Episode 14

Ezra (00:00)

Hello and welcome back to the Lawn Care Success podcast. Today I have with me my friend Paul Jamison. He’s the host of the Green Industry podcast, multiple bestselling author and one of the influential voices in our lawn and landscape industry. Paul, quite the story started with just a borrowed mower and I think a borrowed Honda Accord, quite the combination there and a dream. And today he’s on a mission now to help lawn and landscape businesses grow, scale their company. And today we’re going to dive into his journey.

for helping others build a profitable system driven business. glad you’re here.

Paul (00:35)

Thanks for having me Ezra, good to see you my friend.

Ezra (00:38)

Oh yeah. So your story really goes back at this point, almost 14 years back to 2011. And you know, I was just thinking about this to the day when I was starting my lawn care company and I guess it would have been at this point, right around 2021. Or, and I wanted to start one earlier. I read your book, cut that grass and make that cash. And you’ve said before that

crazy story, you I think I remember it, won’t try to tell it all, but you saw your neighbor, it was overgrown. And you’ve said you’ve had, when you first started, it was chaos. Prices were chaos, billing was chaos. So what were some kind of turning points in your story that helped you change from chaos to running a successful and profitable business?

Paul (01:27)

Well, when I started my business, I was very stressed out about money because I was renting from my friends, Christian and Ashley, they’re a married couple. And they had moved out to Kansas City and they were like, hey, would you like to live in our house while we’re out West? And I said, sure. And they like, you we’ll get some room. You can get some roommates and charge them like 250 or 350 bucks per room and you could be making money.

because the mortgage is just $928. So anyways, there’s a little bit of poor communication on both of our parts because I thought I only had to pay for my room, like $350 for the, which was their bedroom, which was the nicest bedroom in the house. This house was not nice, but I say nice bedroom, you’re thinking some epic bedroom. It was kind of in the hood, but nevertheless, they texted me one day and they’re like, hey,

can you go drop off 928 bucks at Wells Fargo? And I was like, 928 bucks? Like, I thought I only had to pay 350 and they’re like, well, you didn’t get any roommates. Cause I had asked a bunch of people to move into their house and everyone just didn’t, know, supplying the man. People just didn’t need a room in the hood in this house. it was a lot harder than I thought to fill up this house.

Anyway, I had to figure out how to come up with $928, which some of you are laughing like $928 isn’t that much money? Well, first of all, in 2011, it was a lot more than it is today. And second of Lee, I rarely had over $1,000 in my checking account. So $928 was be like all time high of my net worth and money. I mean, just I was I was used to being broke. And so I went out on a walk.

And it was kind of like a prayer walk. was just like, God, how am I going to come up with $928? And I’m walking around a neighborhood and I’m literally thinking I could go buy like a $200 plane ticket to Vegas and like, see if I can gamble my money to get to 1000 and then, know, surely have a Wells Fargo in Nevada and I could wire him the money and then figure out how to get like I’m literally thinking outside the box, like how legally am I going to get $928? And I’m

praying, I’m walking and I’m stressed. When I say I’m stressed out, I was just so much anxiety because I didn’t want to have to let them know I didn’t have 928 bucks. And I really respected Christian and Ashley. They’re pretty cool people. So I’m walking in and I’m in a cul-de-sac and I’m just kind of like sitting there looking out, you know, looking out. There’s like little rolling hills and stuff in Georgia where I lived at the time.

And I was just standing there and I noticed this yard had a for sale sign in it, but the grass was like up to my knees. And I was like, this makes no sense. Like if you’re going to sell a house, don’t you want it to be cut? So I called them and I wasn’t calling them to put in a bid to mow it. I was just calling them to say, Hey, did you guys know that this yard’s all overgrown my neighbor’s yard? And the lady was just like, Hey, what’s your quote to cut it?

I was thinking, oh, I can make some money here. I used to cut my dad’s, my mom and dad’s neighbor, Frank and Amy’s yard for 20 bucks in high school. So I was like, this is going to take way longer than Frank and Amy’s yard. So I was like 60 bucks thinking I’d just tripled my, my high school rate. And anyway, that was my first job and it ended up, it ended up costing me money to do that job. my, my, my, my whole coming out 928 bucks like went.

went south. But basically that day I started my business and I just went and I got free this to print business cards and I put them in every on every mailbox in the neighborhood and I I picked up four or five yards right away. I remember I remember them. It was Mrs. Thor. It was Maria. This guy named Reggie who had these big holes in his backyard these two dogs that were super scary and dog poop and but anyway, I would just like well

I forget how many days I had until I had to send him the money on Wells Fargo and I ended up asking for like a little grace period on it. I think I didn’t pay him to like the fifth of the month. But anyway, I scraped it together and I paid him and then I had weekly accounts because Reggie and Maria Mrs. Thornton and all these folks are like, hey, can you come back again next week? And I was like, yeah, I’ll just put you on the schedule for week weekly mowing here. And so it was chaos. The first year was pure chaos. I was under charging.

