 00:21:39.589
Here's all the stuff that I'm doing that is now going to not be done by us.
465
00:21:39.609 --> 00:21:40.529
It's going to be done by an admin.
466
00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:43.070
And here's the playbook to make sure all this stuff gets done.
467
00:21:43.270 --> 00:21:43.470
Sure.
468
00:21:44.170 --> 00:21:52.032
They're the person that also would look over the P&L from your bookkeeper and see all the issues because they see the invoices coming in on the email.
469
00:21:52.392 --> 00:21:54.112
Like you take email off your phone.
470
00:21:54.292 --> 00:21:58.753
Like all these little things that unlock another 50% of capacity for you and your GM.
471
00:21:58.873 --> 00:21:59.073
Sure.
472
00:21:59.753 --> 00:22:02.574
And then you go on the offense.
473
00:22:02.875 --> 00:22:07.317
So I think it's kind of like 2026 is a year where you really systematize the admin side.
474
00:22:07.437 --> 00:22:07.637
Okay.
475
00:22:07.857 --> 00:22:09.698
And that is like you have phone scripts.
476
00:22:09.718 --> 00:22:10.458
You know exactly.
477
00:22:10.538 --> 00:22:11.659
They know how to sell over the phone.
478
00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:14.020
You create training for them on all these aspects.
479
00:22:14.360 --> 00:22:15.140
It's not fun.
480
00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:16.121
No one likes defense.
481
00:22:16.421 --> 00:22:18.462
Everyone wants to be like the other side.
482
00:22:18.482 --> 00:22:18.582
Yeah.
483
00:22:18.762 --> 00:22:22.204
And that's like website, advertising, gets a salesperson.
484
00:22:22.224 --> 00:22:22.344
Like –
485
00:22:22.784 --> 00:22:24.265
That's the thing that will get you to $5 million.
486
00:22:24.385 --> 00:22:24.585
Sure.
487
00:22:24.705 --> 00:22:26.125
And that's the thing we could do pretty quickly.
488
00:22:26.406 --> 00:22:29.527
I think you're wise in saying we need to have some defense.
489
00:22:30.067 --> 00:22:33.168
The admin needs to be taken off of your plate and your GM.
490
00:22:33.389 --> 00:22:36.070
And I have a feeling you're both doing a lot more than you think.
491
00:22:36.690 --> 00:22:36.870
Oh, yeah.
492
00:22:36.950 --> 00:22:37.570
I'll tell you that.
493
00:22:37.590 --> 00:22:38.151
That's for sure.
494
00:22:38.171 --> 00:22:38.711
I hate it, dude.
495
00:22:38.911 --> 00:22:39.791
I hate being in an office.
496
00:22:39.931 --> 00:22:41.312
I'm not an office type person.
497
00:22:41.512 --> 00:22:44.112
Yeah, so I would just create systems for everything that you're doing.
498
00:22:44.192 --> 00:22:49.193
I'd just have a meeting with him and be like, hey, list every single thing you do that's admin related.
499
00:22:49.213 --> 00:22:50.174
And like, well, what's that mean?
500
00:22:50.534 --> 00:22:53.754
Anything that has to do with making money after the work is done.
501
00:22:53.774 --> 00:22:54.174
Yeah.
502
00:22:54.454 --> 00:23:02.216
Whether it be automations, email, text messages, voicemail, looking over the – like a lot of times your admin person can take bookkeeping over.
503
00:23:02.496 --> 00:23:07.277
And they're actually better than the bookkeeper a lot of times because they know where transactions are going.
504
00:23:07.397 --> 00:23:09.257
And then you have your bookkeepers reconcile the books.
505
00:23:09.697 --> 00:23:11.219
So they make sure everything's lined up correctly.
506
00:23:11.520 --> 00:23:17.908
But they can just – because they know that you're on a job site with so-and-so and that gravel is for something else.
507
00:23:18.008 --> 00:23:19.991
Like they know all those little details sometimes.
508
00:23:21.232 --> 00:23:22.955
So there's a lot of things I think they could take off your plate.
509
00:23:23.295 --> 00:23:23.495
Sure.
510
00:23:23.696 --> 00:23:26.560
And creating assistance with that is just not the most exciting thing.
511
00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:26.900
Sure.
512
00:23:27.345 --> 00:23:29.826
How do you teach them how to install over the phone?
513
00:23:30.046 --> 00:23:32.026
I mean, do you send them somewhere to learn?
514
00:23:32.266 --> 00:23:35.067
Or am I supposed to just sit on the phone with them and watch me talk to this person?
515
00:23:35.207 --> 00:23:43.729
Yeah, the challenging part is, so it's kind of like, do it with them, then do it for them, then do it with them, and then you let them do it themselves.
516
00:23:44.029 --> 00:23:44.189
Sure.
517
00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:48.570
And so the first step is going to be like, hey, I'm going to take this phone call or I'm going to sell this job with the phone.
518
00:23:49.130 --> 00:23:49.490
Watch me.
519
00:23:49.910 --> 00:23:50.950
Or your GM would do this too.
520
00:23:51.150 --> 00:23:54.711
So that's why I think you both listing off what you would need to be doing.
521
00:23:55.511 --> 00:23:58.915
unleashing from your schedule, you would then teach that thing to the person.
522
00:23:59.375 --> 00:24:00.536
I would also try to document it.
523
00:24:00.576 --> 00:24:02.899
Oh, you're saying like, hire somebody else to do the admin.
524
00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:04.540
Yes, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah.
525
00:24:04.600 --> 00:24:06.102
Hiring someone else to do the admin.
526
00:24:06.482 --> 00:24:08.844
I think at your size, you have an office, right?
527
00:24:09.535 --> 00:24:10.375
We're going to have one.
528
00:24:10.535 --> 00:24:10.635
Yeah.
529
00:24:10.655 --> 00:24:11.255
We don't currently.
530
00:24:11.376 --> 00:24:11.596
Okay.
531
00:24:11.616 --> 00:24:14.856
So that's how it's my thought because I'm like, if I hire another office person, I need an office.
532
00:24:15.117 --> 00:24:15.337
Right.
533
00:24:15.737 --> 00:24:18.357
So what I'm doing is I'm just going to, we're going to have one.
534
00:24:18.517 --> 00:24:18.618
Yeah.
535
00:24:18.638 --> 00:24:19.238
We don't currently.
536
00:24:19.358 --> 00:24:19.578
Okay.
537
00:24:19.598 --> 00:24:22.839
So that's how it's my thought because I'm like, if I hire another office person, I need an office.
538
00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:23.299
Right.
539
00:24:23.719 --> 00:24:27.260
So what I'm doing is I'm just going to actually take a, like a 40 foot shipping container.
540
00:24:27.360 --> 00:24:27.540
Yep.
541
00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:29.481
And I'm just turning it into an office.
542
00:24:29.521 --> 00:24:32.021
There's a place in Spokane, which is just across the border there.
543
00:24:32.501 --> 00:24:34.502
And they're going to put all the windows and the doors and everything.
544
00:24:34.522 --> 00:24:36.242
And then we're going to turn the interior into an office.
545
00:24:38.803 --> 00:24:42.046
One for me, one for my GM, and then one for the admin person.
546
00:24:42.246 --> 00:24:46.669
And just realize that as you get the admin person, the main objective is actually not to train them.
547
00:24:46.869 --> 00:24:51.973
It is to document everything that you guys are currently doing that is just being done.
548
00:24:52.313 --> 00:24:52.494
Right.
549
00:24:52.574 --> 00:24:55.996
Because that's what makes hiring an admin person so scary at your size.
550
00:24:56.356 --> 00:24:59.679
Most people would have gone to admin person at $400,000 because they hated doing it.
551
00:24:59.699 --> 00:24:59.819
Right.
552
00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:00.339
Right.
553
00:25:00.399 --> 00:25:03.302
You haven't, which is why you're profitable at your size.
554
00:25:03.442 --> 00:25:04.663
You didn't get overhead so early.
555
00:25:04.683 --> 00:25:05.143
Right.
556
00:25:05.323 --> 00:25:10.449
It also makes it daunting because you're like, I have a bajillion things that I need to hand off to this person.
557
00:25:10.649 --> 00:25:11.550
I do not want to train them.
558
00:25:11.750 --> 00:25:15.134
And the worst thing that can happen is you train them, and literally a month later they leave.
559
00:25:15.355 --> 00:25:16.716
And then you're like, forget that.
560
00:25:16.756 --> 00:25:17.597
I'm just going to do it myself.
561
00:25:17.637 --> 00:25:19.479
I don't have time to train another person.
562
00:25:19.780 --> 00:25:20.961
So document everything.
563
00:25:21.361 --> 00:25:23.684
So ideally, you screen report everything.
564
00:25:23.704 --> 00:25:26.027
It's like you have basically like a training procedure.
565
00:25:26.407 --> 00:25:26.647
Yes.
566
00:25:26.988 --> 00:25:30.091
So like, for example, again, you list off everything you're handing off to them.
567
00:25:30.371 --> 00:25:34.254
When they, when, when your GM says, you know, billing at the end of the month for their maintenance customers.
568
00:25:34.615 --> 00:25:34.875
Great.
569
00:25:35.516 --> 00:25:36.416
Screen record that.
570
00:25:36.597 --> 00:25:36.817
Sure.
571
00:25:37.317 --> 00:25:41.541
On the next month, at the end of the month, when you send out the invoices and you charge everyone's cards, record it.
572
00:25:41.841 --> 00:25:42.042
Sure.
573
00:25:42.202 --> 00:25:44.123
And that goes into a Google drive and it's,
574
00:25:44.704 --> 00:25:45.564
titled appropriately.
575
00:25:45.644 --> 00:25:45.824
Right.
576
00:25:46.065 --> 00:25:46.205
Right?
577
00:25:46.225 --> 00:25:48.666
So you have maintenance, you have projects, and inside of those there's folders.
578
00:25:48.966 --> 00:25:53.148
There is billing, there's deposits, there's cards on file, there's selling over the phone.
579
00:25:53.168 --> 00:25:57.229
And then you create your own learning management system.
580
00:25:57.269 --> 00:25:57.769
That's smart.
581
00:25:57.789 --> 00:25:59.830
So then if they have a question, they just go watch the video.
582
00:25:59.850 --> 00:26:01.911
They don't have to call me when I'm in the middle of something.
583
00:26:02.171 --> 00:26:05.373
And when you number two, because inevitably there's churn admin.
584
00:26:05.833 --> 00:26:10.315
Unless you're able to get a friend or someone close, that's great, or a spouse, awesome.
585
00:26:11.275 --> 00:26:12.596
But even those people will turn.
