In this episode of The Lawn Care Grow Show, host Mark Lamberth talks with John Mikes of Gateway Lawn & Landscape Inc. in Edwardsville, Illinois about what three decades in the green industry teach you about growth, route density, and quality of life. John shares how his company now runs focused commercial mowing routes alongside commercial and residential landscape install and maintenance crews—including patios, walls, and boulder work—within a tight 20‑mile radius east of St. Louis so windshield time doesn’t eat profits. He explains why about 75% of their work is commercial, why residential landscapes still get extra time and attention (with no money down until the homeowner is happy at the final walkthrough), and how his wife’s “personal gardener” service keeps long‑time clients’ beds and plantings looking like park‑like retreats. You’ll also hear why he intentionally downsized from 25 employees back to a small, long‑tenured team, how “learning to say no” to the wrong properties protects routes and margins, and his advice to new operators: in the beginning, you have to hustle—knock doors, hang flyers, and be hungry.

What you’ll learn on this episode:

• How Gateway Lawn & Landscape structures its crews for commercial mowing plus commercial and residential landscaping
• Why John keeps his service area to roughly 20 miles to protect route density and reduce unprofitable windshield time
• The reasoning behind a 75% commercial / 25% residential mix—and why residential landscape installs still get white‑glove treatment
• How a “no money up front, pay when you’re happy” policy builds homeowner trust on landscape projects
• Why John intentionally shrank from 25+ employees back to a small, stable team and what that did for his quality of life
• How he’s retained key team members for 8–15+ years by taking care of his people so they’ll take care of the customers
• The importance of saying “no” to jobs that don’t fit your routes, crew capacity, or business model
• John’s playbook for getting your first accounts in 2026: door knocking, door hangers, and old‑fashioned hustle to land customers who stay for decades

In this episode of The Lawn Care Grow Show, host Mark Lamberth talks with Mark Rodriguez of That Lawn Guy LLC in the St. Charles area of St. Louis about how he walked away from a decade in middle management at a senior living facility and turned a part‑time side hustle into a full‑time solo lawn care business built around freedom, relationships, and smart marketing. Mark shares how he focuses on core services—weekly mowing, light tree and hedge trimming, brush and cleanup work, small grading and elevation fixes—and brings in trusted local help on bigger jobs, while staying personally hands‑on with every yard. He explains how he built his first 10–15 clients through friends, family, and word of mouth, then completely changed his pipeline this year by adding a simple 15‑second video ad, a basic website, and profiles on Google, Nextdoor, Facebook, and Instagram—going from almost no new calls to four or five leads a day. You’ll also hear how he structures his schedule so he can take his daughters to school, text customers proactively when he needs to shift a visit, and use bundled monthly packages for hedge trimming, bed clean‑outs, and weeding to raise revenue without feeling “salesy” to price‑sensitive homeowners.

What you’ll learn on this episode:

• How Mark transitioned from dining services director to full‑time solo lawn care operator after burnout and a layoff
• The services That Lawn Guy focuses on today: mowing, light tree and hedge trimming, brush cleanups, and small grading work
• How he built his first client base through friends, family, and referrals before ever spending a dollar on advertising
• The exact low‑cost marketing moves that now generate 4–5 calls a day: Google Business Profile, simple website, social media, and a short video ad
• Why strong communication—calling or texting clients when schedules change—lets him design his own workday while keeping trust high
• How he uses “bundles” (monthly pricing that includes mowing plus seasonal hedge and bed work) to increase income and make pricing easier for clients
• The service area he covers in the Greater St. Charles region and why he’ll travel a bit farther for the right long‑term customer
• Mark’s advice for new owners in 2026: start with people you know, do excellent work, ask for reviews, then reinvest in simple ads that keep your phone ringing

In this episode of The Lawn Care Grow Show, host Mark Lamberth talks with Exequio De La Mora of FLOR Landscaping in San Jose, California about how he built a 25‑person, full design‑build outdoor living company in the heart of Silicon Valley by obsessing over communication, logistics, and client experience. Exequio explains how FLOR specializes in complete exterior transformations—pavers, concrete, porcelain, outdoor kitchens, lighting, planting, and mulch—while deliberately staying out of pools and house remodels, and how a separate DBA, FLOR Property Services, handles select commercial and residential maintenance accounts rooted in his family’s lawn care background. He breaks down their tight geographic focus within about 25 miles of downtown San Jose, why they’ve started trimming distant commercial work to keep projects within 20 minutes of the shop, and how internal roles (sales, operations, project managers, coordinators, three‑person field crews) are structured to keep foremen on site full‑time while the office team handles procurement and scheduling. You’ll also hear his philosophy of “overcommunicate, confirm, confirm, confirm,” how that translates into fast responses, proactive coordination with other contractors, and realistic expectations about project manager availability, and his advice to younger contractors on getting their first 10–15 clients using social media, door hangers, and at‑cost jobs that build a five‑star reputation.

What you’ll learn on this episode:

• How FLOR Landscaping built a design‑build model that does “everything outdoors except pools and the house”
• The separation between FLOR Landscaping (design/build) and FLOR Property Services (commercial and select residential maintenance)
• Why they tightened their service area to roughly 20 minutes from downtown San Jose and began shedding far‑flung accounts
• How Exequio structures his leadership team: sales, operations manager, project managers, coordinator, and foremen‑led three‑person crews
• What “responsive scheduling and clear communication” looks like in practice, from instant callbacks to on‑the‑fly trenching help for GCs
• How overcommunicating and setting expectations with clients smooths inevitable construction changes and builds long‑term trust
• Exequio’s path from growing up in his father’s lawn care business to running a 25‑plus‑person design/build operation by age 27
• His playbook for getting started today: talk on camera even before you have jobs, hit neighborhoods with door hangers, do some work at cost, and ask directly for honest five‑star reviews.