How a Second-Generation Landscaper Rebuilt His Sales Process and Leveraged AI to Transform a 27-Year-Old Business
00:00 - Growing Up In A Landscaping Family
Edward Morales:
Running a business and doing, being very busy in your life, somebody has to maintain your yard. Right? Either you have to do it or you have to hire someone professional to do it. When I came in working in the business again, there was no structure. So the things, the conversation I would have with my dad, because I did have a conversation with him once, I told him, hey, I'm gonna quit my pursuit of being a mechanic and I want to be an entrepreneur and I want to help you lift this company off the ground.
Jack Jostes:
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Landscaper's Guide podcast. Today I'm excited to interview my client, Edward Morales Valencia. He's the owner of Tropical Landscaping Services in Buckeye, Arizona. He's got a really successful company and we're going to talk a bit about sales process, how he's using AI and maybe some recruiting. So, Edward, thanks for coming onto the Landscaper’s Guide.
Edward Morales:
No, it's truly an honor and a pleasure to be here, really. I could never think of being on a platform like this, but it's good to have ideas and experiences really shared.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah, I appreciate you saying that. And before we pressed record, you said that you actually found me through the podcast and so that's cool. It's kind of coming full circle now. We get to have a conversation on the show. So tell us a little bit about your business, about your family—what do you guys do?
01:30 - How Edward Entered The Green Industry
Edward Morales:
I was introduced into the green industry really in two parts in my life… The first part was when my father bought a route that was being sold. He worked for a company called Native Resources here in Arizona… After moving up in that company, he thought “I think I can do this at a smaller scale.” Someone was selling a route for $8,000—a truck and a few houses. He took it. He went all gas, no brakes.
When I was growing up, hard work was all around me. My brothers all worked with my dad. I’m the youngest of the boys. Working with my father was almost a rite of passage.
Jack Jostes:
How many are there?
Edward Morales:
Five total.
Jack Jostes:
Okay.
Edward Morales:
So I was the youngest boy. My sister didn’t have to. But for me, at around age 10, that’s when I got introduced to landscaping. And it wasn’t unusual—my uncle, cousin, neighbor—they were all doing the same thing. We'd gather in the early morning, neighbors drinking coffee. It felt normal, even though I didn’t understand it was an entire industry.
The second time I entered the green industry was after I got out of the Marine Corps…
03:48 - Lessons From His Father’s Early Business
Edward Morales:
When I got out of the Marine Corps, I knew if I stopped my rhythm, I’d get complacent. That’s a slippery slope. So I worked at a mechanic shop—Iron Maintenance—because I loved diagnosing problems. On weekends, I was still helping my father.
Like many young people, I started asking myself:
“What do I want to do for the rest of my life?”
“What skill do I want to master?”
I thought it was mechanics… but later I realized it was entrepreneurship—specifically in landscaping.
Running a business and being busy, somebody has to maintain your yard. What TLS is really about is bringing structure and clarity to something that’s chaotic for most homeowners.
07:00 - When Edward Decided To Return To The Business
Jack Jostes:
How long has the company been around?
Edward Morales:
1998. My father started it on his own.
Jack Jostes:
You’re now co-owner. What changes have you brought in?
Edward Morales:
My dad built everything on hard work, consistency, reliability. But there was no structure. When I came back into the business and told him I wanted to be an entrepreneur, he didn’t know how a business works in that way. But he trusted me. And I had to figure it out piece by piece.
08:39 - Building TLS’s First Real Sales Process
Edward Morales:
Our sales process at first was “adapt on the fly.” No structure. Hard to learn. I realized:
- Clients want structure
- Clients want clarity
- Clients want consistency
So I created it. Starting with making contact easy—QR codes, forms. Then focusing on identifying their problem and creating solutions.
This is our first-ever sales process. And it’s still improving.
09:53 - How Ramblin Jackson Helped Clarify His Direction
Jack Jostes:
What was it like working with us on it?