586
00:26:12.736 --> 00:26:18.541
And the thing that then pulls everyone back into the office is, okay, well, I've got to do it because, like, I don't want to have to train someone else.
587
00:26:18.902 --> 00:26:24.607
It takes a lot longer to train someone in admin when you're at their size than it does someone out in the field.
588
00:26:24.727 --> 00:26:24.947
Okay.
589
00:26:25.307 --> 00:26:29.111
And so I would use the first person as, like, just expect them to leave.
590
00:26:29.291 --> 00:26:29.471
Sure.
591
00:26:29.691 --> 00:26:30.532
Just expect them to leave.
592
00:26:30.792 --> 00:26:31.573
Unless they're like your spouse.
593
00:26:31.893 --> 00:26:33.455
But, like, expect them to leave.
594
00:26:34.773 --> 00:26:37.756
Because you will then document everything you tell them.
595
00:26:37.976 --> 00:26:38.796
Okay.
596
00:26:38.897 --> 00:26:43.680
And you and your GM will be much more clear in terms of like, here's all the things that need to take off my plate.
597
00:26:43.981 --> 00:26:46.363
Then I would create a 30, 60, 90-day plan for them.
598
00:26:46.763 --> 00:26:48.885
Like, hey, after 30 days, these are the things you're taking off our plate.
599
00:26:49.125 --> 00:26:50.466
60 days, this is what's going off our plate.
600
00:26:50.766 --> 00:26:51.967
90 days, this is what's coming off our plate.
601
00:26:52.187 --> 00:26:54.990
And then after 90 days, they should have taken everything off of both of your plates.
602
00:26:55.450 --> 00:27:00.194
And it will literally likely allow you to double the business without the two of you being in those things anymore.
603
00:27:00.994 --> 00:27:01.334
Okay.
604
00:27:01.554 --> 00:27:03.115
So I kind of want to look at defense.
605
00:27:03.255 --> 00:27:04.936
I need to take care of those extra costs on.
606
00:27:05.236 --> 00:27:13.480
But the ability to then grow to $5 million with you and your DM happens because literally 50% of your day is offloaded to this person.
607
00:27:13.781 --> 00:27:13.981
Sure.
608
00:27:15.141 --> 00:27:15.662
That makes sense.
609
00:27:16.022 --> 00:27:16.402
I like it.
610
00:27:17.938 --> 00:27:19.719
And then that leads in like, okay, well then what about sales?
611
00:27:19.879 --> 00:27:21.220
Like how do we grow the business?
612
00:27:21.600 --> 00:27:23.942
Your website, you can absolutely crush.
613
00:27:24.482 --> 00:27:27.104
Like you already are ranking so high on Google listing.
614
00:27:27.444 --> 00:27:30.707
If you had a good website, that will be the thing that really catapults you.
615
00:27:32.208 --> 00:27:34.229
And so like even like your trucks are going to look great.
616
00:27:34.249 --> 00:27:38.692
Like the truck is the sign when they pull into the parking lot, they need to see the storefront.
617
00:27:38.852 --> 00:27:39.973
The storefront needs to look good.
618
00:27:40.273 --> 00:27:43.555
And right now you don't have like the website, it doesn't exist.
619
00:27:43.976 --> 00:27:44.376
And so that's...
620
00:27:45.336 --> 00:27:48.417
You have a great product, you have a great sandwich inside of the storefront.
621
00:27:48.517 --> 00:27:48.677
Right.
622
00:27:49.037 --> 00:27:57.580
And we can all tell each other about how great it is, but I still, as the customer, have to see your sign, pull inside the parking lot, see the storefront, and be like, I want to go inside.
623
00:27:57.600 --> 00:27:58.260
Right.
624
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:07.643
And so what's happening right now, they're seeing a great sign, they're pulling inside the parking lot, and then it's like, oh, the storefront's like, the light's not working, there's a cracked vinyl, it doesn't really work quite right on my mobile device.
625
00:28:07.663 --> 00:28:08.984
Like, that's your storefront.
626
00:28:09.304 --> 00:28:10.944
And inside is the best sandwich in the world.
627
00:28:10.964 --> 00:28:12.505
Well, sorry, best sandwich in the state.
628
00:28:13.605 --> 00:28:16.088
But, like, they'll never know because they're like, I don't know.
629
00:28:16.108 --> 00:28:16.688
Right.
630
00:28:16.728 --> 00:28:16.969
Right?
631
00:28:17.369 --> 00:28:20.392
And so I think that that would be, like, the lowest hanging fruit.
632
00:28:20.412 --> 00:28:20.633
Sure.
633
00:28:20.973 --> 00:28:25.678
What would you say, like, with that being said, what is it a month for your guys' service?
634
00:28:25.718 --> 00:28:26.419
It's like $300?
635
00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:27.780
It's $4.99 a month.
636
00:28:27.800 --> 00:28:28.521
$4.99.
637
00:28:28.862 --> 00:28:33.887
The thing is, your size, like, the reason it becomes so...
638
00:28:35.068 --> 00:28:59.034
obvious is you need one project sure the we we see like most of the time when people join they're joining around four or five hundred thousand in revenue we usually see about an 80 increase in leads in one year now at your size i don't think that's going to happen right i think it'll be probably 30 to 40 percent um but i do believe that that's the thing that can almost double the business sure uh because you have the project the projects are so big sure and um
639
00:29:00.147 --> 00:29:05.190
Because then you have people like Amazon that they would go look at our website and be like, man, this company looks like every other Idaho company.
640
00:29:05.210 --> 00:29:06.150
Their website's falling apart.
641
00:29:06.290 --> 00:29:06.430
Yeah.
642
00:29:06.490 --> 00:29:10.232
And then you get like from the website, you just create like, hey, are you maintenance or you construction?
643
00:29:10.332 --> 00:29:11.873
And then you have two different worlds they live in.
644
00:29:12.193 --> 00:29:17.216
When they click on construction, you want to see massive projects and excavators and trucks and the whole nine.
645
00:29:17.456 --> 00:29:19.857
From the maintenance side, like you don't want them to see that.
646
00:29:19.957 --> 00:29:22.579
You want them to see them adjusting the sprinkler and all that stuff.
647
00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:23.039
It's like –
648
00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:28.982
Like a good web design will allow you to be able to also create systems for when people call in.
649
00:29:29.002 --> 00:29:30.943
They're like, I'm calling for a project.
650
00:29:31.224 --> 00:29:31.404
Right.
651
00:29:31.684 --> 00:29:31.984
Great.
652
00:29:32.364 --> 00:29:33.945
This helps your admin person be organized.
653
00:29:34.225 --> 00:29:35.706
Right now what happens is they just call in.
654
00:29:36.007 --> 00:29:37.287
They have a thing going on.
655
00:29:37.788 --> 00:29:42.470
And you guys got to juggle like which of us is handling this, which of us is taking the estimate.
656
00:29:42.791 --> 00:29:44.852
The admin person becomes the top of the funnel.
657
00:29:45.312 --> 00:29:48.914
But it's a lot easier for them to take that when on your website that you make it very clear.
658
00:29:49.014 --> 00:29:49.994
There's two different divisions.
659
00:29:50.415 --> 00:29:54.336
When they call in, hey, would you like to talk to the maintenance division or would you like to talk to the project division?
660
00:29:54.617 --> 00:29:56.858
By the way, like one filter will remove all spam calls.
661
00:29:57.098 --> 00:29:59.699
So like – Is that – are you saying that's like an automated deal?
662
00:29:59.739 --> 00:29:59.919
Yeah.
663
00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:00.359
Okay.
664
00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:01.360
I heard people do that.
665
00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:02.220
Like that's so smart.
666
00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:03.001
I need that on my phone.
667
00:30:03.021 --> 00:30:03.721
I get all the junk.
668
00:30:04.001 --> 00:30:10.689
Yeah, it just immediately will take the junk calls out, and then you could even have it where it's like, okay, maybe the admin person is getting ramped up.
669
00:30:10.709 --> 00:30:12.691
They're not ready yet for big project stuff.
670
00:30:13.012 --> 00:30:13.172
Great.
671
00:30:13.192 --> 00:30:14.954
When they click one, it goes to Rio.
672
00:30:15.735 --> 00:30:17.657
And when they click two, then they can handle it.
673
00:30:17.958 --> 00:30:20.741
But then day 90, in their 30, 60, 90-day plan...
674
00:30:21.733 --> 00:30:23.595
All calls for projects should be able to come to you.
675
00:30:23.815 --> 00:30:23.975
Sure.
676
00:30:24.335 --> 00:30:26.497
And then you just do their comp against that 30, 60, 90.
677
00:30:26.517 --> 00:30:26.737
Sure.
678
00:30:26.777 --> 00:30:27.018
Right?
679
00:30:27.398 --> 00:30:29.800
So it's like, hey, you're starting at 20 bucks an hour.
680
00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:32.722
You go to $22 an hour after day 60, assuming that happens.
681
00:30:33.043 --> 00:30:34.784
After day 90, then you go to 25 bucks an hour.
682
00:30:34.884 --> 00:30:35.044
Sure.
683
00:30:35.585 --> 00:30:39.088
Do you see paying hourly better than paying a salary for an office person like that?
684
00:30:39.508 --> 00:30:42.650
Um, for your work, I assume you're pretty busy throughout the winter, right?
685
00:30:43.130 --> 00:30:43.350
Yeah.
686
00:30:43.370 --> 00:30:46.232
With, I mean, we have a lot of like prep for the next year.
687
00:30:46.652 --> 00:30:49.674
As far as work goes to know, we end up closing down because our nursery is all closed down.
688
00:30:50.234 --> 00:30:52.876
And, you know, obviously over there it's snowing, so we can't mow.
689
00:30:53.797 --> 00:30:56.898
So we do snow blowing and we have, you know, commercial, a lot of commercial accounts.
690
00:30:56.918 --> 00:30:59.440
And we do a lot of snow plowing and assaulting, stuff like that.
691
00:31:00.020 --> 00:31:02.862
But as far as compared to summer, no, we're not like busy at all.
692
00:31:03.242 --> 00:31:04.383
We just do like catch up work.
693
00:31:04.863 --> 00:31:07.266
Your office manager, I don't mind being on salary.
694
00:31:07.326 --> 00:31:07.486
Okay.
695
00:31:07.506 --> 00:31:08.768
Because you're going to keep them all the time.
696
00:31:08.908 --> 00:31:09.028
Okay.
697
00:31:09.048 --> 00:31:13.233
Because I'm very hesitant always of increasing overhead during the off season.
698
00:31:13.253 --> 00:31:13.393
Sure.
699
00:31:13.413 --> 00:31:15.516
So you're saying like my GM, basically, you don't mind.
