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Why Jim Rejects The “100 Days Of Hell” Mindset
00:00
Jim McFarlane
In order to find the time for all that, you know, there has to be some change. Four to five weeks. It was ridiculous. The city couldn't move it. No one could move it. Probably the hardest thing is change management, you know, asking people say, well, look, now I'm going to do this. Can you help me with that?
00:18
Jack Jostes
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Landscaper's Guide. Today I'm excited to interview my client, Jim McFarlane from United Landscape in Lexington, Kentucky. Jim, welcome to the podcast.
00:30
Jim McFarlane
Thank you, Jack. Pleased to be here.
Meet Jim McFarlane Of United Landscape
00:33
Jack Jostes
So, Jim, tell us a little bit for folks who don't know you. What is United Landscape? What do you guys do and where are you from?
00:42
Jim McFarlane
Okay, I'll start from the last question. I'm originally from the uk, from a small county outside London that's called Hertfordshire and that's where I grew up. And I ended up moving to the United States when I was in my mid-20s. And I've been in, I got lucky in Kentucky. I met a lovely lady and her name's Sue Ellen. And we've been in Lexington, Kentucky ever since. So that's over 30 years.
01:11
Jack Jostes
And did you work in the landscape industry growing up?
01:15
Jim McFarlane
Not exactly. I think like you, I had a little exposure to a garden center. Yeah, I had summer job there and, you know, kind of worked in around the garden center at home. We always had a lovely garden and just always had an interest like to mow the lawn. We had in the UK they have what they call real mowers and really short grass. So that was always fun having a big catcher in the front of the mower. The, the lawns end up looking like a putting green on a golf course. So stuff like that always intrigued me. We had a vegetable plot in the back garden that was good. So I had an interest that was about it.
Moving From The UK To Kentucky
02:10
Jim McFarlane
And then I went on to, after high school, I, I went into financial services and I was, after a few years really realized that wasn't for me. And like a bunch of young fellas in the uk, we're sitting down the pub and talking about going on a jaunt and myself and a buddy got tickets to go and work visas for Australia and we just headed off on a around the world trip which came by Lexington, Kentucky and that's where I got derailed a little bit.
02:51
Jack Jostes
So is that when you met Sue Ellen? Was it on that trip?
02:54
Jim McFarlane
Huh? Yeah, this is way back in 1989. So I'm 62 this year and it was back in 1989. And they have a thing called the Kentucky Derby for people that want a reason to come to Kentucky. That's, that's a good one. And, and yeah, we, I made my move in the infield. It was quite a day and we've been hitched up ever since.
03:26
Jack Jostes
That, that's incredible. And then at. And then I. You later went to study horticulture and design at Eastern Kentucky University.
03:37
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, so I ended up, of course, moving to the United States when we got married. And like a lot of people that I interview today, I was like, oh, I just want to work outdoors. And kind of took the first job in I could in landscaping. It was for a terrible employer. But it was a springboard to another company that was really good. And as soon as I was there, I was like, oh, I've got to pursue this. And I'd never gone to college. I ended up going to college here and studying the horticulture and design.
Starting United Landscape From A Pickup Truck
04:28
Jack Jostes
And then when did you start united landscape?
04:31
Jim McFarlane
In 94. I graduated, I applied for a job. Didn't get it. It was like a manager's role. After working on the install crew for a number of years of this company here in town that was like I said they were a really good company. I just didn't get the manager's role at the time. And some of the guys at work there, they were like, oh, you need to go do your own thing. And so I went and saw an old fella that was giving up work. You know, he was getting close to retirement and he was kind to me. He gave me some phone numbers and I started knocking on doors. When I got these names and addresses, I should say. And then that was it. That was the start.
05:24
Jim McFarlane
I was just had a pickup truck and pair of hedge trimmers, that sort of thing.
05:31
Jack Jostes
And so how many people are on your team now? During peak season,.
05:37
Jim McFarlane
We're up to about 20. The high 20s. 26, 27. Somewhere around there I've got a. I could tell you exactly, but that's okay.
05:49
Jack Jostes
High 20s is good enough. I just, you know, for folks listening, I think it's interesting to hear, you know, how many people work at your company and what all does United Landscape do now?
