Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes

You can now become a course member at LandscapeBusinessCourse.com for just the cost of the software ($247)... The Coursework is now free!

Join the webinar tomorrow on attracting all-star talent and the hiring system you must have in place to retain them.

You might be making money, creating estimates, winning bids, doing marketing.... but then you ask yourself the question, " Where's all the money at?" On this episode, Mike discusses cash flow management and how to reduce accounts receivable to take out the swings in your cash savings.

Mike takes a call from a course member, James, about his first commercial landscape maintenance estimate he is giving.

When talking with Tyler, I realized that I don't often bring a balance to the "grow fast and scale your business" mantra I usually talk about. Here is an example of when you should not buy more trucks and hire more people.

Joseph is wanting to drop out of college and go full time with his landscaping business. How does he go from 35 lawn care clients to 100 in 2017?

Big announcement today! And I share more about our landscaping products retail operation at Augusta Lawn Care (and how it compliments the service side).

Kristian is the owner of a landscaping business that does lawns and snow removal. In his second year, Kristian is looking to hire 2 crew members and get out of the field this year. We cover hiring systems, marketing tactics, and much more!

Today is a special episode where we focus on tree service... still part of the green industry but not specifically for landscaping. However, it can be a great way to create more income for your business.

Ezekiel from Fresno, California called in and we talked about everything from software to upsetting maintenance clients.

Anthony has a good paying job but wants to get started in the landscaping business. Mike walks him through his options as far as making the transition smooth for him and his family.

Colton came on the show today and had questions about the two things that every landscape business owner needs to be more obsessed about: sales and hiring. Colton is 20 years old and about to start his second year of business.

If you are young and are thinking twice about starting your business, this is a must-listen. Also, if you are just starting out and want advice on marketing and direct mail you will get valuable advice. Drew calls in.. a 16 year old that has started his own lawn care business.

Eric got back from the Marines last August and is looking to start his lawn care and landscaping business. A must listen for anyone thinking of starting their business.

Vince called me and is in his 50's. It is imperative for Vince (if he wants to grow) to starting working in the sales/marketing aspect of the business. This is a long-form version of the techniques we have mentioned on the podcast the past couple months. Great tips for hiring, marketing, sales, and more!

The million dollar revenue marker has become a milestone for the landscaping industry. The idea that 7 figures worth of sales is processed from a lawn care or landscaping company shows that it is a real business and not just a hobby. It shows that the proprietor (founder) figured out how to create a team around their idea and make a profitable enterprise. Here are 4 things you must do to take your business from $100K per year to the elusive $1,000,000 marker. Essentially this is how you 10X your company. 1.) Hire Good People You must have a system in place to attract good people. Your equipment can be great, your storefront and company vehicles pristine but the real value of a business is in the people that work there. Once you have found good people it is important to get them involved in the mission of the business. Until your employees are SOLD on the business succeeding, your customers and clients won’t be. Get your people on-board and involved and watch how much more efficient your company becomes — let alone the company culture boost it will offer. 2.) Turn Good People Into Great People Notice, I didn’t say that you need to hire great people in #1. Great people cost a lot. Great people are in high demand. You have got to have the training in place and the management style implemented that will foster growth and experiential learning. You can either hire the crew foreman with 10 years of experience for $25/hour or you can hire the recent high school graduate for $15/hour. If you have the right training and education procedures you can make the $15/hr guy work just as good (if not better in the long run) as the $25/hr guy. 3.) Sales Trumps All You are a sales organization. Don’t forget it! Yes, you sell lawn care and landscaping services… but at the end of the day you live and die by your sales ability. Treat your sales staff like they are the kings of the universe. You will never save yourself to success and exponential growth. Top line revenue should be a constant focus and not expenses. Spend 80% of your time on revenue generation (sales) and 20% on conservation (budgeting). I find too many landscape business owners that focus on their annual budget and forget to have a sales system and process in place to achieve their revenue goals. 4.) Be Systems-Centric (Not Personality-Centric) What would happen if your manager got hurt tomorrow and couldn’t work for a year? Or if you got hit by a truck tonight? Gruesome, yes, but it happens… and most landscaping companies fail at that moment or shut their doors soon after. The reason they fail is the positions of the company are upheld by strong personality and people and not the systems and procedures those people follow. You should have an operations manual that outlines the processes of every function within your organization. How do you create an invoice? When do you advertise certain services? How is the shop supposed to be organized? How are the books reconciled? If you create standard operations procedures for all the positions within your company it is much easier to find and train new people to fill those spots if they become empty.

