The System Needed to Build a $10M+ Service Business

The video above is an extremely dense 50 minute presentation about creating an org chart and systems for your landscape business as you grow it to 7-8 figures.

When I started my lawn care business 9 years ago I started with $8000 after selling my car. I purchased a truck, mower, small trailer and was in business. I was in stage 1… a solo operator. As I grew the business I became a "player-coach” where I had contact with each team member every day. This was great because it was easy to manage everyone since I worked alongside of them each day. I worked half of my day out in the field working with the crew and the other half selling jobs and managing the business. I was supposed to be the “coach”/CEO/owner but I still needed to complete work that would produce revenue. As the company grew I had to add middle management and create a formal org chart. There were certainly growing pains in doing this! I had to learn that empowering my middle management was the most important thing I could do as the CEO. Inadvertently, I would step on the toes of my managers when I tried to be a “helicopter manager” and jump in and help the front line team members. This video shows what I learned in the process of going for 0 to 120+ employees.

Most people don’t think of a lawn care or landscaping business as an investment vehicle. Most business owners don’t think of their business as a way to retire and have passive income. The reality is, a business that is ran on systems and has a solid leadership team can produce incredible profits. These profits can have a greater ROI (Return On Investment) than the stock market or a real estate portfolio. The example below is an example of the locations I start at Augusta Lawn Care. I start with a $80,000-$100,000 initial investment. The first year I don’t expect any distributions or profit that I can take out of the business. However, as the business grows I expect that I can increase my passive and remote owner distributions to $2000, $3000, $4000 per month. The returns on this kind of “boring business” is extra-ordinary, YET overlooked and looked down on in the world of fancy 401Ks, IRA’s, and index funds.