The GROW! Show

Hosted by Marty Grunder

Business Management

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100

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The GROW! Show is a show that highlights Marty Grunder's annual conference, GROW!. The GROW! show will showcase how anyone in the green industry can grow themselves, their team, and their business.

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June 10, 202640 min

Interview Series: Stephen Shapiro on Team Dynamics and How Teams Can Work Better Together

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #168 In this episode, author Steve Shapiro talks about milestone projects in his career, how people who are different from you push you to be better, and what drives innovation in teams and companies. In his new book, You're Not Playing with a Full Deck, he details how teams often are missing key perspectives with too many alike thinkers. This episode previews that book and applies this mindset to small businesses. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings If You Only Hire People Who Fit the Mold, Eventually Your Organization Grows Mold: Opposites don't attract, they detract. But when we surround ourselves with people who think like us, we get stale ideas, musty ideas, and the same things we have always had. Understand Who You Are Not: Most people focus on identifying their strengths. The bigger unlock is identifying who you are not. That tells you exactly which kind of people you need to surround yourself with. The person who drives you crazy is often the person you need most. Find Your Ray: Steve had a coworker named Ray who drove him nuts, but together they did the greatest work of his career. Not in spite of their differences, because of them. Everyone needs a Ray. Appreciate them, learn from them, have empathy for them. Organizations Have Personalities Too: Company personality is not defined by the mix of people you have. It is defined by what gets valued, recognized, and rewarded. People leave companies when they do not feel valued or appreciated. Expertise Is the Enemy of Innovation: Past experience worked in the past. It does not necessarily work in the future. If the world is changing, we cannot keep relying on the same perspectives and the same expertise we have always had. Relational Conflict Is Bad, Idea Conflict Is Good: Some conflict will always happen when you work with people who are different. Conflict over ideas is productive. If everyone agrees on every idea, you will never do anything new. Match the Environment to the Person, Not Just the Task: Do not stick people in boxes. A structured person can be creative if you give them a structured approach. A relational person can be a great implementer if you give them flexibility. Communicate to the Whole Deck, Not Just Your Cult: Most leaders speak only to the dominant culture in their company. Use the four-part rhythm: problem, pain, solution, vision. That hits every personality type. Most Leadership Teams Are Too Rational: A leadership team full of logical, structured thinkers will miss the relational side. Brin... Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:01:53) - Meet Stephen Shapiro(00:03:05) - The Origins of Personality Poker(00:04:47) - What It Means to Not Be Playing With a Full Deck(00:06:14) - The Ray Story: The Coworker Who Changed Everything(00:09:45) - The Four Suits and Why Innovation Fails(00:10:51) - How to Spot the Perspectives You Are Missing(00:12:24) - Why Hiring Like Yourself Stalls Growth(00:16:55) - Find Your Ray(00:19:41) - Empathy as a Leadership Superpower(00:21:42) - Match the Environment to the Person(00:23:40) - The 4-Part Communication Framework(00:27:23) - Rational vs Relational Leadership Teams(00:29:49) - The Leader’s Real Job Is Asking Better Questions(00:32:47) - AI, Humanness, and Where Real Value Lives(00:34:56) - Using AI Without Losing Critical Thinking(00:37:37) - Final Takeaway and Where to Find Stephen

June 3, 202624 min

Nothing Happens Till Someone Sells Something! | How to Run an Effective Sales Meeting with Marty Grunder

