The Turn: Blue Collar to Billions

Started Over at $3M, Built to $200M


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Jerry Schill spent 20 years building a landscaping business with his brother. Design-build, residential, creative work—chasing every shiny object along th way. But then they split. 

Jerry took the maintenance side and rolled back to $3 million. He'd admit that he was scared. But he got laser-focused. And from 2012 to 2019, he took the business from 0% recurring revenue to 93%. 

He ditched residential entirely, built a "business in a box," and grew to $16.5 million before partnering with Argon Capital. Four years later: 37 locations, 1600 employees, eight states, nearly $200 million in revenue, and best-in-class EBITDA margins. The lesson? Focus and discipline beat chasing shiny objects every time.

Here's what we discuss: 
• Starting with his brother and why they eventually split 
• Rolling back to $3M and being scared to start over 
• Going from 0% to 93% recurring revenue 
• Why he eliminated the entire residential division in one year 
• Building the "business in a box" model 
• Joining Vistage and surrounding himself with smarter people 
• Why his bank said no—and how he found PE instead 
• Partnering with Argon Capital and what they taught him 
• The difference between an expense and an investment 
• Imposter syndrome at 1600 employees 
• Growing from 4 locations to 37 in four years 
• Recapitalizing with TruArc Partners 
• Why every business should be built to sell

Running a blue-collar business? Thinking about selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at [email protected].

Iconic Links: 
• Learn More: https://www.iconicfounders.com 
• Connect: [email protected] 
• Production: Lower Street https://lowerstreet.co

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The Turn: Blue Collar to BillionsBy Iconic Founders Group