Melissa Blake, with Bates Landscaping, looks at a laminated sheet listing her dream clients, and she carries it with her every single day. In Part 1 of this conversation, host Chris Psencik and Melissa dig into what commercial maintenance business development actually looks like on the ground. It's time-blocking your week into create, advance, and close new clients, and using LinkedIn to get ahead of relationship changes. She also shares how she knows when to walk away from a prospect and when to never give up. This is a real, specific, steal-it-today conversation about the front half of the commercial sales cycle.

THE BIG IDEA:

A Laminated List, a Blocked Calendar, and a CRM: The Unglamorous Infrastructure Behind Elite Commercial Sales

KEY MOMENTS:

[02:00] Bates Landscaping: Chester Springs PA, HOA-Focused, Commercial Snow and Maintenance [06:30] What You Don't See: The 3, 6, and 12 Months of Work Behind Every New Contract [09:00] The Laminated Target List: How Melissa Starts Every Year With a Strategic Hit List [12:00] When to Slow Down — and When to Never Give Up on a Prospect [17:00] Vetting Prospects: How to Build a Target List That Matches the Company Vision [20:30] Handling Inbound Leads That Aren't the Right Fit — Professionally [24:30] Getting in Front of Decision-Makers Before You Submit [25:30] "Compared to What?" — How Melissa Responds When She's the High Bid

Questions we answer.

1. What does a commercial maintenance business developer actually do with their time each week?

2. What is the create / advance / close framework and how do I apply it to my own schedule?

3. How do I build an annual target list — and how specific should it be?

4. What's the best way to track prospects, touchpoints, and pipeline without losing the personal touch?

5. How do I know when to keep pursuing a prospect and when to pull back?

6. What's the difference between a hunter and a farmer — and why does it matter for how I structure my team?

7. Should my account managers also be developing new business? Where's the line?

8. How do I qualify inbound leads without burning bridges with prospects who aren't the right fit?

9. How do I make sure I'm not just another line on the page when responding to an RFP?

10. What's the right way to respond when a prospect tells you you're the highest bid?

Every growing landscape company hits a wall. The owner is doing sales, operations, and admin all at once and the business starts to cap out. In this episode of Roots of Success, McFarlin Stanford Founding Principal Jason New breaks down one of the most common owner blind spots: not having a hiring roadmap. Jason walks through exactly which roles to separate and when: from the first split between sales and operations at $3–5M, to the construction and maintenance-specific roles that unlock $10M and $15M. This episode is practical, specific, and built on McFarlin Stanford's experience working with hundreds of landscape companies.

THE BIG IDEA: The Hats You're Still Wearing Are Probably the Reason You've Stopped Growing

KEY MOMENTS:

• [00:45] The Core Problem: Owners Do Everything — Sales, Operations, Admin — and Eventually Hit a Wall

• [02:30] The First Separation: Who Manages the Work You're Selling?

• [03:00] The $3M–$5M Playbook: First Operational Hire, First Office Manager

• [05:30] From $5M to $10M: Separating the Roles More Deliberately

• [06:00] Construction at $10M: Design/Build Salesperson, Project Manager, and Field Superintendent

• [07:30] Maintenance at $10M: Business Developer, Operations/Production Manager, and Account Manager

• [10:00] Finance at $10M: Why Your Office Manager Can't Scale With You Forever

• [11:30] From $10M to $15M: New Specialty Roles That Start to Emerge

• [14:30] Maintenance Leadership at Scale: Why You Need a Division Manager Earlier Than You Think

• [16:00] The Ask: Think in Three-Year Windows, Not Just the Next Hire

Questions we answer.

