Snowfighters Institute Podcast

Hosted by Phil Harwood

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Oct 2026

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This is the Snowfighters Institute podcast, where you will hear directly from some of the most interesting people in the professional snow and ice management industry – to learn about their successes, to hear about the challenges they faced along the way, and to have their perspective on critical issues facing our industry today. Hosted by Phil Harwood (Phil@GrowTheBench.com). Follow our social media feeds and check out upcoming events at SnowfightersInstitute.com.

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November 3, 202627 min

Vince Torchia - Inside The Grow Group, Grow Snow 2027, and What's Next for Snowfighters

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → GROW! Snow 2027 | September 14 to 15, 2027 in Madison, Wisconsin Registration is open now. Grow! Snow is built for snow leaders and their teams, with snow-specific breakouts, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. The 2027 Shark Tank competition will return with another full-circle prize package, so if you want to pitch your growth plan to a panel of industry partners for a chance to win equipment, coaching, and weather data support, this is the year to start preparing. Claim your seat now: snowfightersinstitute.com Vince Torchia , Vice President of The Grow Group, joins Phil for a behind-the-scenes look at the partnership powering the next chapter of Snowfighters Institute. From the origin story of GROW (the three-day event in Savannah this February), to the ACE Peer Groups now running 19 strong across the country, to a preview of Grow! Snow 2027 in Madison with Shawn Carrington, Vince shares why this partnership exists and how the Snowfighters community is being built out. Also previewed: a new membership bundle, Inner Circle 2027 in Grand Rapids, monthly webinars, and the growing network of Snowfighters peer groups. Key Learnings Accessible Education Beats Fancy Facilities - Marty's model at Grunder Landscaping works because the shop is relatable, not showy, and visitors leave thinking "I can do this" instead of "that's out of reach." Peer Groups Make the Industry Feel Small - Being in a group of 10 to 15 companies gives you a network that an event of hundreds can't, and that's where real business growth happens. Second-Level Leaders Deserve Their Own Rooms - The new peer groups for salespeople, operations, and finance teams let non-owners build their own networks and come back energized to drive their departments forward. Teams Change Everything at Live Events - When owners bring their teams to GROW instead of attending alone, the whole company comes back aligned and ready to execute together. Accessible Doesn't Mean Light - Grow! Snow 2026 proved contractors want real, substantive education with clear takeaways, not just happy hours and sprinkled content. Validation Matters as Much as New Ideas - Half of what attendees get from events like Grow! Snow is confirmation that they're already on the right track, which is just as valuable as learning something brand new. Reflection Questions Are you bringing your team to industry events so they come back with the same motivation and content as you, or are you attending alone and trying to translate it later? Where in your business could a peer group of 10 to 15 non-competing owners (or your sales, ops, or finance leaders) help you solve problems faster than figuring them out on your own? Chapters (00:00:00) - Start (00:00:20) - Welcome and Introductions (00:01:03) - How Vince Got to The Grow Group (00:02:48) - Behind the Marty Grunder Model (00:06:02) - What The Grow Group Does (00:06:51) - The Origin of GROW (00:11:44) - Why Peer Groups Work (00:15:59) - The Next Chapter for Snowfighters (00:17:54) - Inside Grow! Snow 2026 (00:20:26) - Grow! Snow 2027 in Madison (00:21:28) - The Membership Bundle Coming Soon (00:23:42) - Inner Circle in Grand Rapids (00:25:42) - How to Get Involved

October 20, 202615 min

Katie Roell - The Shark Tank Prize Package, ParaSpace's 10-Hour Uber, and Why You Should Be at Grow! Snow 2027

