Episode 19

Ezra McCarthy
welcome back to the Lawn Care Success Blueprint. today I’m joined by Jason McLeod, a business owner from Texas who’s been building a solid business right outside of my old hometown, Greenville, Texas. from humble beginnings, he’s building a growing team and gaining momentum in that competitive and hot Texas marketplace. today, Jason is going to share what it takes as he grows his lawn and landscape business. and if you’re ready to grow your business, this is going to be a great episode for you. Jason, thanks for taking time to be here today.

Jason McLeod
thank you for inviting me.

Ezra McCarthy
yeah. so Jason, it’s always good to see where someone came from. before we begin, do you want to tell us a little bit about where you came from, when you started your business, and why?

Jason McLeod
I started my business in 2022. in 2020, I was released from prison—I’d been gone for about a decade. never really worked, never learned any trades or industries. but this is what God gave me to do. I came home and had a couple of warehouse jobs, and started landscaping on the side.

when I was in prison, I wasn’t praying, but I used to stand in my cell, smelling them cut the grass… and I wished so bad I could just be out there cutting grass. I wanted to go cut it with them so bad.

so when I came home, I knew I was going to be successful—I wasn’t going back. I had two young sons, and I came home as a grandpa, too. I started landscaping on my off days with the Spanish Pastoral Church, which had a little landscaping company. and during that transition, I got some adverse action from a job while trying to go full-time.

the guy I was doing landscaping for stepped back from it, so I started with what I had—an old push mower somebody gave away in the neighborhood on Facebook, a battery-powered weed eater, and I had to use a push broom to sweep off the sidewalks. we printed up a bunch of flyers at UPS, laminated them with packing tape, and I just started passing them out—everywhere. hanging flyers. passing out cards.

the Lord blessed us. we’ve been blessed every step of the way.

I had no idea how to do any of this. when I started working for that first guy, I had never even touched a weed eater. I didn’t know what a zero turn was. when he stepped away, I was left scrambling. we had just bought a home, and my wife’s whole department got laid off. we had to make money.

I didn’t even realize this could be a real business—I was literally just trying to put food in the pantry.

but I knew from the little bit of work I’d done that there was better money in projects—installations and such. so I started pushing in that direction. every step of the way, God opened doors. He’s put so many mentors in front of me. I reached out to everybody I could locally who looked like they had a real business. I called people, stopped guys at the gas station, talked to every material supplier I could.

I came to everyone the same way—“please, any way you can help me learn.” and sure, some people didn’t want to help, maybe because they felt there wasn’t enough work to go around. but honestly, the number of people who were willing to help… it’s amazing, man. it’s so cool.

without that, my first year would’ve just been a bloopers highlight reel. honestly, it still felt like that sometimes. so much had changed while I was gone—technology, tools, everything. I was intimidated to even try YouTube. I know a lot of guys jump on YouTube and figure it out, but I was blessed to have people mentor me and share advice.

from there, I started learning this was real business—not just labor. yeah, we all work hard, but you can build something that gives you time freedom with your family.

I’ve got sons who are 13 and 15—these guys can drive everything from zero turns to skid steers. they can use all the equipment. and from there, we’ve just been growing, sir.

Ezra McCarthy
what was the moment that made you want to start a business, rather than just staying in some of those warehouse jobs?

Jason McLeod
you can look back and see how God pushed you through your situations and kind of steered you. when I got out of prison, I was happy working in warehouses. I mean, you go and you’re just there. and it’s kind of like being locked up—you’re just passing the day. and I like to stay busy. I don’t like to sit still. if I’m done with my work, I’ll help the next guy, the next girl—whatever I can do to stay busy.

at one of the warehouses—okay, I only worked at two—one of them I started my fourth day out. I got the job on my third day out. that’s why I don’t believe it when people say you can’t get a job after prison. I was gone nine years. I was on a leg monitor for three months. my third day home, I secured a job and started my fourth day. it was $11 an hour—and that’s the part people don’t want to hear. because you’ve got to start at step one, or you’re never going to get to step 10… or even step four.

at the second warehouse job, I got certified as a personal trainer. I took an online course while doing my job. I was working there through a temp agency inside the company, and I approached them to see if I could be a fitness coordinator or help make workout programs.

people would just go hang out in their little gym. they were going to put me on permanent—I had been there seven months—but then came the adverse action. because of my past.

