Land It Podcast

Judson Lindner is running Lindner Land Services out of Giddings, Texas, the town he was born and raised in. One year in, he's doing land clearing, excavation, site prep, pad building, stock tanks and cattle guard restoration across Central Texas, and he's staying booked!

Josh sits down with Judson to talk about how a teenager actually breaks into the dirt world. Nobody's going to finance an 18 year old, so his parents played the bank. His girlfriend's parents sold him a starter skid steer and excavator package for what they still owed on it. Now he rents a dozer about four times a month and runs a 150 mile radius.

They get into how Judson splits the business between ranch work around Giddings and commercial pad work up near Bryan and College Station, why he prices those two markets differently, and how to build a stock tank that actually holds water (the last builder on one of his jobs put it on a hill). Judson also breaks down cattle guard restoration, a service most contractors never advertise, and how word of mouth has turned it into steady work.

On the sales side, they cover why you shouldn't try to compete with the cheap guys, how warranties and written contracts build trust with landowners, and why sending daily photo updates sells more jobs than any pitch. Then they look ahead: Judson's first full time hire, why sales has to stay out front as you scale, Josh's "shadow me, I shadow you, then I release you" approach to training operators, and where Lindner Land Services will be in five years.

If you're young and thinking about starting your own land clearing or excavation business, this one's for you.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Judson Lindner of Lindner Land Services
01:21 One year in: machines, crew and services
02:38 From an insurance desk job to the dirt world
03:28 The starter equipment deal that launched the business
04:33 Financing a land clearing business at 18
05:17 Skid steer, excavator and renting a dozer
06:28 Landing the first job
07:41 A 150 mile service radius
08:16 Diesel costs and raising the day rate
09:55 Ranch work in Giddings, commercial work in Bryan
11:17 Marketing tip: look at what's inside (and just outside) your radius
13:18 Rodeo roping and staying busy
13:44 How to build a stock tank that holds water
16:32 What a stock tank costs
16:54 Favorite jobs: fence line clearing vs. road building
18:00 Selling to ranchers and landowners
19:23 Don't compete with the cheap guys
22:40 Warranties on tanks and culverts
26:16 Pricing land clearing: day rate vs. per acre
27:30 Why Bryan pays more than Giddings
29:48 Stacking services into turnkey jobs
31:23 Cattle guard restoration explained
33:23 What a cattle guard restoration costs
34:49 Communication, contracts and showing up on time
36:44 Part time operators for bigger jobs
38:03 Leading a crew at 19 and an entrepreneur's risk tolerance
41:23 Biggest mistake so far
43:35 Work life balance when you're 19 and hustling
44:45 First full time hire: operator or sales?
45:47 Why sales has to stay out front as you scale
48:39 Founder syndrome and the fear of hiring
49:08 Shadow me, I shadow you, I release you
50:00 Lindner Land Services five years from now
50:37 Start young: investors invest in the person
52:42 Advice for young guys getting into the dirt world
53:46 Where to find Judson

CONNECT WITH JUDSON
Website: https://www.lindnerlandservices.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lindner-Land-Services/61582528013688/

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

Payton Wilson got turned down for a skid steer loan at 18 years old. He cowboyed for the next ten years. Then a buddy called him about an $80,000 job on a Bitcoin mine, and Payton bid the job before he owned a single machine. That one job paid for the skid steer, the mulcher and the trailer inside the first week.

Today Payton and his wife Katie run 4W Land Management Services across three Texas counties: land clearing, forestry mulching, excavation, demolition, drainage, pond builds, house pads and driveways. Twelve services on the website, and Payton explains exactly why that list keeps getting longer.

He walks through the bidding system he built after underpricing a job by 30 percent, where he gives the customer a capped day range and eats the overage himself. He breaks down how a two culvert phone call turned into four acres of clearing, a demo, a house pad, and a one acre pond turned into a two and a half acre lake, all without moving his equipment off the property. He also talks about subbing out a pond job at cost just so he could watch a veteran operator work and learn how to build one right.

