Marty shares the real story behind opening Grunder Landscaping's first branch location in Cincinnati. From overcoming team resistance and zoning battles to building systems that scale, discover the leadership lessons, market entry strategies, and mindset shifts required to successfully expand your business into new markets.
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00:00 - Introduction & Welcome
01:31 - Opening a New Branch: Early Challenges
03:11 - Meeting Seth Pflum & The Growth of Grunder Landscaping
04:30 - The New Cincinnati Branch: Opportunities and Challenges
06:30 - Remodeling the New Facility
08:53 - Operational Strategies and Team Growth
12:42 - Using Your Mission Statement for Growth
16:16 - The Challenge to Grow
18:46 - Please Like, Share and Subscribe!
Show Notes & Key Takeaways
Strategic Planning & Vision
Mission-driven expansion - The branch serves their mission: "to create opportunities for our team to grow and succeed" Market sizing matters - Cincinnati offers 3-5x the opportunities of Dayton, making it worth the investment and riskLeadership & Team Development
Avoid consensus paralysis - Running a company by consensus with conservative thinkers can kill growth opportunities Find growth-minded partners - Seth’s arrival changed everything because he shared Marty's vision for expansion Create advancement opportunities - "The main reason you grow a business is you have so many good people, they're pushing you, and if you don't create opportunities for them, they're gonna move on"Promote from within success stories - Bill went from crew worker to leadership team; Brian went from watering plants to leadership teamSystems enable scalability - Strong systems allow any team member to maintain standards at either location Communication requirements multiply - "When you have one location, you better communicate well. But when you have two, your communication better be 10 times better"Expect to be unknown - 41 years of reputation in Dayton means nothing in Cincinnati Invest heavily in marketing for new markets - Earmark larger percentage of marketing budget for the new location Warm calling over cold calling - Always research prospects before contacting themProof of concept exists - "If someone else has done what you're trying to do, that's the only proof you need to believe that you can do it too"Stay humble in new markets - Being asked "Are you a brand new business?" was humbling but necessary Strong culture transcends location - The team maintained standards even during leadership transitions Focus on fundamentals - "People call you, you call 'em back if they're unhappy, you make 'em happy. Do a good job, communicate well with them. Those work in any marketplace"Branch success isn't about ego - Don't expand just to brag about multiple locations - focus on profitability and team opportunities Organic growth focus - 90% of their growth from $4.2M to projected $18M came organically, not acquisitionsSubscribe and share the Grow Show to help more landscape pros discover it. Thank you for being part of our community.
The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
Virtual Sales Bootcamp
Grunder Landscaping Field Trips
The Grow Group