I didn’t even know what “adverse action” was. but anyway, that’s what happened. and I was struggling. I wanted to keep that job because it was paying me what I felt I needed in order to stay free—to stay with my family, to not go back to selling dope or any of those things.

my pastor, and so many other people who had standing in society, were going to write me recommendation letters. I had talked to corporate—it was a corporate warehouse—and I reached out to them. they told me if I could give them character references and letters of recommendation, maybe they could reconsider.

but it hit me—why am I trying to fight these people? if my work ethic didn’t show in seven months, if they didn’t want me there… I’m not trying to put myself above anybody, but honestly, I did so much extra. I was going above and beyond.

still, I was stuck. and then it hit me—go cut some grass. go mow grass. there’s grass everywhere out here. this area is booming. every day they’re building more homes. just go mow grass.

and that’s what I did.

Ezra McCarthy
sounds like when you started, you were hustling—taking those flyers around and everything. how long did it take you to really start to gain some decent traction?

Jason McLeod
my first year… when you first start off your business—especially if you don’t know what you’re doing—you’re like the little sick, lame animal out of the herd. and the wolves, they look for that. so all the people looking for cheap work? they’re the ones contacting you.

and I did okay from that. I stayed working. but I didn’t know how to price anything, so we stayed super busy. but not profitably busy. and at that point, I believed you had to win every quote you sent out. I used to stress out—”oh my gosh,” when people said no, I thought, “I’m charging too much.”

we did okay. I had no concept of what the winter would be like, so I didn’t save money. when winter came, I started working in restaurants. I was doing taxidermy with my pastor. I was the handyman for the church. I was scrambling—doing everything I could to make ends meet. that was year one.

year two, we did better. I had my footing a little more. we started late in the season that first year, so the second year was stronger. we did okay early on with Facebook referrals—friends from church, friends of friends. anytime someone in the neighborhood posted on Facebook, people would throw my name out there.

but the biggest blessing as far as gaining real traction came around the end of 2023. a friend at church asked me about my business—my Google Business. I said, “I don’t know anything about that stuff.”

Ezra McCarthy
and he’s referencing the Google Business Profile for those listening.

Jason McLeod
for those listening that haven’t done that—honestly, if you can only do yourself one favor, if you do nothing else for your business, do the Google Business Profile. get those reviews in, get those referrals, and just keep it updated. throw in some new pictures every now and then. make some before-and-afters.

I don’t know how to do it—but my wife does them on Canva for me. it’s not hard. if you don’t know how to do it, you probably know somebody who does. I know Ezra can help you. and most likely, if you’re even a little tech savvy, you can follow the instructions—it’ll tell you what to do. it’s awesome.

Ezra McCarthy
so let me kind of hone in here—because I feel like I beat this drum so many times. people might get tired of hearing it, but when I talk to folks, so few actually do it. for context—people probably hear that it works, but Jason, would you give some specifics? what have the benefits been for your business?

and for those listening, this isn’t me trying to sell you something—this is free, and you can do it on your own. and if you need help, we can help you. but you can do this.

so Jason, what results did you get once you started working on your Google Business Profile?

Jason McLeod
I didn’t even start working on it—he did it all. I just went through the process with him. I’m really not good with technology. but once he got it set up, I started reaching out to people I had done work for. I just texted everybody and sent them the review link.

there’s a link in there that you can send to people—something like, “hey, I recently got my business on Google. would you mind leaving me a review? I’m trying to get my ratings up.” and from that…

my first year we did, I think, like 40-something jobs. second year, we did 108. and the third year we did 188. and that third year—that growth—was because of Google.

now, I ask everybody when they call: “how’d you hear about us?” and last year, over 95% of the ones who were serious, the ones who actually accepted quotes—they were all from Google. sure, we got a few from Facebook, but Google brought in the real leads.

Ezra McCarthy
so I want to hone in on something here—because I think this is important. did you notice, back when you were hustling, passing out flyers—doing what we all have to do to get started—compared to now, when people are calling you? because at the beginning, you were chasing customers. and now, they’re chasing you. have you noticed it’s easier to sell customers now than when you got started?

Jason McLeod
this is the conversation I have all the time. okay, I’m still almost a baby in business, but there are people coming up behind me that I talk to. and I tell them—it’s the difference between you being the fish and the customers fishing to see who takes the bait, versus you being the one throwing out the bait.

when people go on Google, they’re already serious. they’re looking for someone legit. now I have a website—Ezra does awesome websites, by the way, if y’all don’t know. but when you put it all together—your Google profile, your website—when someone’s serious and looking for a professional company, they’re not going to Facebook.