Plus: why he calls his competitors instead of fighting them, what it actually takes to run a business with your spouse, and the advice he gives anyone who is six months out from buying their first machine.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Meet Payton and Katie Wilson of 4W Land Management
1:22 Turned down for a skid steer loan at 18
2:56 The phone call that started the company
5:02 The first job was a Bitcoin mine
7:30 How he got job two and job three
9:34 Why word of mouth dries up on everybody
12:03 The job he had no business taking
14:33 How he bids jobs now so nobody loses
19:39 Knowing when a job is too big for you
21:19 Competitors who send each other work
25:42 Running the business with his wife Katie
38:09 Why 4W lists twelve services
39:56 Stacking services on one mobilization
41:56 Subbing out a job just to learn from a veteran
46:55 Why single service companies are getting stuck
48:32 How two culverts turned into a full site job
51:53 Cold calling real estate agents for work
55:26 Sales is really just conversation
58:54 What to say when they ask you to go cheaper
1:01:11 Advice before you buy your first machine
1:03:57 Set aside double what you think maintenance costs
1:07:52 Make sure you actually like the work

CONNECT WITH PAYTON
4wlandmanagement.com
If you got something out of this one, leave a review and subscribe so more contractors find the show.

#landclearing #forestrymulching #excavation #demolition #contractorbusiness #dirtwork

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

Most land clearing and forestry mulching jobs are not lost on price. They are lost to the guy who quoted on the spot. LandWorkPro builds the bid off your own rates while you walk the property, then sends it, gets it signed, and takes the deposit before you leave the driveway.

LANDWORKPRO PROMO CODE: BLUEGOAT
Disclosure: Blue Goat Land Leads earns a commission when you sign up with promo code BLUEGOAT.
Start at https://landworkpro.com and use promo code BLUEGOAT.
You get the 7 day free trial PLUS A FREE MONTH on top, roughly 38 days to run LandWorkPro on real bids before you pay anything. No contracts and you can cancel anytime. Carson also backs it with a first month guarantee: if LandWorkPro does not win you a job in your first 30 days, he refunds it.

Carson Crews runs Clear Ground Land Co. in Middle Tennessee with his dad Jamie, a heavy equipment operator with more than 30 years behind the sticks. Carson handles the back end: marketing, lead flow, and the schedule. A few bids in, he got tired of duct taping Jobber, GoHighLevel, and a Google spreadsheet together just to price a job, so he built the tool he wanted. That tool is LandWorkPro.

WHAT LANDWORKPRO DOES
It started as a pricing and bidding tool and grew into a scheduler, CRM, pipeline, and expense tracker. The two features Josh kept coming back to were voice to bid and the satellite map. Voice to bid lets you hit record while walking the property with the customer, then builds the quote from your own onboarding numbers. The satellite map lets you draw the exact work area on the customer's parcel, and that marked photo rides along on the quote, which kills the he said she said before anybody signs. Every account gets its own business number, so the bid texts itself the moment you approve it.

THE PART THAT APPLIES TO EVERYBODY
The most useful stretch of this episode has nothing to do with software. Carson breaks down the costs operators leave out of their day rate: maintenance, teeth on the mulcher head, insurance, marketing spend, and the line items that explain why a contractor can run twice the jobs and barely move his profit. His advice for anyone flying blind: figure out your true daily cost before you run your first job, because setting the foundation wrong is hard to dig out of later. Then do good work and go a mile past what you quoted, because in this trade reputation moves faster than marketing does.

LANDWORKPRO PROMO CODE: BLUEGOAT
https://landworkpro.com with code BLUEGOAT gets you the 7 day trial PLUS A FREE MONTH ON TOP. No contracts, cancel anytime.

GUEST
Carson Crews, Clear Ground Land Co. and founder of LandWorkPro
https://landworkpro.com

Subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Carson Crews and Clear Ground Land Co.
01:24 Starting a forestry mulching company with his dad
04:37 Renting the first machine instead of buying
05:37 Running a Cat 299D3 and what it clears in a day
06:49 Working with family and playing to strengths
09:36 Where LandWorkPro came from
11:26 Duct taping Jobber, GoHighLevel, and a spreadsheet
12:47 LandWorkPro as scheduler, CRM, and expense tracker
15:14 Voice to bid and the problem it solves
16:41 Your numbers, not a national average
19:22 Why excavation and demolition require a site walk
21:47 Satellite parcel maps and killing scope creep
25:52 The hardest feature to get right
29:49 The costs contractors forget to price in
31:46 LandWorkPro plans and pricing
35:07 White glove onboarding and the 30 day guarantee
38:58 Advice for the operator flying blind on his numbers
41:13 Where to find LandWorkPro and the BLUEGOAT promo code
45:32 Paid in full in 77 seconds

#landworkpro #landclearing #forestrymulching #excavation #dirtwork #landitpodcast

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

Justin Eberly of Eberly Earthworks joins the Land It Podcast to talk about building a land clearing, forestry mulching, site prep, grading, demolition and excavation business from the ground up.