Building A High-End Landscape Maintenance Company
06:02
Jim McFarlane
So at this point after we started in 94, so this is our 32nd year, we're a full service landscape company. So primarily that the majority of our work is maintenance and it's kind of high end residential maintenance. And we mow, we have dedicated mowing crews, we have dedicated trimming and pruning edging, mulching, what we call landscape maintenance crews, the. What other people might call bed maintenance. And we have a plant healthcare technician, a lawn care technician, and then we have a smaller design, build, install operation. So that's about 40% of what we do.
06:53
Jack Jostes
So you said, you know, when you started, like many landscape professionals, you wanted to work outside. What. What's life like now? Are you working outside or what do you. What are you working on these days?
07:04
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, I'm way too much in. In the office. The big thing now is building teams. Building. Yeah, we. We've been fortunate. We've got a lot of things worked out. We have a full bus, so to speak. We got all those positions filled that I just mentioned. You know, we don't have a. The need for. For. We're not advertising right now for. For employees. Our bus is full. It's been like that last year and this year. So really I'm, at this point, the focus is really building powerhouse team, trying to get people to, you know, reach their potential.
Reframing Spring As The “100-Day Harvest”
07:52
Jack Jostes
Yeah, I love that. And, you know, so before we pressed record, so it's May right now, you were saying, hey, I heard. I heard of the Hundred Days of Hell on a podcast. And how did you feel when you heard that? Tell us the real deal.
08:07
Jim McFarlane
Oh, yeah. So we had just come out of what I would call the Winter of Discontent here. Here, in quotient spirit.
08:19
Jack Jostes
Is that. Is that every winner in. In general, or was this just. This last particular winner was the winner of Discontent.
08:26
Jim McFarlane
This was the Winter of Discontent. We had ice on the ground, 4 inches of ice for four to five weeks. It was ridiculous. The. The city couldn't move it. No one can move it. And so were trapped in our. In our building here, not able to get out and do any winter pruning or, you know, a lot of the work we would typically do in the winter. And so, you know, I was ready to, you know, jump into spring, and I heard some kind of podcast where somebody had mentioned, oh, this is the start of the Hundred Days of Hell. And I was like, what. Why would you call it hell? You know, it's just coming out of winter. This has to be the landscaper's dream time of year. It's when we.
09:23
Jim McFarlane
We all hit the ground running, find our feet again, and hopefully really enjoy what we're doing.
09:23
09:33
Jack Jostes
Yeah, I'm with you on that. You know, the fact is, I mean, it is hard. It is. You know, because you're going from that Winter of discontent potentially, you know, maybe a brutal Winter, you know, in the Northeast, some of my clients were just hammered by snowstorms and blizzards, and now they're shifting into the green season, and it's a whole different crew, and it's a whole different level of urgency, and there's a lot of expenses and investments and hiring, and then people quit two weeks in, and it's only, you know, April 10th. So I think. I think there, I understand where it comes from, but I'm with you on that. And, you know, in fact, one of our. One of our former Ramblers, I had put the hundred days of hell in a graphic that we have for our seasonal marketing campaigns.
10:30
Jack Jostes
And he's like, you know, I don't really like this. And we kind of rumbled a bit, and I was like, you know what? You're right. And I changed it to the spring harvest. So we changed it to the spring harvest. And a lot of, you know, what we help people do is plant a tree of good fortune. And a lot of times, we're really counting on the spring to bear those fruits of the tree of good fortune, of getting found by hell yes customers. And we had the opportunity to launch a new website for United Landscape, and now it's, you know, it's springtime for you guys. So we appreciate the opportunity, and we also recognize the fact is it is stressful, but having. Having that positive outlook is important.
11:16
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, it's. Yeah, you make hay when the sun shines, and. And, you know, this is our time. And. Yeah, I. I love it. You know, I. It's like, you know, coming out of hibernation, you know, you. You might have to stretch and work off a. A few aches in your muscles and stuff like that. But once you get going, it's, you know, probably the best time of year for me, and I like to think so for. For everybody else.
Leading Teams Through Stressful Busy Seasons
11:54
Jack Jostes
Well, and so you talked about building a team, and you've got in the high 20s of people, you're maybe inside more than you want to be. Some people might be outside more than they want to be, and they're dealing with the rain and the heat and the elements. So how do you, as the leader, communicate that vision, that positivity? And how do you coach people through who maybe they're feeling really stressed during those hundred days.