Facebook is great for keeping your name in front of people. it helps with brand recognition, so when they do go to Google, they’ve already seen your name. they call it “seven touchpoints,” right? the more people see your logo on your truck, your signs in the yard—the more familiar they are. and when they finally Google you and see you’re legit—that’s the difference.

now you’re putting the bait out. they can go online, see your work. you’re not just some guy running around doing this out of your truck—even if you kinda still are. I basically still am. but you’re setting yourself apart from the guy who might break a window, mess something up, and then block the homeowner’s number.

you’ve got a presence. people can look you up, see your reviews, your photos, your info—and know, this is somebody real. this is someone who’s been doing the work. you’re not just showing up claiming you know how to do it.

Ezra McCarthy
I’d like to add—this is why it’s so important: people don’t want to be the guinea pig.

when you’re starting out, you’re chasing people. you’re trying to find customers. even if you’re a little further along—say you’re doing $100K or $200K a year—if your only method of acquiring customers is you chasing them, we want to flip that.

we want it to be where it’s not just, “hey, I need someone to mow my lawn.” we want it to be like with Jason’s business—“I want JLS Landscaping.” or in my case, “I want Maple Leaf Mowing.”

once people stop looking for a generic lawn care company and start looking for you, your name—that’s when the shift happens. that’s when it’s no longer, “wait, how much per cut?” it’s “hey, when can you get me on the schedule?”

that’s exactly what I saw in my own business—the more I worked on the business, the more customers came in, and the less I had to sell. that’s where we’re all trying to get. and it completely changes the paradigm.

I heard this on a podcast—they were talking about infomercials. originally, the script would say, “call now, operators are standing by.” but they changed it to, “when you call, if you can’t get through, try again.” and that little change added scarcity. it shifted the mindset—from, “eh, maybe I’ll call,” to “if I don’t act now, I might miss out.”

and that’s the shift. are you running after people, or are they running after you?

I really liked your analogy about the fish and the bait. so if you were to encourage someone—what would you tell them to work on to start seeing the kind of results you’ve had with online marketing?

Jason McLeod
it’s crazy that I’m getting asked this question. if you knew… my kids and my grandkids are the ones who showed me all this stuff. when I got locked up, I’d never had a smartphone. I have one now, but a couple years back—I told you, I was like a bloopers highlight reel. seriously. I only made it through because failing wasn’t an option.

I know God just kept pushing me through. failure, for me, means prison. if I don’t make it successfully, that’s what’s on the other side. and I’m not saying God won’t one day give me something else besides landscaping—who knows? but I had to learn. and you start realizing—it’s so simple.

most of us in landscaping—we’re what I call “outdoor dogs.” we’d rather be outside any day than inside. but once you start understanding online presence… man, everybody is online. everybody picks up Google or Siri and says, “restaurant near me,” “barbershop near me.” same thing—“landscaper near me.” and boom—they pop up the guys who are paying to be there, then the guys who have the most reviews.

your Google page—your presence—has to stay active. and like Ezra said, it’s free 50. it’s free. and it will put you in a position to win.

I’m blessed right now that my struggle is finding enough help. I’ve been blessed to the point where I had to pass off so much work last year. jobs I wanted to do, but just couldn’t. I’d go quote them, and if I got them, great. if not, that’s fine too. but the stronger your online presence, the more opportunity you’ll have.

think about it—drive down the street in whatever town you’re in. how many guys do you pass with a lawn mower and a trailer? landscaping gear? a mini skid? sometimes it feels like there are more of us than there are houses. but a lot of those guys don’t even have a name on the truck.

so sure, they might get lucky with word of mouth. someone might stop and ask them. but when you have an online presence, it works for you even when you’re asleep. people stay up in the middle of the night Googling stuff—because it’s the only time they have, or because they can’t sleep. and you’re always out there.

Ezra McCarthy
this is so helpful—and maybe just reinforcement for people who are still on the fence. now Jason, what systems or tools have you found beneficial to free up your time or help your business grow, especially as you get more customers and need to stay organized?

Jason McLeod
organized is… not quite what I am yet. I’m very much working toward that.

last year, I started using a CRM for the first time. I went with Yardbook, just because it was the first thing I’d really heard of—and someone I knew in person was already using it.