700
00:31:15.776 --> 00:31:22.283
GM, like so when you, GM, sales, operation, admin, managers, as you scale this up, like those people I'm keeping on.
701
00:31:22.464 --> 00:31:22.604
Sure.
702
00:31:22.624 --> 00:31:22.724
Sure.
703
00:31:22.824 --> 00:31:28.066
And I'm taking the L on their wages during the offseason, but I'm trying my best to make sure I don't lose money.
704
00:31:28.086 --> 00:31:28.987
Sure.
705
00:31:29.127 --> 00:31:32.468
But I need to keep them on just from a leadership perspective and continuity.
706
00:31:32.548 --> 00:31:32.728
Right.
707
00:31:33.028 --> 00:31:37.750
I can't lose my admin manager and then three people underneath them, five million.
708
00:31:37.790 --> 00:31:38.050
Right.
709
00:31:38.330 --> 00:31:40.491
And so I don't mind salary for those ones.
710
00:31:40.791 --> 00:31:44.793
I just am very cautious around overhead, fixed overhead throughout the offseason.
711
00:31:44.893 --> 00:31:45.053
Right.
712
00:31:45.173 --> 00:31:53.121
So while we're smaller, staying here, just pay them, you know, by the hour and say, hey, you know, here's the possibility of us growing if you help us.
713
00:31:53.141 --> 00:31:54.383
And then we can put you on salary.
714
00:31:54.423 --> 00:32:01.390
Yeah, I would have a really good ramp because, again, when it comes to what gets you from here to five million, it is going to be attracting that leadership talent.
715
00:32:01.830 --> 00:32:07.716
And so if you if you in the application and hiring process like, hey, we're going to fix 30, 60, 90 day plan.
716
00:32:08.977 --> 00:32:12.000
you're going to make jumps and pay hourly along that period.
717
00:32:12.260 --> 00:32:17.424
And then when you get to year one, you get, we're going to have a, we're going to have an assessment as to whether or not you're going to be the office manager.
718
00:32:17.564 --> 00:32:17.744
Right.
719
00:32:17.945 --> 00:32:22.448
And you know that you're going to buy that time, need an assistant for them because you're going to go back into sales mode.
720
00:32:22.649 --> 00:32:23.029
Right.
721
00:32:23.049 --> 00:32:24.710
Like you're going to go from 2.3 to 3.5.
722
00:32:24.790 --> 00:32:25.251
Right.
723
00:32:25.631 --> 00:32:28.714
Well, you now need someone answering the phone, not just one person you need to.
724
00:32:29.014 --> 00:32:29.174
Right.
725
00:32:29.314 --> 00:32:35.600
And so now, now like at year one marker, it's like, Oh, will you become the office manager and lock in a salary?
726
00:32:35.860 --> 00:32:36.781
You can just make it that way.
727
00:32:36.821 --> 00:32:37.001
Sure.
728
00:32:37.421 --> 00:32:43.283
And then it's like that defining moment is when we hire an assistant and you are now the manager of all the admin.
729
00:32:43.723 --> 00:32:48.384
And then by that time, like you always want to make it that the manager is responsible for creating the systems.
730
00:32:48.884 --> 00:32:49.624
You no longer.
731
00:32:49.644 --> 00:32:50.704
It's like you will train them.
732
00:32:51.084 --> 00:32:56.926
But then you make it like, hey, by year one, you need to redo all the LMS, the learning management system.
733
00:32:56.946 --> 00:32:58.666
Like you need to do all of that again.
734
00:32:58.686 --> 00:33:00.627
We're fine because we stink at it.
735
00:33:01.307 --> 00:33:02.268
And you need to make it your own.
736
00:33:02.588 --> 00:33:06.973
So that when people come in, you get your first assistant, your second assistant, etc., you train them.
737
00:33:07.413 --> 00:33:09.155
And it's all better than what we showed you.
738
00:33:09.596 --> 00:33:16.743
So I always try to bake into my manager's job description the fact that they have to make the systems better.
739
00:33:17.123 --> 00:33:19.506
So that way I'm not like, oh, then they're leaving.
740
00:33:19.606 --> 00:33:20.527
I've got to go make the videos.
741
00:33:20.547 --> 00:33:21.027
It's like, no, no.
742
00:33:21.948 --> 00:33:22.588
That's their thing.
743
00:33:22.608 --> 00:33:23.549
They know how to do it better.
744
00:33:23.649 --> 00:33:24.910
They should be creating the systems.
745
00:33:25.370 --> 00:33:27.171
And it also helps the team underneath them.
746
00:33:27.211 --> 00:33:31.434
If they build a team and they leave and they have no systems in place, you are right back on their job.
747
00:33:31.454 --> 00:33:31.674
Right.
748
00:33:31.934 --> 00:33:32.134
Right.
749
00:33:32.335 --> 00:33:32.535
Yeah.
750
00:33:33.415 --> 00:33:33.976
That makes sense.
751
00:33:34.336 --> 00:33:40.019
Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense, especially with just, you know, having the systems in place.
752
00:33:40.420 --> 00:33:40.940
Building that.
753
00:33:41.080 --> 00:33:41.260
Yeah.
754
00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:42.481
It would be super helpful.
755
00:33:42.501 --> 00:33:42.601
Yeah.
756
00:33:42.621 --> 00:33:43.822
And you're going into the winter.
757
00:33:43.842 --> 00:33:49.128
Like, this is the time to sit down with your GM, go over what he had, an admin on his plate.
758
00:33:49.168 --> 00:33:49.829
Same thing with you.
759
00:33:50.309 --> 00:33:51.170
Create the videos.
760
00:33:51.270 --> 00:33:52.211
It's a pain in the butt.
761
00:33:52.251 --> 00:33:52.712
It stinks.
762
00:33:52.992 --> 00:33:53.613
Get Loom.
763
00:33:53.713 --> 00:33:54.914
Just, like, just do it.
764
00:33:55.454 --> 00:33:57.597
Sit down for a day and, like, we're crunching through all this stuff.
765
00:33:57.677 --> 00:33:58.317
Is Loom like a...
766
00:33:58.998 --> 00:33:59.799
Screen recording.
767
00:33:59.899 --> 00:34:00.880
It's really basic.
768
00:34:00.900 --> 00:34:02.942
There's like a bajillion screen recording apps.
769
00:34:03.182 --> 00:34:05.425
But Loom is the one that's like the most common.
770
00:34:05.445 --> 00:34:07.847
It's super easy just to do screen recordings.
771
00:34:08.027 --> 00:34:08.227
Sure.
772
00:34:08.407 --> 00:34:08.848
That makes sense.
773
00:34:08.868 --> 00:34:12.271
So it works, I'm assuming, like, is it mainly a desktop type deal then?
774
00:34:12.291 --> 00:34:14.073
You can do it on mobile too.
775
00:34:14.193 --> 00:34:14.433
Okay.
776
00:34:14.453 --> 00:34:14.574
Yep.
777
00:34:14.594 --> 00:34:18.257
So if you want to do like a mobile, like an app or whatever, and just like do a screen recording.
778
00:34:18.397 --> 00:34:18.557
Sure.
779
00:34:18.577 --> 00:34:19.118
It can work there.
780
00:34:19.178 --> 00:34:19.398
Okay.
781
00:34:19.678 --> 00:34:19.838
Yeah.
782
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:21.520
Sounds good.
783
00:34:21.680 --> 00:34:25.763
What do you think about that question I was posing about my GM, right?
784
00:34:25.783 --> 00:34:26.843
He's like 50s.
785
00:34:27.324 --> 00:34:32.747
Your thoughts on is it worth trying to train him how to do like construction estimating?
786
00:34:33.328 --> 00:34:39.592
Or is it better to just continue to do that myself until I can afford to hire somebody younger that's like already doing stuff like that?
787
00:34:39.732 --> 00:34:41.453
I don't think the age has anything to do with it.
788
00:34:41.553 --> 00:34:45.215
So if age is the only thing that you're questioning, I would go for it.
789
00:34:45.315 --> 00:34:45.555
Okay.
790
00:34:45.675 --> 00:34:51.097
I think that what I'm looking more for is do they have the skill and the ability to lead?
791
00:34:51.557 --> 00:34:55.619
Because, like, the reason you've grown so fast is because you're really good at projects.
792
00:34:55.779 --> 00:34:56.940
And you're good at project management.
793
00:34:57.500 --> 00:35:01.202
And so like in the book, I talk about like there's the project manager.
794
00:35:01.222 --> 00:35:06.484
The project manager is like super systematized and they have tons of standardized work.
795
00:35:06.504 --> 00:35:07.404
They know how stuff gets done.
796
00:35:07.424 --> 00:35:08.765
They have 13 spreadsheets.
797
00:35:08.785 --> 00:35:10.585
Like that's what you're really good at.
798
00:35:11.126 --> 00:35:16.028
And so someone that's really good at maintenance and leading the team might not be that person.
799
00:35:16.268 --> 00:35:16.488
Sure.
800
00:35:17.308 --> 00:35:26.411
And so assuming I'm gonna assume they have the skill of doing the big project stuff sure does he does he your GM as far as like How does he have experience doing big projects?
801
00:35:27.232 --> 00:35:29.433
No, not not as far as like actually doing that.
802
00:35:29.613 --> 00:35:31.613
Does he always does he want to learn that skill?
803
00:35:31.633 --> 00:35:38.216
I don't know if he actually wants to he said he said like he's he's a super like go-getter type of guy, right?
804
00:35:38.576 --> 00:35:44.258
And I think I told you he was a area manager Yeah, I just like half a dozen why don't you let him keep scaling up the maintenance side?
805
00:35:44.278 --> 00:35:44.298
I
806
00:35:45.052 --> 00:35:45.998
Yeah, I could.
807
00:35:46.099 --> 00:35:47.407
I think he's a little less...
808
00:35:49.622 --> 00:35:50.822
Keen on doing the maintenance side?
809
00:35:51.262 --> 00:35:52.283
No, not even necessarily that.
810
00:35:52.343 --> 00:35:55.143
I just feel like sometimes he takes no for an answer.
811
00:35:55.163 --> 00:35:55.823
Okay.
812
00:35:56.064 --> 00:35:56.364
You know?
813
00:35:56.424 --> 00:35:56.584
Yeah.
814
00:35:56.604 --> 00:35:59.724
And I was like, dude, like, no, that's not like a harsh way at all.
815
00:35:59.764 --> 00:35:59.864
Yeah.
816
00:35:59.884 --> 00:36:01.725
It's like, dude, you know, you can't take no.
817
00:36:01.745 --> 00:36:03.505
Like, they're literally about to, like, say, sure.