And I had to start accumulating. Not only did I need to make the money to get rent, I had to somehow get the money to be able to purchase my own equipment because I was borrowing my friend Dave’s equipment and then my buddy Tyler, he was a college kid and he had his own, he had a Chevy truck and he had a trailer and he had fancy equipment. So I’d work with him every Thursday and split the money because he had some yards, I had some yards. I was like, hey, let’s just mow all day on Thursday. And then whatever we make, we’ll just split it.

50-50 and so somehow I thought that was a good idea. He was providing all the equipment and everything, but we just got through it. But I wasn’t making money, so I ended up getting a job at Carrabba’s and I would go, and basically how I survived was I served tables, weighted tables in the evenings and that kind of got me money to kind of fund my lawn business and start buying.

You know my first Toro and then I got an X mark 30 inch mower and I started getting back in the day I use steel power equipment I later switched to echo but I I got my first steel weed eater and BR 600 backpack blower and stuff like that and and I was I was in chaos mode for 2011 2012 2013 2014 I was really struggling but it was around 2014 maybe 2013 that I started watching YouTube

And that’s what changed it for me. started watching a guy named Greg Chisholm, his channel was called like Geek the Freak, because he was like becoming this freak in the gym. was like working out and stuff. so he started showing like his properties and he would, that’s where I got the saying cut that grass and make that cash. Greg would say that. so I’d watch his videos and I’d watch this guy named Johnny Moe and then I’d watch Keith Kalfus and

Blake Albertson and and Nailor Talley Farrow and these guys were all on YouTube in 2013, 2014. So I just watched all pretty much every time they put out a video, I watched it and learned as much as I could and Stanley Dirt Monkey Genetic was like, you need to take 50 % down and 50 % upon completion. do a big job. And I was like, I never knew that. So I, you my next big, well, big to me job, I was like, you know, I need to deposit and okay. And I was like, what? And it’s just, so I just, I was learning as I went and then

Uh, things went from chaos to success 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. I started making money and I started actually having nice properties and nice equipment and, actually starting knowing what I was doing and things really were going well. And, I post a little bit here and there on like Snapchat was big back then and, um, a little bit on Instagram, but not much. And, uh, my buddy Naylor came to town in August.

2018 and we we grabbed breakfast and we were just talking and whatnot and It’s like, you know, I’m thinking of starting a podcast and just sharing like I got a pretty cool story I used to be broke and had no idea what I’m doing and now I have all these nice houses Atlanta Falcons head coach and and a bunch of the players and My friend Jeremy Talboy worked in the same neighborhood I did but it a really nice neighborhood and I was like, I you know got I got a story to tell and he’s like, yeah start a podcast and share your story and so

I did that in 2018 and then that thing took off. so anyway, that’s a little bit of abbreviated story of 14 years in entrepreneurship. But it’s been fun being a part of the lawn care industry from being a laborer myself for over 10 years, I was a laborer. know Jonathan Potosianek, my friend, he’s like, you gotta get out of the field, you gotta get weight. I didn’t know all that, so I just did.

I was on the crew every day, mowing edge and trimming, blowing. And if my shoulder hurt too bad, I wouldn’t trim. I’d have one of my team members trim and I would just mow all day. But I did that for 10 years, 2011 to 2020, pretty much every single day I was out mowing edge and trimming, blowing. It took a toll on my body.

Ezra (10:15)

So was there a point, know, you mentioned anyway, we’ve probably all been there. The guy with the two dogs, the junk leftover and was there a point because obviously you talked about, and I’ve heard you on other places talk about the nice properties you had, but a lot of people may be stuck in those dumpy properties. Was there a point where you kind of tipped over and realized, Hey, there are better properties and how did you start to get some of those better ones? Because that’s a huge difference from $60.

rough cuts to premium properties.

Paul (10:47)

Yeah, Reggie, I think was paid 30 bucks. He’d give me a 20 and a 10 cash. he had these two scary dogs. I don’t know what, I think his dogs just made the holes in the backyard. like, you’d have to, you’d be mowing and there would just be this gigantic hole. And he’d have, you’d have to call him beforehand and tell him to put his dogs inside because they were just scary dogs. Maybe at the door just like, they scared me that they were going to like break through the door and come and eat us or whatever.

So yeah, those are my yards early on and my friend Kenny, I would work for him usually. Well, not like consistently, but I would work for him. Like I was actually a laborer for another company in addition to my, I was doing everything I could to make money. Like I would drive by and see a mattress on the side of the road with who knows what kind of stains on it. And I would pick it up and I would put it on Craigslist and sell it for 50 bucks. Kenny, know, Kenny, I would work for him for $11 an hour.

I was working at Carrabba’s. I was doing anything I could to make enough money to pay rent. Like when you’re broke and you get an eviction where you can’t pay and they kick you out, it messes with you. It’s like, I don’t want that to happen again. So I was just, I wanted to, basically my goal was not get evicted, like pay the rent. So I’d work for my friend Kenny every now and again. And it wasn’t full time because I had my own, I had my own own yards, but when I

When I could, I’d work for him and he worked in this neighborhood called Country Club of the South. So Whitney Houston passed away, but she lived in there. Usher, I think he still lives in there today. think Justin Bieber lived in there when he had a short stint in Atlanta. And it was nice to the houses. Like you go through this gate and we would do what’s called real mowing. So we would real, we would mow it and it would be real short, like a putting green. And it would look so good. These houses were just so nice.