1. How do I know when it's time to hire my next person?

2. What's the first role I should separate when I'm trying to get out of doing everything myself?

3. What does a $3M–$5M landscape company org structure look like?

4. How does the team structure need to change going from $5M to $10M?

5. What's the difference between a project manager, field superintendent, and account manager?

6. Why does a maintenance company need a division manager at a lower revenue threshold than construction?

7. What does a business developer actually do — and is it a full-time role?

8. When does it make sense to hire an estimator vs. having salespeople estimate their own work?

9. What does a finance manager or controller do that an office manager can't?

10. How do I build a three-year hiring roadmap instead of just reacting when things break?

11. What are the most common hiring mistakes owners make as they scale from $5M to $15M?

Investing in your team and leveraging their strengths really does pay off. In this episode of Roots of Success, Tracy Wallingford sits down with Steve and Anne Scarcella, ACE Ambassadors of the Year and co-owners of Brothers Lawn Services in Youngsville, Louisiana, to walk through three years of CliftonStrengths work, annual team off-sites, and what it actually takes to build a 65-person team where people thrive in their strengths instead of grinding through their weaknesses. This is one of the most honest and practical conversations we've had about what real team development looks like, not as a program, but as a practice.

THE BIG IDEA:

A Strength Is Only an Advantage When You're Aware Enough to Use It Intentionally

KEY MOMENTS:

• [01:00] Brothers by the Numbers: 65 Employees, a Second Division in Baton Rouge, and a Team You Actually Want to See Every Day

• [05:30] Opposites Attract — and Then They Build a Business Together

• [07:30] Steve's Activator in Action: How a High-Speed Strength Gets Slowed Down (in a Good Way) by the Team

• [11:00] What Led Brothers to Do Their First Team Off-Site — and What Off-Sites Expose

• [15:00] Anne on Planning: Start in October, Find the House First, Build From There

• [18:30] Budget, Dietary Restrictions, and the Art of Planning for 20 People (Without Herding Cats)

• [22:30] "I've Been Seen": What the Team Took Away From That First Session

• [26:30] A Strength Can Be a Weakness: Steve on Competition as a Blinder

• [31:00] Navigating Tenured Employees Who Were Skeptical of the New Language

• [34:30] Why They've Done the Strengths Session Twice With Nearly the Same People and Both Times Were Worth It

• [38:00] Going Mobile: Why the Best One-on-Ones Don't Happen in an Office

Questions we answer.

1. What is CliftonStrengths and how do you actually use it with a landscape team?

1. What does it look like to take strengths work beyond a single session and make it a living practice?

1. How do you build a team off-site that's both fun and actually beneficial to the business?

1. When should you start planning a team off-site, and what should you think about first?

1. Why does staying together (not in a hotel) change the off-site experience?

1. How do you bring a vendor or peer visit into a team off-site without it feeling forced?

1. What is the "What I Need From You" exercise and how do you use it?

1. How do you handle long-tenured employees who are skeptical of new culture initiatives?

1. Why is knowing each other's strengths more important than having a specific set of them?

1. How do you keep strengths language alive between sessions and off-sites?

What does it look like to build a company the right way — not the fastest way? In this episode of Roots of Success, host Chris Psencik reconnects with one of his oldest friends in the industry, Kyle Cahill, founder of Grown Company in Houston and newly elected Chair of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association (TNLA). Kyle shares the full story: launching a company two weeks before his first daughter was born, losing $5,000 on his first big job, running the business out of his driveway, and eventually earning recognition as one of Houston's top family-owned businesses. From talent retention and strategic planning to water legislation and the future of the green industry in Texas, this conversation covers the full picture of what it means to build something that lasts.

THE BIG IDEA:

Being Present Matters More Than Being Impressive

KEY MOMENTS:

• [03:30] Growing Up in Beaumont, Mowing Yards, and Discovering Horticulture at Texas A&M

• [08:30] Early Leadership Lessons at Southern Botanical: You Get to Make That Mistake Once

• [10:00] The Value of Certifications, TNLA Committees, and Emotional Intelligence Early in Your Career

• [14:30] The Role of Kyle's Wife Susanna: Faith, Sacrifice, and the Real Foundation of the Company

• [21:00] Houston's Family-Owned Business of the Year: What That Award Really Meant

• [25:30] The Biggest Concern: The Talent Pipeline

• [30:30] Newly Elected Chair of TNLA: What It Means and What He Plans to Do

• [37:00] Growing TNLA Membership: Meeting Landscape Firms and Growers Where They Are