12:26
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. As far as coaching the team, I think they need to understand, you know, what the mission and the vision is. So, you know, we're purposely going out to connect their. Connect clients with their landscapes in a positive way. So every time we do that and we get the feedback from the client. You know, we share that with the employees. And I think that, you know, keeps the vision and the mission topped up. I had a. Somebody else saying to me that's one of the things that you've. You've got to do. You got to keep it top because. Because it leaks. It's like having a. A bucket of your vision. You know, if it does leak over time, if. If you. If you don't really, you know, keep sharing the message. So kind of like marketing, you know, what you're in.
13:32
Jim McFarlane
You know, we got to market ourselves to our employees a little bit.
13:39
Jack Jostes
Yeah, I think you do. You do need to market the vision of the company. And I absolutely have found that if I'm off a little bit, if I'm grumpy, people pick up on it and they become grumpy or fearful or angry or whatever. So I find that you as the leader, me as the leader, we need to really kind of set that emotional energy within the company to an extent, and also be receptive, though, when people are burned out and overloaded, helping them find resources or delegating or expanding staff. So we can't. We can't just pretend everything's hunky dory while people are suffering. But if we come in with a negative attitude, that's the. I think that's maybe the worst thing that we could do.
14:33
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. So, yeah, on Fridays, we have a good rhythm to the week, and on Fridays is the day that we, at our morning meeting, we give thanks, you know, to the team. And typically, that. That. That looks like a. A compliment from a. A client that. That. That has been read, you know, that gets read out to. To the team. And then we have literally a what we call a high five board, which is a. A four by six areas on it for us to slap on a high five sticker. So we read out the. The compliment, the team member comes up, they put the sticker on the board, and as we get. When we get to 20 stickers on the board, then we know that we're going to celebrate with a cookout. So I love that. Yeah, so that's cool.
The High Five Board And Employee Recognition
15:37
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, we picked that up. I mean, it's literally a sticker with a high five face.
15:42
Jack Jostes
Can you. Can you send me a picture of that? I want to put it in. I want to add it to the video. Or do you. Can you grab it?
15:47
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, yeah, it's right behind me.
15:49
Jack Jostes
All right. Yeah, hold it up. You might need to turn off the blur on your camera.
15:53
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, yeah.
15:53
Jack Jostes
On. On zoom for a minute here.
15:59
Jim McFarlane
So I. I have to. There we go. There's a sticker.
16:04
Jack Jostes
Love it. So I can see Duke wrote one. Is that right?
16:08
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. Linda, Duke. Thank you. Brand new client. So one went out to the MO team. We haven't done this one. One went out to the MO team, and the lawn care technician, she wrote a nice compliment. Like I say, we. We announced it on a Friday. The guys come up, we get the stickers on, and when we get to 20, we've already had one cookout this season, so this. This will be the second. And. And each time we do it, we kind of relate it to, like I said, the mission, the vision, our core values. You know, every time we get these compliments, it shows that we care. You know, it shows that we have the, you know, the technical knowledge to.
16:55
Jack Jostes
To.
16:55
Jim McFarlane
To. To give a wow factor. You know, whether it. Where it's the way we trim and prune, whether it's, you know, the science behind the. The products that we use in our lawn care program. So, yeah, we just lean into the core values and the mission and that. That's how. That's how we keep people motivated. And like I say, you know, it's kept people on the bus for the last couple of years. You know, our retention rate's gone. Gone way up.
17:25
Jack Jostes
So since you started implementing that.
17:28
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, this is one of, you know, some things. So. But.
Marketing Promises And Operational Accountability
17:34
Jack Jostes
So, you know, one of the fun things that, you know, in working together on your website was clarifying things like your three reasons to buy and then outlining your sales process. And I know that meant then leading the team of like, hey, here it is. Here's here. Here's what we're doing. Can you tell me about that part of working together? What was that like.
17:59
Jim McFarlane
Working with you guys or within the team here?
18:03
Jack Jostes
Both. I mean, just the. What was. What was that like? And then what was. I just remember in our mastermind, you're in our mastermind, you're talking like, oh, I've got this on my website now. I need to hold my team accountable to it because we're telling everybody that we' doing it. And Jim, before you answer, could you. Could you maybe blur again for me? Thanks. I'll edit. I'll edit that part out. Okay, so go. Go ahead and. And answer.