Getting the right people on the bus is sort of a big deal. Finding the right employees and them keeping them is so important to the long term health of your business. I want to share with you the system I am using in 2017 to find quality hires.

I believe that Facebook ads are CURRENTLY the most underpriced ad product in the world. Yes, this will undoubtedly change. Eventually, the clicks will costs more and something newer and better will come up. However, today I share two tips for using Facebook to drive sales for your small business. These are tangible, tested, and simple ways to make the phone ring more often, get more web traffic, or whatever means you need to increase revenue!

Here are the 5 things that will help you DOUBLE your personal and/or landscaping business income in 2017 1.) Hire Someone to do EVERYTHING in Your Business Besides Sales You’ve gotta focus on the key drivers of growth and the #1 item you must pay attention to is sales and revenue generation. Yes, payroll, expense tracking, web design, office organization etc are all important but having a clean desk or perfectly design Profit/Loss Statement won’t double your business in one year. Outsource clerical/admin tasks or hire someone to do them for you. You should be out in the field, giving estimates, talking to property managers for maintenance contracts, meeting contractors for landscaping work. 2.) Call Your 10 Dream Clients/Customers Which companies or persons would blow your business up if they became paying customers? Write them down — call them. Better yet, walk into their office and show them you mean business about doing business with them. If you listened to the last episode on guerrilla marketing you already have some tactical ideas for approaching property management companies and obtaining commercial contracts. 3.) Track Your Time and Work 8% More Per Day 8% is just 2 hours per day. That might mean cutting out some TV time or mindlessly fingering through magazines or watching sports highlights on YouTube, but the results of this ultra productivity will pay big dividends — not just financial ones either. Get your focus on time, it’ the one thing you got! Spend this time systemizing your business, generating leads, and working ON the business. 4.) Cut Your Monthly Expenses by 25% This is personal finance 101. Cutting back might mean selling the big house in the nice neighborhood or downsizing from the Mercedes E-Class to a Honda Accord. Or it might just mean not eating out and going to the movies 3-4 times/week. Decrease your expenses, limit you junk, live a more fulfilling life. 5.) Know You Numbers and Set Bench Marks If you want to go from $30K / year to $60K per year you will need to increase your income by $2500 per month. Set benchmarks. In the next 6 months you need to increase your monthly income by $1250. Seem hard? That just means you need to make $42 more each day. Know your numbers, break it down, set benchmarks.

You've hear the term a hundred times but today Mike gives some hardcore, real-life examples of guerrilla marketing that he is trying in his lawn care and landscaping business.

Nathan (a member of the course) won a live advising call with Mike. This is their conversation about standardized pricing and first year blues.

If you think that age, sex, race, religion, or anything else is keeping you from success this episode is for you. Yes, these are big issues and their are problems in our nation concerning them, but don't become a victim!!

There are three major categories that financing can fall into. SBA, equipment financing, and bootstrapping. Mike talks about them all today on the show, pointing out when they are most effectively used.

From now on the podcast will be different. Each week Mike will share longer form audio clips on the journey he is taking in his business... more specifically his landscaping and lawn care business. He will still share tips and actionable business advice, but it will be more informative and conversational now... less promotional.

Role of the Owner

Pricing Method

Employees and Leadership

Software Systems

Systems and Procedures

What do you do when a customer is dissatisfied or unhappy with your service? You have got to act quickly and communicate well to ensure you retain them as a customer for life.

P2P stands for people to people. You are not in the B2B (business to business) or the B2C (business to consumer) environment... Everyone is looking to make relationships with POEPLE, not corporations or brands.

Should you send overdue invoices to collections? Should you have contracts or charge per mowing service?

Now we actually talk about the process of MAKING MONEY. How you invoice is important and the type of payment methods you accept will determine whether or not you stand out.

Creating a tight mowing route is imperative if you want to make money mowing, and scheduling is important to make sure you can invoice accurately at the end of each month.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and you must have one to scale a successful landscaping business.

Mike tells you IF and WHY you need to start a website and develop an online presence.

Mike tells you why you should buy an enclosed trailer instead of an open air trailer.

Mike tells you the options and his suggestions for your first zero turn mower.

Mike tells you what type of mower you should buy when you first get started.