August 06, 2025

Interview Series - Brian Fullerton on the Landscaping Industry

51 minutes

In this episode, Marty is joined by Brian Fullerton of Brian's Lawn Maintenance. They discuss the landscaping industry as a whole, running a business while raising a family, and the challenges that they've both faced as business owners.

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Brian's Shop Tour at Grunder

Brian's Lawn Maintenance (YT Channel)

Marty's Turn to 2 Interview

00:00 - Introduction & Welcome

01:31 - Meet Brian Fullerton

02:31 - Brian’s Early Career and Challenges

05:41 - Changing Careers to Start Brian’s Lawn Maintenance

07:33 - Growth and Success

08:13 - Relatibility and Community Engagement

09:55 - Reflecting on Humble Beginnings

13:45 - Creating Content for Landscapers

22:08 - Lessons Learned: Leadership and Team Building

26:29 - Get Feedback From Your Team

29:46 - The Importance of Company Culture

33:10 - Common Mistakes in Landscaping

37:22 - Operational Efficiency and Morning Routines

39:30 - Takeaways from Visiting Grunder Landscaping

45:42 - Future Goals

49:58 - Please Share and Subscribe!

Show Notes

The Blade Sharpener Artifact – Found his original $20 blade sharpener from 20 years ago in mom's shed cleanup. "It felt like a memory... like an old warrior picking up his old sword." Keep reminders of your humble beginnings to stay grounded and grateful.

Humble Beginnings Build Character – Started cutting grass in trailer park in southeast Detroit with push mower at age 10-12. Had more cash than most 30-year-olds. Proves you don't need perfect circumstances to start building wealth through hard work.

The TruGreen "Baywatch Moment" – Watching two guys in shorts drinking Gatorade cut grass while he was in full PPE, rubber boots, tanker truck at 5 AM. Sometimes seeing what you don't want crystallizes what you do want.

Accidental Content Creation Success – Never intended to be a social media personality. Introvert who reluctantly started making videos to "leave breadcrumbs for the Brian's Lawn Maintenance of 10-15 years ago." Authenticity beats polish.

$600 Trailer Purchase Was Make-or-Break – That investment determined whether the family "ate steaks or pancakes that month." Early business decisions carry disproportionate weight when you're bootstrapping.

3.5 Million Podcast Downloads – Started podcast in 2020 during COVID when the choice was "TikTok or podcasting." Fullerton chose podcasting because "I'm not a 16-year-old girl." Built a massive following by staying relatable and helpful.

Turning Detractors Into Motivation – When launching a podcast, someone commented "Who are you? What do you know? Who's gonna listen to you?" Used screenshot of passing 3 million downloads to prove doubters wrong at live event.

Evolution from Self-Focus to Team-Focus – "What I realized about a year ago was, okay, good for us, but what about our guys?" Maturity means shifting from personal goals to creating opportunities for your team.

Culture is the Secret Ingredient – Successful companies feel like "brotherhood" vs "rank and file." Difference between 150 people who are "Spartans going to battle" vs just employees showing up.

Find People, Don't Train Attitudes – Marriott founder's wisdom: "We didn't teach them customer service. We found people that are like that, then taught them how to sell hotel rooms." Hire for character, train for skill.

Know Your Numbers or Fail – Biggest mistake landscapers make is not understanding finances. "What got you here won't get you there" - can't just outwork problems at $2-4 million level.

Value Stream Mapping Critical – Best companies load trucks overnight, fuel overnight, do vehicle checks, deploy teams by 7:02 AM. Every minute in the yard is non-billable time.

The Real Game is Profit – "Everything we do is for profit. With that profit, we can change the world." Business exists to create cash and cash flow to fund bigger purposes.

Leadership Insight: Let Team Push You – Best leaders aren't just pulling people up, they have team members who push them to higher levels. "Unused potential from your team" is a massive waste.

Morning Deployment Excellence – Most successful shops are "ghost towns" by 7:02 AM with trucks deployed. Loading, fueling, and prep done the night before maximizes billable hours.

Resources:

Virtual Sales Bootcamp

Grunder Landscaping Field Trips

The Grow Group

Grunder Landscaping

Marty Grunder LinkedIn

Stihl

...more

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By Marty Grunder

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