And Kenny would tell me he’s like, this, property is 900 a month, 900 a month for one property. He’s like, yeah, this one’s 1200 a month. I was like 1200 a month. Like I kind of believe it. And he was like, he’s like, you got, you got to work in a nice neighborhoods. And he, kind of, he kind of. kind of, well, literally I was in the nice neighborhood, but he kind of planted that seed inside of me. That neighborhood was an Alpharetta, which was a little bit far away from, from where I was kind of stationed there in Duluth and Lawrenceville, Georgia. But.

It planted a seed of like, well, Kenny, if Kenny can do it, I can do it. And then one day my neighbor, Vic, he’s like, Hey, can you help me move a couch? And I was like, sure. And I thought he meant like in his apartment, like we’re going to move a couch. And he’s so he’s like, you know, he’s beat me down in the parking lot and we’re getting his ghetto car. He had a real ghetto, uh, like an old Corolla that was all like multi colored and just sketchy looking and

And whatnot. we get in his car and I was like, where’s this guy? don’t even know this guy that well. You know, I mean, just my neighbors asked me to move, help him move. And I didn’t want to, but I was like, I do say no and then go out to the pool. And he looks out his window and sees me in my beach towel at the pool, like in my float, you know, I got a little river tube thing. So I was like, all right, I’ll help him move his couch. So what I didn’t know was his sister lived in a fancy country club, Sugarloaf country club.

So we drive into there and I was like, man, these houses, they’re not as nice as country club of the South, but they’re nice houses. mean, Matt Ryan, the quarterback of the Falcons lived in there and a bunch of, you know, other rich and famous people lived in there. So we get to his sister’s house, we moved the couch and I said, hey, I was like, your yard ain’t, you you live in, you have a nice house, man. But I was like, your yard could be better and I can make it better. And she’s like, really? And I was like, yeah, yeah. And I was like,

you know, just telling her what was wrong with the yard and what I could do to fix it. And she had some weeds and I was naming the weeds and like I knew my stuff and she’s like, all right, well, give me, send me a quote. So I emailed her a quote and she’s like, all right, we’ll give you a, we’ll give you a shot. So I just was a go getter and, and, and, you know, I hadn’t, had an opportunity. She didn’t ask me. I, I asserted myself and put on my Superman cape and it was like, you know, give me an opportunity to make your yard look great. So she did. And then I got her yard.

And then she gave me some referrals in the neighborhood. She actually was a real estate agent in the neighborhood. And so I quickly picked up three, four, five houses in the neighborhood and then it was on. Then it was game on. I just started networking. And next thing you know, I had 10 yards in this nice neighborhood. And the next thing you know, like I started restructuring my business where I’m gonna start getting rid of Reggie, Maria, Mrs. Stort and these.

Less, this one guy, Less, man, he was, his yard, it was, it was bad, man. He had snakes and be yellow jackets and he’d always have an excuse why couldn’t it pay us his 30 bucks. Cause he was on his whatever payment thing. He had to wait for his check and then he’d have some story. Hey, I’ll, I’ll get up next time and slow payer. And then we’d always have like a problem on his property. And so I was like, what am I doing? You know, with Less and Reggie and Mrs. Stewart and these ghetto yards.

when literally I was doing like coaches who were coaching and you know, the Atlanta Falcons football team and they drew Mercedes Benz and you know, they had money. They had money to spend on mulch and pine straw and fertilization and weed control and lighting and fixing the irrigation and all this stuff. It just opened up my world. So I would go where the money is as fast as you can. It’s early on, you know, you just gotta take

like Greg says, you take what you get, you don’t throw a fit. So I had to just kind of take what I got, but I got in a real bad habit of taking yards all over Atlanta and I had a lot of windshield time. That was just stupid. yeah, getting dialed in in that neighborhood was good.

Ezra (16:49)

It’s so good, Paul. And I think I want to highlight something that you did there. You know, you were just going to help, but you hustled and you made it work. And obviously at the beginning, a lot of times you just had to take what you can get. But as you grow in business, transitioning to those better properties, but it took you putting yourself out there and in business, you know, we may have to do that for the first little while, but it’s good to get to that place. And, know, hearing your story, you’re working at that restaurant.

I didn’t rise, you’re working for another landscaper than you got your own. What kept you motivated during those long days? And I’ve been there, I remember in college, was working, I was roofing all day. And then I go and work at FedEx at night in Illinois. And so it was just insane. And it gets hot there in Illinois. But what kept you motivated during those long, long days working for the people, working at the restaurant? What did you have a goal or were you just like, sounds like you had some

hard times where you mentioned maybe you got evicted or something. Was that kind of fear driving you on or what drove you to work so hard to get out of that place?

Paul (17:56)

Yeah, I would listen to the Dave Ramsey podcast. so that hearing people share their debt free journey and how they became a millionaire, they would do a millionaire theme hour that that stuff motivated me for sure. And then the other was one month where I think my rent was 835 per month. This is now this was I wasn’t living in the house anymore. I had actually got my own apartment.

