When you start a landscape company, you wear every hat — salesperson, account manager, and operations lead. But as your business grows, scaling becomes harder without a defined process. In this episode, 2025 Landscape Leader of the Year Stuart Ward of Buckhead Landscape & Design shares how his Atlanta-based company created a clear and repeatable sales process that drives consistent growth, improves onboarding, and gives every team member a roadmap to success. If you’ve ever struggled wi...

Most landscape companies lose sales because their follow-up is too slow and too inconsistent. In this short video, Jack Jostes — CEO of Ramblin Jackson and host of The Landscaper’s Guide Podcast — shares how one simple ChatGPT prompt can help your entire sales team follow up faster, sound more professional, and keep CRM notes consistent across your company. See Jack LIVE at NALP ELEVATE 2025 Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Time: 9:00–9:45 a.m. MST Location: Phoenix Convention Center | Ph...

Are you a multiplier or a diminisher in your company’s leadership? In this episode, Landscaper’s Guide podcast host Jack Jostes reviews Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman. Jack shares key insights from the book and from his Wild Frontier Mastermind discussion — including how to identify people’s native genius, when to move team members into new seats, and why great leaders admit mistakes publicly to build trust. You’ll hear practical, real-world application...

How do you go from teaching middle school science to running a thriving landscape and industrial maintenance company? In this week’s episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Ryan Robinson, owner of Turf Concepts Landscaping in Michigan, about his journey from part-time mower to full-time business owner, and how discipline, learning marketing, and embracing video helped him grow faster than ever. You’ll learn: 📈 How Ryan left teaching to build a multi-service landscaping compa...

Most landscape owners dream of a business that runs without them. George Urvari has actually done it. After nearly 40 years of building Oriole Landscaping into one of Toronto’s top design-build firms, George now helps other owners create systems, train leaders, and reclaim their time through Knowledge Tree Consulting. In this episode, George shares practical steps to remove yourself from daily chaos and create a company that works because of your leadership, not your presence. You’ll learn: H...

Selling commercial snow and landscape work isn’t the same as residential. Budgets, long sales cycles, and high expectations make it tough to stand out. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes hosts a panel of three leaders who have each scaled $10M+ companies to share what’s actually working in commercial sales today. You’ll hear from Robert Clinkenbeard (Wilson360), Nick Klotz (EPM of Michigan), and Eddy Zakes (Earth Development) as they break down the tactics, team structures...

Most landscapers think residential snow and lawn care can’t scale profitably. Summit Lawns in Lincoln, Nebraska, is proving otherwise. With 4,000 clients and five profit centers, owner Ted Glaser has built one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing lawn and landscape companies. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Ted about the painful “Summer of Diamonds” when he lost half his staff, how he rebuilt with a stronger model, and the systems that keep Summit Lawns growing y...

What does it take to scale a landscape company from scratch to $20M and 350 employees—and then build one of the industry’s most respected coaching and peer group businesses? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes interviews Robert Clinkenbeard, CEO of Wilson360, Ironman competitor, and host of The Commercial Landscaper Podcast. Robert shares his journey from Scotland to Phoenix, where he built a $20M commercial landscape company, sold it, and then took over and rebranded Wilso...

What keeps a landscape company strong after six decades, and what has to change to keep growing? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes visits Grand Rapids to talk with Jeremy Miller, owner of Miller Landscape, as the company approaches 60 years in business. Jeremy shares how a family-first culture, EOS, and clear roles helped the team move past a revenue plateau and build a scalable company where people can grow without burning out. You’ll discover: How “Do What We Say We Wil...

Hiring, leading, and keeping your team focused is one of the toughest parts of growing a landscaping company. Add in the unique challenges of ADHD and neurodivergence, and it can feel overwhelming. But what if those differences could actually be a strength in your company? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes interviews LeanScaper Chief Customer Experience Officer Kristen Kiely. Kristen has nearly a decade of industry experience with LMN, The Grounds Guys, and now Lean...