818
00:36:03.525 --> 00:36:05.566
You just got to convince them that they need to go for it.
819
00:36:05.926 --> 00:36:08.887
That's where, like, from a sales perspective, is that what you're saying mostly?
820
00:36:09.087 --> 00:36:09.367
Yeah.
821
00:36:09.727 --> 00:36:15.328
Yeah, so, like, that's when I would, from a maintenance perspective, you can put as much as possible of sales on admin.
822
00:36:15.568 --> 00:36:15.788
Okay.
823
00:36:15.828 --> 00:36:16.828
If you create the correct systems.
824
00:36:16.848 --> 00:36:19.129
Like, people calling in, you can sell them over the phone.
825
00:36:19.769 --> 00:36:26.634
On the estimate that he creates, your admin knows just add these other things afterwards as upsells.
826
00:36:27.395 --> 00:36:28.415
He doesn't have to upsell.
827
00:36:29.236 --> 00:36:30.497
Admin just does it.
828
00:36:30.837 --> 00:36:36.561
And so the more you can turn admin into an offensive measure, it'll take things off of his plate in terms of sales.
829
00:36:36.641 --> 00:36:36.841
Sure.
830
00:36:37.362 --> 00:36:42.525
And so if I was you, given that fact, unless he learned the skill of sales on his own—
831
00:36:43.566 --> 00:36:45.566
I would probably let him keep doing maintenance.
832
00:36:45.586 --> 00:36:49.987
Because you know that maintenance you can pass off to admin and sell over the phone.
833
00:36:50.187 --> 00:36:52.408
You can't sell a $50,000, $100,000 project over the phone.
834
00:36:52.528 --> 00:36:52.708
Right.
835
00:36:53.308 --> 00:36:56.008
And so that level of sales skill is why you've grown the business.
836
00:36:56.148 --> 00:36:56.408
Right.
837
00:36:56.468 --> 00:36:57.669
That's why you're so hesitant on it.
838
00:36:57.709 --> 00:36:58.849
You know it's the secret sauce.
839
00:36:58.869 --> 00:36:58.989
Sure.
840
00:36:59.009 --> 00:37:00.249
Like it's you and your skill.
841
00:37:00.729 --> 00:37:02.729
And so I would just hold on to that for now.
842
00:37:02.749 --> 00:37:03.189
Okay.
843
00:37:03.249 --> 00:37:06.550
And focus on like, hey, you keep doing what you're doing, which is like the guys love you.
844
00:37:06.750 --> 00:37:07.690
You train them great.
845
00:37:07.810 --> 00:37:08.550
You're amazing.
846
00:37:08.750 --> 00:37:09.431
You're a go-getter.
847
00:37:09.771 --> 00:37:11.371
You just don't, you're not great at sales.
848
00:37:11.571 --> 00:37:11.711
Right.
849
00:37:11.731 --> 00:37:11.851
Right.
850
00:37:11.891 --> 00:37:16.618
So either A, you learn that, and then we can address whether or not you wanna go into projects, or just keep doing what you're doing.
851
00:37:16.718 --> 00:37:17.259
You're crushing it.
852
00:37:17.620 --> 00:37:21.685
I'll move as much of your sales stuff over on the admin side, because I can in maintenance.
853
00:37:22.006 --> 00:37:22.186
Sure.
854
00:37:22.687 --> 00:37:27.614
You can almost, even quarterly upsells to maintenance clients,
855
00:37:28.195 --> 00:37:30.736
for annual color, sprinklers, multiple.
856
00:37:30.997 --> 00:37:32.998
That can be all done from the person on the phone.
857
00:37:33.098 --> 00:37:33.338
Right.
858
00:37:33.818 --> 00:37:34.318
An admin.
859
00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.740
And even just like formatting the estimates.
860
00:37:36.900 --> 00:37:38.000
All of that can be done on admin.
861
00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:44.184
So I would probably just let him be more comfortable in the operations, and if he's pushing back on sales, he doesn't have that skill yet.
862
00:37:44.204 --> 00:37:44.404
Sure.
863
00:37:45.104 --> 00:37:45.804
Just let him do his thing.
864
00:37:46.445 --> 00:37:49.146
We call them operational GMs versus sales-oriented GMs.
865
00:37:49.446 --> 00:37:54.628
And if you push an operational GM trying to push them into be a sales GM, you might lose them.
866
00:37:54.948 --> 00:38:00.490
So if you're like, hey, we're going to do sales, and you're going to learn how to push and overcome objections, and then you might be like, I'm out.
867
00:38:00.730 --> 00:38:01.970
Yeah, it's like, no thanks.
868
00:38:01.990 --> 00:38:05.952
And there are people who are just really good people as operational GMs.
869
00:38:06.572 --> 00:38:07.672
I would just let him keep doing that.
870
00:38:07.872 --> 00:38:12.573
Because I think you would eventually double or triple size of that department without him needing to learn a new skill.
871
00:38:12.954 --> 00:38:14.174
Just keep doing what he's doing.
872
00:38:14.474 --> 00:38:14.654
Sure.
873
00:38:15.054 --> 00:38:15.714
Scaling up the team.
874
00:38:15.914 --> 00:38:17.415
Okay.
875
00:38:17.515 --> 00:38:18.075
That makes sense.
876
00:38:18.375 --> 00:38:19.275
No, I mean, he's really good.
877
00:38:19.355 --> 00:38:20.395
It's like he's awesome.
878
00:38:20.595 --> 00:38:26.997
You know, I think I told you that prior when I had the younger person working for me, you know, we weren't billing everything and I wasn't watching anything.
879
00:38:27.377 --> 00:38:32.778
So, I mean, he's come in and he's caught, you know, like $50,000, $60,000 of unbilled from last year.
880
00:38:33.558 --> 00:38:35.079
And so he's awesome about it.
881
00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:36.039
Like he's super thorough.
882
00:38:36.679 --> 00:38:41.644
But I guess my main thing, what about if I just taught him how to do the estimating?
883
00:38:41.664 --> 00:38:50.812
It's like he could do the three hours of sending takeoffs to our, what do you call them, I guess, suppliers, right?
884
00:38:51.192 --> 00:38:52.714
And then he compiles the numbers for me.
885
00:38:52.754 --> 00:38:54.255
I can review it and spend half an hour.
886
00:38:54.275 --> 00:38:55.176
Do you think that's reasonable?
887
00:38:55.236 --> 00:38:55.877
Admin can do that.
888
00:38:55.937 --> 00:38:56.177
Okay.
889
00:38:56.417 --> 00:38:59.539
Admin person can compile those numbers, run your spreadsheets.
890
00:38:59.899 --> 00:39:04.642
Like literally the least amount of work you can do on sales, the better right now.
891
00:39:04.762 --> 00:39:10.425
Like I think it's a matter of like you guys do a great job at operations, but you're splitting your attention with a bunch of admin and a bunch of sales.
892
00:39:10.766 --> 00:39:12.106
I think you can take a lot of what you're doing.
893
00:39:12.126 --> 00:39:15.969
Like when you're talking about like putting numbers together, that can all be done from the admin.
894
00:39:16.329 --> 00:39:20.972
You can just do it using AI or like a voice note right back to your admin person.
895
00:39:21.612 --> 00:39:23.633
They then put the numbers in the spreadsheet.
896
00:39:23.673 --> 00:39:28.135
They compile, hey, just want to send this over to your review, and you're looking at a finalized estimate with pricing.
897
00:39:28.335 --> 00:39:28.515
Sure.
898
00:39:29.156 --> 00:39:32.197
Like that would save you huge amounts of time on projects.
899
00:39:32.677 --> 00:39:42.542
So I'm mostly focused on that because I think you can double your capacity and double the size of the business without having to then fix the biggest problem, which is going to be very difficult, which is sales on projects.
900
00:39:42.682 --> 00:39:42.882
Okay.
901
00:39:43.182 --> 00:39:48.024
that is gonna be extremely skilled person and have also the gift of gab in sales.
902
00:39:48.464 --> 00:39:54.647
And this is why it's hard to many times replace yourself at the project level as an entrepreneur because you have the gift of gab and you have the skills.
903
00:39:55.687 --> 00:40:04.511
And so he has the skills and likely not the gift of gab or wanting to push and do that sales kind of jig.
904
00:40:04.871 --> 00:40:11.054
And so that's fine, let him do operations and he'll scale maintenance, slowly grow and that'll be the backbone of the business.
905
00:40:11.754 --> 00:40:20.842
you can then hand us as much as possible of your estimate creation, his sales upselling to the admin person, making that defensive measure an offensive measure.
906
00:40:21.162 --> 00:40:24.304
And then once the business doubles, that will become the bottleneck.
907
00:40:24.424 --> 00:40:28.448
It's like, we have this problem and that is you are great.
908
00:40:28.908 --> 00:40:31.430
And that is not a matter of price, it's a matter of fact.
909
00:40:31.931 --> 00:40:37.375
And that's why I was able to push artificial turf, excavation and tree chipping and all this stuff.
910
00:40:37.415 --> 00:40:40.478
And then it was like, right when I'm like, I don't want to start pulling back, I'm like, oh, okay.
911
00:40:40.998 --> 00:40:47.126
there's a huge void that I will have to pay someone gobs of money to fill these shoes or I'm just going to have to close it all down.
912
00:40:47.146 --> 00:40:47.787
Right.
913
00:40:48.008 --> 00:40:48.168
Yeah.
914
00:40:48.508 --> 00:40:50.691
So that being said, I've got a kid that works for me.
915
00:40:52.193 --> 00:40:56.559
He's very much kind of techie type guy and he's done some stuff for me because it's a,
916
00:40:57.340 --> 00:40:59.202
That involved more computer type stuff.
917
00:40:59.282 --> 00:41:01.424
But originally he wanted to get hired on to work in the field.
918
00:41:02.265 --> 00:41:03.506
Hired on to get to work in the field.
919
00:41:04.087 --> 00:41:04.827
Put him with one lead.
920
00:41:05.548 --> 00:41:06.729
The lead and the crew didn't like him.
921
00:41:06.970 --> 00:41:07.830
Said he didn't work very hard.
922
00:41:08.271 --> 00:41:09.172
Stuck him with a different crew.
923
00:41:09.632 --> 00:41:10.573
Lead and the crew didn't like him.
924
00:41:10.593 --> 00:41:11.674
Said he doesn't work very hard.
925
00:41:11.954 --> 00:41:13.436
Well, now the kid wants to work in the office.
926
00:41:13.456 --> 00:41:13.636
Yeah.
927
00:41:15.141 --> 00:41:16.383
Do you think that's even a possibility?
928
00:41:16.403 --> 00:41:25.195
Because my problem I'm coming at is like, how do my crews and leads that work with him ever trust him if he couldn't work with them?