And I remember things were so tight and one of my customers owed me 1200 bucks. I did a pine straw job and their billing. I’m not going to say who it is, but it was a commercial property and you’ve all heard of this commercial place, but I didn’t go throw him under the bus, but they, I had sent them the invoice and this was before I had started using a CRM.

podcast now we promote horizon 360 by the Toro company but this was way before I even knew what a CRM was so I had like a little paper invoice that I gave them you know due date and all this stuff and and months would go by and they’re like they never paid me and so I would call them and like yeah you know check should be showing up any day now or whatever and apparently they did send it at one point but it went in my neighbor’s mailbox so I never got it

And so anyway, I was like counting on that money thinking I’m going to have money to pay rent. And I kept always thinking, well, in the next month, I’ll have it. And then it just came to where I was like, I don’t have the 835 bucks. So I just left and I, packed up all my stuff and I went to my friend’s house and I was like, Hey, can I stay in your basement? He’ll be 200 bucks a month. And like they didn’t even, it wasn’t like a room in the basement. They just had like,

It wasn’t even a finished basement. was just like a basement with concrete and it was so ghetto and cinder blocks. then there was like a little room there with like a mat thing, floor mat or whatever. some people have like nice basements or finished stuff. It was not bad. It was like a ghetto basement. So here I am, living in a basement for 200 bucks.

I never know, I never did know what happened to that apartment, cause I didn’t pay him. I just left. I never paid him rent again. So I figured they evicted me or they kicked me out or they figured out I was gone. I don’t know how all that worked. But I just, I just left and, and I told one of the girls that worked there, said, Hey, I’m, can’t afford to live for anymore. You know, here’s my keys, have a, have a good life. And that was that. So it’s not, anyway, that motivated me cause I was like,

I never wanted that to happen again. Dave Ramsey went bankrupt and he shares like he can remember the emotions of when he had his stuff repossessed, repode. And so I remember being broke and not being able to pay rent and being so like, well, first I remember the math gymnastics I went through of like, well, if I sell this and do this and get this job and then I’m always stressed out of like, well,

Oh, they didn’t pay today. And so all that stuff, I remember it like it was yesterday. So it kind of motivated me to figure this thing out so I could get some margin in my life and some cushion and not have that money stress anymore. thankfully I paid off all my debt. I’m debt free. I don’t know anybody, anything. And I budget and I have more money coming in than going out. I live on less than I make and I’m not.

I mean, I’m aware that next month I gotta pay my rent, but I’m not overly stressed about it. Like the money, I’m gonna be able to pay rent next month. Now I can’t take my foot off the gas, but I’m not in the place where I used to be and that’s motivated me to never go back there again. So I don’t wanna say not having money to pay rent and having to go live in that basement was a good thing, cause at the time it was.

nerve wracking and miserable in my life. My health was struggling back then, but it was such a low point in my life that now I never want that to ever happen again. I never even want to have to think about that. That’s why I don’t have a paid for house right now or whatever, but like I want to get to where I can not even have a mortgage one day where like my house is paid for so that I don’t even have to worry about that. so.

It motivates me.

Ezra (22:40)

Yeah, you can still hear it even just hearing you tell that story. So, oh, I believe it. So did you own your business at that point? And were you in the kind of chaos? Oh, yeah, because the landscape.

Paul (22:44)

Oof, scary.

Yeah. Paul Jameson lawn

care. I was living in the basement. Paul Jameson lawn care, man. had humble beginnings and it all went back to my prices weren’t high enough. So I was working all day, but then I was paying folks and paying for the mulch and the topsoil and the sod and the irrigation supplies and then the Toro mower and then the Exmark mower, then the trailer, then the truck.

All of that stuff to run a business. just my prices were too low. It wasn’t working. so listening to Jonathan Potoschnick on YouTube and talking to my friend Rich Rich Jansen had me over for a steak dinner. I wrote about it in my book how he helped me. He really was concerned for how I was paying my bills because he’s like you’re not charging enough compared to the market of what the other big companies that

actually know their numbers, they were charging a lot more than me. so I, my pricing was too low. And that that caused me solid six or seven years of my business was failing. It would have failed. just bailed it out because I went and got other work at the restaurant. I worked at a radio station. I had income coming from the outside to feed the business on life support for just long enough.

to finally I got it off of life support around 2015. And then, you know, then it started profiting and solely providing and stuff like that. Being self-sustaining, 2016, 17, 18, 19, et cetera.

Ezra (24:40)

So I’ve heard you talk a lot about having a goals, having vision, where are you looking to go? And hearing more, I’ve heard you talk about it, but I don’t think in that depth before. did that kind of your low point there, having to move out of your apartment, just the chaos of the business, does that shape how you picture your, make your goals now? And someone listening, if they’re saying, Hey, maybe they’re in that chaos phase where like they’re working so hard and they’re broke as a joke.

And they’re just like, hey, I want something better for my business, for my family. What are some practical steps that you would suggest for entrepreneurs that want to get a vision, some goals in their life, and then turn that into actually happening?

