The Landscaping Podcast

North Carolina is expected to have a slower hurricane season, but slower does not mean safe.

In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Zac talks about why property owners, business owners, and homeowners still need to prepare before the storms arrive.

A quiet forecast can create a false sense of security, but it only takes one major storm, one blocked drainage area, one weak tree limb, or one unprepared property to create expensive damage.

This episode is a reminder that preparation beats reaction every time.

From checking trees and drainage to securing outdoor areas and having a plan before the weather turns, the goal is simple: don’t wait until the storm is already on the radar to start thinking about what should have been done weeks earlier.

Proactive beats reactive.

Powered by Landscaping Unlimited.

Every business owner knows that Good help is hard to find.

In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Zac breaks down four practical ways to address the challenge of finding, hiring, and keeping the right people for your company.

He talks about why your company needs to show who you are, what you do, and what kind of person fits your culture. Your social media should not just sell your services. It should show your work, your team, your standards, and the kind of mission people can see themselves joining.

Zac also discusses why experience is not always the most important thing.

Sometimes the best hire is not the person with the longest resume, but the person with the right mindset, work ethic, attitude, and willingness to learn.

Then the topic goes to the importance of promoting from within.

When you give your current teammates a path to grow, you build loyalty, strengthen your culture, and make hiring easier because you only need to bring people in at the entry level.

Most importantly, it's why business owners cannot afford to be discouraged.

This hiring struggle is not just happening in landscaping; it is happening across every industry.

The companies that stay positive, keep showing up, and keep building the right team will be the ones that last.

If you own a landscaping company, lead a crew, manage a small business, or struggle with finding reliable employees, this episode is for you.

There is a dangerous trap that hard-working people fall into.

They become so focused on building the business, chasing the goal, growing the company, serving the customer, fixing the problems, and proving themselves that they forget to actually live the life they say they are working so hard to create.

This episode was inspired by a message from Sahil Bloom about the importance of not waiting until “one day” to enjoy your life.

In this conversation, Zac talks about why stepping away from work is not weakness, laziness, or a lack of ambition. It is part of staying sharp, being a better leader, and keeping your mind healthy enough to see the work clearly.

Sometimes the best ideas do not come when you are buried in the grind; they come when you are walking away from it for a minute, when you are with your family, when you are outside, when you are driving, when you are resting, or when your mind finally has enough room to connect the dots in a new way.

If you own a business, lead a crew, work in the trades, or are building something that matters, this episode is a reminder that the ride matters too. The work matters, but so does the life you are building around it.

Don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

In this solo episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Zac Small breaks down how to stand out from the competition in the green industry, not by talking louder, making excuses, or acting like the job owes you something, but by becoming the kind of professional every company wants more of.

Whether you are applying for a job, working on a landscaping crew, leading a team, or trying to earn more responsibility, the little things matter.

• Showing up early matters.
• Looking the part matters.
• Paying attention matters.
• Asking questions matters.
• Staying off your phone matters.
• Accepting critique matters.
• Being transparent matters.
• Doing the work without acting like everything is beneath you matters.

This episode is a mentor session for anyone in landscaping, hardscaping, lawn care, the trades, or blue-collar work who wants to rise above the average and become someone people can actually count on.

Zac talks through lessons from the Navy, federal work, and his time at Landscaping Unlimited, and explains why professionalism is not about wearing a suit and tie. It is about discipline, awareness, attitude, dependability, and how you carry yourself when nobody is begging you to do the right thing.

If you want to become the person your team points to and says, “Be more like him,” this episode is for you.

🌱 Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. | Eastern North Carolina

🎙️ The Landscaping Podcast | Powered by Landscaping Unlimited

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After two weeks off the mics, we're back.

Zac was on vacation with the family, Shay had a stretch of work that wouldn't let up, and instead of forcing content for the sake of content, we took the time we needed...

This episode is about that.

In the green industry, taking time off feels like a luxury you have to earn.

There's always one more job, one more bid, one more thing that "only takes a minute." But the truth is, if you're not pouring back into yourself and the people who matter most, the work eventually starts taking more than it gives.