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → GROW! Snow 2027 | September 14 to 15, 2027 in Madison, Wisconsin Registration is open now. Grow! Snow is built for snow leaders and their teams, with snow-specific breakouts, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. The 2027 Shark Tank competition will return with another full-circle prize package, so if you want to pitch your growth plan to a panel of industry partners for a chance to win equipment, coaching, and weather data support, this is the year to start preparing. Claim your seat now: snowfightersinstitute.com Katie Roell , Senior Marketing Manager at BOSS Snowplows, joins Phil to recap the inaugural Shark Tank competition at Grow! Snow 2026 and share why BOSS wanted to go beyond equipment to support contractors in a more holistic way. From the full-circle prize package (equipment, coaching, weather data), to the Vancouver-based winner ParaSpace who took a 10-hour Uber from Chicago just to be there, Katie makes the case for why the next version of this competition at Grow! Snow 2027 in Madison, Wisconsin is worth planning for now. Key Learnings Contractors Need More Than Equipment - Snow pros rarely open conversations with equipment needs, they open with labor, salt, deployment decisions, and ROI on technology, so support packages should reflect what actually moves a business forward. Commitment Separates Winners - A 10-hour Uber ride from Chicago to Dayton with three teammates isn't a travel plan, it's a signal, and that kind of commitment is often what sets the winners apart. Full Circle Beats a Logo on a Screen - Bringing partners together to deliver equipment support, coaching, and weather data creates real impact for a contractor, while slapping a logo on a sponsor slide creates nothing. Pitch Clarity Wins Rooms - Two minutes is enough time to communicate how you'll grow if your message is clear, your plan is feasible, and you can show how a package like this changes your trajectory. Low Snow Markets Need Different Playbooks - A business expanding into snow in Vancouver needs different contract structures, staffing plans, and equipment mix than one in a traditional snow belt, and that's where coaching matters most. Prepare Your Pitch Early - This episode is the heads up, so if growth is on your 2027 roadmap, start building your two-minute pitch now and plan to bring your team. Reflection Questions If you had two minutes in front of a room of industry partners to pitch how you want to grow, could you deliver a clear plan today, or do you need to start working on it now? Where in your business are you investing in equipment when the real growth lever is coaching, data, or partnerships you haven't built yet? Chapters (00:00:00) - Start (00:00:21) - Welcome & Meet Katie with BOSS (00:01:11) - Inside the Shark Tank Idea (00:03:27) - How We Judged the Pitches (00:05:54) - Why BOSS Went Beyond Equipment (00:08:01) - Meet the Winner: ParaSpace (00:10:31) - Supporting a First-Year Snow Business (00:11:16) - What’s Changing for 2027 (00:13:12) - BOSS at Equip Expo (00:15:00) - Grow! Snow 2027

September 29, 202646 min

Eddy Zakes - Building a Service Partner Network Across 15 States: The Anti-National Subcontracting Company

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → Eddy Zakes, CEO of Earth Development, joins Phil to share how a commercial snow and landscape company based in Green Bay has grown into a 15-state operation built almost entirely on a service partner network. From acquiring the business in 2021 with no snow industry background, to defining core values and brand promises in a February Airbnb in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to a negligent homicide lawsuit that reshaped how he thinks about documentation, Eddy shares the operational, cultural, and structural moves that make Earth Development different in a space known for burning subcontractors. Connect with Eddy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddyzakes/ Website: earthdevelopmentinc.com Key Learnings Don't Mess Up What You Bought - When you acquire an attractive business, your first job is to learn it and not break it, because you bought it for a reason and every employee is better at their job than you are on day one. Brand Promises Have to Be Reciprocal - If you promise clients you'll be reliable, responsive, and partnering, you need service partners, employees, and even clients showing up the same way, otherwise the promises collapse. Service Partners Are a Two-Sided Marketplace - In every community, there are only a handful of great service partners, so protect that trust because if you burn them, you lose access to everyone they know for years. Recruit Service Partners a Year in Advance - Have conversations with potential partners in new markets before you have work for them, so when the customer expands, you're not starting from zero. Insurance Is the Fastest Disqualifier - The level of insurance a contractor carries is what separates serious commercial snow and ice pros from the people just dabbling. Service Verification Isn't Going Away - Instead of grumbling about the proliferation of apps, embrace them as the tool that protects your company when the worst-case lawsuit hits. Document Every Decline - Recorded phone calls saved Earth Development in a negligent homicide lawsuit tied to a client refusing extra salting, so build the systems that document what happened and what was refused. Fair and Generous Beats Suspicious - Lead with a posture of generosity, backstop it with fairness, and accept that you'll occasionally get taken advantage of because the alternative is living suspicious of everyone. Be a Resource, Not the Eye in the Sky - Monitor service partners nonstop, but show up alongside them during storms with field operations supervisors instead of playing gotcha after the fact. High Expectations Attract the Right Partners - Great service partners want to be part of an elite performance environment, so don't apologize for the accounta... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro (00:00:40) - Inside Earth Development (00:02:59) - Six Years of Growth (00:05:08) - The Service Partner Model (00:07:49) - Core Values and Brand Promises (00:13:13) - Recruiting Great Partners (00:23:32) - Why Service Verification Matters (00:28:56) - Running a 15-State Operation (00:31:49) - Fair and Generous Leadership (00:36:54) - From Light Bulbs to Snow (00:44:10) - Do You Love Snow? (00:45:35) - Wrap Up

