In this episode Jason Cromley talks about the community he discovered by attending the GROW! Annual Conference, what it was like to host the conference, and what they've been up to in the six months since they hosted the tour during GROW! 2025. Jason shares how they're finding leads, what challenges the team is navigating this year, and what he hopes to see in the future for Hidden Creek Landscaping.

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Episode Chapters:

00:00 - Episode Intro

00:57 - The Importance of Walking & Routines

01:54 - Jason Cromley: Updates and Insights

02:56 - Reflections on Hosting Grow

07:02 - Sales Goals and Marketing Strategies

12:47 - Operations and Hiring Challenges

19:43 - Sales Challenges and Client Follow-Up

21:16 - Importance of Client Referrals

25:18 - Marketing Success and Peer Group Insights

26:51 - Operational Improvements and SOPs

28:05 - Role of a Fractional COO

31:30 - Networking and Industry Involvement

36:39 - Planning for Future Growth

38:56 - Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Resources:

Virtual Sales Bootcamp  

Grunder Landscaping Field Trips  

The Grow Group   

Grunder Landscaping   

Marty Grunder LinkedIn  

Stihl  

Show Notes:

The Power of Walking: Marty emphasizes the importance of movement and walking for business leaders, describing it as essential for physical health and mental clarity. He shares his personal struggle with maintaining step counts but acknowledges walking as a "cleansing experience" that enables better thinking and decision-making.

Jason's Morning Routine and Recovery: Jason details his disciplined morning routine: treadmill at 5:30 AM, followed by 20 minutes in the sauna and cold plunge. This routine serves as his "sanity" and creates a "proactive brain versus reactive brain" - essential preparation before entering the office where he becomes more reactive to daily demands.

Post-Grow Event Reflection (180 Days Later)

The Immediate Aftermath: Jason describes the post-event experience as similar to "your only kid getting married" - a massive buildup followed by an empty feeling of "what are we supposed to do now?" The team experienced a brief identity crisis after such an intense preparation period.

The Real Value: Preparation Process: The most impactful aspect wasn't the event itself but the preparation process. Creating PowerPoints, preparing slides, and readying the facility generated immense pride throughout the organization. The preparation forced deep self-examination of company processes and aspirational thinking.

Vision Casting Through Presentation Prep: Jason asked his team post-event: "How amazing would Hidden Creek be if you guys did everything that you said in the slides you presented?" The response: "We'd be amazing." This revealed that the slides represented their ideal daily operations, unclouded by typical distractions and fires.

Financial Performance and Sales Pipeline

2024 Revenue Target vs. Reality

Goal: $27 million

Projected: $25+ million (falling short due to poor Q1 backlog)

Current Pipeline: $20+ million for 2025 (design-build only, excluding maintenance)

Lead Generation Success

Jason reports receiving more leads than ever in the company's 27-year history, attributing success to:

Custom Direct Mail Campaign: Targeted 5,000+ homes ($1M+ value, no pools, near golf courses)

Unique Mailer Design: Above-and-beyond piece that friends texted about, generating calls three weeks later

Results: Five design fees sold totaling $20,000+, each representing $250K-$350K projects

Google Pay-Per-Click: Expensive but effective for volume (though lower quality leads)

Referrals and SEO: 45 qualified leads in a single week

The Compound Effect of Reputation: Marty emphasizes that after 27 years in business, reputation creates momentum: "The work you're doing today is selling tomorrow's work." This compound effect of consistent quality and integrity becomes a significant competitive advantage.

Operational Challenges and Solutions

Hiring and Staffing Philosophy

Current Status: Nearly fully staffed with only one deficit

Strategic Approach: Taking time to find the "perfect fit" rather than panic hiring

Assessment Tools: DISC assessments for office staff, thorough reference checks

Reality Check: "When you do an interview, that is the absolute best that person will ever be"

The Growth Pain Paradox: Both Marty and Jason acknowledge that rapid growth creates personnel challenges. Some employees who were effective at smaller scales struggle with increased pace and accountability. This leads to "friendly separations" with people who can't adapt to higher performance standards.

