“I was all in—there was no turning back. It had to work, so we built it to work.” — Al Perreault of Green Collar Landscaping

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

MERX – Canada’s leading platform for accessing public and private procurement opportunities, including municipal landscape contracts.

Latham Pools – North America’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass pools. Green Collar became a certified installer in 2020 to expand construction offerings.

Google Ads – Used by Green Collar to target residential and commercial leads during seasonal slowdowns and market shifts.

Facebook & Instagram – Platforms used for increasing brand visibility and reaching residential landscaping customers

Topics Discussed:

[00:31] Intro – Rob welcomes Al Perreault of Green Collar
[01:06] The origin story – From weekend grass cutting to multi-million dollar growth
[03:19] The breaking point – When Al had to choose between a 9–5 and his business
[06:30] Going all-in – Scaling from 10 to 80 employees in under 5 years
[08:55] COVID pivot – Adding pool installs during lockdown and surviving material shortages
[10:43] The all-in-one advantage – Why customers prefer one company for everything
[11:41] Career building – Creating long-term jobs, not just seasonal gigs
[13:08] Leading from a distance – The surprising benefits of growing before going full-time
[15:57] Growth constraints – Why lack of process and culture holds companies back
[18:16] Internal growth – Promoting from within and creating pride in the team
[21:44] Core values – How they actually implemented them (not just posters)
[24:56] Vision casting – Communicating direction through casual, consistent check-ins
[27:31] Marketing in 2025 – Where Green Collar spends budget and why
[30:18] Commercial acquisition – How networking and performance lead to invites
[32:45] Building processes – Start with what keeps breaking
[36:42] Why landscaping – Loving the craft, building with pride, and mentoring the next gen

Actionable Key Takeaways:

Fix what keeps breaking. If it’s a recurring issue, build a system around it.

Use motivation wisely. Fueling at night works better because people want to go home.

Promote from within. It builds buy-in and makes employees proud to be part of growth.

Don’t overcomplicate it. Simple, useful processes beat complex ones that collect dust.

Communicate the vision. Whether it’s at a BBQ or team meeting, keep your team in the loop.

Be present—on purpose. Even if you lead from a distance, culture needs constant care.