September 8, 202648 min

David Bender - Building a Snow Business That Runs Without You: Clean-When-It-Snows Positioning, People-First Operations, and Knowing Your Numbers

Upcoming Events GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → David Bender , CEO of Weeded! Lawn Service in Richmond, Virginia, joins Phil to share how he built a snow operation that grows in one of the trickiest low-snow markets in the country. From choosing a client model that demands zero tolerance service, to designing custom equipment on the fly, to building a business that runs without him being awake for 83 hours straight, David shares the operational, structural, and mindset moves that made it possible. He also opens up about his SIMA speaking debut, why "lawn friends" beats "clients," and why the two questions he asks himself during every snow event have nothing to do with money. Key Learnings Pick a Blue Ocean for Your Company Name - A generic name puts you in a bloody sea of competitors on Google, but a distinctive name plants your flag in uncharted water and makes you unmistakable in your market. Sell to Clients Who Want It Clean - In a low snow market especially, the only way to make money is to attract clients who want zero tolerance service on every event, so build a client base that fits your model instead of chasing everyone. You Make the Decision, Not the Property Manager - You cannot run a snow operation while waiting on 53 property managers to approve action, so set the expectation up front that you are the decision maker on their lot. Build the Business to Run Without You - Preparation, delegation, and communication systems are what let you sit on a beach while a storm hits and trust your team to handle it. Take Care of the People Doing the Work - Give your subs good hours, clustered lots, quick pay when they walk in with paperwork, and grace when they damage a curb, and they will pick you over the contractor paying $50 more an hour. Take Care of the People You Work For - Treat your client's money like your money, their tenants like your tenants, and their lot like your lot, and the trust follows. Ask Two Questions on Every Snow Event - Are we taking great care of the people working for us, and are we taking great care of the people we work for? If the answers are yes, the money side works itself out. Say No to the Wrong Revenue - When a national buyer offered 60% of what David was earning on Walgreens locally, he walked away because it was the wrong revenue, and the right revenue has always come back around. Custom-Built Equipment Turns 80 Hours into One - A one-yard salt spreader on a custom trailer pulled by a Ventrac turned 80 man hours of sidewalk salti... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome and Introductions (00:00:38) - Snow in Virginia (00:02:50) - The SIMA Talks (00:04:54) - Bethesda to Cornell (00:07:35) - Family and Jiu-Jitsu (00:08:48) - Finding a Blue Ocean (00:11:14) - Meet the Lawn Friends (00:15:16) - Winter Scale Up (00:16:46) - How Snow Grew from One Truck (00:20:11) - You Have to Want It Clean (00:22:21) - Who Makes the Call (00:23:53) - Walking Away from Walgreens (00:24:46) - The Control Freak Story (00:26:12) - The Subcontractor Mindset (00:28:42) - Care Creates Referrals (00:31:36) - Planning the Cash (00:34:21) - Seasonal vs T&M (00:37:14) - Custom Trailers and Brine (00:42:04) - What's Next (00:46:14) - Know Your Numbers

August 25, 202645 min

Eric Gagnon - From Electrician to Snow Professional: Seasonal Contracts, Automated Salt Sales, and Building a Business Rooted in Community

Upcoming Events GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → Eric Gagnon, President of G&G Landscape and Development in Maine, joins Phil to share his journey from commercial electrician to full-time snow and landscape professional. From partnering with his brother and later navigating a family buyout, to losing his father at 19 and letting that shape how he approaches business and life, to building a self-performing operation that runs on seasonal contracts and an automated salt-sales system, Eric shares hard-won lessons on leadership, technology, and why serving the community matters as much as growing the business. He also opens up about loving snow, being a self-described loader guy, and pursuing a vision of excellence that blurs the line between work and life. Key Learnings Look in the Mirror Before You Commit Another Decade - Eric changed careers when he stopped liking who was looking back at him, so pay attention to that feeling instead of grinding through a job you don't enjoy for the rest of your career. Take the Leap Even When It Means a Pay Cut - Moving from a secure electrical job to full-time in the family business meant less pay and less security, but the freedom to build something of your own is worth the trade-off. Different Visions Between Partners Wear You Down - When one partner wants to grow big and the other wants to stay small, every conversation feels like someone has to compromise, which erodes the relationship over time. Buyouts Between Family Members Are Hard but Worth It - Family buyouts get emotional and people say things they shouldn't in the heat of the moment, but the right structural change can restore the personal relationship and strengthen both businesses. Address Conflict Before It Festers - In personal relationships and business, letting things sit only makes them worse, so have the hard conversation as quickly as possible. Everything Happens for a Reason - Losing his father at 19 forced Eric to spread his wings earlier than he would have, and shaped a perspective that hard experiences often prepare you for what comes next. Seasonal Contracts Build Better Businesses - Fixed monthly billing lets clients budget with confidence and lets you build the team, equipment, and quality of service the market expects, regardless of whether the winter is mild or brutal. Cap Your Salt Applications - Salt is a volatile commodity, so capping applications in your seasonal contract at a set number and...