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #167 This episode of The Grow Show focuses on how to run effective sales meetings that actually drive accountability, alignment, and growth within a team. Marty breaks down why most sales meetings fail, the key components of a productive and engaging meeting, and how leaders can use meetings to build stronger sales cultures, improve communication, sharpen skills, and create momentum. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Purpose of a Sales Meeting Is Simple: Create clarity, accountability, alignment, and momentum. That is it. Every effective meeting should answer four questions: Where are we going? What's working? What's not working? What are we going to do next? Your Team Needs Focus, Not More Information: Most salespeople are overwhelmed, distracted, reactive, and busy. They have too many dials and too much data. A good sales meeting cuts through the noise. Most Sales Meetings Fail for Predictable Reasons: No structure, they become reporting sessions, no accountability, and leaders talk too much. If you are doing 90 percent of the talking, your team is doing 10 percent of the thinking. Always Start With Wins: Real wins. Closed deals, breakthroughs, objections overcome, referrals. Recognition creates energy, and energy changes performance. Keep this fast and intentional, five to ten minutes. Salespeople Need Scoreboards, Not Feelings: Review key metrics every meeting: leads, appointments, close rate, proposal volume, average ticket, pipeline value, follow-up activity. But do not weaponize numbers. They bring clarity, not shame. The Leader Should Speak Last: Your best ideas are already sitting inside your team. Ask Tony what he thinks, ask Jimmy, ask Oscar. Facilitate the discussion. The mistake leaders make is assuming they always need to provide the answers. Role-Play Is the Most Underutilized Tool in Sales: Skills deteriorate without repetition. If someone cannot confidently communicate in front of their peers, they will not do it at the kitchen table or in a boardroom. Practice creates muscle memory, just like a tight end running routes. Never End a Meeting Without Clear Commitments: Vague expectations create vague results. Every person should leave knowing what they are responsible for, what success looks like, and when the next check-in is. Consistency Matters More Than Intensity: A decent meeting every week beats one incredible meeting every quarter. Rhythm is what creates the culture you want. Praise in Public, Chastise in Private: Coach with honesty,...

May 27, 202618 min

Marty's Prediction: The One Thing That Will Define the Best Landscaping Companies in Five Years

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #166 What will separate elite landscape companies over the next five years? In this episode, Marty Grunder shares why the future won’t belong to companies with the best trucks or biggest crews — it will belong to companies with the best operational intelligence. From AI and leadership systems to recurring revenue and client relationships, Marty breaks down the mindset shifts landscape leaders need to make now to stay ahead. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings Operational Intelligence Will Beat Equipment, Labor, and Design: The winning companies will turn their data, client relationships, and leadership systems into a scalable platform. They will know more, communicate faster, predict better, and execute more consistently than competitors. Traditional Competitive Advantages Are Becoming Commodities: Equipment is temporary. Labor is unstable. Design is replicable. Marketing is easier than ever with AI. A $2 million company can look like a $30 million company online. Execution consistency at scale is what separates elite operators now. Good Managers Make Good Decisions With Good Data: Operational intelligence means seeing your business in real time, not waiting until the end of the month. Connect your CRM, estimating, production, job costing, communication, and equipment into one operating rhythm. Watch the Five Signals: Margin drift, client friction, leadership health, capacity forecasting, and owner dependency. Elite companies track these in real time and make decisions before competitors even realize there is a problem. AI Is a Tool, Not the Answer: AI amplifies whatever system already exists. A disorganized company using AI just becomes more disorganized faster. The companies that benefit most already have the processes, standards, and clean data to plug it into. Bet on Recurring Revenue Ecosystems: The future winning company will behave more like a membership organization than a contractor. Focus on lifetime value, recurring services, add-ons, and advisory positions. Manage the entire outdoor experience year-round. Clients Do Business With You Because They Trust You: When Grunder surveyed clients 25 years ago, they did not lead with quality or creativity. They said they trust us. Operational excellence frees up time to spend with teams and clients, which is how trust gets built. The Best Companies Will Reduce Owner Dependency: Look at how many decisions require you, how many problems wait for you, how many relationships exist only because of you. Scalability depends on distributing leadership,... Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:00:45) - A Reminder on Your Rolling Billboards(00:01:53) - Caleb’s Big Question About the Next 5 Years(00:03:15) - Why Operational Intelligence Will Win(00:05:46) - The Old Advantages Are Now Commodities(00:07:45) - The Five Signals Elite Companies Track(00:09:54) - AI Is an Amplifier, Not the Answer(00:11:00) - Betting on the Membership Revenue Model(00:12:47) - Why Trust Is the Real Product(00:14:13) - The Five-Year Action Plan(00:16:39) - The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything(00:17:20) - Come See Us at a GLC Field Trip

