A lot of my landscape design clients are very creative people. And today's guest, Jon LeDuc, is not only really great at landscape design, he's also a talented singer songwriter in a duo called AztroGrizz. And in today's episode, we're going to talk about how he has a legitimate, successful band, a business, and babies. He's a busy guy. So this is a great conversation because Jon talks about how he's able to balance all of the time, and the benefit that it actually has to his company. So if you run a landscape company, check out today's interview.
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Landscapers Guide. My name's Jack Jostes, and today I'm excited to have my client, Jon LeDuc from Outdoor Lifestyles. We're talking today about having a life.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
Having a life, or rather enjoying different aspects of your life and your business, and in your case, music. So you're in the band AztroGrizz, which I'll put links to that in the show notes. I've been listening to you guys on Spotify, and YouTube, and everything. It's been super cool, John. So tell us, though, first, who are you and what is Outdoor Lifestyles?
Who is Jon LeDuc And What Is Outdoor Lifestyles?
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, so Jon LeDuc, Outdoor Lifestyles, landscape design, construction company and maintenance and snow, as well. And it's me and my partner, Brandon Knight. And yeah, basically we've been around since 2015. My partner's been doing it since '95. And then I started my business in '09 and hit the ground running. Do everything from big pool design to outdoor living spaces, all of that, and then full package maintenance on the landscape side. And then AztroGrizz, we formulated that in 2012. That's me and my partner Sterling. So that's a key thing is having partners in both is definitely helpful in being able to do both, being able to lean on them for some of that stuff. But yeah, so basically just been doing that for ... since out of school, both big passion on music and big passion on the landscape side simultaneously.
How Do You Manage Your Time Between Your Business And Hobbies?
Jack Jostes:
I'm just curious, how much time do you spend on each? Because you also, you're married. Do you have three kids?
Jon LeDuc:
Three kids.
Jack Jostes:
And one of them is like six months old.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
So, you're pretty busy with the family commitments, with the landscape business. And AztroGrizz is a legit band. You're in a nationwide competition right now, and you're, last time I looked, number 64 out of 8,000.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
Right? So this is more than just a hobby, this is-
Jon LeDuc:
For sure.
Jack Jostes:
This is a legit band. And you have music videos and you guys play shows. So how do you all this?
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, yeah. We're serious about it. Actually, last night we just won, so we're 32.
Jack Jostes:
Oh, you're 32. Wow.
Jon LeDuc:
So hopefully we keep going on that. Honestly, my wife is huge, my partner on the landscape side is huge, and my partner with music is huge, because just being able to split some of the roles and can lean on him, Brandon, on this side of the business, and gives me more flexibility and stuff like that. But also, my wife is huge, Sterling is huge in that department. But I would say the biggest thing in juggling is really setting up a good plan.
So even beginning of the week, it's like, okay, I'm going to allocate this much towards AztroGrizz. What's the top five things we're really wanting to get done? What's the big picture we're going after? And same with Outdoor Lifestyles. Family's easy for me because that's ... you can shut down and just be more so than ... The other is more work, like let's get after it.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah, I'm a big fan of planning my week. I had an episode recently where I actually planned it out on paper. And then I also use Google Calendar and our various digital project management programs and things. But for me, printing out the week and looking at it is just really helpful for me to know what ... And I do it the same way with what do I need to do for my family this week, what do I need to do in my business this week? And then it's partly just sticking to it. We've both gone through the period of 80 to a hundred hours a week, and I don't know if you can skip that, but there's a certain point where you can stop doing that. How did you reach that point where you were able to decide to work 40 to 50 hours a week?
How To Make The Most Of Your Time
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, so AztroGrizz, and especially the landscape company because landscape right now is definitely what's paying the bills. But it's that hard grind. And then, I think as you are able to start, okay, I can take off this hat, okay, I can take off this hat now, and you really start to put people in place to where you don't have the 30, 40 hats, and you're able to focus more, then it's like, okay, here's 40 hours I have to give, here's 50 hours, whatever that number is. What am I best at? Is my time best suited running around looking for the best deal on tires? Probably not.