• [40:30] Most Underrated Leadership Trait: Consistency

Questions We Answer

1. Why do horticulture programs at universities like Texas A&M matter to the future of the green industry?

1. What advice would you give someone considering a career in landscaping or horticulture?

1. What does it really look like to launch a business with no clients, no office, and a baby on the way?

1. How do you have the conversation with your spouse about stepping into entrepreneurship?

1. What were the hardest moments in the early years of building a company from scratch?

1. How do you balance being a business owner with being a present husband and father?

1. How does Grown Company maintain 70%+ frontline retention year after year?

1. What does it mean to build a team that doesn't need you for every decision?

1. What excites you most about the green industry in Texas right now — and what concerns you?

Forty hours. Fifty. Sixty. Somewhere along the way, "busy" became something to brag about. But what if the busyness isn't a sign of hard work or it's a sign of the wrong habits? In this episode of Roots of Success, host Kevin Keim sits down with Dauphin Ewart, a McFarlin Stanford PACE facilitator and second-generation owner of BugMaster, an 80-person pest control company in Texas, to break down the five most common mistakes that keep driven people perpetually overwhelmed. These aren't theories. They're lessons Dauphin learned the hard way running his own company for over 20 years, and every one of them will sound familiar.

THE BIG IDEA:

Busyness Is a Choice and So Is the Way Out

KEY MOMENTS:

[02:30] Running an 80-Person, Four-Market Pest Control Company — and Why This Topic Is Personal [07:30] How Making the Box Smaller Forces You to Put the Right Things In It [09:00] Dauphin's Defining Moment: When He Decided to Start Managing His Time Intentionally [14:30] How Motion (Not Progress) Creates Chaos and Distraction for Your Team [16:30] Why AI Has Made the Motion vs. Progress Problem Worse [18:00] Dauphin's Daily Practice: Three Outcomes Before You Open Your Email [21:00] Delegating the Outcome vs. Delegating the Steps — and Why It Changes Everything [23:00] "The Other Way Probably Works Just as Well" — Protecting Brand Without Bottlenecking [26:00] Mistake 4 — Being the Bottleneck and Calling It Leadership [33:00] Mistake 5 — Mistaking Urgency for Importance [34:30] How Inbox Reactions and Chance Urgency Derail Your Real Priorities[37:00] Are You Driving Strategy — or Driving Trucks to the Mechanic? [39:00] Kevin's Favorite Quote: "No One's Ever Cornered the Market on Bus"

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. Why do high-achieving people struggle most with being "too busy"?
2. What's the difference between having no time and having no rules about your time?
3. How do I know if I'm confusing motion with real progress in my business?
4. What does real delegation actually look like — and how is it different from offloading tasks?
5. How do I protect my brand's standards while still giving employees true ownership?
6. How do I know if I'm the bottleneck in my own organization — especially if I don't feel like I am?
7. What behaviors accidentally tell your team they need your approval on everything?
8. What's the difference between urgent and important, and why does it matter?
9. How do I start my day in a way that protects against urgency-driven distraction?
10. What's the one mistake to pick first if you're just getting started?

What separates the companies people want to work for from the ones they can't wait to leave? In this episode of Roots of Success, host Chris Psencik sits down with Ryan Malone of Malone's Landscape in Seattle, Washington — a second-generation owner, ACE Chairman member and endurance athlete — to talk about one of the most important assets in a growing company: culture. From monthly culture rallies and the Beast Mode award to a bilingual onboarding program and a weekly team newsletter, Ryan shares the real, repeatable traditions that have helped Malone's become a destination workplace. If your team feels stagnant or your retention is slipping, this episode is your playbook.

THE BIG IDEA:

Intentional Culture Is Your Biggest Competitive Advantage

KEY MOMENTS:

[01:30] Ryan's Background: From Collegiate Baseball to Second-Generation Owner [04:00] Why Culture Gets Left Behind — and Why It Shouldn't [07:00] Culture Rallies: Getting Construction and Maintenance on the Same Team [10:00] What Ryan Has Stolen (and Improved) From ACE Peer Group Members [12:00] Building Trust Through Consistency: The Culture Committee [14:00] How the Culture Committee Is Structured, Who's On It, and How It Runs [16:00] Becoming a Destination Workplace — and What That Actually Means [21:00] Bilingual Onboarding: How Myra Bridged the Gap for Field Teams [23:00] The Weekly Team Newsletter — What's In It and Why It Works [27:00] Selling Value at a Premium: How Culture Justifies Top-of-Market Pricing [29:00] Leadership Action Steps: Three Things to Start Right Now [33:00] From Operator to Owner: Ryan's Biggest Lesson [34:00] Final Advice: Join a Peer Group and Fail Forward

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. How do you build a strong company culture in a landscaping business?