August 11, 202631 min

Robert Holmes - Weather Insurance for Snow Contractors: Building Custom Coverage from a Box of Legos

Upcoming Events GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → Robert Holmes, founder of Spectrum Weather and Specialty Insurance, joins Phil to demystify weather insurance for the snow and ice industry. From explaining what an independent broker actually is, to walking through real-life examples of how contractors use lack-of-snow policies to protect equipment rentals, collateralize operating loans, and build client-loyalty credits, Robert shows why weather insurance isn't just for the biggest operations. He also shares the story of his 18-year path from research meteorologist and Antarctic weather-station builder to founder of a family-run brokerage that helps contractors turn weather risk into a Lego box of solutions. Key Learnings Know the Difference Between Agent and Broker - An agent works for the insurance carrier, but an independent broker's fiduciary responsibility is to you, which means access to the best coverage across carriers instead of whatever one company sells. Weather Insurance Triggers on Snowfall, Not Expenses - Claims are paid based on measured snowfall against a defined threshold, so you don't have to prove salt costs went up or your labor spend spiked to collect. Airport Measurements Keep Things Clean - Coverage typically uses a central, historically tracked location like a major airport because it's a disinterested third party with reliable data underwriters can price against. Insurance Offsets Big Contract Risk - Landing a large contract usually means renting or buying expensive equipment that has to sit ready, and weather insurance can protect that outlay if the snow doesn't come. Weather Policies Can Collateralize Bank Loans - Snow-only contractors going into winter cash-poor can use a lack-of-snow policy to name their bank as an additional loss payee, giving lenders peace of mind on operating capital loans. Whoever Owns the Risk Buys the Policy - Property managers, HOAs, landlords, and even municipalities buy weather insurance too, so if the risk lives with your client, they might be the buyer instead of you. Buy Insurance Earlier in the Season - As winter approaches, carrier capacity in high-demand markets like Chicago fills up, so a policy that costs $X in August could cost 20% more if you wait until Octob... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro (00:01:32) - What Spectrum Weather Does (00:02:43) - Broker vs Agent (00:04:03) - How Weather Insurance Works (00:06:05) - Why Ice Doesn't Cover (00:07:20) - Where the Snow Gets Measured (00:10:43) - Real World Use Cases (00:13:34) - Who Really Buys the Policy (00:16:09) - Why the Midwest Loads Up First (00:19:32) - The Box of Legos Approach (00:21:52) - From Meteorologist to Weather Derivatives (00:25:00) - Antarctica and Holmes Ridge (00:27:35) - Bringing the Family In (00:29:08) - Final Advice and How to Reach Robert

July 28, 202616 min

Tabetha Hart - The Purpose of a Business Is to Create Options: A Conversation on Freedom, Design, and the Tamarisk Method