18:30
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was, you know, we. We've been a business. I've heard this a bunch of times. You know, there's a lot of companies out there that spend a lot of time getting their work by referral, you know, hanging their hat on the fact that they do really good work and you know, people will refer them to other people. But suddenly came to realize that, you know, that that wasn't going to be, you know, kind of sustainable, especially as you start looking towards, you know, kind of the twilight of your career and looking to hand things off to other people. So we really had to dial into, to marketing. And with marketing, you know, basically, you know, I'm shooting from the hip here, but you are putting out promises, right?
18:30
19:35
Jim McFarlane
And then you've got to live up to them.
19:35
Jim McFarlane
So that's been, you know, not challenging necessarily. It's just been eye opening that, you know, here we are putting more focus on the message that we're sending out and then internally we've got to put more focus on living up to those promises.
20:01
Jack Jostes
So yeah, I'm with you on that because I mean, I really see marketing as so much more than just building a website or doing SEO or whatever. Like you said, it's making a promise to the marketplace of like, here's what we do differently, here's what we're going to do for you. And then when we're selling, we should be matching what we said were going to do in our marketing and then in our fulfillment or delivery or operations we need to fulfill on what we sold the client. And when we do that, people are delighted because so often in business the marketing doesn't match the sales and the sales doesn't match the fulfillment and that's what makes an unhappy customer.
20:44
Jack Jostes
But when you, it's kind of basic when you do what you said you were going to do and people found you for that because that's what they wanted. You can have incredible client relationships, referrals, client retention, and that's really what's at stake with the work we do with landscape companies.
21:08
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, you know, already having a much better experience, you know, at the point of sale because of it. So it's, it makes your job easier when you know that your just simply, you know, kind of following through on a message that you've put out there already. You know, you're describing your process, you're describing the timelines, you know, you come across. In sync with that message. So you know, people have read it already. You're going out, you're doubling down on it and that builds confidence. I think if on the front end you don't really know what your message is and then you go out and then you're not really sure what to lean into with your clients. You're going to have a different experience. You're not going to be as confident.
How Better Marketing Creates Better Clients
22:16
Jim McFarlane
So we've found that, you know, the opportunities that have fit for us are easier to sell and it's easier to, you know, kind of turn down the opportunities that don't fit.
22:37
Jack Jostes
So you feel, so you're generating more qualified leads that are our fit and that enables you to say no to the bad fits.
22:45
Jim McFarlane
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, we're seeing, so we've been with you guys, started last year, did a great job of getting their website up and ready for the beginning of the season. Obviously we're, you know, it's early days yet, but, you know, the traffic is up, the leads are up and the, the quality of the calls, you know, the way those are going and the success rates that we have are already there, so they're already improved, so.
23:19
Jack Jostes
Well, I love hearing that and, you know, it was a pleasure working with you. You've been, you have an established, successful company and it was also, I feel like we got to be a part of taking it to that next level.
23:34
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. So that really is, you know, on a personal level, that's really what I'm looking to do is take the business to another level and you know, and establish it in the marketplace. So, you know, we're in a market that has a lot of competition. It's a small town, but there's hundreds and hundreds of landscape companies out there. But there is definitely a, A, an opportunity to become, you know, one of the go to companies, so.
24:11
Jack Jostes
Absolutely.
24:12
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. And that's where we want to be.
24:13
Jack Jostes
Yeah, yeah.
24:15
Jim McFarlane
Oh, yeah, yeah.
24:18
Jack Jostes
Let's, let's go get. Hang on a minute.
24:21
Jim McFarlane
Being English, I'm a little more reserved than that, but.
24:25
Jack Jostes
Well, no, I'm good. I know you are. That's why I'm laughing because I'm enjoying like. Yeah, I like that about you, Jim, but I like that you also led the team through it. Right. So, so did you meet any resistance? I don't want to hear of names, but did, was there some friction or conflict or resistance of like, you're like, hey, we're working on the website and we're saying these are our three reasons to buy and that this is the process and was there some conflict?