Paul (25:22)

Yeah, so I think it started with my friend group was a big thing. In 2011, the kind of folks I were hanging out with, they were all broke too. they were…

They just their mentality about money was was was raggedy. And so I heard a study that was done by Harvard that you’re the average income of the five people you hang around the most. Well, my my my five friends here, they had decent character, but their their mindset about money was just toxic and poverty mentality is what you would say. And they would kind of joke about like their

You know, the way they talked about rich people was like there was like this animosity towards rich people, whatever. And so deep down inside, I knew I wanted to be rich. Like I like, you know, I like big houses and nice vehicles and nice, nice stuff, you know. So I was like, OK. I want to hang around my five people. I want to make one hundred thousand dollars a year. Which back then, now my goals higher than that. But back then, I was like I never had made

personal income 100,000 before I’m not talking about business revenue. I’m talking about like my personal income. So I was like, well, who do I know that actually makes 100,000 personal income, not business revenue, because that there’s, you know, there’s a difference, you can make a million dollars. And then I was actually on Instagram day and someone was like, Reagan, they’re like, hey, I make $2 million. I was like, no, your business top line is 2 million, but you don’t actually make 2 million. Because if you make a million, go ahead.

Ezra (27:04)

And I want to make

a point here. just heard the other day I was listening to podcast and this London landscape business was doing over a million dollars in gross revenue. And the business had such low profit margins that their net was like 50 to a hundred thousand dollars. But you can imagine the stress of that size business, but what they were getting. I just want to, that’s so good what you said.

Paul (27:26)

Yeah, and I just want,

yeah, because you can make a million bucks and you spend $950,000, you would probably have made more money working like in an air conditioning store or something. But anyway, I wanted to find who do I know that their actual like, you know, what they turn into the IRS for their tax things. like they actually make six figures as their personal salary. So I had this guy.

Dr. Kim, he’s a Korean dentist. And I was like, he, you know, he was my customer. Um, but he had a Porsche. He had a, um, he had a Lexus RX three 50 Lexus and his wife drove a Porsche. And then they had a $1.25 million house. I mean, I, I, mowed it. Took care of it year round. Beautiful home that golf, not the golf hole was in their backyard. A part of a country club is very, very nice. So

I just asked him, I was like, hey Mike, on Fridays, you want to go to Panera and just, he wanted to learn the Bible. So I was like, not that I’m a Bible scholar, but I was like, you we can read a chapter of the Bible together and I can help you on your spiritual walk. Cause he was a brand new Christian. He was kind of a, lived a little, he was successful in business, but he had a little rough edges. And then he became a, he wanted to become a Christian. I was like, I can help you on your spiritual walk if you can help me about business.

And he’s like, let’s, you know, so we met every, I think it was Friday mornings. I can’t recall, it was a long time ago, but I remember we’d go to Panera once a week and I’d get a coffee and you know, he’d show up and we’d hang out for an hour or so. So then he had a friend, Justin, who was making big money. And so then they’re like, hey, do you want to come play tennis?

with us and I always thought I was kind of athletic and whatnot and these Korean guys man they could play some tennis like I was like hitting the ball too far when I go over the white line and these little these Korean guys are a lot shorter than me so they’re just like you know and they’re grunting like ⁓ you know and they’re really good but they were also really rich like the one guy I think it was a cardiologist or something that we went to his house and he had an elevator like that he was like hey you want to see the game room and the movie theater and all this stuff like sure and so you go on his elevator and you go down and there’s like a

It’s like a movie theater with like tiered seatings, like a ramp and pool table and ping pong and like all this stuff. And so these guys are rich. And so I started Friday nights. I would go, I was the only white guy there. Usually it’s a bunch of these Korean rich guys, but I would go golfing with them and I would, I would play tennis with them and I would go, then know, then they’d have, their wives would make all this Korean food. was called a bulgogi and kimchi and all this stuff.

But anyway, when I’m in the guy’s house with an elevator in a, you know, 10,000 square foot, big old house and Mike’s house is huge and stuff. I was like, this is what I want. This is, this is nice going, you know, leaving there and going back to my little raggedy one bedroom apartment was like depressing, you know what I mean? So it, I started hanging around people who were successful. Some of them were doctors. Some of them were dentists. But they were, they were

you know, making a lot of money and then they had financial sense about them. Like they were when they were talking, they were I mean, they were always talking about money, like what the market’s doing, what this stocks doing, what this is doing. Like they were just they never turned it off. Like even after tennis, I mean, we rarely they always seem to be talking about business. And so anyway, Mike became one of my best friends when I lived in Georgia, we would go golfing a lot. And then I met well, I already knew Otha, but

My friend Otha, we were on the phone one day, like, hey, Paul, do you have a vision board? And I was like, hey, Otha, I was like, I actually do. He was insinuating having stuff on it, but I just had bought a cork board and it was empty and it was sitting in my bedroom. And he’s like, well, print out what you want your life to look like and put pictures and words of what you want your life to look like on your vision board. And let’s get this thing hung up in your office there. And he of kept me accountable to do that. So I did.