Upcoming Events GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → Tabetha Hart , President and Co-Founder of Tamarisk Business Advisors and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, joins Phil for a short but meaningful conversation about why the businesses that look most successful from the outside often trap the owners who built them. Tabetha shares the origin of the Tamarisk Method, why growth without intentional design multiplies owner dependency instead of reducing it, and why the real purpose of a business isn't just to make money, but to create options for the owner, their family, and their team. Key Learnings Successful Looking Businesses Often Trap Their Owners - Profitable, growing companies can still leave the owner unable to step away because every decision, team, and customer runs through them. Growth Without Design Multiplies Owner Dependency - Scaling revenue without intentional structure means more employees, customers, and decisions bottleneck through the owner, so the business gets bigger while freedom shrinks. The Purpose of a Business Is to Create Options - Revenue and profit matter, but the higher purpose of a business is creating options for the owner, their family, and their team. Exit Planning Isn't About Retirement - It's about stewardship and intentionally building a business that can thrive beyond you, protecting your family, your employees, and the value you spent decades creating. Clarity Comes Before Change - Owners are often too close to their businesses to see where dependency exists, so the first step is objectively looking at financial performance, leadership, risk, and how decisions really get made. Ask What Options Your Next Decision Creates - Before every major business decision, ask whether it makes the business more dependent on you or less, and whether it builds something that can endure. Reflection Questions Could you completely unplug for two weeks with no contact and be confident your business would run without you? Are your recent decisions creating more freedom or more responsibility for you as the owner? ... Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro (00:01:23) - Tabetha's Story and Mission (00:02:34) - What Is the Tamarisk Method (00:04:39) - Why Options Matter More Than Income (00:06:32) - The Trap of Chasing Growth (00:08:23) - Clarity Before Foundation (00:09:58) - What Writing the Book Revealed (00:11:25) - The One Question Every Owner Should Ask (00:12:59) - How to Connect with Tabetha (00:15:12) - Wrap Up and Grow! Snow

July 14, 202644 min

Scott Lesak: Building Kasel Rocks Through Communication, Culture, and Personal Transformation

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → In-Person Event GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Scott Lesak, President of Kasel Rocks Facility Services in Allentown, Pennsylvania, joins Phil to share his journey from professional track cyclist to firefighter to president of a mid-sized industrial snow operation. From starting a business with his dad at 15 while racing bicycles, to pivoting from high-end residential design build into recurring-revenue commercial snow, to running roughly 45 loaders across the entire eastern half of Pennsylvania, Scott shares hard-won lessons on communication, culture, and the personal transformation that reshaped how he leads. He also opens up about his firefighting years, his recovery from PTSD and alcohol, and why the change you want to see in your business starts within you. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn Key Learnings Hire for Attitude, Not Experience - Skills can be taught, but the willingness to learn and show up upbeat is what actually predicts whether someone will grow into a great team member. Recurring Revenue Multiplies Your Selling Effort - Selling $1.5M in one-time design build work every year gets you $1.5M, but selling $1.5M in three-year contracts stacks to $4.5M in revenue by year three. 12-Month Billing Reduces Snow Risk - Guaranteed 12-month billing on seasonal contracts is what makes it safe to invest in the loaders, plows, and equipment growth requires. Relationships Beat Production in Sales - Clients don't care how you plow snow or cut grass, they care that it's done, so the relationship side of the sales process matters more than showing off your production process. Not Everyone Thinks Like You Do - The older you get, the more you realize your thought process is unique, which means clarity and repetition in communication matter more than you think. Communication Is a True Competitive Advantage - Sending weather forecasts, game plan updates, and real-time production updates keeps clients informed and separates you from every other contractor claiming the same service. Get Ahead of Damage Before Clients Find It - When operators chip a curb or hit anything on site, having a system that puts a photo in fr... Chapters (00:00:20) - Welcome and Introductions (00:01:04) - Growing Up in Farm Country (00:01:59) - From Pro Cyclist to Business Owner (00:06:47) - Penn State and the Early Hustle (00:08:00) - Living in a Firehouse (00:10:51) - Faith, Family, and Values (00:11:43) - Buying Out Dad (00:15:54) - The Pivot to Facility Services (00:19:39) - Hard Lessons in Sales (00:21:21) - DISC and Finding Mentors (00:23:07) - Inside the Snow Operation Today (00:24:15) - Damage Reporting in Five Minutes (00:26:37) - The Standardized Scope Advantage (00:27:30) - Aspire, WhatsApp, and Ops (00:29:08) - Salt, Liquids, and Sidewalk Gear (00:30:58) - 20 Years Without a Slip and Fall (00:33:09) - People First, Profits Third (00:36:21) - The Firefighter, the Bottle, and Recovery (00:41:39) - Get Plugged In and Look Inward

June 23, 202647 min

Matt Delborrello - Insurance Insights for Snow Contractors: Coverage, Claims, and Choosing the Right Clients