Hiring a Marketing Coordinator might sound like a luxury — but for growing landscape companies, it could be the smartest move you make (besides ordering cheese curds in Wisconsin). In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Ramblin Jackson’s Marketing Coordinator, Hayden Storms, who started as an apprentice and now leads podcast editing, video production, and marketing automation. You’ll discover: How to actually use your iPhone to shoot sharp, on-site video content...

The demands on snow and ice contractors are higher than ever. Large accounts want faster response times, accurate documentation, and proof of service. Driving site to site is slow, costly, and leaves room for disputes. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Christopher Lareau, founder of Vue Robotics, about how AI-powered weather cameras are changing the way contractors manage portfolios and deliver service. You’ll learn: How AI cameras give contractors real-time vi...

AI search is moving fast! And it’s already changing how homeowners discover local landscape companies. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, host Jack Jostes reveals the three massive shifts happening right now in summer 2025 that every landscaper needs to know to stay visible in this competitive market. Listen to the full episode, where we dive into: How Bing plays a surprising role in ChatGPT search resultsWhy first-party reviews can give you an edge in AI rankingsHow short-form videos...

What does fearless leadership look like in the landscaping industry? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Peggy Berns shares how she built a thriving landscaping business through strong leadership, a focus on her team, and the courage to make bold decisions. You’ll hear Peggy’s journey, including: How she overcame early challenges in businessThe leadership principles that helped her build a strong, loyal teamHer advice for landscapers who want to grow their company without losing contro...

From mowing lawns with a Jeep Liberty and one truck to running a million-dollar landscaping company in just four years, Jacob Peffer’s journey is one you’ll want to hear. At only 24, Jacob has grown GreenerConcepts into a thriving business, proving that with the right mindset, mentorship, and strategy, massive growth is possible in a short amount of time. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Jacob live from the 2025 SIMA Symposium about: How he grew GreenerConcept...

Isolation. Burnout. And feeling invisible in a male-dominated industry. These are just a few of the challenges women face in the snow and landscape world — whether they’re operators, spouses, or business owners themselves. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, host Jack Jostes interviews Val Lesak, co-founder of Influential Encounters, live from the Ramblin Jackson booth at the SIMA Symposium. Val shares how she’s helping build a nationwide community that supports women in snow, landscap...

You’re closing deals, working hard, and watching the money come in… But your bank account still isn’t growing. What gives? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes interviews Jeff Heller, a Profit First Professional, landscape industry consultant at The Green Executive, and SIMA 2025 Board Member, about why so many snow and landscape companies struggle with cash flow — and how to fix it. Here’s ONE thing Jeff wants landscapers to know: If your profit is “whatever’s left over,” y...

Artificial turf is booming—but too many landscapers are cutting corners and losing money. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Steve Rice, the founder of Lawn Kings and Titan Turf Supply. From Hollywood movie sets to thousands of installs across the U.S., Steve shares what it really takes to do turf right. Here’s one thing Steve wants every landscaper to know: The base prep is everything. Skip it, and you’ll lose trust—and repeat business. You’ll hear: Why che...

What does it take to lead a multi-state snow and landscape company, when you didn’t grow up in the industry? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Eddy Zakes, CEO of Earth Development, to explore how grit, values, and systems fuel business growth. Eddy shares: What it’s like to acquire and lead a company as an outsider to the industryHow Earth Development builds long-term partnerships with clients and service providersHis personal discipline—training for an Iro...

For years, Theiss Landscape Works gave away free estimates and paid the price in unqualified leads, sales chaos, and owner burnout. Then they stopped… In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Monty and Justin Theiss share the bold decisions they made after partnering with Ramblin Jackson—decisions that led to stronger leads, smoother operations, and their biggest December ever. 💥 If your sales process feels messy, manual, or totally dependent on you as the owner... this is your sign to fix ...