929
00:41:25.275 --> 00:41:27.738
Or do you just say, no, it's a completely separate skill set.
930
00:41:27.758 --> 00:41:28.900
You know, he's just an office person.
931
00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:30.723
And, you know, sometimes they just don't work out in the field.
932
00:41:30.803 --> 00:41:31.664
What's your thoughts on that?
933
00:41:32.643 --> 00:41:35.044
Could he work in the office or do you think like, nah, he's broken the trust.
934
00:41:35.325 --> 00:41:36.185
You got to get rid of him.
935
00:41:37.006 --> 00:41:43.229
If the leads depend on the office person for materials or anything like that, then you need their buy-in.
936
00:41:43.409 --> 00:41:43.589
Yeah.
937
00:41:43.850 --> 00:41:50.954
If you're like, hey, I'm taking this person away, you will never see them again because they're going to be over here answering phone calls, doing S&M request forms and doing upsells.
938
00:41:51.054 --> 00:41:52.915
Like you then don't even have to consult them.
939
00:41:53.295 --> 00:42:03.249
But if there's going to be any sort of trust needed between the leads and the admin person because of order materials, equipment, estimating, anything like that, that's when you would just bring your leads in.
940
00:42:03.289 --> 00:42:10.519
Like, hey, guys, I know I've been trying to find a spot for this person, and I think that they actually have a lot of raw skill, and we can use them in this company.
941
00:42:10.959 --> 00:42:14.642
I think that we put them in the wrong spot, which is we put them in operations and doing the work.
942
00:42:15.042 --> 00:42:19.146
And it was very clear to me that from all of your guys' feedback, you don't think that that's a good fit.
943
00:42:19.786 --> 00:42:22.769
Do you think he's a good fit for admin answering the phone, et cetera?
944
00:42:22.969 --> 00:42:27.793
The reason you could probably get away with this and they might say yes is because they don't want to be doing the admin.
945
00:42:28.594 --> 00:42:33.758
As long as the operations people are like, I would do not want to be locked in that box at all.
946
00:42:34.378 --> 00:42:35.960
They'll be like, yeah, put him in the box.
947
00:42:36.040 --> 00:42:36.260
Yeah.
948
00:42:36.560 --> 00:42:37.661
And then that might work out well.
949
00:42:37.821 --> 00:42:38.582
Right.
950
00:42:39.142 --> 00:42:45.828
The only time that I've seen that backfire is when the people in the operations look to people in admin as like the cushy job.
951
00:42:45.988 --> 00:42:46.208
Sure.
952
00:42:46.569 --> 00:42:48.390
And then it looks like you're promoting them.
953
00:42:48.610 --> 00:42:48.710
Sure.
954
00:42:48.730 --> 00:42:49.391
And they're like, what?
955
00:42:49.451 --> 00:42:51.373
You just like moved them from like, what is this?
956
00:42:51.433 --> 00:42:52.393
Like, is there nepotism?
957
00:42:52.534 --> 00:42:54.755
Is there like, like, are you just friends with this person?
958
00:42:54.775 --> 00:42:55.476
Like, what's going on?
959
00:42:55.596 --> 00:42:55.796
Right.
960
00:42:55.976 --> 00:42:58.178
And so that's where you want to be careful.
961
00:42:58.518 --> 00:43:00.240
I would get the buy-in and look for leads in that.
962
00:43:00.380 --> 00:43:01.301
in that situation.
963
00:43:01.321 --> 00:43:02.062
I think you could get it.
964
00:43:02.362 --> 00:43:02.542
Sure.
965
00:43:02.823 --> 00:43:10.691
But for you, like if you had somebody like that and they weren't going to deal with the crew, you wouldn't be hesitant to just train them in a different position.
966
00:43:11.459 --> 00:43:11.699
Not yet.
967
00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:13.080
They weren't going to be involved with the crew.
968
00:43:13.100 --> 00:43:13.520
Yeah.
969
00:43:13.540 --> 00:43:19.282
So their work ethic in the field doesn't necessarily mean they're not going to have a good work ethic in the office is what you're saying.
970
00:43:19.722 --> 00:43:23.504
Um, I don't know about work ethic, but their results.
971
00:43:23.684 --> 00:43:23.864
Okay.
972
00:43:23.924 --> 00:43:29.707
Because like you can absolutely, if I put like half of my admin team, all my admin team I put in the field would not do well.
973
00:43:29.887 --> 00:43:35.309
If I put all my admin team, our office team, team out of the field, they'd also fall apart.
974
00:43:35.469 --> 00:43:37.210
So like they're very different skill sets.
975
00:43:37.250 --> 00:43:37.450
Sure.
976
00:43:38.370 --> 00:43:42.072
And so it also depends on what were they complaining about.
977
00:43:42.472 --> 00:43:46.754
Was it like they just sat in the truck all day long and didn't do anything?
978
00:43:46.934 --> 00:43:47.735
That's a problem.
979
00:43:48.555 --> 00:43:49.536
There's a character problem.
980
00:43:49.876 --> 00:43:54.078
Like there are people here in Abman that wouldn't do a great job in the field, but they would die trying.
981
00:43:54.798 --> 00:43:59.802
And like that's the work ethic that then I could be like, okay, you do not – you stink at mowing lawns.
982
00:44:00.042 --> 00:44:02.584
But if I put you on the phone, you'll upsell like a beast.
983
00:44:03.204 --> 00:44:08.729
And so I think that's the part I'd be trying to measure and only you know that part is like what were the complaints?
984
00:44:09.129 --> 00:44:12.051
Was it more actual this person does not care?
985
00:44:12.071 --> 00:44:15.614
They don't actually have any desire to make this company look good?
986
00:44:15.934 --> 00:44:19.337
They're actively pulling us down or is it a function of they're in the wrong role?
987
00:44:19.597 --> 00:44:20.217
Sure.
988
00:44:20.958 --> 00:44:25.720
They were like, I can't leave him because they come back and he's like wandered off and is doing something completely different.
989
00:44:26.261 --> 00:44:29.102
Or one of them, apparently they were digging up a water line.
990
00:44:29.302 --> 00:44:30.343
You know, you put the tape in there.
991
00:44:30.503 --> 00:44:30.723
Yeah.
992
00:44:30.983 --> 00:44:33.585
And they have that tape that they use for water lines.
993
00:44:33.665 --> 00:44:34.065
It's blue.
994
00:44:34.225 --> 00:44:34.425
Right.
995
00:44:34.685 --> 00:44:37.527
Well, they were digging and they hit the blue tape and apparently the kid was like...
996
00:44:38.252 --> 00:44:39.772
man, we hit water that fast?
997
00:44:40.433 --> 00:44:42.453
They're like, they got guys in the field are like, what?
998
00:44:43.033 --> 00:44:44.254
Why do you think water would be blue?
999
00:44:44.274 --> 00:44:45.254
Like, come on, dude, it's dirt.
1000
00:44:45.274 --> 00:44:46.194
It's going to be brown.
1001
00:44:46.454 --> 00:44:49.155
Yeah, so it's very possible you have an admin person out in the field.
1002
00:44:49.175 --> 00:44:49.455
Sure.
1003
00:44:49.595 --> 00:44:50.955
And they're going to look bad.
1004
00:44:51.075 --> 00:44:52.056
Everyone's going to pick on them.
1005
00:44:52.076 --> 00:44:53.516
Everyone's going to think they do a bad job.
1006
00:44:54.936 --> 00:44:57.017
And assuming that they're, like, if he was down in the hole...
1007
00:44:57.557 --> 00:44:57.877
Right.
1008
00:44:57.897 --> 00:44:58.378
Kudos to him.
1009
00:44:58.678 --> 00:44:59.459
He was working hard.
1010
00:44:59.659 --> 00:45:00.340
I respect it.
1011
00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:06.426
And so you put that same person in the office and now they have some skill, at least have been out in the field.
1012
00:45:06.726 --> 00:45:14.434
It's like they might actually get through a lot of your systems and training faster because they have a little bit of contextual of like the trucks, types of work.
1013
00:45:14.594 --> 00:45:16.255
They know blue lines, like stuff like that.
1014
00:45:16.696 --> 00:45:18.898
And so it might be a good fit.
1015
00:45:19.378 --> 00:45:26.087
I would just say if they're going to be leading or telling your leader, crew leads, what to do at any point, you've got to get the crew leaders buy in.
1016
00:45:26.227 --> 00:45:26.407
Sure.
1017
00:45:26.667 --> 00:45:26.908
Okay.
1018
00:45:26.948 --> 00:45:27.408
That makes sense.
1019
00:45:28.069 --> 00:45:30.172
I guess the two questions are kind of a two-part question.
1020
00:45:30.913 --> 00:45:33.916
One, do you think that's paying myself too much?
1021
00:45:34.277 --> 00:45:35.198
Is that such a thing?
1022
00:45:35.258 --> 00:45:38.182
And two, what do you think is paying somebody else too much?
1023
00:45:38.522 --> 00:45:38.722
Yeah.
1024
00:45:39.102 --> 00:45:45.965
So first off, I would at your stage, I would pay myself enough from a salary perspective that you can survive and live.
1025
00:45:45.985 --> 00:45:46.185
Sure.
1026
00:45:48.026 --> 00:45:49.967
And, you know, I don't think it's very high.
1027
00:45:49.987 --> 00:45:50.807
You're not like lavish.
1028
00:45:50.887 --> 00:45:54.729
So like I think I would just reduce as much as possible because your taxes on that's going to be pretty high.
1029
00:45:54.889 --> 00:45:55.069
Sure.
1030
00:45:55.149 --> 00:45:56.029
You're an S corp too.
1031
00:45:56.049 --> 00:45:59.151
So like you can take distributions and get around self-employment taxes.
1032
00:45:59.211 --> 00:46:01.332
Like there's no reason to have a high salary.
1033
00:46:01.392 --> 00:46:01.572
Right.
1034
00:46:02.612 --> 00:46:05.073
If I was you, I would create some sort of system for distributions.
1035
00:46:05.253 --> 00:46:05.453
Sure.
1036
00:46:06.133 --> 00:46:10.654
So how we do it is anything above one month of revenue is able to be removed from the business.
1037
00:46:10.894 --> 00:46:11.074
Okay.
1038
00:46:11.294 --> 00:46:12.355
So we do it on a quarterly basis.
1039
00:46:12.375 --> 00:46:13.275
You can do it monthly if you want.
1040
00:46:13.295 --> 00:46:15.816
If you have a very consistent cash flow for the offseason, you can do it monthly.
1041
00:46:15.836 --> 00:46:17.736
And it's like, hey, we did $110,000 last month.