I need to be able to pick and choose. Okay, this is very important on, I guess, the immediate. So to me, I'll have immediate things. There might be a big client we're about to sell that week or something like that, so that's very important. But then also, I want to spend time towards big picture stuff. We need to upgrade a video on this, or I want to put together a video for that, or update the contract, or whatever it is there. So like I said, setting that up in the week, what is my important, hit this, this, this, that's everything to me. Because if I do start drifting off and doing tasky things, I can get back and be like, no, no, nope, we got to get back to these five benchmarks that I was really trying to hit that week.
Jack Jostes:
How much time are you spending ... I'm sure there are some weeks where I know that you actually go to Atlanta, Georgia to record the songs and produce them in a studio. And so, I imagine you're there for a few days or even a week at a time for that, right?
Jon LeDuc:
Yep.
Jack Jostes:
So there's those little stints where you're like, that's what you're doing.
Jon LeDuc:
Yep.
Jack Jostes:
What about in a normal week? How much time are you spending on music?
Jon LeDuc:
I would say a normal week is probably more like 10 hours. But then, like you say, we have those big, high intensity weeks, and that's like ... You could have 60 hours almost in a three day, four day period. It's just wake up, write, record, grueling. But I think one thing we've really done well is we don't have a lot of fluff time, I guess. So there's not a lot of time ... And that's by nature. We do have careers, and we do have family, and everything else.
So we can't go to the studio and hang out for 12 hours, and come up with ideas of songs. I'm writing on my free time at home, Sterling's writing on his free time at home. And then when we get together it's like we've got ... the ball's already moving, and it streamlines a lot of the thought process and things that can be slow.
Jack Jostes:
So when we had lunch the other time you were here, I learned that you're sober. So, I'm sober too. I've been sober for coming up on six years. And I know for me, I feel like I've gained at least two hours of the day. One at nighttime, maybe several at nighttime, but more so in the morning. I just wake up and I'm like-
Jon LeDuc:
Let's go.
Jack Jostes:
I'm rested and ready to have a great day. So I feel way more productive. I'm able to produce more content. I've been able to enjoy working out, and my family, and it just feels really good. So I'm curious, how has sobriety impacted you?
Sobriety Impact on Everyday Life
Jon LeDuc:
That's nail on the head and getting back to that free time. How do we allocate our time? There's only so much time in a week, whatever. Well, that was a big push for me. It was like I had to take a step back and say, okay, if I'm really wanting to do this still, and still really be serious about not just music as a hobby, we're serious about it, and we're serious about landscape. Is this feasible? Well, we took a step back, and it's like, well, what am I spending other time on? And is there fat? Again, is there fat that could be trimmed? And there's a ton of fat in that. You don't think about it.
But yeah. I think so many things are geared towards we get together, even if it's a networking event or whatever, get together and have some beers, and blah, blah, blah. That's all great. But it's like, I could be spending that time ... I still think the networking is great. I still think getting together, doing stuff like this, like the lunch we had, the benefit's huge. Now I can wake up at five, six in the morning and be charged and ready to go, and that block of time just able to be spent.
Jack Jostes:
I totally agree. And yeah, the networking, I've actually found that it's improved my networking.
Jon LeDuc:
Yes.
Jack Jostes:
Because I'll see people that I haven't seen in a year and I'll remember what I talked to them about a year ago. They're like, "How do you remember this?" And I'm like, "I didn't have three beers while we were talking, so I remember you."
Jon LeDuc:
Right, right. You're so familiar. Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
That selfishly has been another business benefit of it. But I was listening to music, and some of it's about drinking, though, and going to the club and stuff like that. But that's tongue in cheek, you said.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Lyrical Content
Jack Jostes:
So tell us a little bit about some of the lyrical content.
Jon LeDuc:
One of our newer ones is called Burn a Day.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah.