And it’s really meaningful. have several of them. I have one in my bedroom right now and then I have, where’s the other one? I have multiple of them throughout my house here, but they’re just, they’re loaded up with pictures and things of what I want my life to be like. So when I was still in debt, like one of the things I had on there was people who did their debt-free scream and it would show off like how much money they paid off and their hands would be in the air and

There would be like freedom and like I’m debt free. And so I had a bunch of those on the board when I had over a hundred thousand of debt. And the vision was one day I’m going to be debt free one day. I’m going to be debt free. And I would look at it every single day and just think one day I’m going to be debt free one day. I’m going to be debt free. And now I am debt free. And I also wrote it down like I’m enjoying a debt free life. And I would I would declare that

I would try to declare that every morning. I would just say, I’m declaring a debt-free life, even when I had over $100,000 in debt. And now, like in reality, I am debt-free. I declared it, proclaimed it out of my mouth. Our words are powerful. And then I, with my eye gate, my eyes, I visualized what I wanted my life to look like. And it’s really cool. Like there was a golf course I had on there that was very nice golf course and had it on my vision board.

And I think I’ve played that golf course now four times, maybe five times. So God connected me to the person who’s a member at this fancy place. And then we became friends and they invited me and then they invited me again and again and again. So I just I I learned to start hanging around people who are further along in life than me, who have a marriage I want to have, who have the money I want to have, who the life and character I want to have. And then

You know, just trying to get myself in those circles.

Ezra (33:47)

So for someone listening and they say, okay, this is great, Paul, what would you give a suggestion to them? How can they get around people who are where they want to be? Do you have suggestions on how they could find people like you found where they live?

Paul (34:02)

Yeah, well that is important where you live. I mean, I would start with prayer and just ask God to help you, like help connect me to mentors that you want me to have. In some cases you have to pay to play. So, so Myron Golden, I went to his event in Tampa. I lived in Atlanta at the time, but I paid $3,000 to get a ticket to go to his event. And later I ended up meeting him and, and

you know, becoming friends with him, but I paid to have access to meet him. Essentially, I wouldn’t have, I wouldn’t have gotten connected with him if I didn’t pay. I didn’t pay Dr. Kim. So, so, and I never paid Jonathan Potoschnick. I just watched his YouTube videos and then at the right time, Naylor introduced me to him. So I, I could kind of go through and there’s some people where there wasn’t a gate, if you will, of like actually paying money, but in some cases you might have to pay money.

In other cases, you just have to ask, how can I add value to this person? Like how, what can I bring to the table? So with Dr. Kim, I knew he was a brand new Christian and that I had my walk with the Lord for a little bit longer. I was like, well, I can kind of help him with what I’ve kind of learned about how to, you know, stop cussing and doing all these crazy sins I used to do. you know, like what, what’s kind of helped me to try to get on the straight and narrow and, and he, you know,

So I just offered to help him on that if he could help me with business and then with other mentors, just being in the right place at the right time and making sure it’s not about you, it’s gotta be about, you used to have to add value in some way, or form to them. So just thinking how can I serve this person? How can I be attractive that this person would wanna hang out with me? And in many cases, you have to,

become a better person, have to, you have to make more money to get in some of these circles, you have to have a nicer, you have to pick yourself up, so to speak, for some of these people to pay attention to you. And so it motivates you as well to get it together. And don’t get upset if someone, you know, if you’re not, you know, if the five people around you right now aren’t who you want them to be, like, just set the goal. I want the five people around me to be like this and then

and then just start moving in that direction. But really take inventory, who are those five people in your life that have the most influence in your life? What’s their character like? What’s their business like? What’s their time management like? What’s their money management like? Really, really take a close look at who you’re running with, because they will influence you.

Ezra (36:53)

So good, Paul. And one thing I’ll add here as well, once you find that person, they give you advice. You’re have to listen. No one wants to give advice and then you don’t take it. But there’s something about someone who, if you give them advice and they actually do it and they see the results, that just makes you wanna pour into someone even more because you see the results rather than, you you try to help someone and they don’t do it they come back and say, I still need help. And you’re like, hey.

Do you do what I suggested? Well, yeah, you got to take the advice too.

Paul (37:28)

yeah.

Ezra (37:30)

⁓ so what were some limiting beliefs that you had to overcome as you kind of transition from that chaos chuck in the truck to now getting in that better, better place around better people. And for the people that are listening, they, they realize like, my business isn’t where I want to be. I want to find those people. I just feel like I’m in that poverty mindset. I’m just, you know, month to month paycheck to paycheck. How can they kind of escape that trap?

Paul (38:00)

Yeah, I think the first step is to take control of your finances. really know in the book of Proverbs, it talks about knowing the state of your flocks. So what that means is know what it really costs to run your life, what it really costs to run your household, what it really costs to run your business and really be tracking your money. So a lot of guys in this industry don’t.

pay attention to their numbers closely. But what happens when you do is it really gives you confidence when you’re out there quoting work, like you actually understand the numbers of your business. So even though your price seems high, if you understand the math behind it, you’ll have a confidence and just like integrity to tell Mrs. Smith, hey, this is what it’s going to cost to put down five pallets of Zoysia. You know what you need Zoysia.

sod instead of Bermuda here because it’s kind of shady area and it’s not getting enough sunlight for Bermuda. But listen, Zoysia is more expensive and we need to bring in topsoil and grade it beforehand. And here’s what we’re going to do for you. It’s going to look amazing. Sell them the promise or like the resolve what’s going look like. And here’s the price. But when you know your numbers, when you know how much those pallets of Zoysia sod cost and you know how much that topsoil costs and how much your labor costs.

and how much all your other overhead costs like, and you actually know your numbers, you can run all the math. And then of course, you need to pay your taxes and be profitable and all this. And you can like, like she can sense when you tell her that number, which seems high, but it’s like, it’s fair. She can sense that you know what you’re doing. And so a lot of guys, they just willy nilly don’t know what they’re doing. And so their numbers, like it’s like, it’s like they’re guessing almost and the customer can kind of tell.