1042
00:46:17.756 --> 00:46:17.936
Okay.
1043
00:46:17.956 --> 00:46:19.937
At the end of the month, there's $120,000 in the bank.
1044
00:46:19.957 --> 00:46:20.077
Great.
1045
00:46:20.097 --> 00:46:20.637
$10,000, distributions.
1046
00:46:20.657 --> 00:46:20.777
Okay.
1047
00:46:24.098 --> 00:46:26.399
And so you get in this habit of taking money out of the business.
1048
00:46:26.859 --> 00:46:33.863
And also down the road or even now, you start giving a percentage of what you take out of the business to your management team.
1049
00:46:33.923 --> 00:46:34.143
Okay.
1050
00:46:34.724 --> 00:46:34.884
Right?
1051
00:46:34.924 --> 00:46:37.305
And so you're very involved, so you might not need to do this yet.
1052
00:46:37.645 --> 00:46:46.190
But down the road when you're never there, you'll want every dollar you take out of the business, $0.50, $0.40, $0.30 is going to the team.
1053
00:46:46.370 --> 00:46:46.590
Okay.
1054
00:46:46.950 --> 00:46:59.592
whether it be managers, frontline team, et cetera, but you start giving them a piece of what you take out of the business, but you just establish that habit of, we live off of what is after our working capital and our working capital is defined as one month of cash flow.
1055
00:46:59.792 --> 00:46:59.952
Yeah.
1056
00:47:00.744 --> 00:47:02.825
And is that how much you would have in the bank?
1057
00:47:02.845 --> 00:47:04.186
Does that also answer that question?
1058
00:47:04.326 --> 00:47:08.828
Yeah, I like to have that much just from a working capital perspective, especially when you're doing big projects like you're doing.
1059
00:47:09.188 --> 00:47:12.869
Because there's months where you're doing $200,000 in monthly revenue.
1060
00:47:13.990 --> 00:47:18.812
So you take the entire amount even though obviously your profit's lumped into that number.
1061
00:47:18.872 --> 00:47:20.633
You take that entire number and that's what you look for.
1062
00:47:20.713 --> 00:47:22.053
Mostly for the sake of simplicity.
1063
00:47:22.113 --> 00:47:22.353
Okay.
1064
00:47:22.533 --> 00:47:22.753
Right?
1065
00:47:22.793 --> 00:47:25.894
So the thing is there's also months that you do way less than that.
1066
00:47:26.294 --> 00:47:29.175
And so during the winter, I'm not expecting you to have $200,000 in the bank.
1067
00:47:29.315 --> 00:47:29.455
Right.
1068
00:47:29.615 --> 00:47:33.255
I'm expecting that revenue as it comes down, you're also having less in the bank.
1069
00:47:33.555 --> 00:47:33.755
Sure.
1070
00:47:33.955 --> 00:47:35.436
So that's why I like that.
1071
00:47:35.476 --> 00:47:44.237
It's also because if you start doing like I want two months worth of operating income or I want two months of payroll or whatever, it's like, well, no one knows that number.
1072
00:47:44.437 --> 00:47:47.618
If I asked you how much money you make last month in revenue, you know that number.
1073
00:47:47.638 --> 00:47:48.038
Sure.
1074
00:47:48.118 --> 00:47:50.900
And so that's mostly why I actually use that number is because everyone knows it.
1075
00:47:51.621 --> 00:48:01.728
And so if you wanted to determine a more accurate form of like amount of working capital that you need or two months of payroll or two months of expenses or whatever, great, do it.
1076
00:48:02.388 --> 00:48:07.031
I just know that you don't know how much money, how much expenses was last month, but I know how much you made in revenue.
1077
00:48:07.492 --> 00:48:09.293
That's why I usually say that number.
1078
00:48:09.633 --> 00:48:11.073
That makes sense.
1079
00:48:11.273 --> 00:48:14.714
And then as your revenue goes down in the winter, you don't have to keep as much in.
1080
00:48:15.154 --> 00:48:17.835
As it goes up in the spring, you have bigger projects.
1081
00:48:17.855 --> 00:48:19.595
You should have more capital on hand.
1082
00:48:19.655 --> 00:48:20.556
Sure.
1083
00:48:20.856 --> 00:48:25.517
And then I know some people with big projects, what they'll do is they'll do lines of credit just to fill in that gap.
1084
00:48:25.597 --> 00:48:26.597
So they don't have to go as high.
1085
00:48:26.857 --> 00:48:28.898
That's fine, especially for big projects.
1086
00:48:29.358 --> 00:48:31.518
I know a lot of the companies that do the big projects.
1087
00:48:31.538 --> 00:48:32.178
That's all they do.
1088
00:48:32.358 --> 00:48:34.019
They just get huge lines of credit.
1089
00:48:34.239 --> 00:48:34.899
I kind of hate debt.
1090
00:48:35.139 --> 00:48:36.119
It's kind of stressful for me.
1091
00:48:36.419 --> 00:48:37.500
Well, I want to respect your time.
1092
00:48:39.820 --> 00:48:45.183
What would you say, or would you say maybe five key takeaways for this next year that I should tackle?
1093
00:48:45.344 --> 00:48:49.046
I'd say obviously one's an office admin person, systems.
1094
00:48:49.526 --> 00:48:50.767
What would you get for the last three?
1095
00:48:51.393 --> 00:48:56.755
Yeah, so I think first off, I think strategically when we look at 2026, I would just say like let's play defense a bit.
1096
00:48:57.195 --> 00:49:07.719
Like knowing how much cash in the business, knowing how quickly you've grown, knowing that the next leg to $5 million is going to require great leadership and great leadership is not going to want to join a business, that you're running everything.
1097
00:49:07.959 --> 00:49:08.739
Right.
1098
00:49:08.759 --> 00:49:11.240
Like great A talent looks at that as like a liability.
1099
00:49:11.360 --> 00:49:11.540
Right.
1100
00:49:11.620 --> 00:49:13.302
Because they step in there like, oh, okay, I get it.
1101
00:49:13.502 --> 00:49:15.424
So if you go down, this business is gone.
1102
00:49:15.745 --> 00:49:16.666
Like, I don't want that.
1103
00:49:16.726 --> 00:49:17.947
I want to have more dependability.
1104
00:49:17.967 --> 00:49:21.371
So you're actually building the business in a way that great talent wants to join it.
1105
00:49:21.431 --> 00:49:21.651
Sure.
1106
00:49:22.172 --> 00:49:23.573
And so I think we take 2026.
1107
00:49:23.734 --> 00:49:24.975
You will probably still grow the business.
1108
00:49:25.055 --> 00:49:25.496
I'll be honest.
1109
00:49:25.716 --> 00:49:32.784
Because if you just literally made a website and got an admin person that can funnel in over the phone estimates, you're probably going to grow maintenance quite a bit.
1110
00:49:33.184 --> 00:49:37.807
And so in my opinion, I look at 2026 as we will probably grow maintenance a little bit because we're going to have a website.
1111
00:49:37.847 --> 00:49:38.868
It's going to be customer facing.
1112
00:49:38.888 --> 00:49:39.528
We're going to start ranking.
1113
00:49:39.888 --> 00:49:43.010
That will now be driving over the phone estimates and sales on maintenance.
1114
00:49:43.030 --> 00:49:44.171
That will probably go up a little bit.
1115
00:49:44.571 --> 00:49:49.994
But what we're really focused on is how do we get as much sales and admin off the play of you and your GM?
1116
00:49:50.195 --> 00:49:50.375
Sure.
1117
00:49:50.735 --> 00:49:58.780
If you figured that out in 2026, you could easily double the business in 2027 and do so very profitably.
1118
00:49:59.220 --> 00:50:07.465
It'll simply come down to what's your level of ruthlessness in training that admin person and then giving them the skills to take things off of both of your plates.
1119
00:50:07.685 --> 00:50:08.066
Sure.
1120
00:50:08.186 --> 00:50:17.372
And that ramp for that person in terms of their compensation, the ability at that one-year market, you want them to the office manager because you're going to immediately put an assistant under them so you can double the business.
1121
00:50:17.392 --> 00:50:17.552
Sure.
1122
00:50:18.192 --> 00:50:18.412
Right?
1123
00:50:19.033 --> 00:50:25.337
And then I would say in 2027, it's going to be how do you now start delegating your sales on projects.
1124
00:50:25.457 --> 00:50:25.817
Right?
1125
00:50:25.977 --> 00:50:29.279
very, very hard.
1126
00:50:29.439 --> 00:50:30.880
But it'll be the same logic.
1127
00:50:31.100 --> 00:50:34.382
Like simplify it, how do I standardize it, and then create a system from it.
1128
00:50:34.863 --> 00:50:43.068
And so I think as 2026 goes on, the skill of training this admin person and giving them systems, you will learn like, okay, these are the things they have problems with.
1129
00:50:43.108 --> 00:50:44.529
These are the things that they do really well at.
1130
00:50:44.909 --> 00:50:50.973
Okay, when I do the same thing for sales and projects, I'll need to make sure I cut out some of these services that always take my time.
1131
00:50:51.493 --> 00:50:55.436
Like, you know the three or four services that if it's on the estimate, you're going to be there.
1132
00:50:55.756 --> 00:50:59.118
And so those are things that likely will have to be removed before you then hand that off.
1133
00:50:59.398 --> 00:51:02.060
Because you're going to have to do that exact same thing when you start handing things to admin.
1134
00:51:02.400 --> 00:51:06.263
Like, okay, these type of calls, I know they won't be able to handle that.
1135
00:51:06.283 --> 00:51:07.844
Like, they'll be able to do the over-the-fin estimates.
1136
00:51:08.004 --> 00:51:10.205
But there's no way they're doing a $50,000 work change order.
1137
00:51:10.525 --> 00:51:11.846
So, like, that will have to come to me.
1138
00:51:12.427 --> 00:51:15.429
So then you start thinking about, can I actually just cut things out of the business?
1139
00:51:15.449 --> 00:51:15.889
Okay.
1140
00:51:16.289 --> 00:51:17.089
Can I simplify this?
1141
00:51:17.349 --> 00:51:21.631
Can I create a standard operating procedure for how they handle these situations?
1142
00:51:21.911 --> 00:51:27.012
That skill that you'll have to do for admin is what you'll also use for sales down the road on the project side.
1143
00:51:27.092 --> 00:51:28.113
Sure.
1144
00:51:28.473 --> 00:51:30.933
So I think it's really a systems and defense.
1145
00:51:31.473 --> 00:51:35.415
And I'm really happy to hear that you're not like, next year we're doing $5 million.
