The Landscaping Podcast

We've been hiring at Landscaping Unlimited, and it's got me thinking about what actually makes somebody a good fit on a crew.

Everybody assumes you want the guy with ten years in, and sometimes you do...

But some of the best people we've brought on had never touched a piece of equipment before their first day, and some of the most experienced applicants we've talked to were the ones I'd never put on a job site.

In this episode, I get into how we look at hiring at Landscaping Unlimited, why work ethic, integrity, and commitment carry more weight than a resume, and what it costs you when you hire skill and ignore character...

Zac also shares why teaching somebody to run equipment is a whole lot easier than teaching a grown man to care about the work.

If you're a contractor trying to build a crew that actually sticks around, this one's for you.

Everybody in this business has had the day where the equipment breaks, the crew is behind, the customer is calling, and you feel yourself about to lose it...

This episode is about what to do in that moment.

Zac breaks down three things that work when your temper starts running the job instead of you.

First, communicate the issue.

Most blowups on a crew are not about the mistake, they are about nobody saying anything until it boiled over; say it early and say it plain.

Second, recognize the environment you are in.

Landscaping is hot, loud, physical, and on a clock. Stress is built into the work, so when you know that going in, you stop taking it personally and start managing it.

Third, use a technique.

Box breathing and counting sound simple, and that is the point; they give your brain a few seconds to catch up before your mouth does.

If you run a crew, work on a crew, or own the company, this one is worth your drive time.

The Landscaping Podcast is hosted by Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small of Landscaping Unlimited in Washington, North Carolina.

Shay and Zac break down what separates a new construction home you love from one you settle for...

Most home buyers walk into the process without a clear vision, then let the builder make every decision for them, which is exactly how you end up in a house that checks the boxes but never feels like it's really yours.

In this episode, they talk about how to vet a builder before you sign anything, what questions to ask that most people skip, and why walking through their finished work matters more than any brochure.

They cover the difference between a builder who executes your vision and one who hands you a floor plan and calls it custom. Shay also talks through where the outdoor space fits into the picture, because the yard, the hardscape, and the drainage are almost always the last thing anyone thinks about and the first thing homeowners regret.

If you are building in Eastern North Carolina or anywhere else, this one will save you money, time, and a whole lot of frustration.

Every landscaper has been there...

A customer points at something outside the original scope and asks, “Can you do that too?”

Most companies answer without thinking.

“Sure.”

Sometimes that’s great customer service; sometimes it’s the moment a company crosses into work it doesn't have time for and isn’t licensed to perform.

In this solo episode, Zac talks about why the most expensive word in landscaping might be “sure,” how trying to be everything to everyone can expose your business to unnecessary risk, and why the most respected contractors aren’t the ones who do every job...

They’re the ones who know where their available schedule and expertise begin and end.

Whether you’re a homeowner hiring a contractor or a landscaping business looking to grow the right way, this episode is a reminder that professionalism isn’t about saying yes to everything.

It’s about knowing when the right answer is "No."

Eighty episodes.

That number does not happen because two guys sat down in front of a couple of microphones...

It happens because people showed up, hit play, shared episodes with their crews, and sent us messages about what hit home.

In this episode, Zac steps back from the usual talk about crews, equipment, mindset, and jobsites to say something simple: "Thank you."

Thank you for listening on the drive to the first (or last) stop of the day.

Thank you for the comments, the shares, and the honest feedback that has shaped where this show goes.

Zac also looks ahead.

More guests are coming, regular people and business owners alike with real stories from the field, and we are also opening the show up to sponsorship partners who want to reach landscapers, hardscapers, and green industry pros across Eastern North Carolina and beyond.

If you have been riding with us since episode one or you just found us, this one is for you.

Interested in sponsoring The Landscaping Podcast?

Reach out to us and let's talk.

Every landscaping company on the internet is posting the same picture.

Finished patio, two in the afternoon, truck in the corner of the frame, caption reads "another one in the books." It proves work happened, and that is all it does...

Proof you exist stopped being a competitive advantage the day everybody started carrying a camera in their pocket.

In this episode, Zac breaks down the difference between showing a photo and telling a story, and why that difference decides whether somebody scrolls past you or picks up the phone.