May 20, 202618 min

Are You a Liar? The Lies That Get in the Way of Growth with Marty Grunder

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #165 In the 42 years that Grunder Landscaping Co. has been in business and the 30+ years Marty has been working with fellow landscape pros through The Grow Group, he's seen every excuse. Often the biggest thing standing in a team's way? Themselves and the lies they let become reality. In this episode Marty shares the common self-limiting things he hears, and how teams can move beyond this to be successful this year. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings Growth Is Not a Straight Line, It Is a Staircase: Growth stalls, plateaus, and sometimes looks like failure right before a breakthrough. Business growth is often delayed compensation for consistent effort. Most people quit because the timeline did not match what they imagined. The Hardest Thing for an Entrepreneur to Say Is I Need Help: Businesses do not scale through isolation. They scale through leverage: people, systems, partnerships, mentors, peer groups. Trying to do everything yourself eventually makes you the bottleneck. Growth Always Takes Longer and Costs More Than You Think: Marketing costs more. Hiring costs more. Mistakes cost more. What worked at $5K a month breaks at $50K. Scaling means rebuilding parts of the business over and over again. That is normal, not failure. Perfection Is Hesitation in Disguise: Ready, ready, ready, aim, aim, aim is not preparation. It is fear. Meanwhile someone less talented but more willing wins. Business rewards execution over perfection. You Were Not Good at This When You Started Either: If someone can do the task 80 percent as well as you, let them do it. Give your team a shot. They will learn from your mistakes and accelerate past where you started. Hard Work Alone Is Not a Growth Strategy: You can work 14 hours a day and stay stuck if your positioning is weak or your systems do not scale. The smarter you work, the luckier you get. Build a business where the right work compounds. More Customers Will Not Fix Broken Systems: Sometimes you do not need more traffic, you need more clarity. Better retention, better messaging, better pricing, better onboarding. Growth does not fix broken systems. It exposes them faster. The Finish Line Keeps Moving: Every new level brings new complexity. More revenue means more responsibility, more decisions, more pressure. You do not grow by reaching a level with no problems. You grow by becoming the person who can handle bigger ones. Reflection Questions What is one belief about growth that you have been holding onto that... Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:00:57) - Shoutout to Vince Torchia(00:01:27) - Why So Many Businesses Stay Stuck(00:02:22) - Lie #1: Growth Should Be Predictable(00:04:47) - Lie #2: I Have to Do This Alone(00:07:47) - Lie #3: It Shouldn’t Take This Long or Cost This Much(00:10:04) - Lie #4: I Need Everything to Be Perfect First(00:12:13) - Lie #5: Hard Work Alone Will Get Me There(00:13:40) - Lie #6: More Customers Will Fix My Problems(00:14:47) - Lie #7: The Next Level Will Be Easier(00:15:51) - The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