Jon LeDuc:
So there you go, right in the title, Burn a Day, it's a fun song. So if you hear it, it's not like this, "Hey, this is a problem you need to get ..." I don't think we want to be in anybody's face about it. And I'm not. Most of my friends are still drinkers and stuff like that, and I love hanging out with them. But for me, Burn a Day, it's like a happy go lucky song, but it's all about going out, and drinking, and blah, blah, blah. And it's like that next day is wasted, like burn another day. Like, "Oh yeah, we had so much fun. What did we do again? Oh, that was cool. Yeah, I kind of remember." And then it's that whole morning or whatever, that whole next day gets burnt. So that's, again, tongue in cheek on the sobriety thing.
To be honest with you, I was wondering if it was going to affect the writing, which it's not, not at all. If anything, we're just way more productive. And when we do go out to Atlanta, it's an oiled machine. Like, okay, we'll spend this time, I'll be writing, Sterling's in the booth, he's recording, and it just go, go, go. Before when we'd go out there and there's beers involved, towards the end of the session it was starting to get a little sloppy, and it's a little bit like, "All right, let's regroup and come back tomorrow."
Jack Jostes:
Yeah. Really, I think that what you're doing and why I wanted to have you on the show is, I think it's great that you have this musical outlet that you're working on. And so many people, I know myself, gave up parts of that. For me, hunting is a big passion of mine, and in the last few years I've gotten into it again, and it's been so fulfilling for me. And I've actually found that it helps me run my business better knowing that I need to go spend the time doing something that isn't my business.
Jon LeDuc:
Right.
Jack Jostes:
I just wanted to hear some of that, of how does being a musician and going to Atlanta for four days actually help you run a better landscape company?
How Having A Hobby Helps You Grow Your Business
Jon LeDuc:
Sure. For me, it's like one fuels the other. I've been asked before, what if music takes off and it blows up? Would you still do landscaping? And the answer is absolutely. Landscape is just as much a passion. It's not like I'm doing landscaping now, hoping that music, my dream, will take off. There's things on landscaping that I can't replace with music. There's creative that I just love about it, that I'm passionate about it. And same with music. And there's business things on music that I could definitely do without, that you don't have to put up with on the landscape side. So for me, being able to channel some of that and the frustrations, or stresses, or whatever you can go through being an entrepreneur, it's nice to have that outlet to where I can go write a song or I can go blow off steam in a healthy way.
Jack Jostes:
Right.
Jon LeDuc:
So to me it's like if I'm going to put, let's say, 45 hours in next week, I feel like I'm a lot more in that flow state as opposed to a doing it, doing it mentality where it's just as busy. It clears a clutter for me, so-
Jack Jostes:
Definitely.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
The Process Of Writing Music
Jack Jostes:
How do you write music? Do you write the melody first? Does Sterling send you a beat and say, "Hey, write something to this," or ... I'm sure it's probably all of the above. But generally, what's your process for creating music?
Jon LeDuc:
Usually, we hear the music first. So we have a bunch of different producers and stuff we work with. The producer we work with in Atlanta, he does a lot of amazing beats and stuff like that. So he might, for instance, send one over and say, "Hey, I think this one's perfect for you guys." And we'll listen to it, and it's like, holy cow, right there. It's like, this is going to be ... You just get that feeling like this could be an amazing song. I think that's the start.
Jack Jostes:
And then, do you record some at home?
Jon LeDuc:Oh yeah.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah. So how are you doing that?
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah. So again, this is getting back to the efficiency thing. I'll hear a beat, and I'll start going to town and just writing, writing, writing, writing. This is at my house. This might be when the kids are napping or something like that. And it's like, okay, I can work with that. I'll record it on my phone. Just the cadence and stuff, because you can forget.
Jack Jostes:
Oh, totally.
Jon LeDuc:
You write something, it's like, "Oh it's amazing," and then you put it down for 10 seconds and-
Jack Jostes:
I agree. So, I actually write a lot of music. Well, I don't write as much as I used to, but I use the Voice Memos app-
Jon LeDuc:
Yep.
Jack Jostes:
... on my phone.