24:54
Jim McFarlane
No, I'm gonna say no to that. I think everybody was ready for me to make a decision on that, on that level to, you know, I, I, I don't really want to get into it, but I was in a bad place, you know, a few years back thinking about a brand change and all this kind of stuff, thinking that was the way to go. And, you know, I just came down to the U.N. you know, understanding that, hey, I just need to get behind what we've got and like you say, start trying to take that up to another level before really thinking about maybe a brand change or anything like that.
Change Management And Leadership Growth
25:37
Jack Jostes
I don't think, yeah, I don't think you needed a brand change, but those are some of the big decisions that like kind of you wrestle with sometimes for years. And so I think you said a key thing here that the team was ready for you to make decision. And. I've been slow at deciding things or putting things off. And I know then when I finally do it, people are like, about time, dude. But they also, I don't know that they understand the weight of everything else going on in running a business. From all the payroll and legal and equipment, overhead and insurance, like all of the like really fun stuff that you get to do as a business owner. It kind of, I don't know about you, it kind of slows me down. And then sometimes those really big important decisions get delayed.
26:32
Jim McFarlane
So, yes, and this is one of the big things that we're working on in order to really get behind everybody and, you know, engaged in the marketing, you know, and it's more than that. You know, it's all the systems and processes that come with it, you know, on the sales side, you know, all the way through to the handoff to production. Right. And in order to find the time for all that, you know, there has to be some change. You know, someone needs to take ownership of the marketing. And typically in a small company like this that is going to be, you know, the owner that, you know, that they're the one with the, you know, kind of vision of what the company looks like and all that kind of stuff.
27:23
Jim McFarlane
Obviously, you know, you can have a, a marketing person, but you know, that, that's changing the structure of the company and adding to overhead and all these things, you know, need to come in time. Right. So whilst everybody was ready for, you know, marketing and getting behind, you know, the company and building the brand and everything that comes with that, probably the hardest thing is change management, you know.
28:01
Jack Jostes
Yeah.
28:02
Jim McFarlane
Asking people say, well, look, now I'm going to do this, can you help me with that? And that's the hard, you know, that's Kind of the hard part. It's like if you're moving over there, then it might not be possible to hire somebody, you know, to do what you were doing and you're asking somebody else to rise up and move into that role.
28:29
Jack Jostes
Yeah, I think that creates a lot of growth opportunity. It also creates a lot of change. And not everyone likes. Most people don't like change. Right? Many, I think many people want to have a stable job where they know what they're going to do today and tomorrow. And the fact is there's a lot changing, especially with technology and AI and all of those different things and managing that change. I'm actually reading a really good book that seems relevant to what you're talking about and it talks about this is from my business coach, Jason Swank. Going from an operator to a manager to an architect, to a CEO to an owner and how there's like your identity changes and then you need other people to do certain things and you've got to delegate certain things and help people become decision makers.
29:26
Jack Jostes
And, and that's what I'm working through right now is I actually, I'm doing one of the things I love from this book is a decision audit. And I'm literally this week making a list of all the decisions I made in the company and then I'm going to organize them at the and see like did I actually need to make this decision or could somebody else have done it or am I missing a process? But yeah, that change and growing into the next phase of business is ongoing.
29:55
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. And you know, in this particular industry, you know, there's so many people like myself that just love the outdoors. They love the hands on part. Being able to separate themselves from what's going on the day to day and finding the time to kind of do what you're doing. Read a book, contemplate these things is a challenge. And it's a challenge for middle management as well.
The 92-Year-Old Customer Who Left A Google Review
30:37
Jack Jostes
It is. Well, Jim, one of the things that, you know, you did well, that I always want to reiterate to all my clients and all my listeners that I think is contributing to your success is that you ask your clients for reviews and you've gotten Google reviews. And one fun story I wanted to ask you about, you got a review from a guy who was like 80 or 90 years old or something. Can you tell me about that?
31:01
Jim McFarlane
All right. Yeah, so yeah, we've been serving the client for a number of years. He actually kind of lives outside our service area at the time we, we took him on, but he had tracked down our account manager that, that he wanted to work with. And he, you know, he wanted to work with us. We had a reputation for trimming and pruning, caring for boxwood, and he had, he had hundreds of them. So he tracked her down years ago, and we've been serving him since. And he, if I get the story right, really wanted to do a Google review.