1. What are some real traditions that create team engagement and retention?

1. How do you fix the construction vs. maintenance divide at company events?

1. What should a culture committee look like, and who should be on it?

1. What are the most common onboarding mistakes — and how do you fix them?

1. How do 30-60-90 day check-ins improve new hire retention?

1. How do you communicate core values consistently across a growing team?

1. What should a weekly team newsletter include?

1. How does a strong culture help you justify premium pricing with clients?

1. What's the best advice for a second-generation owner stepping into a family business?

1. How do you avoid letting culture initiatives go stagnant over time?

1. What does "fail forward" actually mean in practice for a business owner?

Most business owners think they're great communicators until things fall apart. In this roundtable episode of Roots of Success, host Chris Psencik is joined by McFarlin Stanford coaches Kevin Keim and Tracy Wallingford to tackle one of the most common and costly problems in growing landscaping companies: communication breakdowns. From choosing the right tools and building meeting cadences, to mastering one-on-ones and leveraging CliftonStrengths, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you lead more intentionally, retain your best people, and serve your clients better.

THE BIG IDEA:

What You Say Isn't Always What They Hear

KEY MOMENTS:

[02:00] The #1 Communication Problem in Growing Companies [05:00] Why Choosing the Right Communication Channel Matters [08:00] Technology, Remote Work & Communication Evolution [12:00] What Communication Systems Actually Work for Field Teams [15:00] The Sales-to-Production Handoff and How to Nail It [16:00] One-on-Ones: Strategy, Structure & Why They're Non-Negotiable [20:00] Reactive vs. Proactive: Tactical vs. Strategic Conversations [24:00] How the Customer Experience Suffers When Communication Breaks Down [28:00] The Telephone Game with Clients — and How to Fix It [30:00] How Do You Know If You Have a Communication Problem? [33:00] Global Employee Engagement Is at a 5-Year Low — What That Means for You [36:00] Introduction to CliftonStrengths & the Philosophy Behind It [40:00] Case Study: Coastal Greenery's Strengths Journey

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. What is the #1 communication mistake business owners make?

1. How do I choose the right communication channel for my team?

1. What tools and systems should growing landscaping companies use for internal communication?

1. How should I run a one-on-one with my employees—and why does it matter?

1. What's the difference between a tactical hallway conversation and a strategic one-on-one?

1. How does poor communication hurt the customer experience?

1. How do I know if my company has a communication problem?

1. What is CliftonStrengths and how does it apply to leadership and communication?

1. What does a real-world strengths implementation look like for a landscaping company?

1. How do I empower my team to bring solutions instead of just problems?

How does financial clarity impact your business value? In this episode of the Roots of Success, join host Jennifer Murray as she talks about financial health check-ups, banking relationships and team transparency with Jonathan Peterson of Summit Landscape in Hondo, TX. Hear from Jonathan how he improved decision-making, lender relationships, and has grown a more resilient company prepared for future opportunities. From managing liquidity to positioning your business for growth, the two share real-world tactics to prevent costly blind spots.

THE BIG IDEA:

Financial Clarity Drives Strategic Growth

KEY MOMENTS:

[01:44] Jonathan's Company Overview [03:58] Importance of Financial Health Assessments [06:21] Navigating Cash Flow Challenges [09:07] Building Strong Lender Relationships [15:34] Importance of Financial Clarity [20:01] Understanding Company Value [26:58] Team Engagement in Financial Clarity

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. What is the importance of understanding your company's financial health?