A photo tells a stranger what your patio looks like; a story tells them the backyard used to hold water for three days after every rain and that a family with two little kids had a mud pit instead of a yard.

Same patio; completely different piece of content.

Zac shares how to shoot the before so it lands, why the ugly middle of a job builds more trust than the finished product ever will, and why a hardscape shot at two in the afternoon looks like a parking lot.

The same rule runs through real estate work, landscape work, and commercial brand content...

A listing photo sells square footage; a story sells the house.

89% of buyers rated photos as very useful in their home search, and 52% of recent buyers found the home they purchased through the internet.

Photos matter, so don't just show the picture; share the story with them.

Landscaper mental health is the conversation this industry keeps refusing to have.

One in six men in the trades drank heavily in the last thirty days, and the suicide rate in construction runs four times the general population.

In this short solo episode, Zac Small of Landscaping Unlimited lays out the real numbers on heavy drinking, substance use, and mental health among men in landscaping, lawn care, hardscaping, and construction.

Why this work makes us more vulnerable than almost any other trade. Why the heat, the seasonality, the pain, and the tough guy code all stack against you. Why so many veterans end up in this industry carrying the same weight, and why a man's best is enough, even on the days it does not feel like it.

No lecture.

No judgment.

One question worth sitting with on the drive home.

If you or someone you work with is struggling, call or text 988.

The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free and available around the clock.

Fuel is up.

Equipment is up.

Labor and insurance are up.

And a lot of landscaping business owners still haven't raised their prices, because the idea of telling a customer their rate is going up makes their stomach turn.

In this solo episode, Zac Small breaks down why that fear is costing you far more than you think.

You'll hear the exact math on how a 15% jump in fuel, materials, and equipment costs can wipe out 37% of your profit without you losing a single customer, and why the fix is a price increase of less than 4%.

You'll also learn what to track quarterly, why annual reviews are too slow, and how to write a price increase letter that gets accepted instead of argued with.

Every other company in America raised prices this year and nobody blinked.

When a small business does it, it feels personal, because you know the customer's dog by name. This episode is about why that closeness makes owners eat cost increases a corporation wouldn't absorb for a single quarter, and how to get past it.

What's covered:

• What to track quarterly: fully burdened cost per man hour, fuel by crew, equipment cost per hour, materials, insurance renewals, and overhead per billable hour
• Why your P&L isn't enough and job costing is what actually drives pricing decisions
• The full profit math on a $1,000 job, walked through slowly
• Why waiting three years turns a painless 4% into a 15% increase that actually loses accounts
• What happens if you raise prices 5% and lose 5% of your customers (the answer surprises most owners)
• Why you should not raise every account the same amount
• The four sentence price increase letter, word for word
• What never to put in that letter
• Handling "the guy down the road is cheaper" and "can you hold my price one more year"
• Bid validity windows and material escalation clauses for design build work

Set your lawn care business up or success, listen to the episode.

"I get all my work from word of mouth; Why do I need a website?"

Every landscaper has said it.

In this episode, we break down what happens when a referral Googles your company name and finds nothing, why your online presence is proof of legitimacy before anyone ever picks up the phone, and what actually matters versus what's a complete waste of your time.

You don't need viral videos.

You don't need to post every day.

You need to look like a real company when someone checks you out, because they will. We cover the handful of things worth doing, the stuff you can ignore, and what we've seen firsthand at Landscaping Unlimited serving Eastern North Carolina.

Your website and socials aren't marketing; they're the handshake before the handshake.

Summer in Eastern North Carolina doesn't care about your schedule.

When the heat index pushes past 100, the work still has to get done, and how you handle those days is the difference between a crew that finishes the season strong and one that falls apart by August.

In this episode, Zac breaks down 5 ways to beat the heat on a landscaping crew: why hydration starts the night before, why long sleeves beat short sleeves in full sun, what a real break looks like (hint: it's not a cigarette and a Monster), how to use electrolytes the right way, and the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke that every crew member needs to recognize in themselves and each other.

Whether you run the crew or ride in the truck, this one could keep you or the guy next to you out of the ER.

The Landscaping Podcast is brought to you by Landscaping Unlimited, serving Eastern North Carolina.