So take control of your finances. Like know how much does it cost to run your your month? Like, you know, I’m the last day of every month I meet with a lady named Layla and we go over how I did on my budget the previous month. So I know exactly how much I spent on groceries like to the penny. Literally, I have a spreadsheet. I know exactly how much I spent on food out, which is eating out. I know exactly how much my rent was.

I got a whole list. So I know how I really performed last month. Then we set the budget for the upcoming month. And so it’s like, I’m dialed in to knowing my numbers personally. And then we do the exact same thing for the business. So I know how much I spent in my business last month, how much I’m expected to make this month, and then how much my expenses are this month. if you really want to shift to that, get a promotion to the next level, really, really, really get on top of

of understanding your numbers. And then a lot of these guys, as they increase their lifestyle too fast, like as a small business owner, you should be terrified of increasing your lifestyle because there’s just so many variables and there’s so much expense with our business and stuff like that. Like that’s got to be the last thing is our lifestyle increase. You know, and then there comes a time and place. I was hanging out with a fella. He’s

He’s got over $100 million net worth and he’s just now starting to increase his lifestyle. but he for a while long time, like he lived like a poor person, even though he had, he was a multimillionaire. ⁓ and now is, is kind of got some breathing room and is like, you know, kind of live in large, but it’s still ratio wise. He still has plenty of money. So just be careful to pay attention to your money and then don’t, don’t, ⁓

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Don’t go get that fancy truck or that fancy house and all this fancy stuff. Slow down and make sure you have margin and ratios.

Ezra (42:02)

That’s so good and personal and business. I know you’re a big Ramsey fan, Dave Ramsey, and I really like their Every Dollar app. I use that personally. They also budget for my business and I project. I like how you said you’ll project next month and then you also track what you did because I think I can’t remember who said it, but it’s a good quote that says what gets measured gets managed and you’ll be surprised whether that be if you’re trying to work on your weight, just even

Paul (42:26)

That’s right.

Ezra (42:30)

weighing and consistently weighing it. Or if you’re trying to do better with your finances, just measuring, hey, this is what I have done. It will affect your behavior. so tracking in your business, okay, this is what we made, is we don’t want to be that business that’s making a million or grossing a million and bringing home 50. Like, that’s terrible. And so keeping track of all that, I just want to yeah, that’s so good.

With the Green Industry podcast, think you mentioned in 2018 you started and what would you say, we’ve seen that obviously you’ve been doing it a long time. You’ve been working hard at it. How do you maintain the quality and consistency now you’ve done over 1400 episodes? have you found is kind of the best way that helps you consistently bring value?

Paul (43:21)

Well, I continue to learn. it’s fun like chatting with you today, Ezra. And then here in 14 minutes, I got another call, another podcast with Joey Coberley. Like, I enjoy networking and the podcast has really been a way to network. So it’s like, I’m, you know, I’m enjoying fellowship and hanging out with you. I’m going to enjoy hanging out with Joey. Like, and it’s just like ironing, sharpening iron. So

For me, the podcast, like selfishly as the host, it’s just been this incredible networking opportunity of just getting to know people better who are headed in the right direction in life and running a business and things of that nature. And then it’s motivating when listeners just say, Hey man, I’ve, you know, I listened to your podcast every morning or, you know, a lot of folks listen like every single day. So that puts like a pressure on me.

Like I think about my friend, Kevin Salters was up in Rhode Island. tells me he listens to my podcast. I’m like, dude, you’re like, you’ve been in business longer than I’ve been alive. Like, you know so much about business or whatever, but he’s, you know, he’s finding value listening to, ⁓ me and Joey talk about numbers. Like, so I’m like, it’s like, you never know who, could be listening and, how they could be finding value. And so I just like, think about, well, you know, somebody as smart as Kevin’s listening to me.

It puts accountability or like a healthy pressure to, you know, I want to serve him well. Like he’s listening to me. I feel like, you know, I just, I want to produce something that if he’s going to hit play or anyone for that matter is going to get hit play that they’re going to find some value out of what my guest and I talk about. So yeah, I just feel, I feel responsibility to the listener to bring.

bring value, if we don’t, they can go listen to something else. So it’s a free market. So I gotta bring enough entertainment, education, inspiration, and all of that kind of mixed up together to where somebody’s out mowing or driving in their truck to their next yard, and they’re like, you know what, I like listening to this. then the other thing is,

It’s a clean show. So if your kids are in the backseat or like, you know, we get a lot of compliments like, man, I know I can listen to you, Paul, that that you’re, you know, my kids are in the back and they know Paul’s voice like, but but they can trust that they’re not going to hear cuss word, they’re not going to hear inappropriate reference, and they’re not going to hear us talking about foolishness, we’re going to talk about how we can become better at business and become better people.

