Aussie LawnStars

This was recorded in November of 2022. The follow up interview is published today. Michelle has made a lot of changes in two and a half years.

Michelle's original interview was recorded in November 2022. Today we revisited how she operates her business in Kalgoorlie. She has revised several times working with employees, customers and tools. She has also made deliberate and significant changes to her fitness and wellbeing with personal and business life being affected by lifestyle choices. Go into the Podcast feed and listen to her first interview here before this one if you need a refresher.

Tony may have moved here from the UK, but he is as true blue as You'd expect from any Aussie, and he has built his business through hard work and perserverence in the grounds of Aussie battlers.  We all have to start from somewhere and build up to represent our selves and our businesses. Tony has demonstrated that this can be done well in the tough suburban markets where prices do get challenged and labour isn't cheap. He has ensured his business has deep foundations and he shares what it takes for you to do the same thing. It's not always fancy, high end and luxury properties that we build a lawn and garden maintenance business on, and this episode is proof that you can make it work.

Chris has elluded me for far too long so when I called him, I got his interview the next day and got it straight out to you this week. Well thought out and executed start Tested market value and viable margins Text book business startup, yet so unique an inspiring. And you'll love the instagram account; https://www.instagram.com/full_throttle_lawn_n_garden?igsh=cTR4MGRhaHZzamNq

Watch this episode on Youtube as the video content from the Warehouse is important. Duncan Russell and his wife Ella own International Mowers and we take a close look at what they have done with it. We look at the Scag lineup available in Australia and the warehouse that allows them to serve Australia with new machines and parts. They have been supporting Scag, and McConnel and Seppi with a commitment to their customers that is awesome.

Your business will address these questions early on. How to track regular maintenance work? Can I store customer details, the planned schedule and invoice all from one app? Will I be able to track more detailed information like, route density, Price structure, lost time travelling, photos of each job, employee performance? join SortScape now on http://sortscape.com/aussielawnstars

Ally has invested in the path of horticulture, working for Nursuries and other successful businesses before forging her own path, starting a garden maintenance business in Melbourne. We learn from Ally about what makes her business work well and the many challenges she has faced, some she continues to face in a male dominated industry.

Felix has come a long way in his first year and he is making the most of the lessons he has learnt last year and the first part of this year. We cover the details of his start up and the equipment, pricing and employing. This is a wild ride.

The Autonomous Wright ZK is due to be released in Australia soon. It offers efficiency that cannot be matched for those who have large open areas that require regular mowing. Listen in to Aiden Andrews and myself as we discuss this in person

Renae Smith is not far from me on the Central Coast. Her Husband Dan Smith is also in the business. Renae shares the intricate details of their business so we can see what works well when you grow from solo to multiple teams on the road. We cover in depth the need for a CRM and we look at how SortScape has worked well for Renae.

Kyla has an amazing business. what has she done right? High Value clientele, Specialist CRM, and battery gear, and a clear goal to cap the size to suit their hours and lifestyle and income.

James Lucas, the man behind Lucas House and Garden shares so much wisdom in this interview. 50 Employees, and a reputation built on 20 years in Melbourne's top tier gardens. James was very humble and a pleasure to spend time with.

Kim Arnel from https://www.peopleandkapability.com.au/ has a really good grasp on how to treat employees and how to hire employees. She spent more than an hour with me to help us understand how to do it right.

Lawncare businesses come in two basic forms. One is self employed and focused on the tecnical expertise while the other is about applying best business practices. We will see a revolution business skills amongst those who might otherwise have struggled, but employing staff is still very daunting for so many of us. Clint Adams from Lawn Hub discusses this topic in depth today

Steven has invested in a franchise, but he also is heavily invested in marketing directly to find local work

Steven and I cover a bunch of topics around his history farming and business skills he has learnt in life and applied in his franchise.

Steven lives just out of Auckland NZ and has been in business for 25 years. settle in for this four parter as we find some gold nuggets from Steven's breadth of experience.

I've captured BJ for a sneaky update on Lawn and Land Equip Expo And captured his singing

I wanted Chris to explain why he opted for Jim's when he already had made a start as an independant. Specifically which systems in Jim's were really attractive.

Chris has been in the industry as an employee and started working on his own independant business before making the decision to join the Jim's Mowing network.

Damian Bush and I continue the discussion on tools that do what they are intended for or tools that are asked to do things they were never intended for

Damian Bush calls back into the dungeon to discuss this topic with us. Having the right tool for the job has come up many times but here we address it in depth. Why it's important to have the right tool for the job and that sometimes you make do with the tools you do have.