Justin spent eight years doing industrial HVAC test and balance work before officially launching his own company in 2025. In this conversation he walks through how he built his day rate from real machine, fuel and wear part costs instead of guessing, why he turned down a large subdivision development job that was already his to take, and the skid steer that died on the trailer an hour and a half from home with a month and a half of work already booked behind it.

The center of the episode is one question Justin asks on almost every job: what is your intent for this property? On one recent job that single question moved a $2,200 mulching quote to roughly $40,000 gross by adding tree removal, stump work, dirt haul, a pad site and a driveway. Host Josh points out it is the same move that separates the land clearing contractors who stay flat from the ones who scale.

Justin and Josh also get into the math of hiring your first employee and why adding three guys can leave you making the same money with a lot more responsibility, when it actually makes sense to travel for a job, how the name on your truck can quietly limit what customers think you do, and why Justin waited six months to invest in marketing and would not do it that way again.

Josh writes about this same playbook in Land It in the Dirt World: Digital Marketing Playbook for Land Clearing, Excavation, and Demolition Contractors, available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:37 Eight years in industrial HVAC before the jump
02:42 The opening that made it possible to leave the job
06:24 A sole operator serving landowners and ranches
09:11 Weather, scheduling and why not to overbook
10:38 Turning down a big subdivision job
13:51 How Justin built his day rate from real costs
16:02 When it makes sense to travel for a job
19:30 Fuel, wear parts and what it really costs to run equipment
21:47 The skid steer that died on the trailer
24:07 The upsell question: what is your intent for this property?
26:57 From a $2,200 mulching job to a $40,000 site prep job
29:12 Why the smaller operator still has a niche
31:26 How to scale from a one man crew
37:16 Hiring to free up time and increase production
39:37 The real constraint on taking more work
43:33 Naming your company so it does not box you in
45:45 Where the business goes in the next five years
50:57 Do not be afraid to invest in marketing
55:22 Half a million views and zero jobs
57:22 Why drone and jobsite footage matter now
59:09 Wrap up

Subscribe to the Land It Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or YouTube at youtube.com/@LandItPodcast. If the show helps you, leaving a review makes it easier for other dirt world business owners to find it.

CONNECT WITH JUSTIN
Eberly Earthworks — land clearing, forestry mulching, site prep and grading, demolition, excavation and pond building in Conroe and across the greater Houston area.
https://www.eberlyearthworks.com/

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

What actually works in marketing for land clearing, excavation, forestry mulching and demolition contractors? After more than 100 dirt world clients, we have a pretty clear answer, and this episode is us handing it over.

Josh brings on Amanda Kroeker, Operations Director at Blue Goat Land Leads, for her first time on the show. Amanda oversees a team of 18 marketing pros focused on what works for getting the phone ringing in the dirt world and has worked with well over a hundred contractors in this industry. She sees what separates the guys whose phones ring from the guys who quit after two weeks and call marketing a scam.

This is not a sales pitch and it is not theory. Almost everything in here is something you can go do yourself without hiring anybody.

STUFF YOU CAN GO FIX THIS WEEK
Run the Saturday Test: call your own number, fill out your own form, see what a real customer experiences
Confirm the phone number on your website actually rings your phone
Open your website on your phone, not your desktop, since 80 to 90 percent of visitors are mobile
Fix your Google Business Profile primary category, which is wrong more often than you would believe
Get back to every lead inside five minutes, or set up an auto text that buys you time
Work the leads you gave up on after one attempt, because most buyers need five or more touches
Make your name, address, phone, website and hours identical everywhere online
Ask for the review at job close or before the final invoice, and reply to every one
Put pricing ranges on your website with a disclaimer and get found in AI search faster
Shoot job site video on your phone and stop waiting on a videographer

THE BOOK IS OUT
Land It in the Dirt World: Digital Marketing Playbook for Land Clearing, Excavation, and Demolition Contractors is live on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

