OWNR OPS Podcast

Hosted by Austin Gray @theownerop

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

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Episodes

157

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The OWNR OPS Podcast is for land‑clearing and forestry‑mulching owner‑operators who want a real business, not just a busy machine. If you’ve got at least one real machine and you’re stuck under ~$100k/month, we break down the Price–Pipeline–Playbook OS: - PRICE – crew‑day math, bids, and minimums - PIPELINE – Google, Facebook, and follow‑up - PLAYBOOK – weekly scoreboards, scheduling, hiring Real numbers, teardown episodes, and simple frameworks you can steal and install.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 24, 202642 min

How to Create Endless Facebook Ads With Clear Path AI

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops If you’ve ever sat down to write a Facebook ad and had no idea what to say, this one’s for you. Jacob Neffendorf and I build three ready-to-launch ads for a land clearing business, live in Clear Path AI. What you’ll learn: The 4 parts of every ad: hook, body, call to action, and creative Why a 30-second talking-head video brings in better leads than machine footage How to feed your winning ads back into AI so every new batch gets sharper Why losing jobs is usually a trust problem, not a price problem How to set a crew day rate and track production rates so your pricing gets dialed in over time 🧭 Try Clear Path AI: https://landclearing.io/plans 💬 Join the OWNR OPS community on Skool: https://skool.com/ownrops 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

October 23, 202645 min

Grow Your Land Clearing Business With These 5 Numbers

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead — Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests ➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops Most land clearing business owners are so busy running equipment and chasing jobs that they don't know which numbers actually matter. In this episode, I'm joined by Jacob Neffendorf from Rise Online Ads to break down the five numbers we track every week inside OPS Accelerator to figure out what's working, what's not, and where to focus to grow the business. We also talk with JT, an Accelerator member who booked $172,500 worth of land clearing jobs from just $1,161 in Facebook ad spend in one month. He breaks down what changed in his lead generation and sales process to get those results. Here's what we get into: The five weekly numbers that show whether your business is winning or losing How to track leads, quotes, closing rates, booked revenue, and ad spend Why getting more leads isn't always the answer to growing your business How JT turned $1,161 in ad spend into $172,500 in booked jobs Why fast lead follow-up can make a huge difference in your sales How to know if you're underpricing your land clearing and forestry mulching jobs Using Clear Path AI to find your biggest bottleneck and build a plan to fix it How to improve your crew day rate and protect your profit margins Simple strategies to improve your Facebook ads, local marketing, and sales conversions Here's the takeaway: You don't need to fix everything in your business at once. You need to know your numbers, find the weakest link, and focus on fixing that one thing. If you're running a land clearing or forestry mulching business and want to stop guessing, this episode is for you. Want help growing your business? Apply for OPS Accelerator: https://ownrops.com/apply Explore Clear Path AI: https://landclearing.io/plans 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

October 16, 202647 min

How He Built a $25K/Month Forestry Mulching Business

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead — Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops What happens when you invest in a skid steer, struggle to find consistent work, and almost have to sell your machine just to keep up with the payments? In this episode, I sit down with John Tyznik, owner of Tracks and Trailers in Alaska, to talk about how he went from struggling to keep his forestry mulching business running to generating over 150 leads from one Facebook video and reaching roughly $25K in monthly revenue. We get into the real challenges of starting a land clearing business, from equipment financing and finding jobs to learning how to market your services and build systems that actually work. HERE'S WHAT WE COVER: Starting a land clearing and forestry mulching business from scratch The reality of financing and operating skid steer equipment Why buying expensive equipment won't automatically bring in jobs How John overcame slow seasons and inconsistent leads The marketing changes that helped him reach $25K in monthly revenue How one Facebook ad brought in over 150 potential customers Building a sales process that turns land clearing leads into booked jobs The importance of pricing, lead follow-up, and business systems Why having the right community and accountability makes a difference Whether you're just getting started in forestry mulching or already running a land clearing company, John's story is a good reminder that learning to operate the machine is only one part of building a successful business. ▶ Apply for OPS Accelerator: ownrops.com/apply 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

October 9, 20261 hr 6 min

The Sales Checklist Every Land Clearing Business Owner Needs

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead — Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests ➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops Just hired your first operator? In this episode I walk you through exactly what to do with your time once the field work isn't yours to carry anymore — starting with a simple morning sales checklist that keeps leads, appointments, and quotes from slipping through the cracks. What you'll learn in this episode: 📌 The morning sales checklist: lock in, work the CRM, and chase the "Rule of 100" touchpoints a day 📌 Why new leads, unconfirmed appointments, and old open quotes are where most lost revenue hides 📌 How to decide between hiring an operator or a ground helper as you scale 📌 A neighborhood-by-neighborhood Facebook ad strategy for small or rural markets 📌 The "turn one job into three" on-site referral strategy 📌 What Clear Path AI and Claude are each built for, and how to use them together to train a business-specific agent 📌 Why five-star service is the foundation everything else — marketing, ads, referrals — is built on 🔗 Apply for OPS Accelerator: ownrops.com/apply 🔗 Clear Path AI: landclearing.io 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

October 2, 202648 min

How to Win More Land Clearing Jobs Without Cutting Your Price

September 25, 202642 min

Optimize Your Google Business Profile Using this AI Prompt

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests ➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops Most land clearing guys are invisible on Google and they don't even know it. In this episode, I sit down with Jacob Nefondorf (Rise Online Ads) to break down exactly how to get your land clearing or forestry mulching business ranked on Google Maps, plus why speed to lead is still the #1 thing separating operators who grow from operators who stay stuck. What we cover: Why calling your leads fast (and often) matters more than any marketing trick The real reason leads go cold — and how to win them back with multiple numbers, texts, and emails How to optimize your Google Business Profile step by step (services, photos, Q&A, pricing) Why 40+ five-star reviews can 2-3x your leads The fastest way to stack reviews when you're just starting out The difference between a real SEO strategy and a $300/month agency doing the bare minimum 👉 Get your own Clear Path AI pricing sanity check prompt at https://landclearing.io/ 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops 🚀 Get ranked #1 On Google With Stryker SEO: https://stryker-digital.com/?el=oo Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