Team Expectations and Standards: Jason uses the analogy that Hidden Creek is "the Ohio State football team" - they want to win the national championship every year, and everyone wants to beat them. This high-performance expectation means not everyone is a cultural fit.

Customer Service and Quality Control

The "Feeling Heard" Problem: Both leaders discuss recent customer complaints, identifying a common theme: clients didn't feel heard when issues arose. The problem wasn't necessarily the quality of work but the speed and quality of response to concerns.

Sales Follow-Through Issues: Marty identifies a critical gap: salespeople not maintaining client relationships post-sale. Example: Two cracked pavers requiring three client calls to address, with scheduling treating it as routine rather than emergency. The solution requires salespeople to either escalate properly or handle minor issues personally.

Client Visit Strategy: Jason implements Saturday morning job site visits with donuts, describing these as his "happy place" and "inner spirit." This personal touch reinforces quality standards and demonstrates leadership presence.

Strategic Improvements and Systems

Marketing Evolution: Jason credits improved marketing with lead generation success, specifically the targeted direct mail campaign that generated responses weeks after delivery, indicating recipients kept and considered the materials.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Focus on creating consistency across all departments:

Design Handoff Process: Eliminating the "figure it out on the fly" mentality

Project Startup and Closeout: Standardized processes across all teams

Unified Approach: Moving from independent business owners within the company to "franchises of Hidden Creek"

Fractional COO Implementation: Jason hired a fractional COO (one day per week) to:

Manage communication with four direct reports

Filter Jason's numerous ideas before they create organizational noise

Serve as a sounding board for major decisions (acquisitions, new locations, system changes)

Follow up on tasks and ensure accountability

After Action Reviews (AARs): Implementing military-style debriefs after every major project to assess:

What worked financially

What worked operationally

What worked in sales

Areas for improvement

This systematic approach to learning from both successes and failures drives continuous improvement.

Leadership Philosophy and Personal Balance

Jason's Guts and Determination: Marty praises Jason's courage in delivering the same presentation 17 times during Grow while recovering from knee surgery, maintaining family commitments (setting up kids at Boston College and Loyola Chicago), and continuing to prioritize his marriage.

The Inspiration Effect: Marty describes how Jason's example indirectly pushes him to maintain high standards in his own life and business, demonstrating the power of peer influence in the landscape industry community.

Future Vision: Mobile Office Concept: Jason's aspirational goal: a Mercedes bus with computers and TVs, allowing him to spend most days on job sites rather than in the office. This would enable direct client interaction and crew engagement while maintaining mobile productivity.

Industry Insights and Peer Group Learning

Economic Timing and Opportunity: Jason's peer group (12 major players from different metropolitan areas, combined revenue over $200 million) reports increased leads across all markets, suggesting favorable economic conditions that should be maximized.

Planning and Backlog Strategy

Both leaders emphasize the critical importance of:

Building backlog for confidence and proactive decision-making

Starting 2026 budgeting in September 2025

Selling through Q2 2026 by end of October 2025

Planning conversations about 2027 while executing 2025

Key Takeaways for Landscape Professionals

The Compound Effect

Reputation builds over decades through consistent quality work

Current work quality directly influences future sales opportunities

Word-of-mouth and referrals become increasingly powerful over time

Growth Management

Not everyone can scale with rapid growth - this is normal

Hire slow, fire fast when growth demands exceed individual capacity

Implement systems and SOPs to maintain quality during expansion

Client Relationship Management

Post-sale service often more important than initial sale quality

Clients primarily want to feel heard when issues arise

Salespeople must maintain relationships throughout project lifecycle

Strategic Planning

Start planning next year during current year's execution

Build backlog to enable proactive rather than reactive decision-making

Regular after-action reviews drive continuous improvement

Leadership Development

Personal routines and habits directly impact business performance

Peer groups and industry events provide inspiration and accountability

Balance personal life excellence with business achievement for sustainable success