Same playbook we run for our own clients, written so you can do it yourself. Every chapter ends with real action items plus a pro tip for guys who want to run it at a higher level. Websites, Google Maps, SEO, Facebook and Google ads, video marketing, AI search and follow up systems.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome and why this episode is different
03:58 Why we wrote Land It in the Dirt World
04:07 If you have no digital presence, you basically do not exist
08:05 What the most successful dirt world contractors have in common
09:20 Josh texted 10 contractors. Only 4 ever called back
13:06 The number one reason campaigns underperform
14:11 Tagging leads good, bad and ugly, plus the 5 touch follow up rule
19:18 Market, message and media: the rule most clients ignore
20:20 What actually makes you different, and why it is not price
23:13 The Saturday Test: go be your own customer
25:12 Your website is your number one salesperson
30:32 Pro tip: build for mobile first
33:11 Google Maps and reviews
37:04 Choosing the right primary category on your Google profile
39:25 Where ads fit: Google, Facebook and YouTube
43:35 Why dirt work video works and why you should not wait on a videographer
44:58 AI search and why there is no such thing as ranking in AI
48:53 Why Reddit matters more than you think
50:31 NAP consistency and the two things most people forget
51:53 Pro tip: put your pricing on your website
56:09 Small budget? Here is where to spend it first
58:29 Financing: sell the monthly payment, not the total
01:03:26 The most misunderstood thing about marketing in this industry
01:08:09 Does any of this work if you are not in dirt work?
01:10:01 Closing
Would rather hand it all off than do it yourself? Book a free demo at landclearinginsights.com

Enjoying the show? Leave a rating and review. It helps other dirt world guys find us.

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

"Monday morning you're gonna have $300,000 in your bank account, and Wednesday you're gonna have six nickels. And payroll's on Friday, and you gotta figure it out."

Scott started Clear Grade Contracting with about $800, a 40 foot camper, and no plan. His wife worked three jobs. Four months in, they were talking about bankruptcy. Then he put $2,000 on a credit card for Google Ads, leaned into asphalt paving, and did $1.8 million in eight months.

In this episode of the Land It Podcast, host Josh Stockel talks with Scott, a 13th generation dirt worker out of Jefferson, Georgia, about the things that actually kill new land clearing and excavation companies in the first 24 months, and what it took to get through them.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why merchant cash advances are predatory lending, how they levy your bank account, and who is really behind them
• Business auto credit: the one thing to set up on day one that banks and dealers actually look at, no matter how much revenue you show them
• How Net 30 accounts with quarries and supply houses cut Scott's rock cost nearly in half
• The legal exposure of mixing personal and business funds, including theft of payments for real property improvements
• Why paving ads produced a return when clearing and forestry mulching ads never did
• Georgia's land disturbance permit and GSWCC requirements, and how they change your real cost per acre
• Why bidding $5,500 an acre loses money once you count mobilization, erosion control, dumpsters, fuel, and knives
• How to figure your true monthly overhead carry, including the 10 percent you should be setting aside for breakdowns
• The labor crisis in the dirt world, and why Scott hires 16 to 18 year olds and trains them from the ground up

If you're in your first two years of a land clearing, forestry mulching, excavation, grading, demolition, or paving business, or you're thinking about quitting your job to start one, listen to this before you sign anything.

Chapters

00:00 Cold open: do not fall for an MCA 
00:15 Meet Scott of Clear Grade Contracting 
00:51 13 generations in the dirt world 
02:43 Starting the business with $800 and a camper 
06:27 The bonfire conversation that landed a $25,000 job 
09:47 Getting approved for the tractor with no money down 
12:20 The pivot to asphalt paving and $1.8 million in eight months 
15:10 Why Google Ads worked for paving but not for clearing 
15:57 Georgia permits, erosion control, and real cost per acre 
17:20 Why $15,000 an acre is the honest number 
20:00 Hobbyists, side gig guys, and the race to the bottom 
22:22 How to sell against the $150 an hour competitor 
26:04 Overhead, breakdowns, and knowing your true monthly carry 
30:09 The biggest bottleneck to growth right now 
33:37 The labor crisis: retiring veterans, job hoppers, and green operators 
38:28 Hiring teenagers and building loyalty 
01:01:04 Conversion of funds and separating personal from business 
01:03:00 Advice for anyone starting a dirt work business 
01:04:00 Business auto credit and why lenders don't care about your revenue 01:06:30 Net 30 accounts and cutting your rock cost in half 
01:09:15 From Chapter 13 and $100 to $1.6 million 
01:14:16 Merchant cash advances: how the trap actually works 
01:18:41 Where to find Clear Grade Contracting

Guest: Scott, Clear Grade Contracting, Jefferson, GA Website: https://www.cleargradecontracting.com

Hosted by Josh Stockel of Blue Goat Land Leads.