Edward Morales:
It pushed me into many decisions. After meetings with Ramblin Jackson, I’d use AI to reflect on the questions you asked. They were questions I never asked myself before.
10:36 - Using AI To Improve Communication And Decision-Making
Edward Morales:
AI was a big help because I didn’t know where to start. Through back-and-forth conversation, AI helped me figure out the right questions—and then the right answers for my company.
12:17 - Training AI To Match His Communication Style
Edward Morales:
I use AI differently than most. Not to avoid tasks, but to enhance communication. I trained AI to respond how I naturally would, but faster and more polished.
If a client texted me, I’d paste it into AI and say:
“Here’s how I would respond. Repeat it but tighter and clearer.”
That changed everything for us.
14:37 - From Mechanic To Entrepreneur
Edward Morales:
Diagnosing mechanical problems made me realize I loved solving things… but I didn’t yet know that meant entrepreneurship. When I worked more with my father, seeing him keep the company going… something clicked. I saw that refined businesses serve others. I wanted to build something meaningful.
17:05 - Refining Systems And Frameworks
Edward Morales:
The hard part was figuring out what we offer, creating frameworks, operational structure. Words like “frameworks” and “systems” were new to me. AI helped me understand them. And today, refining those systems is my favorite part.
19:21 - Using AI To Translate Technical Information
Jack Jostes:
I use AI as a translation tool… for complex accountant emails, developer explanations. I ask it to simplify things to a high-school level so I can communicate clearly to my team and clients.
Edward Morales:
Exactly. You were going to interpret it anyway—but AI makes that process faster and clearer.
20:22 - Recruiting And Finding The Right People
Edward Morales:
Where did you find the right people to carry out your vision?
Jack Jostes:
I started like many landscapers—doing all the work myself. Networking constantly. But I had no vision at first. I didn’t know my hell yes customer. That created chaos.
Over time, I realized:
- Recruiting is just marketing
- You must define who the right person is
- You must define who the wrong person is
Eventually, I built a structured hiring system with long-form job ads, videos, assessments.
23:36 - Why Niching Matters In Growing A Company
Jack Jostes:
At one point, we tried niching into Pilates studios. I even spoke at the largest Pilates conference. But the ROI wasn’t there. Landscapers got 10X the results for the same investment.
Once I clarified that we would ONLY serve landscapers, some team members left—and that was the right move. Vision attracts the right people and removes the wrong ones.
27:25 - Clarifying Vision And Aligning A Team
Edward Morales:
Most people underestimate how eager others are to help when there’s a clear vision.
Jack Jostes:
When your vision is unclear, you attract “half-in” people. When you commit, the right people come forward.
32:41 - The Future Vision For Tropical Landscaping Services
Edward Morales:
After two years of building systems, the next step is telling the world our story. Our mission is to buy people their time back. Maintenance plans are key. Time is the most valuable thing people have.
33:37 - Offering Maintenance Plans As A Time-Saving Solution
Edward Morales:
AI helped me structure our maintenance plans based on field data. If you want seasonal rotations and flowers—this plan is for you. If you want simplicity—this one is for you. It’s personalized and thoughtful, not salesy.
34:39 - How To Connect With Edward
Edward Morales:
People can find me on LinkedIn, and on our Instagram page: Tropical_LandscapingAZ.
Jack Jostes:
We’ll include links in the show notes. Thanks for coming on the podcast.
Edward Morales:
It was a pleasure, Jack.
Jack Jostes:
If you’d like to talk with our team, book your Marketing Brainstorm Call at landscapersguide.com/brainstorm. See you next week.
Connect With Today’s Guest
🌳 Tropical Landscaping Services: https://tropicallandscapingservice.com/
👤 Connect with Edward Morales: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-morales-67115437a/
🏢 Tropical Landscaping Services Social Handle: @tropical_landscapingaz
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