Ezra (46:14)

Now, Paul, you’ve done hundreds of shows and I’ll just, I can think of two of my favorite shows that you’ve done. One of them was with Jonathan Potoschnick. You did one on there. Well, you’ve done a couple with him, but one that you played, I think it was from a conference, but he talked about simplicity. That’s probably one of my favorite. And then really, well, they’re probably tied for first. The one you did with Brian Fullerton, I think it was episode 200. I think it was. I listened to that one a couple of times.

Paul (46:37)

yeah.

Ezra (46:42)

And for those who haven’t listened to that one, it’s worth a listen. Brian just hit some really good milestones in his business and it’s a really good one. But the hundreds that you’ve done, what would you say have been some of your favorites? If someone wanted to say, what would an impactful one?

Paul (46:58)

Yeah, Jonathan, so Nailer got us, the two come to mind instantly. My friend Nailer helped with these. So the first one in chronological order is Nailer got us to go to Greg Chisholm’s house. So Greg was a big part of me watching his YouTube videos was a big, really helped me in my business. When it was on life support, I really saw a path. Like I was like, hey, this guy is doing it. Like he’s got two little kids.

And he doesn’t have, actually he did work part time at 7-Eleven, like in the winter or whatnot. he, I’m like, he’s making it full time, cutting grass, making that cash. was like, if he can do it, I can do it. anyway, Naylor got us to go to his house and I got to interview him in his backyard and it was a beautiful, such a beautiful day. It was a fall, was October, I believe, or maybe September, but it was just beautiful. It was just like…

was like 75 and just as just dirty started to turn fall and we sat in his backyard and just talked and it was a lot of fun. So that was good. And then second one was Nailer got us connected with Jonathan Potoschnick and we were in Texas for an event. So we got to go to his backyard and interview him, which wasn’t as good of an experience in person because of mosquitoes. Like I was getting bit by all these mosquitoes and I was like, this is

You know, the mosquitoes were getting to me, but to get to hang out with Jonathan on his, he had a beautiful home, beautiful backyard as an understatement is stunning. And just to get to learn from him, those two were as a host and like the actual, you know, talking to you here, Ezra, and then talking to Joey here, I got a call with him in nine minutes. We’re doing it, the internet, there’s a.

I think you guys use something called Riverside. I use something called Streamsong, but it’s essentially video conferencing like Google Meet or Zoom. I can’t actually touch you. Not like that, like JP, he’s right there. I can give him a handshake or a high five. There’s something being in someone’s physical presence that’s different than these virtual calls.

Those ones were just as most special because they were in person and they were with people who really impacted my life. Like Greg impacted me to keep going when I could have thrown in the towel on my lawn business and I’m glad I kept going. And then, you know, I made some pivots in the industry, but Greg was a big influence of that. And then, and then Jonathan has really helped me to understand the value of raising my prices and the, the, ⁓ just understanding

how difficult business is. Like Jonathan’s very, very direct that business is hard and most people are gonna fail at it. But if you do wanna succeed at it, here’s what you need to do. And he just inspires you to put your big boy pants on and get to work. those two were my two favorite episodes, I would say.

Ezra (50:16)

Yeah, anything Jonathan Potoschnick puts out is worth checking out. Well, Paul, I know you’ve got a meeting here in a little bit with Joey and that’s going to be worth checking out Joey’s show. I think it’s the Joey Cove really show. Not sure if it’s good.

Paul (50:27)

Yeah, I’m going

to be a guest on that here in seven minutes.

Ezra (50:30)

Okay,

that’s worth checking out and also Paul Jameson’s podcast. Paul, where’s the best place that someone wants to find you? Where the best place for that?

Paul (50:40)

Okay, our YouTube channel is Green Industry Podcast with Paul Jamieson. And then our podcast is on, it’s on Spotify and it’s on Apple. So it’s on other places too, but that’s when they give us our analytic report. Most people listen on Apple podcast and then the rest of them listen on Spotify. So the name of the podcast is Green Industry Podcast.

and we have a new fresh show every Monday through Friday, bright and early, my producer, Mr. Producer puts that thing out like 5 a.m. Eastern time, every business day, Monday through Friday. So we take holidays off, because I get burned out. So it’s like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Fourth of July, I take a day off. And then we take obviously Saturday and Sunday off from publishing. And I’m usually out golfing on those days or.

hanging out the beach or the pool or something like that. But Monday through Friday, we’re at it. Fresh episode there. And then my Instagram is real Paul Jamieson. So you can catch us over there as well.

Ezra (51:47)

Well, thanks Paul. It’s been a great show. I’m sure this provided good value to the listener. And until then, thanks to Paul Jamieson for sharing his story and insights. If this episode helped you, be sure to pass it along. And obviously as he mentioned, check out the Green Industry podcast. Thank you for listening and we’ll talk to you on the next one.