Enjoying the show? Leave a review on Apple or Spotify, and subscribe on YouTube. It's how other contractors find us.

#LandClearing #Excavation #Demolition #ForestryMulching #Grading #AsphaltPaving #ContractorBusiness #DirtWorld

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

What happens when a tech executive and a high-end residential craftsman go 50/50 on a land and site work company in Texas? You get TexTerra Solutions — a systems-driven, culture-first operation that's rewriting what it means to run a professional excavation and land clearing business.

In this episode you'll learn:

· How to structure a 50/50 partnership in a land clearing and excavation business
· Why a holding company can separate equipment ownership from operations
· How to position yourself as an exterior GC instead of just another sub
· Why your back office and invoicing are a competitive advantage
· How TexTerra flipped from 92% B2B revenue to 76% B2C in one year
· How AI is being used as a strategic tool for small contractors
· Why change management matters when rolling out new technology
· How one job more than doubled their entire marketing and ad spend investment
· Why a CRM is critical for scaling blue collar sales teams

Whether you're starting a land clearing company, scaling an excavation business, or figuring out how to use AI and technology in the trades, this episode gives real-world insights from contractors actively building and scaling their business.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro 

01:00 Meet Charlie & Colton: What TexTerra Solutions Does 

04:12 How a Tech Career & Dirt World Experience Became a Partnership 

09:51 Structuring a 50/50 Ownership: Holding Company & Equipment 

13:39 The Exterior GC Pitch: "Everything from the Gate to the Porch" 

15:35 Vendor vs. Partner: Winning Long-Term Builder Relationships 

17:30 "Show Your Work" — Why Presentation Wins More Jobs Than Price 

21:40 Net Positive on Site & Invoicing as Marketing 

29:54 Be Perceived as Different Before You Can Be Perceived as Better 

30:46 Revenue Flip: 92% B2B to 76% B2C Through Marketing & Automation 

34:26 Speed to Get Paid: Why B2C Cash Flow Changes the Game 

39:47 The 24-Hour Pivot: Solving Problems Fast in a Small Business 

42:33 AI in the Dirt World: Practical Use Cases for Small Contractors 

48:55 AI Agents & Replacing Office Hats Without Hiring 

56:29 The Legacy Project: Next-Gen Tradesmen & Business Acquisitions 

59:11 Where Marketing Fits: Awareness, Automation, & Qualified Leads 

1:01:05 Marketing ROI: One Job Doubled Their Entire Ad Spend 

1:02:43 Why a CRM Matters for Blue Collar Sales Teams 

1:08:48 Lead Attribution: Knowing Where Every Dollar Comes From 

1:13:32 Wildest Field Story: Almost Drove a Skid Steer into a Septic Tank

About the Land It Podcast

The Land It Podcast is where dirt work meets real talk.

Hosted by Josh Stockel, founder of Blue Goat Land Leads, the show features conversations with contractors in the land clearing, forestry mulching, excavation, and demolition industries.

Each episode breaks down what it actually takes to start, grow, and scale a dirt work business.

⭐ CONNECT WITH BLUE GOAT LAND LEADS & THE LAND IT PODCAST

📺 Blue Goat Land Leads YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlueGoatLandLeads

🎙 Land It Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LandItPodcast

🧑 CONNECT WITH TODAY'S GUESTS — CHARLIE LISK & COLTON CUNNINGHAM (TexTerra Solutions)

🌐 Website: https://texterrasolutions.com 

📘 Facebook: @TexTerra Solutions 

📸 Instagram: @texterra_solutions

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

How do you price forestry mulching and land clearing jobs the right way?

In this episode of the Land It Podcast, Josh Stockel talks with Noah Baldwin and Robert Moeller of Bad Hog Land Clearing about what it takes to build a successful land clearing business.

After working for another contractor, Noah and Robert decided to start their own company and run it with a different approach focused on integrity, quality work, and long-term growth.