Alvin and I wrap up this interview with more business talk and discussion around Tomcat products that could work well in your business

In our discussion, Alvin and I cover a few topics that he has seen small businesses struggle with. Getting your priorities right when it comes to finances can make or break your business.

This three part interview is with Alvin from Tomcat Chippers Australia. We cover an introduction with Alvin and take a dive into his history as a tree worker and in his role at Tomcat Chippers.

Anthony runs Hunter Hearing Protection. We discuss hearing protection and bluetooth connectivity while working. Ear Molds provide one of the best solutions for hearing protection that works with all manner of hats and glasses without interferring and still providing great hearing protection.

Steve and I take a dive into large site jobs and doing your own equipment repairs and maintenance. This last few weeks I've resorted to taking my mower to the local dealer for repairs and I'm sure glad I did. Most repairs I can save time and get back up on the tools quicker doing my own repairs, but sometimes it just isn't going to be.

Steve Mason bought a round in regional Victoria. Traralgon is several hours out of Melbourne yet Steve Mason has taken on a lawncare run he has been able to improve. Better clients and better prices amongst other things have seen him set up well in business

We take a closer look at why you benefit from the Profit First Principles in your business. Katie has years of experience using Profit First and guiding others to use it successfully in their trade businesses.

We have finally got the expert in Profit First to join us and help us understand the financial systems that set you up for success. Katie Crismale-Marshall is the CEO of Profit First Australia. In Profit First for Tradies, she podcasts and mentors businesses in establishing and maintaining their financial systems under this model. If you would like to hear more from Katie, look her podcast up Profit First for Tradies or her website for business mentoring or email her katie@profitfirstfortradies.com.au

In this final episode with Steve Ween we look at training both for you as a business owner and how you ensure employees are aware and educated.

Steve Ween raises the dreaded issue of guard versus no guard and a bunch of other safety choices we can or should make. Do you choose not to use Guards on machines, Hi Vis workwear, safety cones working beside the road? The list of appropriate safety measures available to us is extensive. Some are prohibitive in their very nature. 

Steve Ween has a history in both Work Health and Safety and Lawncare business. In this first episode we cover his background and some of the misunderstood requests we get around documents and requirements.

The intro is with DLM employee Ricki, followed by a discussion with Luke and Lindsey about relationships with dealers and accountants

Luke and Linds have established a dominatant position in South Australia, working predominantly on commercial work with only a few residential jobs now. We talk about the things that make this work and make it worth while.

DLM started as a franchise with Fox and are now an award winning independant business. We managed to convince Linds and Luke to both join me in the dungeon for an interview to see how they have built their South Australian business

Jackson's history in the fitness industry means he is used to being around people that feed off each others positivity an success. Mindset can mean many different things, but please take this one thing away from listening to today's and this week's final episode. Your mindset can stop you succeeding! and likewise when you change they way you think, or what you are thinking about, it changes how you operate. This is very simply a path to succeeding in the areas that make small business operationally successful. It is being educated and focused on the carriculum that you need to know when starting out with a lawn mower, or a hedge trimmer, chainsaw or hand weeding.

Jackson from Magnus covering the importance of diversity in your business.

Jackson and I talk about buying the right tools that bring in revenue instead of floating your ego.

Jackson walks us through the changes in Magnus that have quickly moved it from a Solo gig to a serious and formidable business.

Jackson and Erica have formed their business on pillars that helped them transform from a part time solo gig to something simply miraculous in two years. This is the first episode in which Jackson and I cover the history and briefly tour into the difference between some of the business choices and th limits this can place on your business.

Benny V joins me to discuss the amazing new CatchPro and Whippa Grippa. Urban Assault series. 

Miotto has put a lot of thought into which tools make him money.  We look at why the 32" stander works well for him and why he loves using a mid size portable chipper/mulcher.

James Miotto and I explore what it means to provide value for your customers. What forms their perception of Value? This will change depending on the type of customer they are and what they see you providing

James Miotto was 15 when we first talked for Aussie LawnStars. James is now an adult, finishing school and his apprenticeship. This episode is a much deeper look into what it looks like running a business in Australia.

If you didn't make it to LLEE at any of the three locations this year, you'll love the walk around I did and chat with most of the vendors.

I took a trip to Griffith to visit Ben Giblett and check out where he works because I wanted to see another contractor that mows weekly.

In the Sutherland Shire, Craig has found marketing that makes his business grow quickly.  The right marketing can easily pay for itself in the lawncare industry.

Craig Markey has 20 years in business across multiple businesses. He shares the wisdom he has learnt in this time.

Craig Markey has years of wisdom from being in business. In the first session with Craig we cover some of his history and what his current business looks like.