We get into what the last two weeks looked like, what we learned stepping away, and why prioritizing your health, your family, and your friendships isn't soft, it's a strategy; the business will still be there on Monday, your kids growing up, your marriage, your own well-being, those don't wait.

If you're a business owner, a crew leader, or just someone grinding through a busy season, this one's for you.

Solo episode this week, recorded on a quick break from installing artificial turf for Beast Games.

A few years back, if you'd told me landscaping would put me on a set like that, I would have laughed.

That's really what this episode is about.

One minute, we're on a high-profile install, and just before that, Shay and I were standing in front of an elementary school classroom for career day, walking kids through everything we do beyond mowing lawns, which they already know about.

That's the thing, most people think landscaping starts and ends with mowing.

We got to show the students how much more is involved, from hardscaping and irrigation to lighting, drainage, turf, and the kind of jobs that pop up out of nowhere and take you somewhere unexpected.

Every week in this industry looks different; that's part of what makes it worth showing up for.

If you work in the trades, are thinking about getting in, or have a kid who needs to hear that there's real opportunity in this kind of work, this one is for you.

What does leading a submarine crew have to do with running a landscaping company?

More than you'd think.

In this episode, Shay and Zac sit down with Jon Rennie, former Cold War submarine officer, corporate executive, manufacturing business owner, and host of the Deep Leadership Podcast.

Jon has spent decades studying and living out one simple truth: Leadership is a people business, and that doesn't change no matter the industry you're in.

These three leaders dig into what real leadership actually looks like on the ground, why so many business owners manage tasks instead of leading people, and how the principles Jon learned underwater and in the boardroom translate directly to the trades.

Whether you're running a two-man crew or scaling a full operation, this conversation will challenge you to take a hard look at how you're showing up for the people around you.

Jon is also the author of the Qualified Leadership Series and a voice you need in your rotation if you're serious about building a business worth following.

Connect with Jon at jonsrennie.com.

In this episode, Zac speaks about the "Digital Division" of Landscaping Unlimited and how social media is a tool that all companies should use.

This is not about becoming an influencer; it's about making a smart business decision.

Property managers, commercial clients, and potential partners are online right now doing their research to find out who is doing the best work and who the best people are out there.

If you're not showing up on their timeline, someone else is.

Zac breaks down why social media isn't about followers or going viral; it's about being findable, building trust before the first conversation, and reaching clients who would have never known you existed.

What does a landscaping company have to do with an elementary school?

Everything.

In this episode, Shay and Zac sit down fresh off a visit to Northeast Elementary School in Pinetown, NC, where they represented Landscaping Unlimited, Inc., The Landscaping Podcast, Z Photography & Media, and had a conversation with students that most in this industry would never think to have.

And we must give a shoutout to the students of Northeast Elementary for kicking off this episode themselves; you'll hear THEIR voices right out the gate, and it really doesn't get better than that.

Shay and Zac talk about why showing up in the community matters, why the next generation deserves to see what a real career in the green industry looks like, and why landscaping is far more than mowing lawns...

It's design, it's business, it's craftsmanship, it's entrepreneurship, and somebody needs to say that out loud where the kids can hear it.

If you've ever believed that what you do with your hands is worth passing down, this episode is for you.

Everyone's talking about AI taking jobs; nobody's talking about the ones it can't touch.

In this solo episode, Zac breaks down why artificial intelligence isn't moving into the trades, the blue-collar workforce, or the green industry anytime soon.

He also explains why that matters more than most people realize, and while white-collar jobs are being automated and college degrees are losing their return on investment, the people who work with their hands are becoming more valuable by the day.

This one is for the career changer who's tired of staring at a screen.

It's for the young person who was told a four-year degree was the only path forward.

It's for anyone who's ever wondered if there's still a future in doing real, physical, skilled work outdoors.

Zac covers:

• Why AI can't replicate the skilled trades and what makes them automation-resistant
• The growing labor shortage in the green industry and what that means for pay and opportunity
• Why landscaping and the trades are legitimate, respectable career paths, not fallback options
• What it looks like to build a career in the green industry in 2026

🎙️ The Landscaping Podcast is hosted by Shay and Zac of Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. in Washington, NC.