The Landscaping Podcast

Want to install or repair irrigation systems in North Carolina?

You need an irrigation contractor license, and your landscape contractor license doesn’t cover it.

In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small break down how to become a licensed irrigation contractor in NC and why it’s worth it for your landscaping business.

We cover the requirements to get licensed through the NC Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board and share field experience and education, requirements of being at least 18, the $2,500 property cutoff, and passing the state licensing exam.

We also talk about how irrigation licensing fits with the landscape contractor license and the pesticide license we covered in our last two episodes, and where the line falls between irrigation, landscaping, and plumbing work.

Then we get into the why...

Things like efficient water use, protecting your customers’ property, avoiding costly mistakes, and how being licensed lets your company take on bigger commercial jobs and stand out from the competition.

Whether you’re a landscaper looking to add irrigation services, a crew member building toward your own license, or a property owner who wants to hire the right contractor, this episode will help you understand irrigation licensing in North Carolina.

Learn more: https://www.nciclb.org/

The information in this episode is for general education and is not legal advice. Contact the NCICLB to confirm your specific situation.

Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. | Serving Eastern North Carolina

Do you need a pesticide license to spray weeds and treat lawns in North Carolina?

If you're applying pesticides or herbicides for customers, the answer is yes.

In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small talk about what it takes to get your NC pesticide applicator license and why it matters for any landscaping or lawn care business.

Here's something a lot of people miss, in our last episode, we explained that lawn care and turf management can be exempt from the NC landscape contractor license...

That doesn't mean you can skip the pesticide license; once you start spraying for customers, the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services licensing rules apply.

We break down the requirements, the Ornamental and Turf exam that most landscapers take, and keeping your license current with continuing education.

Then we get into the reasoning behind it: protecting your crew, your customers, their kids and pets, and the environment, plus how being licensed protects your business and builds trust with clients who want to know the person spraying their yard knows what they're doing.

Whether you're a mow-and-blow operator looking to add weed control and fertilization, a crew member trying to grow your career, or a homeowner deciding who to hire, this episode will help you understand pesticide licensing in North Carolina.

The information in this episode is for general education and is not legal advice. Contact NCDA&CS to confirm what your situation requires.

Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. | Serving Eastern North Carolina

Do you need a landscape contractor license in North Carolina?

If your landscaping work on a single job site adds up to $30,000 or more in a 12-month period, the answer is probably yes.

In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small break down the NC Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board statute in plain language:

Who needs a license

Who is exempt

What it takes to get licensed.

We also explain what a landscape license does not cover, like irrigation and electrical work, and why the license matters to customers hiring a contractor.

Whether you're a lawn care operator looking to grow into hardscapes and installs, a licensed landscape contractor, or a homeowner trying to hire the right company, this episode will help you understand North Carolina landscaping law.

Read the full statute: https://nclclb.com/landscape-contractors-statute/

The information in this episode is for general education and is not legal advice. Contact the NCLCLB to confirm your specific situation.

Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. | Serving Eastern North Carolina

Most people only see their property in daylight...

Your customers, your neighbors, and anyone thinking about breaking in see it at night too.

In this episode, Shay and Zac dig into exterior lighting and why it deserves more thought than a few solar stakes along the walkway.

They break down how homeowners and businesses use lighting for security, safety, and curb appeal, and walk through the options available today, from path and accent lighting to uplighting, hardscape-integrated fixtures, and full low-voltage systems.

They also get into the part nobody wants to think about until something goes wrong: installation safety.

Shay explains what a qualified contractor should be doing to keep your system safe, code-compliant, and built to last, and what questions you should ask before you let anyone start running wire on your property.

Whether you manage a commercial site or just want your home to look as good at 9 PM as it does at noon, this one's worth a listen.

Landscaping Unlimited is licensed and insured as both a general contractor and a landscape contractor, serving Eastern North Carolina.

Ready to light up your property?

AI isn't coming for your marketing; it's already here, and most landscaping companies are either ignoring it or using it wrong.

In this solo episode, Zac breaks down how AI is changing the way small businesses show up on social media in 2026, where it actually saves time, and where it makes your brand sound like everybody else's.

The tools are only as good as the story behind them, and nobody can tell your story better than the people doing the work.