May 13, 202643 min

Interview Series: Michael Ding on Estimating Work and Software Improvements

Upcoming Events: Sign Up for The Landscape Pro's Sales Training (Virtual - May 13-14, 2026) Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #164 Meet Michael Ding, the brilliant young man behind the revolutionary BobYard bidding software! In this episode, Marty is joined by BobYard founder and CEO Michael Ding to discuss the inspiration behind their takeoff software and how it saves time for estimators and salespeople. They talk about the journey to create the tool, how systems can make estimates more consistent, and what teams can do to spend more time on the activities that actually drive value for companies. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Best Businesses Solve Hard Problems with No Shortcuts: If a market has a shortcut, everyone takes it and you end up competing on price. Pick problems where the only solution is the hard one. Then nobody can follow you without doing the hard work too. Estimators Should Sell, Not Click: Before BobYard, 50 percent of an estimator's day was spent clicking on screens doing takeoffs. Estimators are some of your most savvy people. Their job is to bring in money, not to count plants. An Order of Magnitude Better Changes the Conversation: A 10 percent improvement is a hard sell. A 10x or 100x improvement sells itself. BobYard cuts a 4-5 hour commercial takeoff down to 30-60 minutes. That is not marginal, that is transformational. Hire People Better Than the Average: Every new hire should be better than the previous one. It forces the existing team to grow into a new bar. The best hires shatter your expectations of what a great hire looks like. Ownership Means Other People Sleep Well: Define ownership by how easy everyone else can sleep at night knowing you are in charge of your area. If you are losing sleep over something, that is a sign someone needs clearer ownership of it. Trust and Ownership Are Two Sides of the Same Coin: If you do not trust someone, you will not give them ownership. If you do not give them ownership, they know you do not trust them. Great people want autonomy and partnership. Do Not Go Looking for Nails with a Hammer: Do not ask “where can we apply AI in our business?” Ask “where can we improve?” Then pick the right tool. Sometimes it is AI. Sometimes it is just better systems or a clearer SOP. Run a Real AB Test on Software Vendors: The best customers ab test products, run paid trials, build financial models for the ROI. Smaller companies often buy on emotion. The exercise of evaluating software forces you to ac... Chapters (00:00:00) - Start(00:00:28) - Welcome & TY Sponsors(00:01:42) - Meet Michael Ding(00:02:29) - From Stanford to Bobyard(00:04:22) - Why Michael Bet on Landscaping(00:06:55) - The Takeoff Bottleneck(00:09:28) - What Bobyard Actually Does(00:12:51) - Solving the Estimator Shortage(00:13:45) - Why AI Was the Hard Solution(00:17:12) - Doubts and Finding Product-Market Fit(00:19:48) - Why You Should Do the Hard Thing(00:21:50) - The Competitive Edge of No Shortcuts(00:23:29) - The Current Estimating Software Landscape(00:24:22) - Manual + AI is One Tool(00:25:08) - Why You Should AB Test Your Software(00:27:05) - Where AI Fits in Landscaping Operations(00:28:37) - Raising the Bar Without Forcing AI(00:30:08) - Delegation, Culture, and Letting Go(00:34:23) - Ownership, Trust, and Sleeping Well(00:36:33) - If Michael Were Starting a Landscaping Company(00:37:15) - Hiring Better and Asking for Feedback(00:40:11) - How to Reach Bobyard(00:42:30) - Please Subscribe & Share!

May 6, 2026Episode 16313 min

Keeping a Clear Head: What to Do When You Feel Like All the Guns Are Pointed at You (And How to Win in the Process!)

Upcoming Events: Sign Up for The Landscape Pro's Sales Training (Virtual - May 13-14, 2026) Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) Episode #163 We can't control other people, but we can control our own work, attitudes, and approach. When a client is upset, team members have disagreements, or a vendor drops the ball: the way you react matters. Keep your cool this spring with Marty's best tips for handling adversity, because we all know even the best plans sometimes go sideways. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode 100 with Rich Grunder Key Learnings You Can Only Control Three Things: Your attitude, your effort, and your response. That is it. Everything else is out of your hands. Strong leaders pause and ask what is actually in their control before reacting. Ask the Right First Question: When something goes wrong, ask yourself what am I doing or not doing that is getting me the results I don't want. That is ownership. Reacting emotionally never solves the problem. Leaders Stabilize, They Do Not Escalate: If a client yells and you yell back, the situation gets worse. Leaders bring calm, clarity, and direction. They reduce tension instead of adding to it. A Growth Mindset Changes Everything: A fixed mindset says this should not be happening to me. A growth mindset says this is part of the process, what can we learn. Adversity is not the exception, it is the norm. Slow It Down Before You Respond: Not everything needs an immediate reaction. Saying let me think about that can completely change the outcome. Separate the issue from the emotion. Replace You Are Wrong with Help Me Understand: That one shift keeps disagreements productive instead of personal. It shows the other person you respect their perspective and want to work together. Focus on Solutions, Not Blame: Blame looks backward. Leaders look forward. The question is not who caused this, it is what is the next best step. Use Mistakes to Improve the System: Acknowledge the issue clearly. Take ownership where needed. Ask the team what we can do differently next time. Move forward quickly. Do not let mistakes linger or define the team. Clarity Beats Chaos: Even if you do not have all the answers, give direction. Your team is looking at you. If you need time, say so, but follow through. Silence creates uncertainty. Reflection Questions The last time something went wrong in your business, did you react emotionally or pause and ask what was actually in your control? When was the la... Chapters (00:00:00) - Start(00:01:02) - Shoutout to Rich Grunder (Episode 100)(00:02:04) - What To Do When Plans Go Sideways(00:03:25) - The Three Things You Can Control(00:05:08) - Why A Growth Mindset Changes Everything(00:06:03) - How to Handle Conflict Without Escalating(00:08:36) - Turning Mistakes Into Better Systems(00:10:06) - Staying Resilient When the Pressure Is On(00:12:14) - Final Takeaway - Please Share This Episode!