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even? Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → In-Person Event GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Episode #57 Matt Delborrello, Commercial Insurance Consultant with Alera Group and an Accredited Professional in Risk and Insurance, joins Phil to demystify the world of business insurance for snow and ice contractors. From understanding how umbrella liability provides broader protection than raising general liability limits, to why being rated on payroll instead of sales can dramatically lower your premiums, to navigating the excess and surplus marketplace, Matt shares why responsiveness and relationships drive his work, how site selection affects insurability, and what every contractor needs to know before the next slip and fall claim hits. Key Learnings Umbrella Liability Beats Raising General Liability Limits - Umbrella coverage isn't auditable like general liability, so it gives you broader protection over auto and employer's liability without driving up your audit exposure. Sales vs Payroll Rating Changes Everything - Being rated on snow payroll instead of total snow sales gives carriers a more accurate picture of your true exposure and can dramatically lower your premiums. Guaranteed Cost Contracts Distort Sales Numbers - When clients pay $500,000 whether it snows 2 inches or 200, sales doesn't reflect actual risk exposure, which is why the payroll rating shift matters so much. Choose Your Clients Wisely - You can run a flawless snow operation, but if your client list is heavy on gas stations and big box retail, insurance carriers may decline to write the account because of slip and fall frequency. Site Type Matters More Than Industry Label - A local bank and a Walmart are both retail, but they carry completely different risk profiles, so generic application categories without conversation create real problems. Camera Footage Defends Against Bogus Claims - Forward-facing, rear-facing, and driver-facing cameras give carriers the evidence they need to fight inflated or fraudulent claims rather than just settling them. You Can Be Involved... Chapters (00:00:20) - Welcome and Introductions (00:01:55) - Inside Alera Group (00:05:49) - Insurance 101 for Contractors (00:07:47) - Why Umbrella Beats Higher GL Limits (00:10:24) - A Day in the Life of an Agent (00:14:54) - Why Carriers Don't Get Snow (00:20:18) - The Sales vs Payroll Shift (00:24:24) - The Clients Carriers Hate (00:28:15) - The Bogus Slip and Fall Story (00:31:29) - Who Really Decides Your Claim (00:38:32) - The Excess and Surplus Trap (00:43:16) - One Entity or Two (00:45:01) - How to Reach Matt

June 9, 202646 min

Joe & Carla Policastro - Know Your Numbers: Financial Clarity, Cash Flow, and Building a Business You Can Trust

Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Contract Review | Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Internal review and update of sales contracts and subcontractor agreements. Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even? Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → In-Person Event GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Joe and Carla Policastro, co-founders of Cycle CPA , join Phil to discuss why financial clarity is the foundation of a healthy snow and landscape business. From managing the cash flow challenges of seasonal work, to benchmarking your numbers against industry peers, to why your bank balance only tells part of the story, this husband and wife team shares how proactive accounting and advisory work help contractors make confident decisions instead of operating on gut feel. They also open up about the personal journeys that drive their mission to serve hardworking business owners in the green and snow industries. Key Learnings Your Bank Balance Is Only Part of the Picture - Checking your account daily tells you what you have right now, but future cash flow forecasting shows you what is coming and what to watch out for. Seasonal Businesses Must Build Cash Reserves - Snow and landscape operations need enough cash saved during busy months to carry them through slow seasons and economic downturns. Get Your Numbers Fast to Decide Fast - The earlier you receive accurate monthly financials, the quicker you can make confident business decisions. Benchmark Against Industry Peers, Not Just Last Year - Comparing your numbers to industry averages reveals problems like labor costs running higher than competitors, pointing you toward what needs fixing. Make Decisions on Data, Not Gut Feel - Business owners without timely, accurate information are operating in the dark, while knowing your numbers lets you plan the future with confidence. Track Labor Hours Against Each Job - In a labor-intensive industry, knowing how many hours are budgeted toward a specific job and tracking time against it is critical to protecting your margins. Outsource What... Chapters (00:00:00) - Start (00:00:20) - Welcome and Intro (00:01:59) - Why Most Owners Avoid the Books (00:03:55) - The Seasonal Cash Flow Trap (00:08:27) - How Cycle CPA Got Started (00:12:46) - Packages and the Numbers That Matter (00:16:23) - Building a Remote Team of 30 (00:19:17) - Splitting the Work as a Couple (00:22:35) - Why Carla Chose Landscapers (00:24:59) - An Immigrant’s Resilience (00:27:07) - Joe’s Story: Angela’s House (00:32:07) - Who They Serve Best (00:35:56) - What Actually Sets Them Apart (00:38:12) - Making Your Software Talk (00:41:20) - Learn More About Cycle CPA (00:43:17) - Final Advice for Contractors