31:51
Jim McFarlane
And I don't know, he got online, he thought he kind of messed it up, followed it up with a phone call, left me a lovely message on the answering machine saying how good we'd done and that he apologized, he tried to do the Google review, and that it completely failed. Sorry, I'm 92 years old. Please forgive me.
32:17
Jack Jostes
Wow.
32:19
Jim McFarlane
And I was able to call him back and I say, I don't know, you know, I know you think you failed, but you managed to hit the five stars and that registered. So thank you. That was enough.
32:32
Jack Jostes
Amazing.
32:33
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. So even a 92 year, we have some older customers and they'll always say they're, you know, kind of technologically challenged, but this guy, you know, he climbed the mountain and got it done.
32:50
Jack Jostes
I, I love it and I love it. And I wanted that story on the podcast because so many of my clients are like, oh, my clients are too old. They're in their 50s and 60s. I'm like, dude, that's not. What, what are you talking about? I have employees in their 50s and 60s who do amazing things and they can totally write a Google review like it's nonsense. And here we have somebody who's 92 who wrote a Google review. So the, the thing is, is you got to do the part of asking and you also did the part of calling him. And there's like a relationship component to it that you asked, you helped him do it, and first, you took great care of him.
33:31
Jack Jostes
So I just want to nip it in the bud, the idea that anyone is too old to write a review, or they're too affluent to write a review, or they're any whatever excuse people are going to tell us why their client can't write a review. I've, I've seen reviews from every walk of life at this point. This guy is the first 92 year old I think we've encountered. But if he can do it, your customer can do it.
33:57
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, we do try. When we do the reviews, we've got a little bit of a process it's not just far out a, a request for a review. We'll actually do a phone call or an email and just tell them what it means to the team to get a review. Well, to originally get the compliment and how that plays into that high five board that we had up there a little while ago. So when they hear about that, they're like, oh yeah, you know, I'm, this is amazing. You know, I, I, I love it that they, you know, I, I, I want these guys to get more work, you know.
34:35
Jack Jostes
So yeah, because now they're part, they're feeling like they're helping. Right. So it's not about the Google review, it's, you're making it like, hey, this is how our team, how I praise my team and we'd really appreciate it. And so you're doing it in the absolute right way. I think, you know, sending out review surveys is a great idea. And also like nothing beats either an in person or phone call request of like, hey, you know, we really enjoyed working with you and it would mean so much to the team. And we're going to put it on our high five board. Like mo, I bet most of your clients, if they heard that would be like, great. How do It? Where do It?
35:14
Jim McFarlane
And they do.
35:15
Jack Jostes
So.
35:15
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. Yeah.
Using Reviews To Build A Dominant Local Reputation
35:16
Jack Jostes
So Jim, if you kept doing that like how many Google reviews do you think you could get this year? You've got 33 last time I looked. How many do you think you could get by the end of the year?
35:28
Jim McFarlane
Good question. So probably about 20 something of those have come in the last six months, if not more. I'm not sure, but we'll do four hive, but five, four high five boards in probably in a year. So that's 80 compliments that get read out.
35:57
Jack Jostes
Yeah.
35:58
Jim McFarlane
And we don't solicit those. You know, we could do a better job of, you know, kind of connecting with the customer to see how we're doing and you know, get a com, get a compliment that way. But I would say half of those, we, we maybe be able to get 25 to 40 more Google reviews. I think.
36:21
Jack Jostes
Whoa. I mean that would true, that would change your business tremendously because now you've got that foundation that we're building together. You've got your branding and differentiation, you've got your website. We're continuing to build out that local SEO. And those online reviews I'm looking right now in Lexington, there are some companies with like 300, 100, 250. You're also though, the next though is it's a far gap from 100 to 30 and then everyone else is below you. So if you got to 70 and then 100 and then 150 and 200, like, you could be one of the top three landscape companies in the whole area.
37:06
Jim McFarlane
Yeah, that would be really exciting. You know, like I say, I think we started off with like half a dozen.
37:11
Jack Jostes
Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm talking about. That's why I'm like, hey, you went after it and it's a huge factor in getting found online and more importantly, in customers choosing you.
37:22
Jim McFarlane
And now the process is just accelerating, so.