September 18, 20261 hr 12 min

How To Price Land Clearing Jobs Using ClearPath AI

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops If you don't get your pricing right, nothing else matters. In this episode, I sit down with Jacob Neffendorf to break down the three part pricing framework every land clearing and forestry mulching business needs, plus what we learned running our first ever media day and how we think about AI as business owners. We walk through prompt three in our nine-week Clear Path AI series, the crew day pricing sanity check, and run a live demo so you can see exactly how it works inside the tool. We also get into why charging a day rate is a lazy way to bid, why project bid pricing builds trust with your customer, and why chasing a low cost per lead is the wrong metric to obsess over. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The three part pricing framework: crew day rate, production rate, and project bid pricing Why day rate pricing caps your business and project bids build customer confidence What we learned filming 12 months of content in a day and a half media day How pricing correctly lets you reinvest in your people and your equipment Why real, raw content on your phone outperforms polished production Why ROI matters more than cost per lead, and how reactivation campaigns turn dead leads into paying jobs 👉 Get your own Clear Path AI pricing sanity check prompt at https://landclearing.io/ 🔥 Services We Use 🔥We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops 🚀 Get ranked #1 On Google With Stryker SEO: https://stryker-digital.com/?el=oo Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business?📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter

September 11, 202636 min

How to Get Better Leads Using This AI Prompt for Core Messaging

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops Most operators can tell you everything about their machines and nothing about why a customer should call them instead of the guy down the road. That's the problem we fixed on this one. In this episode, Jacob from Rise Online Ads and I walk through how to build your core message — the one sentence that should show up in every ad, every phone call, and every conversation you have with a prospect. We use Clear Path , the AI tool we built specifically for land clearing and forestry mulching, to build a complete messaging framework. What you'll get out of this one: Why saying "we do land clearing and 37 other services" is costing you good leads The exact core messaging framework: we help [who] achieve [result] without [fear/objection] How to turn your ideal customer profile into fear-and-desire ad copy that actually converts The phone script opener I use that changes how prospects respond Why I never take the first AI output as final — and how I push it further Why I save every output to a backup context file, no matter what tool I'm using How tightening this message helped cut cost-per-lead in half on a live campaign 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops 🚀 Get ranked #1 On Google With Stryker SEO: https://stryker-digital.com/?el=oo Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

September 4, 202651 min

The Ideal Customer Profile Every Land Clearing Business Needs

💰Apply for OPS Accelerator ➡️ https://ownrops.com/accelerator 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests ➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops Most land clearing and forestry mulching owners are busy every day and still broke by Friday. This raw and real episode is about why: you're saying yes to the wrong customers. Jacob and I open up about qualifying leads and still working the unqualified ones anyway, and my $1,900 day that turned into a $1,200 loss after I stacked three small jobs. Then we break down the $74,100 job (plus a $29K repeat) that came from getting clear on my Ideal Customer Profile — and how I use Clear Path AI to build one fast. Topics covered: - Why every business starts out taking anyone with a pulse - My $1,900 day that became a $1,200 loss - Defining your Ideal Customer Profile - Matching your ICP to your specific service - The ICP worksheet: naming your three best customers - Using Clear Path AI to build a profile fast - Scoring leads green/yellow/red and disqualifying the wrong ones - The roadmap for the next 8 weeks of training 🔥 Services We Use 🔥We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops 🚀 Get ranked #1 On Google With Stryker SEO: https://stryker-digital.com/?el=oo Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service-based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!

August 28, 202652 min

How to Train AI the Right Way for Land Clearing Businesses

Most land clearing guys using AI are typing random questions into ChatGPT and getting random answers back. In this episode, I've got Jacob Neffendorf on with me and we break down why that happens, and how to actually train AI to think like your best advisor, using real operational and sales data instead of guesswork. We'll walk through Clear Path, the AI tool Jacob and I built and trained specifically for land clearing, forestry mulching, and fire mitigation businesses, pulling from 5+ years of pricing data, scorecards, top performing ad scripts, and sales sequences across 400+ land clearing accounts. Then we map out the 9 prompt system I'm rolling out live over the next nine weeks to help you install AI into every part of your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:✅ Why your AI outputs are only as good as the inputs you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out✅ Why Clear Path is different among other AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini✅ The 9 core prompts every land clearing business owner needs. ✅ How to actually prompt AI so you get a useful answer instead of a generic one✅ Why you should not replace yourself on camera with AI 🔥 Services We Use 🔥 We use Jobber to handle our estimates, scheduling, & invoicing ➡️ Get 20% off Jobber here: https://go.getjobber.com/ownrops 📞 Quo: Never miss a lead. Quo answers your calls with AI, summarizes them, and syncs the call summary and transcript straight into your Jobber Requests ➡️ Get 20% off Quo here: http://get.quo.com/ownrops 💰 Bookkeeping: Get 50% off bookkeeping for 3 months with the Home Service Bookkeeping Pros: https://dialedinbookkeeping.com/ownrops 🚀 Get ranked #1 On Google With Stryker SEO: https://stryker-digital.com/?el=oo Want to learn more about starting and scaling your own service based business? 📩 Sign up for the OWNR OPS Newsletter: → https://ownrops.com/newsletter Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with blue collar entrepreneurs sharing their best insights and growth tips!