April 29, 2026Episode 16240 min

Operations: The First Steps You Should Take on Every Installation | Marty Grunder & Jimmy Hendricks

In this episode, Marty Grunder sits down with Jimmy Hendricks, Senior Group Leader at Grunder Landscaping Company. Jimmy oversees the construction crews and shares the habits that separate great team leaders from average ones. From pre-planning the night before to walking the property before unloading a single tool, this episode breaks down what it takes to start every job on the right foot, finish at or under budget, and keep the client happy. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings Great Team Leaders Start with Pre-Planning: They review prints, read notes, confirm equipment, check permits, and verify the property is marked before they leave the day before. You cannot spend your entire day chasing the job if you want to make money. The Three O'Clock Call Sets Up Tomorrow: Team leaders report what they need for the next day. Group leaders meet to allocate equipment. If you wait until morning to figure this out, you are putting out fires. Knock on the Door Before You Unload a Single Tool: When you arrive on site, the team leader goes to the door first. Communicate that Grunder Landscaping is on site. Then walk the property and identify utilities, cable lines, and anything you could damage. Turn Wheels In and Get Cones Out Immediately: Safety is non-negotiable. This happens before anything else. You talk about it every day in the morning huddle so nobody forgets. Treat the Property Like It Is Your Own Home: Keep the site clean. Tarp concrete before rain. Put boards across sidewalks if you are crossing 50 times. Do not leave wheelbarrow stripes on the driveway. Smile When a Neighbor Approaches: If someone comes out upset, walk up to them smiling. It will change their attitude before they start yelling. This is trained behavior. Coach by Asking Questions, Not by Telling: When checking in with a team leader, ask them what they are doing tomorrow. Let them explain it. That is how you see if they actually read the notes or just scanned them. The Three Habits of a Great Team Leader: Pre-planning, coaching their team, and reviewing their own work. If they are not judging themselves and saying what did not look good today, they are not ready to lead. Reflection Questions: How far in advance are your team leaders planning their work? The night before, or scrambling in the morning? What does the first five minutes on a job site look like for your crews? Is there a consistent process? Are your team leaders developing the people under them, or just fixing their mistakes? Resources: BOBYARD Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:01:02) - The Power of Compliments(00:02:18) - Meet Jimmy Hendricks(00:03:50) - Planning As a Team Leader(00:05:07) - The 3 PM Call(00:06:07) - Attendance & Accountability(00:06:55) - Bonus Program Basics(00:08:55) - Using Aspire for Planning(00:09:53) - Planning and Scheduling for Equipment(00:12:14) - Coaching New Leaders(00:14:08) - Share the Plan With Your Team(00:16:11) - Morning Truck Systems & Routines(00:20:53) - Weekly Safety Meetings(00:22:05) - Language Barrier Solutions(00:23:11) - Jobsite Arrival Checklist(00:24:21) - Trailer Hitch - Near Miss(00:26:07) - The Onsite Service Mindset(00:27:30) - Paperless Operations(00:28:16) - Promoting Team Leaders(00:32:38) - The Toughest Thing as a Team Leader(00:33:45) - Quality Closeout Photos(00:35:47) - Route Optimization(00:38:59) - The Three Main Habits of Effective Leadership(00:39:51) - Please Share & Subscribe!