If you run a landscaping or hardscaping company and you're wondering whether AI or having a Social Media presence belongs in your marketing, this one's for you.

Most major equipment failures don't happen overnight...

They start with a missed grease point, a filter that stayed in one season too long, or a small noise everybody decided to ignore.

This week, Shay and Zac sit down with Andrew Keech, who brings real experience from both sides of the machine: Mechanic and Operator

Andrew shares his background and how working on equipment changed the way he runs it, and why the guys who operate the machines have more control over repair costs than they think.

From there, the conversation gets into the everyday maintenance that's easy to skip when the schedule is packed: daily walkarounds, fluids, filters, blades, belts, and paying attention when something doesn't sound or feel right.

Getting the little things right keeps crews working, protects your equipment investment, and keeps a $20 fix from turning into a $2,000 repair and a week of downtime.

Whether you own the equipment, run a crew, or climb on a mower every morning, this one is worth your time.

Most landscaping owners think the answer to tight margins is more work.

More bids, more accounts, more installs...

But if your business is leaking money, more jobs just means you lose more, faster.

In this episode, Zac breaks down the hidden holes that quietly drain profit from landscaping and hardscaping companies every single day. We're talking about the morning yard shuffle that burns crew hours before the first stop, midday supply runs that stall jobs, tools that walk off and never come back, equipment breakdowns caused by skipped maintenance, callbacks that make you pay for the same job twice, and the "while you're out here" extras that never make it onto an invoice.

None of these fixes require a new truck, a new hire, or a single new customer; just a few simple systems and the discipline to stick to them. Pick one leak this week and plug it.

Ninety episodes ago, we hit record with no plan, no audience, and no real idea what we were doing...

We just knew we had things worth saying about this trade, and nobody around here was saying them.

In this one, Shay and Zac pull back and look at the whole thing.

Where the show started, what it has done for the company, the episodes that landed and the ones that flopped, and what it actually takes to keep showing up week after week when the season is beating you up, and the last thing you want to do is sit down in front of a microphone.

We talk about the jobs that changed how we work, the people who found us through the show, the mistakes we made in the field and on the mic, and where we think this thing goes from here.

If you have been with us since the early episodes, this one is for you.

You can want a better business, and you can want a better life, but wanting has never moved a single thing forward.

In this episode, Zac gets into the one truth most people spend years avoiding, which is that the only way to get different results is to change what you do every day.

He talks about why the same routines keep producing the same paychecks, the same crew problems, and the same frustrations...

He gets into the gap between knowing what to do and doing it, why that gap is where most landscaping business owners get stuck, and what it looks like to close it.

This one is for the guy who is tired of running the same year over and over.

Whether you are trying to grow a crew, raise your prices, get out of the truck, or just stop feeling behind, it starts the same way = New behavior first, new results after.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your shows.

Everybody in this industry complains about how hard it is to find good help...

Almost nobody wants to talk about how hard it is to keep the good help they already have, as turnover is expensive.

You lose the training, you lose the customer relationships, you lose the guy who knew how you like the beds edged, and then you start over with somebody green in the middle of your busiest season.

In this episode Zac breaks down five things that move the needle on retention. It's not free pizza on Fridays, company shirts, or the stuff that makes a man want to show up tomorrow.

Zac talks about cutting loose the miserable employee before he poisons the whole crew, because one guy running his mouth in the truck every morning will cost you three good workers.

He get into what it means to lead with a positive attitude when the equipment breaks and the weather turns, and why your crew reads your face before they read the schedule.

He covers recognition and respect, which cost you nothing and are the two things most guys say they never got at their last job.

And he talk honestly about fair pay and what happens when you try to save fifty cents an hour. And we finish on the ladder, because a man who cannot see where he is going in five years is already looking at somebody else's job listing.

If you run a crew, this one is worth the drive time.

In this episode:

• Removing the miserable employee before he takes the crew down with him
• Leading with a positive attitude when things go sideways
• Recognition and respect as daily habits, not annual reviews
• Paying fair and what cheap labor really costs you
• Building a clear path for growth so nobody feels stuck

The Landscaping Podcast is hosted by Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small of Landscaping Unlimited in Eastern North Carolina. New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.