1. How can financial health assessments reveal hidden cash flow issues?

1. What strategies can improve lender relationships for business growth?

1. How does knowing your company's value impact strategic decision-making?

1. What role does team engagement play in financial stability?

1. How can businesses navigate cash flow challenges effectively?

1. Why is liquidity crucial for maintaining strong banking relationships?

1. What are the benefits of regular financial health checkups?

1. How can understanding financial metrics lead to better business outcomes?

1. What are the key steps to align a team around financial clarity?

Get ready for a high-impact conversation on the intersection of landscaping, technology, and innovation! In this episode of Roots of Success, Kevin Keim sits down with ACE Peer Group standouts Sterling West of Newport Avenue Landscaping and Sam Zale of Zale's Lawn and Landscape. Discover how these forward-thinking business owners are using AI, not just as a buzzword, but as a hands-on tool to streamline operations, overhaul tech stacks, and dramatically improve customer experience. From custom-built workflows to real-time insights that flag potential pitfalls, you'll hear concrete examples of how and why these trailblazers dove headfirst into AI. Tune in if you're looking to make technology work for you!

THE BIG IDEA:

AI unlocks operator efficiency

KEY MOMENTS:

[03:46] Starting with customer experience automation [07:04] Building Zale Central program [12:05] Automating scheduling and payments [14:02] Implementing project management insights [17:12] Building with Lovable and AI integration [20:41] Streamlining processes with SOPs [24:26] Building a tech stack with Manus [27:00] Using AI to optimize processes [32:45] Using AI to improve operations [34:59] Using AI to boost efficiency [38:04] Discussing project quality assurance

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. What inspired the guests to initially explore the use of AI tools in their landscaping businesses?

1. How did implementing AI impact the customer experience for the companies featured?

1. What specific operational challenges led to the creation of custom software solutions within these organizations?

1. In what ways did the adoption of AI reduce or consolidate the number of platforms and tools previously used by these companies?

1. Can you describe some of the key processes or workflows that have been automated using AI in the businesses discussed?

1. What financial implications, such as cost savings, resulted from shifting to more AI-driven systems?

1. How did employees respond to new AI-enabled tools and what changes did it bring to their daily responsibilities?

1. What practical advice was given for companies interested in starting small with AI implementation?

1. How does leveraging AI agents support quality assurance and error reduction for landscaping companies?

1. What are some predictions about how AI might further transform client interactions and project management in the landscaping industry?

Join Chris Psencik and Mark Pyrah for Part 2 of an insightful discussion on how leveraging tech, automation, and AI is driving double-digit growth, improving customer experience, and keeping landscape businesses ahead of the curve. They discuss why remote access and automation are game changers, the revenue impact of rigorous inspections, and how to create scalable systems without bloating your headcount. Tune in for proven tactics and visionary predictions on where the industry is headed next.

THE BIG IDEA:

Irrigation is more than maintenance

KEY MOMENTS:

[04:45] Focusing on increasing inspections [09:34] Using software and automations [12:23] Standardizing dashboards for team roles [17:02] Scaling growth with AI tools [20:48] Measuring impact and customer experience [23:31] Sales strategy and close rates [27:47] Technicians and AI in water management [29:01] Using technology to improve profitability [33:54] Closing and how to connect

QUESTIONS WE ANSWER

1. What percentage of controller connectivity is considered the goal for optimal irrigation operations, and why is this connectivity so crucial?

1. How can remote access controllers improve efficiency and work-life balance for a landscape maintenance team?

1. Why is a 95% inspection rate deemed non-negotiable for irrigation audits, and how does it impact business revenue?

1. How does increasing inspection frequency affect the monthly revenue generated per irrigation technician?

1. In what ways do automation and software integrations streamline standard operating procedures in irrigation management?

1. What are some examples of automations that can reduce administrative time for irrigation techs and asset managers?

1. How is dashboard customization used to drive daily behaviors and focus among different team positions?

1. What strategies are mentioned for improving the customer experience through technology and standardized procedures?

1. How does emphasizing "scaling capability, not headcount" affect overall profitability and team effectiveness in the business?

1. What process is recommended for organizations looking to adopt more automation and improve workflow efficiency in their irrigation or maintenance divisions?