April 22, 202620 min

Sales: Now Is The Time To Check Your Schedule - Why Being Busy in Spring Could Crush Your Summer

In this solo episode, Marty Grunder delivers a warning: a full spring schedule can lie to you. If April and May are booked but you have no work for July, August, or September, that is not a production issue. That is a sales issue. The best companies are always selling 60 to 90 days ahead, and the smartest ones are selling a year out. Marty walks through where to find work, how to fill holes without panicking, and why your schedule is not just a production tool but a sales scorecard. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings A Full Spring Schedule Can Lie to You: Companies get busy, stop selling, and then panic in midsummer. A full spring does not equal a healthy business. You need to know what July, August, and September look like right now. The Best Companies Sell 60 to 90 Days Ahead: If you do not like what you see 60 days out, that is not a production issue. That is a sales issue. The bigger your firm, the further out you should be looking. Your Schedule Is a Sales Scorecard: Backlog is future revenue already sold. Gaps are future problems you can already see coming. You should be able to answer instantly what June, July, August, and September look like. There Are Only Three Places to Find Work: Existing clients are the fastest and highest ROI. Unsold opportunities are leads you already have that nobody followed up on. New work should be targeted and fill specific holes. Your Next Best Job Is Already on a Property You Service: Enhancements, add-ons, deferred work, plant replacements, outdoor living, safety issues. Walk the property with your phone and start taking pictures. When You See a Hole, Do Not Panic: Do not discount. Do not take on bad work. See the problem 90 days out and mobilize sales immediately. Jump in yourself. Increase activity. Call your top 20 or 50 clients. Enhancements Are Your Ultimate Shock Absorber: They fill gaps quickly, carry strong margins, and deepen relationships with clients. This is how great companies smooth out the year. You Are Not Building a Schedule, You Are Engineering a Year: Match demand to capacity based on the season. Sell summer work in the spring. Sell next spring right now. Level out the revenue instead of riding the ups and downs. Reflection Questions What does your schedule look like 60 to 90 days from now? Do you have enough work for July, August, and September? How many unsold opportunities are sitting in your pipeline right now that nobody has followed up on? When was the last time you walked a property you already service and looked for enhancement work? Resources: BOBYARD Proven Winners: Allium Serendipity

April 15, 202646 min

Interview Series: Building a Sales Team That Performs with Dawn Arnold

The best salespeople are not just lucky. They are diligent, organized, and manage their time well. In this episode, Marty is joined by Dawn Arnold, Director of Sales at Grunder Landscaping Company, to talk about what separates top performers from everyone else. Dawn shares how she coaches salespeople to boss their calendars, focus on leading indicators, and develop the habits that drive consistent results. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings People First, Then Process: You can have all the processes in the world, but if you do not have the right people and someone leading them, the processes will not be followed. One-on-Ones Save Time: If you do not give your team a dedicated weekly time with you, they have free reign to interrupt you whenever they want. A one-on-one creates a safe space and actually reduces the constant interruptions. If You Cannot Sell Yourself in the Interview, You Cannot Sell to Strangers: Energy, connection, and the ability to build rapport in a short window are non-negotiables for sales hires. The interview is when they are at their best. Top Performers Know What Needs Attention and When: The best salespeople understand low-hanging fruit, stay connected with clients, and have a sense of urgency. They do not wait for things to happen. They make them happen. Leading Indicators Over Lagging Indicators: Sales numbers are lagging indicators. You cannot change a report. Focus on the activities that drive sales: proposals out, presentations delivered, pipeline managed. Boss Your Calendar: If you do not have time blocked for proposals, client meetings, and follow-up, you are most likely not going to do it. Top performers are regimented with their calendars. Do Not Hire Before You Are Ready to Lead: If you do not have processes, structure, and clear goals in place, a good salesperson will get frustrated and leave. Good salespeople want a system they can plug into. Development Must Be Intentional: Do not assume everyone knows how to network. Teach them how to dress, how to start conversations, how to follow up. Pair newer people with stronger ones. Family Members Do Not Get Special Treatment: If you let family get away with something, everyone will see it. Clear expectations, accountability, and no gray areas protect the culture. Discipline Equals Freedom: Spring is intense. Leaning on good habits and structure all year means you do not have to turn it on during the busy season. You cannot build habits in a crisis. Reflection Questions: Are you tracking leading indicators like proposals and presentations, or just looking at lagging sales numbers? If you hired a great salesperson tomorrow, do you have the structure in place to develop them, or would you be figuring it out as you go? Resources: BOBYARD Proven Winners: Allium Serendipity Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:00:39) - Thank you to Bobyard(00:02:03) - Meet Dawn Arnold(00:03:32) - Building a Sales Team(00:04:33) - Grunder: Collaboration Culture(00:06:04) - One on Ones That Work(00:09:55) - Quoting Clinics for Your Team(00:12:22) - Dawn’s Initial Challenges(00:16:28) - Hiring Good Sales People(00:20:41) - Habits of Top Performers(00:22:09) - Activity Based Accountability(00:24:08) - Visibility and Competition(00:26:03) - To Grow, You Need Processes(00:29:15) - Home Shows & Sales Pairing(00:30:31) - Family Members in the Business(00:37:22) - Bobyard Free Trial(00:40:42) - Behaviors in Weekly Sales Meetings(00:43:00) - Building Trust on Your Team(00:45:23) - Sign Up for Virtual Sales Bootcamp!

