How2Exit: Buy, Don't Build - M&A of Small Businesses

E270: From Landscaping Hustle to Tech Empire: Bryan Clayton’s $90M GreenPal Revolution


Listen Later

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/e3HHrrIc4Hc

About the Guest: 
Bryan Clayton is the CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, a tech platform connecting homeowners with lawn care professionals. Before launching GreenPal, Clayton built and sold a successful landscaping business with over 150 employees. He’s an advocate for using technology to modernize service-based businesses and believes AI will dramatically reshape industries in the coming years.

Summary:
In this episode of How2Exit, host Ronald Skelton sits down with Bryan Clayton, CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, a platform often dubbed the "Uber for lawn care." Clayton shares his entrepreneurial journey, from a childhood forced into mowing lawns by his military father to scaling and selling a multimillion-dollar landscaping company. He discusses the challenges of selling a business, the emotional void that follows an exit, and how he transitioned into the tech space to launch GreenPal. The conversation dives deep into automation, AI’s impact on business, and how small service-based companies can leverage technology to scale efficiently.

Key Takeaways:
Forced Entrepreneurship Sparks Innovation: Clayton’s first business began out of necessity when his father made him mow lawns as a teenager. That small hustle turned into a multimillion-dollar landscaping business.

Scaling a Service Business is a Systematic Process: Building a large-scale landscaping company required Clayton to develop efficient processes, training programs, and a system for hiring and retaining workers.

Selling a Business Takes Preparation: It took Clayton two years—one to structure the business properly and another to find a buyer—to successfully sell his landscaping company.

The Emotional Impact of an Exit is Real: Clayton struggled with an identity crisis after selling his business, which eventually pushed him to start GreenPal.

AI and Automation Are Changing Business Operations: The discussion explores how AI is reshaping everything from customer acquisition to software development, making it easier to run lean and profitable companies.

Technology is Now Essential for Service Businesses: Small business owners who fail to adopt tech tools are operating as if it’s still the 1990s, missing opportunities to increase efficiency and profitability.

GreenPal Provides a Business-in-a-Box for Lawn Care Providers: The platform handles customer acquisition, scheduling, invoicing, and even upselling additional services for lawn care professionals.

Future-Proofing Means Staying Tech-Savvy: Clayton warns that service providers who resist technology will fall behind as AI and automation continue to accelerate business capabilities.
--------------------------------------------------
Contact Bryan on
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-clayton-a96b33214/
Website: https://www.yourgreenpal.com/
--------------------------------------------------
💰If you’d like additional ways to support this podcast, you can become a paid subscriber here: https://how2exit.substack.com/

►Visit Our Website: https://www.how2exit.com/

📧For Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Don't Forget to SUBSCRIBE to the How2Exit channel and press (🔔) to join the Notification Squad and stay updated with new uploads.✨

👇🏻SUBSCRIBE HERE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ONnhwaKSTPFt2nOxKoXXQ?sub_confirmation=1

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬...?
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
👍 Like the video (it helps a ton!)
💬 Comment below to share your opinion!
🔗 Share the video with anyone you think might help :) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
📱Stay Tuned On Our Social Media :
» Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronskelton/
» Twitter - https://twitter.com/ronaldskelton
» Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/How2Exit
» Newsletter - http://deeper.how2exit.com/

🎬SUGGESTED VIDEOS
Don't forget to watch 📽 Our other videos. Please check them out :

▶️Previous Episode: E269: How to Sell Your Business for Top Dollar – Secrets from an Acquisition Expert - https://youtu.be/XLZjRoLivJw

▶️E135: Sam Rosati On His Journey From Being A Lawyer To Becoming An Entrepreneur In The ETA Space - https://youtu.be/D2qJOidptRA

▶️E100: CEO Of Flippa Blake Hutchison Discusses Innovations In Buying And Selling Digital Assets - https://youtu.be/R1D5guQU9Z0

#How2Exit # # 💖Thanks for watching! 💖

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/how2exit-buy-don-t-build-m-a-of-small-businesses--4859429/support.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

How2Exit: Buy, Don't Build - M&A of Small BusinessesBy Ronald P. Skelton

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

9 ratings


More shows like How2Exit: Buy, Don't Build - M&A of Small Businesses

View all
Why That Worked  – Presented by StoryBrand.ai by StoryBrand.ai

Why That Worked – Presented by StoryBrand.ai

1,924 Listeners

Founders by David Senra

Founders

1,906 Listeners

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

2,316 Listeners

M&A Science by Kison Patel

M&A Science

123 Listeners

The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

The Game with Alex Hormozi

4,357 Listeners

My First Million by Hubspot Media

My First Million

2,620 Listeners

The Intrinsic Value Podcast - The Investor’s Podcast Network by The Investor's Podcast Network

The Intrinsic Value Podcast - The Investor’s Podcast Network

563 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

9,095 Listeners

Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating by Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley

Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating

243 Listeners

The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection by Alex Rawlings

The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

30 Listeners

Top M&A Entrepreneurs by Jon Stoddard

Top M&A Entrepreneurs

8 Listeners

Acquiring Minds by Will Smith

Acquiring Minds

249 Listeners

Piers Morgan Uncensored by Piers Morgan Uncensored

Piers Morgan Uncensored

331 Listeners

Masters in Small Business M&A by Peter Lehrman

Masters in Small Business M&A

13 Listeners

Moneywise by Hampton

Moneywise

645 Listeners