1146
00:51:35.675 --> 00:51:36.075
Because like –
1147
00:51:36.775 --> 00:51:38.256
That, you could probably do it.
1148
00:51:38.716 --> 00:51:41.697
It's just a function of you will get to 5 million and realize you have no systems.
1149
00:51:42.197 --> 00:51:44.959
And the only way to keep doing that is working like insanity hours.
1150
00:51:44.999 --> 00:51:46.759
And you will likely lose your GM.
1151
00:51:46.779 --> 00:51:46.999
Sure.
1152
00:51:47.440 --> 00:51:51.441
Because like that rate of growth with no systems makes systems people.
1153
00:51:51.461 --> 00:51:52.022
Stressful.
1154
00:51:52.182 --> 00:51:53.102
Just stressed out of their mind.
1155
00:51:53.282 --> 00:51:54.343
Oh, I've seen it in him.
1156
00:51:54.483 --> 00:51:56.063
He's like, holy mackerel.
1157
00:51:56.083 --> 00:51:57.064
Could we get stuff straight?
1158
00:51:57.084 --> 00:51:59.325
And I'm like, he'll be like, I asked you this like two hours ago.
1159
00:51:59.345 --> 00:52:01.046
I'm like, dude, I'm going to do almost like 30 other things.
1160
00:52:01.106 --> 00:52:01.746
I don't know.
1161
00:52:01.986 --> 00:52:02.166
Yeah.
1162
00:52:02.386 --> 00:52:08.372
So I think as simple as it is, this is going to be throughout this offseason, get a really solid list.
1163
00:52:08.392 --> 00:52:11.054
And it's probably going to be 40 things of your plate and his plate.
1164
00:52:11.534 --> 00:52:15.698
And then whoever, if you say, hey, if you write it down, you've got to create a system for it.
1165
00:52:15.818 --> 00:52:16.558
Right.
1166
00:52:16.579 --> 00:52:19.021
Whether it be a video or a document.
1167
00:52:19.141 --> 00:52:20.282
And it's going to be less than one page.
1168
00:52:20.642 --> 00:52:23.665
So either one page doc or you've got to give me a video screening.
1169
00:52:23.705 --> 00:52:24.605
And you're like, I don't know how to do that.
1170
00:52:24.625 --> 00:52:24.846
Great.
1171
00:52:24.866 --> 00:52:27.208
We're meeting on this day and we're just going to pound through all of them.
1172
00:52:27.828 --> 00:52:35.155
And then you know they're not going to be great, but then when you hire that person, part of their one year to become office manager is you've redone all the videos.
1173
00:52:35.175 --> 00:52:36.136
You've redone all the systems.
1174
00:52:36.156 --> 00:52:37.097
You've organized it better.
1175
00:52:37.317 --> 00:52:40.240
They probably will have doubled the amount of content in it.
1176
00:52:41.901 --> 00:52:43.843
That sets you up for a phenomenal 2027.
1177
00:52:43.863 --> 00:52:45.004
That makes sense.
1178
00:52:45.905 --> 00:52:47.086
Is it all right if I ask one more question?
1179
00:52:47.106 --> 00:52:48.167
Yeah, take your time.
1180
00:52:48.207 --> 00:52:50.489
I got an extra 10 minutes.
1181
00:52:50.529 --> 00:52:50.910
Oh, sweet.
1182
00:52:51.670 --> 00:52:52.491
On the personal side,
1183
00:52:53.631 --> 00:52:58.256
What's it been like for you now that you're not just, you know, your lone ranger running around doing your thing?
1184
00:52:59.478 --> 00:53:02.361
How have you found that balance with that work-life balance?
1185
00:53:02.501 --> 00:53:02.681
Yeah.
1186
00:53:02.701 --> 00:53:03.983
Have you recently got married?
1187
00:53:04.003 --> 00:53:04.864
I just got married in October.
1188
00:53:04.904 --> 00:53:05.324
End of October.
1189
00:53:05.345 --> 00:53:05.765
Oh, October.
1190
00:53:05.785 --> 00:53:06.646
Like really recent.
1191
00:53:06.666 --> 00:53:07.847
Dude, congratulations, man.
1192
00:53:07.867 --> 00:53:08.068
Thanks.
1193
00:53:08.628 --> 00:53:09.189
When was yours?
1194
00:53:09.209 --> 00:53:10.330
Wasn't it this spring or something?
1195
00:53:10.350 --> 00:53:10.591
February.
1196
00:53:10.611 --> 00:53:11.151
Last February, yeah.
1197
00:53:11.211 --> 00:53:11.812
So how long were you?
1198
00:53:11.832 --> 00:53:12.373
Well, last February?
1199
00:53:12.393 --> 00:53:13.274
So like over a year ago?
1200
00:53:13.854 --> 00:53:14.995
Uh, no, this ever.
1201
00:53:15.056 --> 00:53:15.376
Okay.
1202
00:53:15.876 --> 00:53:16.357
How old are you?
1203
00:53:16.597 --> 00:53:16.757
21.
1204
00:53:16.777 --> 00:53:17.378
How old is she?
1205
00:53:17.398 --> 00:53:18.139
Actually, I just turned 22.
1206
00:53:18.179 --> 00:53:18.879
How old is she?
1207
00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:19.680
She's 22 as well.
1208
00:53:19.800 --> 00:53:20.241
Okay, cool.
1209
00:53:20.821 --> 00:53:23.244
Um, and is she working in the business at all or not?
1210
00:53:23.284 --> 00:53:27.648
No, I don't really want to do that just because I feel like that I'm going to put her in a place where I can't lose her.
1211
00:53:28.009 --> 00:53:28.209
Right.
1212
00:53:28.229 --> 00:53:28.389
Right.
1213
00:53:28.409 --> 00:53:30.671
And then it's like, great, you're stuck, you know?
1214
00:53:30.892 --> 00:53:31.092
Yeah.
1215
00:53:31.212 --> 00:53:33.495
You know, I put you in a spot and you need to do this work.
1216
00:53:33.515 --> 00:53:34.817
And then it's our relationships.
1217
00:53:34.857 --> 00:53:35.518
Now it's work.
1218
00:53:35.558 --> 00:53:37.441
And I noticed that with my siblings.
1219
00:53:37.481 --> 00:53:38.603
I, you know, it was awesome.
1220
00:53:38.703 --> 00:53:39.584
Loved working with my siblings.
1221
00:53:39.945 --> 00:53:41.447
But that's all we'd ever talk about was business.
1222
00:53:41.607 --> 00:53:42.729
And I was like, it was great.
1223
00:53:42.889 --> 00:53:43.390
Didn't mind it.
1224
00:53:43.530 --> 00:53:46.334
But with my wife, I'd rather not come home and talk with business with her.
1225
00:53:46.354 --> 00:53:46.675
I'd rather.
1226
00:53:46.935 --> 00:53:48.237
I mean, I'm happy to share what I'm up to.
1227
00:53:48.257 --> 00:53:48.898
I'm not saying that.
1228
00:53:48.938 --> 00:53:52.803
I'm just saying I wouldn't want our conversations to all be like, what's our P&Ls?
1229
00:53:52.863 --> 00:53:54.445
You know, this project went bad.
1230
00:53:54.465 --> 00:53:56.447
Are we going to get a one-star review from that, right?
1231
00:53:56.568 --> 00:53:57.729
Did you get enough five-star reviews?
1232
00:53:57.989 --> 00:53:59.391
I'd rather just keep her out of it.
1233
00:53:59.652 --> 00:54:03.136
Yeah, one thing that Dr. Cashy told me, he's like, because—
1234
00:54:03.917 --> 00:54:06.239
you and I'll throw lump you in with me too.
1235
00:54:06.299 --> 00:54:08.100
It's like, we think about business all the time.
1236
00:54:08.240 --> 00:54:08.441
Sure.
1237
00:54:08.841 --> 00:54:21.670
And so what we can quickly do is start judging our spouse based upon them being able to supply to us the business meant mentality and like being involved and inspired by the same stuff.
1238
00:54:21.851 --> 00:54:22.551
It's funny you say that.
1239
00:54:22.691 --> 00:54:23.652
I've literally noticed that.
1240
00:54:23.852 --> 00:54:26.014
And so like we can judge them based on that.
1241
00:54:26.974 --> 00:54:30.998
But what he said is like a great wife can be a really bad business partner.
1242
00:54:31.018 --> 00:54:31.118
Sure.
1243
00:54:31.138 --> 00:54:31.358
Sure.
1244
00:54:31.738 --> 00:54:34.879
The same that a really good business partner can be a really bad spouse.
1245
00:54:35.559 --> 00:54:43.060
And so I think that like understanding that one person can't be everything to you and that like she is a great wife.
1246
00:54:43.980 --> 00:54:48.781
She is not going to be able to stimulate you from a business perspective and entrepreneurial.
1247
00:54:48.981 --> 00:54:53.462
And so like if I was your age, like doing what you did, like were you like, hey, can I please just travel out?
1248
00:54:53.482 --> 00:54:56.782
I was like, I got to respect the hustle because like that's what you should be doing.
1249
00:54:57.122 --> 00:54:59.603
Because like this is what he can't provide to you.
1250
00:55:00.203 --> 00:55:00.764
And that's okay.
1251
00:55:00.884 --> 00:55:01.844
She's an amazing wife.
1252
00:55:01.904 --> 00:55:03.226
It takes nothing away from her.
1253
00:55:03.866 --> 00:55:05.848
She doesn't have to be everything to you.
1254
00:55:06.628 --> 00:55:17.378
And so when you start, especially being younger, and I'll lump my wife in with, like, she's 21 as well, is, like, you can very easily build your entire life around one person.
1255
00:55:17.778 --> 00:55:17.958
Sure.
1256
00:55:17.978 --> 00:55:22.282
Instead of realizing that, like, there are many people that are required to build a full life.
1257
00:55:22.962 --> 00:55:24.983
And so she will need friends.
1258
00:55:25.183 --> 00:55:26.184
She will need girlfriends.
1259
00:55:26.324 --> 00:55:30.006
She will need other family that is outside of you because you can't be everything to her.
1260
00:55:31.006 --> 00:55:33.907
And so when you fall into this trap of like, well, you're not home enough.
1261
00:55:33.927 --> 00:55:37.329
It's like, oh, like this person, like you need to go get friends.
1262
00:55:37.629 --> 00:55:38.750
You need to go shop.
1263
00:55:38.930 --> 00:55:40.210
You need to go be with other people.
1264
00:55:40.290 --> 00:55:41.171
You need to go get your nails done.
1265
00:55:41.191 --> 00:55:43.552
Like, because I can't be that to you.
1266
00:55:43.852 --> 00:55:44.032
Sure.