37:26
Jack Jostes
Cool. Well, let's keep going, Jim. Anything else before we wrap up today's episode?
37:26
37:33
Jim McFarlane
No, I just really enjoy the podcast that you do. The. I think that was the latest one with the lady from New Zealand or Australia.
37:47
Jack Jostes
Yeah.
37:48
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. So, yeah, I'm a 62 year old that stays away from the doctor and all that kind of stuff, so never been clinically diagnosed with anything, but I, you know, spent my early days looking out the window, wanting to be somewhere else all the time and can really relate to that podcast. And yeah, that was really interesting. It was just a really good angle to come from. So keep doing what you're doing.
Coaching, ADHD, And Personal Growth In Leadership
38:17
Jack Jostes
I appreciate that, Jim. Yeah. And so for folks listening, I interviewed a woman about ADHD and why landscapers are often really good at starting things but struggle finishing them. And it's something I grew up with and struggle with. And also it's a gift. Like, sometimes I like, you know, sometimes I can solve problems that seem really obvious to me. And other people I'm with are like, how did you do that? And I'm like, how did you not see it? And then I shared on the podcast, I can't remember if it got in or not. I had a landscape designer come over to my property and I'm on the side of this hill and in the mountains, in the Rocky Mountains, and it's like all kinds of weird angles and we're on the hill and it's rocky and there's drainage problem, man.
39:07
Jack Jostes
Like, it floods in certain areas when it rains. And this guy came in and he's like, oh, yeah, we're gonna build a patio like this and you're gonna, we're gonna have a bench here and then a step down here. And like he, in like 10 minutes of being in my space, completely reimagined it. And then he was Telling me. He was, like, embarrassed. He's like, oh, I think I have adhd. I'm like, well, dude, you just figured out my backyard, so I'm. Maybe I'm glad that you do. I don't know. So, yeah, check out that, you know, check out that podcast.
39:42
Jim McFarlane
Yeah. If you haven't a quick story. I went home. My dad is 94 in about a week's time. And last year I went home and were talking about something in the kitchen. I was talking about something I was doing. And he's 94 years old. I'm 62. And finally he tells me, he goes, why are you doing that? You never finish anything. I'm like, now you tell me. So.
40:15
Jack Jostes
Right.
40:16
Jim McFarlane
To anybody that's out there, if it doesn't feel, you know, if it feels off and you need help, it doesn't matter whether it's, you know, going to see the doctor or hiring a coach to help you. That's one of the things I've done over the last five years. We're members of the Breakthrough Academy.
40:37
Jack Jostes
Yeah.
40:38
Jim McFarlane
And my coach has been awesome and the whole group. So, yeah, you know, don't keep it to yourself. Reach out. Reach out to people like yourself for help on marketing. Reach out to business coaches. Try one, try two. Just keep trying to get yourself to a place where you feel more grounded.
41:05
Jack Jostes
Yeah, I'm with you on that. Finding, you know, coaches. And the person on the podcast that I had was another resource. And we could have whole episode on this topic, Jim. But we've got to go. We've got. Thanks so much for coming on the Landscapers Guide. So for. For people listening who might want to network with you, how can we find you? How can we connect?
41:30
Jim McFarlane
Probably the best way to connect is just through the website. It's unitedlandscape.net unitedlandscape.net and if you send me a request to meet then or to connect, you can just do it on that. It comes directly to me right now.
41:50
Jack Jostes
Excellent. Well, I'll put a link to that in the show notes. And Jim, thanks again for coming on the Landscapers Guide.
41:56
Jim McFarlane
All right, thank you, Jack. Have a great day.
41:59
Jack Jostes
I hope you enjoyed today's conversation with Jim from United Landscape. And if you want to see an example of what me and my team can do for your business, check out unitedlandscape.net to see an example of what we built for Jim and his team. If you'd like to get more of your hell yes. Customers finding you and you're curious about how do you get found in AI search and what's going on in digital marketing that's most relevant for your landscape company? Schedule a 15 minute marketing brainstorm call with me and my team at landscapersguide.com brainstorm. See our show notes for a link to schedule that call and we'll help you figure it all out. My name's Jack Justice. It's been a pleasure talking with you today and I look forward to talking with you next week on the Landscaper's Guide.