Jon LeDuc:
Yep. Me, too.
Jack Jostes:
And you just sing something and record it.
Jon LeDuc:
Yep.
Jack Jostes:
And it's so amazing to have that.
Jon LeDuc:
To me, what's so amazing, getting back to, I don't drink anymore, but you can forget. You have something, and you write it or whatever, and it's like, "Oh my gosh, this is amazing." And I've had where a phone call comes in, and I take it, and I get back to it, and I'm like, "How did that go?"
Jack Jostes:
Right.
Jon LeDuc:
So yeah, I'll voice memo it, and then usually Sterling and I will get together. We have our own home studio that's actually at our office, Outdoor Lifestyles office.
Jack Jostes:
Oh really?
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
Okay. You're going to have to send me-
Jon LeDuc:
So there's full circle.
Jack Jostes:
... send me some photos of that.
Jon LeDuc:
Oh yeah, yeah.
Jack Jostes:
So, Sterling is local, then?
Jon LeDuc:
Yes.
Jack Jostes:
Okay.
Jon LeDuc:
Yep. Yep. And we'll get together and we'll record concepts. So by the time we go out to Atlanta, usually we have eight to 10 concepts, and ready there. And our producer will be like, "I don't know about this one."
Jack Jostes:
So what's the first song that people listening should go and check out? What's a good first AztroGrizz song to listen to and why?
Jon LeDuc:
Maybe actually the video Awake. I think that's just good because it has a lot of elements and depending on if you like country music, or rap, or hip hop, or whatever, that tends to be the most open door. But, man, our music goes everywhere from more funk feel, pop, hip hop. Yeah, and then I think from there you can ... There's some good videos and stuff on YouTube.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah, I definitely enjoyed it. And one of the songs, what was the song we were texting about that had the guitars?
Jon LeDuc:
Oh, Whistle Blow.
Jack Jostes:
Whistle Blow.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, yeah.
Jack Jostes:
I love the guitar parts in there. So that was a live band-
Jon LeDuc:
Yep.
Jack Jostes:
... that you played with?
Jon LeDuc:
No. So, producer, and he had three guys come in, and they ... Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
That was awesome.
Jon LeDuc:
It was a live instrumentation.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah. So we'll roll some clips of this in the podcast. And, John, thanks so much for coming on the show.
Jon LeDuc:
Man, Jack, thanks for having me.
Jack Jostes:
Yeah.
Jon LeDuc:
That's awesome. Appreciate it.
Jack Jostes:
John LeDuc from AztroGrizz. So check out AztroGrizz, and check out Outdoor Lifestyles. I heard they have a sweet website.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, yeah, an awesome website. Yeah. We absolutely do have an awesome website.
Jack Jostes:
You do, actually. And the photos that you guys post are ... The landscape work you guys do is super inspiring outdoor living spaces, and it's always fun to post new photos on your site.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah, and we appreciate you guys, too. We've come a long way since we started working with you.
Jack Jostes:
Cool.
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
Well, thanks, John.
Jon LeDuc:
Right on, Jack. Thank you.
Jack Jostes:
Do you know Chromeo, the artist?
Jon LeDuc:
No.
Jack Jostes:
Oh, really?
Jon LeDuc:
No, I don't.
Jack Jostes:
For real, dude?
Jon LeDuc:
No, I don't.
Jack Jostes:
You don't know Chromeo?
Jon LeDuc:
I don't think so.
Jack Jostes:
Okay. I'm going to-
Jon LeDuc:
Yeah.
Jack Jostes:
You got to listen to Chromeo on the way home because they're a duo.
Jon LeDuc:
Okay.
Jack Jostes:
And they are phenomenal.
Jon LeDuc:
Okay.
Jack Jostes:
Dude, you don't-
Jon LeDuc:
No.
Jack Jostes:
I'm telling you about Chromeo? Dude, Chromeo ... I'm hoping that you like Chromeo. You're either going to be like, "This is the lamest, cheesiest music ever," or you're going to be like, "This is sweet."