1267
00:55:44.212 --> 00:55:49.015
And if you're trying to expect me to be everything in your life, like everything revolves around me.
1268
00:55:49.035 --> 00:55:49.135
Yeah.
1269
00:55:49.815 --> 00:55:50.876
For some guys, they get off to that.
1270
00:55:51.296 --> 00:55:52.117
They think that's so cool.
1271
00:55:52.637 --> 00:55:54.199
It's very unhealthy in my opinion.
1272
00:55:54.739 --> 00:55:56.901
And so being a great husband, great.
1273
00:55:57.481 --> 00:55:58.722
Very different than being a great boss.
1274
00:55:59.283 --> 00:56:04.007
And she does not need to be the person that spars with you intellectually about entrepreneurship and your business.
1275
00:56:04.267 --> 00:56:04.948
She doesn't need to be.
1276
00:56:04.968 --> 00:56:07.390
And she can still not do that and be a great wife.
1277
00:56:07.470 --> 00:56:07.670
Right.
1278
00:56:07.970 --> 00:56:11.053
And so the role-based part is something that we've had to figure out.
1279
00:56:11.153 --> 00:56:11.373
Right.
1280
00:56:11.953 --> 00:56:21.741
And for myself too, like, and like adjusting schedules and times and like turning it off and not looking at my phone, like very different because like I also lived by myself for 10 years.
1281
00:56:22.441 --> 00:56:25.203
And so like I was very much used to, oh, I had an idea at 2 a.m.
1282
00:56:25.303 --> 00:56:26.464
I wake up and I just work.
1283
00:56:27.305 --> 00:56:29.026
That doesn't happen, like doesn't happen anymore.
1284
00:56:29.466 --> 00:56:30.407
And out of respect for her.
1285
00:56:30.507 --> 00:56:34.510
And so, and it's not even like we didn't have to have a disagreement about that.
1286
00:56:34.550 --> 00:56:35.310
It's just a function of.
1287
00:56:36.488 --> 00:56:37.149
I don't think that's right.
1288
00:56:37.730 --> 00:56:42.896
And so there's certainly a lot more give and take.
1289
00:56:43.097 --> 00:56:48.103
And there's a lot more considering another person on every single front.
1290
00:56:48.283 --> 00:56:48.904
Sure.
1291
00:56:48.944 --> 00:56:52.969
The upside is actually when you're working, you can be fully –
1292
00:56:53.670 --> 00:57:18.050
focused sure it's distracting to be single right it is like you're you have this other thing preoccupying your head all the time and so not having that like allows you to like really focus a lot more i found right um that's just my experience no i can see that yeah i think that's i think that's a big one for sure she's definitely um like awesome yeah you know amazing i wouldn't ask for a better wife but that was one thing i noticed like you know before we got married
1293
00:57:18.710 --> 00:57:21.273
And I was like, geez, like, you don't understand any of this.
1294
00:57:21.333 --> 00:57:23.154
Like, and then I was like, you know what?
1295
00:57:23.455 --> 00:57:29.701
I'm kind of like ruining the relationship in a way because I'm just so focused on like wanting you to be like my intellectual partner.
1296
00:57:29.721 --> 00:57:36.287
Like, and you're not that like I can, I just need to decide right now if I can accept that and I want to live my life with you or I can't.
1297
00:57:36.307 --> 00:57:37.488
And I was like, no, I love you.
1298
00:57:37.508 --> 00:57:38.149
I don't want to do that.
1299
00:57:38.409 --> 00:57:38.609
Yeah.
1300
00:57:38.749 --> 00:57:41.172
I'll go talk to my buddies that, you know, understand these concepts.
1301
00:57:41.592 --> 00:57:44.773
And realizing that it takes maturity on both perspectives.
1302
00:57:44.813 --> 00:57:48.674
Like when you leave to talk to your buddies about business, it's not that you don't love her.
1303
00:57:48.814 --> 00:57:48.994
Right.
1304
00:57:49.494 --> 00:57:53.495
It's that you need that part of your life, that she can't be everything to you.
1305
00:57:53.735 --> 00:57:57.115
And if you're going to expect that, it eventually leads to an argument.
1306
00:57:57.175 --> 00:58:00.916
Because like she sees the world from a view to a different viewpoint.
1307
00:58:00.956 --> 00:58:08.178
Like early in our relationship with Bran and I, I told her the most sexy thing I could possibly see in a girl is her ability to be able to like run business.
1308
00:58:08.358 --> 00:58:08.618
Right.
1309
00:58:09.078 --> 00:58:12.860
And like, I know that she heard that and I was like, sick, I can't do that.
1310
00:58:13.240 --> 00:58:20.243
And like later on, I started realizing and like understanding that that's not what I actually want from a wife.
1311
00:58:20.763 --> 00:58:25.926
That's what I need to get from like business people and business partnerships and podcasts and like reading a book and listening.
1312
00:58:25.966 --> 00:58:28.227
Like, like that's, that's where I can get that stuff done.
1313
00:58:28.767 --> 00:58:32.032
And so not requiring her to be everything to me.
1314
00:58:32.112 --> 00:58:36.279
And to some people, that is like love is supposed to be that.
1315
00:58:36.299 --> 00:58:37.500
Like they are my everything.
1316
00:58:37.541 --> 00:58:38.843
My life is wrapped up in them.
1317
00:58:39.123 --> 00:58:41.807
And that can be like very damaging in the long term, in my opinion.
1318
00:58:42.007 --> 00:58:42.188
Sure.
1319
00:58:42.648 --> 00:58:42.829
Okay.
1320
00:58:43.594 --> 00:58:52.901
Would you say that a focus, because I've heard people say, and I've talked to a couple different business people, they say you either build yourself a job or you build yourself a business to sell.
1321
00:58:52.921 --> 00:58:54.563
Do you definitely think that's accurate?
1322
00:58:55.443 --> 00:59:07.233
And if it's not accurate, do you think it's possible to get to where you don't need to be in the office with a business that's that size, say $5 million, unless you really want to?
1323
00:59:08.630 --> 00:59:13.473
Or do you think it's now you pretty well are still going to have daily things that are going to be going on that you're going to be taking care of?
1324
00:59:14.053 --> 00:59:21.658
Having clarity as to whether or not you're going to sell early on is important because you do build the business in a different way.
1325
00:59:21.958 --> 00:59:22.158
Sure.
1326
00:59:22.799 --> 00:59:27.582
I think that everyone should build their business if they're going to sell it, though, because you build the business in a way that doesn't need you.
1327
00:59:27.842 --> 00:59:28.042
Sure.
1328
00:59:28.142 --> 00:59:30.944
Because that's how you maximize the value of the business when you sell.
1329
00:59:31.464 --> 00:59:37.328
I think everyone should build a business like that so that when life inevitably happens, regardless if you think you're going to sell or not,
1330
00:59:38.341 --> 00:59:44.706
There's other things that take you out of the business, health, relationships, calamities, like stuff happens in life.
1331
00:59:45.246 --> 00:59:50.250
And so most business, small businesses fail because not because they sold, not because there's, it was doing bad.
1332
00:59:50.290 --> 00:59:52.111
It was because everything relied on the entrepreneur.
1333
00:59:52.912 --> 00:59:54.393
They built it because they were going to do it forever.
1334
00:59:54.833 --> 00:59:57.535
And then all of a sudden realized they can't for whatever reason.
1335
00:59:58.195 --> 01:00:01.218
And so I think building the business as if you're going to sell it is always the best move.
1336
01:00:01.578 --> 01:00:01.738
Okay.
1337
01:00:01.998 --> 01:00:07.759
because it gives you optionality to sell it and it increases the valuation if you can down the road.
1338
01:00:07.959 --> 01:00:11.160
But also if you decide not to sell it, you can go take a vacation.
1339
01:00:11.840 --> 01:00:14.020
You have kids, you can spend time as a dad.
1340
01:00:14.300 --> 01:00:23.362
You can do these things that you will want to and you don't come to this existential crisis of being 35, having three kids, and I spend no time with them so I'm gonna shut the business down.
1341
01:00:23.482 --> 01:00:24.562
And that happens.
1342
01:00:25.302 --> 01:00:29.843
Being a very successful business, but realizing I cannot unwind all of this, I'm just gonna close it down.
1343
01:00:30.423 --> 01:00:34.005
So it's like from now you start building this as if I'm going to, quote, sell it.
1344
01:00:34.305 --> 01:00:39.488
So that way if I don't – if I decide not to sell it, I'll be 35 with my three kids and I'll check in twice a week at the office.
1345
01:00:39.708 --> 01:00:39.868
Right.
1346
01:00:40.008 --> 01:00:40.709
That's cool.
1347
01:00:41.129 --> 01:00:42.009
Well, thanks for coming by, man.
1348
01:00:42.069 --> 01:00:42.490
Absolutely.
1349
01:00:42.510 --> 01:00:45.391
I really admire you for asking and coming out and making the trip.
1350
01:00:45.771 --> 01:00:50.574
I know it's a lot of effort and it's only like a few little things to change.
1351
01:00:51.014 --> 01:00:55.797
But I do think that you're making the right move in terms of like defensive in 2026 and then going to the offensive.
1352
01:00:55.817 --> 01:00:56.337
Right.
1353
01:00:56.477 --> 01:01:01.459
And I think even as like, it's a good year to go defensive too, because you'll have to figure out like the whole marriage thing.
1354
01:01:02.019 --> 01:01:07.562
And it's just, it's an adjustment and it's, it's very positive adjustment, but it will take a little bit of your time.
1355
01:01:07.682 --> 01:01:09.962
And so being on the offensive sucks a lot of time.
1356
01:01:10.343 --> 01:01:13.464
So like being on a little more, like you will delegate a bunch of your admin.
1357
01:01:13.504 --> 01:01:14.204
You'll have days right.
1358
01:01:15.425 --> 01:01:15.725
Okay.
1359
01:01:15.745 --> 01:01:20.247
Like I would usually be answering the phone or doing emails right now or making estimates and that's not going to be done.
1360
01:01:20.707 --> 01:01:21.007
Go home.
1361
01:01:22.773 --> 01:01:26.175
So like I got out of here earlier than, than ever before.
1362
01:01:26.755 --> 01:01:27.315
That's awesome.
1363
01:01:27.335 --> 01:01:32.277
So it probably feels good, but then it probably also feels like sometimes you're like, man, I don't know if I'm doing enough work.
1364
01:01:32.537 --> 01:01:33.238
You just work at night.
1365
01:01:33.258 --> 01:01:35.319
There's always work to be done.
1366
01:01:35.719 --> 01:01:36.799
So thanks for coming by, man.
1367
01:01:36.859 --> 01:01:37.480
I appreciate it.