They share the lessons they learned during their first few years in business — including equipment decisions, pricing strategies, and the mistakes that cost them money early on.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to price forestry mulching jobs correctly
 • Why many contractors bid jobs too cheap
 • How to calculate the real operating cost of your equipment
 • What factors affect land clearing pricing
 • The hidden costs contractors forget when bidding jobs
 • Why forestry mulching is often the most profitable service
 • The difference between buying leads and building real marketing

If you're starting or growing a land clearing, forestry mulching, excavation, or demolition company, this episode is packed with practical insights from contractors working in the field every day.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
 01:05 How Bad Hog Land Clearing started
 05:00 Starting with rental equipment
 07:30 Upgrading to a forestry mulching machine
 13:30 Biggest pricing mistake new contractors make
 16:00 How to price forestry mulching jobs
 20:00 Average day rates in land clearing
 26:30 Factors that affect pricing
 31:00 Hidden equipment costs
 33:00 Most profitable land clearing services
 36:30 Marketing and lead generation
 48:00 Scaling the business

CONNECT WITH NOAH AND ROBERT
Bad Hog Land Clearing — forestry mulching, land clearing, site prep, driveways and access roads, fire break mitigation, light demolition and excavation in Wimberley, San Marcos and across the Texas Hill Country.
https://www.badhoglandclearing.com/

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

Most contractors think insurance is just a formality—until an avoidable loss, equipment failure, or repeat claim sends premiums through the roof.

In this episode, Josh sits down with John Adams, owner of West Pecan Field Services, who evaluates hundreds of operations every year and helps contractors eliminate blind spots, reduce risk, and keep more profit inside the business.

John breaks down the simple habits, documentation practices, and operational tweaks that save contractors thousands—whether you’re an owner-operator or running multiple crews.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The biggest hidden costs contractors overlook
• Why equipment strikes and small damages compound over time
• The most important habit that lowers insurance premiums
• What underwriters really look for (and why they raise rates)
• How poor documentation destroys your loss run history
• Why repeat claim patterns cost more than the claims themselves
• How a simple 30-minute assessment can save thousands

This is a must-listen if you want to run a cleaner, safer, more profitable dirt-world operation.

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – John Adams (West Pecan Field Services)

🌐 Website: https://www.wpfieldsvcs.com/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wpfieldsvcs

🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/wpfieldsvcs

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wpfieldsvcs

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wpfieldsvcs

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/

In this episode of The Land It Podcast, host Josh Stockel sits down with Dave Jacobus, owner of HLC Site Services, to talk about what it really takes to build and scale a commercial site work company that stands the test of time.

Dave started mowing lawns in high school and now runs a respected commercial grading and site development company with multiple crews across North Carolina and beyond for the last 20 years. He shares how relationships and reputation have brought in more work than any ad campaign, what he learned transitioning from residential to commercial projects, and how he keeps operations running smoothly with a lean team.

If you’re a land clearing, excavation, or site development contractor looking to grow your business with steady commercial work, this episode shows exactly how to do it the right way — by earning trust, building relationships, and delivering results.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• How to grow from small residential jobs to commercial contracts
• Why relationships and reputation create consistent work
• Managing multiple crews without losing control
• Avoiding bad clients and burnout as you scale
• Lessons from 20 years of real-world dirt work

Connect with HLC Site Services:
🌐 https://hlcssi.com

🎧 Subscribe to The Land It Podcast — where dirt work meets real talk.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro & Dave’s Background
02:00 – From Lawn Care to Site Work
05:00 – Managing Crews and Operations
09:00 – Shifting from Residential to Commercial Work
11:00 – How to Land and Keep Commercial Jobs
13:00 – The Power of Relationships and Reputation
17:00 – Lessons from 20+ Years in the Industry
22:00 – Building Supplier and Vendor Relationships
25:00 – Smart Growth & Final Takeaways

CONNECT WITH DAVE
HLC Site Services — commercial land clearing and grading, erosion, drainage and site restoration, stormwater and retaining structures, gravel and concrete installation across North Carolina.
https://hlcssi.com/

THE LAND IT PODCAST
Every episode, guest links and show notes in one place.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/

WANT TO BE A GUEST?
Have a story another dirt world owner could learn from? Tell Josh about it.
https://thelanditpodcast.com/guest

GET THE BOOK
Land It in the Dirt World, the marketing playbook for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6698DPX

LIST YOUR COMPANY
The Dirt World Directory, a national directory for land clearing, excavation and demolition contractors.
https://dirtworkdirectory.com/

MORE FOR DIRT WORLD CONTRACTORS
Guides, tools and marketing help from Blue Goat Land Leads.
https://www.landclearinginsights.com/