April 8, 202615 min

Good Shortcuts and Bad Shortcuts: How to Save Time Without Sacrificing Quality

Taking shortcuts is a good thing when it saves you time without sacrificing the experience your clients, team members, or the community has with your business. In this episode, Marty Grunder shares the shortcuts he takes to work more efficiently so he can get more done in a day. As AI is becoming more available, there are so many ways to save yourself time. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Shortcut Filter: Before implementing any shortcut, ask three questions: Does it maintain or improve quality? Does it actually make us more efficient or just faster in the moment? Does it make our team better or just busier? Good Shortcuts vs. Bad Shortcuts: A good shortcut saves you time and nobody notices. A bad shortcut saves you time, but your customer feels it, your team feels it, and you feel it in the wallet later. If your shortcut creates rework, it was not a shortcut. Truck Positioning and Work Sequencing: Where you park the truck can cut walking distance in half. Every extra step gets multiplied hundreds of times a day. Installing trees before final grade or mulch before grading means reworking your work. Boss Your Calendar: If your sales team is zigzagging across town, the day is gone. Group appointments geographically. Plan your day the night before. Drive the conversation and let clients accommodate you. Prequalify Your Leads: If you screen your calls right, you can close most of them. A few simple questions upfront saves a lot of wasted trips. AI Helps You Prepare, It Does Not Replace the Relationship: Use AI for drafting emails, organizing proposals, and researching prospects. But if your sales process starts to feel robotic, you have gone too far. AI should enable you to spend more time with clients and team, not run your whole life. Visibility Reduces Phone Calls: Pictures on work orders, videos attached to tickets. The more visibility your team has, the fewer calls, emails, and site visits you need. Prepare every work ticket as if you are going on a cruise without cell service. Reflection Questions: What shortcut are you taking right now that is quietly costing you time, money, or quality later? Are you bossing your calendar or is your calendar bossing you? If you were unreachable on a cruise for a week, would your work tickets have enough detail for your team to execute without calling you? Resources: BOBYARD Chapters (00:02:20) - The Shortcut Filter: Three Questions to Ask(00:03:34) - Production Shortcuts: Truck Positioning, Sequencing, and Routing(00:06:58) - Sales Shortcuts: Bossing Your Calendar and Prequalifying Leads(00:09:14) - Using AI Without Losing the Relationship(00:10:48) - Administrative Shortcuts: Templates, Checklists, and Automation(00:12:37) - Visibility Systems and When Shortcuts Go Wrong(00:13:45) - Shortcuts Aren’t the Problem(00:14:34) - Please Like, Share and Subscribe!