I remember a couple years back, I used to listen to audiobooks while mowing—what I call my go-kart time. and I stumbled into Paul Jamison’s book. from there, I found Keith Kalfas, and a bunch of other guys. and man—that’s another hidden gem. if you’re listening to this podcast, you probably already know about podcasts like that, but I’ll say this—these guys really do share a lot of information.

it’s like Cliff Notes, right? they’ve bumped their heads, they’ve struggled, and now they’re putting it out there so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. now sometimes, yeah, you’re still going to bump your head. but it helps so much.

as for CRMs—yeah, it helps. last year, I was still writing everything on whiteboards. trying to keep up with it all with markers and papers. this year, my wife stepped in and we’ve moved some of it into spreadsheets—especially for mowing and lawn applications. for projects, I still keep those on a separate whiteboard, just so I can look at them constantly. they stay in my mind when I’m at my desk.

but yeah, that’s still one of my struggle points—trying to get more organized and streamlined.

Ezra McCarthy
I think that’s something we all have to work on—but getting something in place, getting a CRM, is huge. you’d be surprised how many people still don’t have one. Yardbook’s a good fit for a lot of folks. my only complaint is I just wish they had a good mobile app… but I’ll digress.

Jason McLeod
the difference between having a CRM and not having one—just any of them—is night and day. and look, none of them pay me to say this—Yardbook doesn’t sponsor me or anything. I just know what it’s like to not have one.

when I started, I was sending quotes through text messages on my phone. typing everything out, long messages about what I was going to do. I always pushed for more projects than mowing—we do an okay amount of mowing now—but back then it was all in these big text blocks.

my wife used to help—I’d write everything on paper, and she’d turn them into Canva pages to make them look more professional. but once we started using a CRM, it freed her up too. she’s got a corporate job and only so much time to help.

with a CRM, now I send out professional-looking estimates. the customer can go in, review it, sign off, leave a deposit—it’s all built in. and if you need to ask for a card on file or add specific terms, it’s already there.

that sets you apart from the guy they’re used to leaving cash under the porch mat for. and yeah, you can still give them that option if they want it—but now you look like a business. and truth is, a lot of guys out here still aren’t doing that. I don’t know why not—but they’re not.

Ezra McCarthy
I think it’s partly just a mindset thing. some guys don’t even think tools like CRMs are out there—or they assume it’s too expensive. but if you’re trying to build a business and not just a side hustle, some of these systems are a must.

there comes a point—and I heard someone say this recently—where you hit bottlenecks. and the quote was, “the bottleneck is always at the top.” meaning, it’s usually us. our mindset. our habits.

we tell ourselves, “I can only handle this many jobs,” or “I can only do X amount.” but once we put real systems in place—like cards on file, CRMs that track customer data—that unlocks growth. and sure, we’ll find new bottlenecks down the line, but we’ll learn and grow past those too.

so Jason, what would you say was the point where you shifted from just being busy—hustling—to actually building a business and making profit?

Jason McLeod
my first year, I was just happy to be working. I was blessed to have a friend who came along and worked with me. but his mindset—it wasn’t business. it was more of an employee mindset.

he’d say stuff like, “well, if you made enough to cover the day, that’s good.” and sure, that’s fine for that day. but what about next week? next month? because I started with zero equipment.

and here’s another awesome story—how God used somebody who hated me until the day they passed to get me my first zero turn.

Ezra McCarthy
wait, wait—stop right there. we gotta hear this story.

Jason McLeod
okay, when I first started, I had a push mower—I told you that—and a Honda CR-V. we traded that in and got a little Ford half-ton. I still didn’t have a trailer though.

so one day I’m standing at the church in the middle of the week, middle of the day, just talking with someone in the parking lot. and there’s this little 6×12 trailer parked back behind the church—it had been there for a few years since I’d been going.

and I said to the guy I was talking to, “man, that’s about the size of trailer I need.”

I had no idea whose trailer it was. but not five minutes later, another brother from church pulled in, and we start chit-chatting. he says, “hey, that’s my trailer back there. if you ever need to use it, you can.”

not five minutes after I said out loud that I needed a trailer like that.

so I started using it. at that point, it was just me putting my push mower on there. and even then, I started advertising for acre lots.

Ezra McCarthy
that’s a long time with a push mower.

Jason McLeod
it is. it really is. but I didn’t have a lot of properties back then, right? I had some smaller ones. at that point, I was just taking whatever I could get. but I knew—that’s what I wanted to do.

I didn’t have a zero turn. I didn’t have any cash. I didn’t have any credit. and we were stuck. we had a few jobs coming in, but I knew—I knew—this wasn’t a good business model. it was unsustainable.

we scraped together about half the money. the first zero turn was just a little Cub Cadet, 42-inch, from Tractor Supply. nothing fancy—just a basic model to get started.

and here’s the wild part. the man who helped us get that mower? it was someone who, honestly, hated me. and I don’t say that lightly—I gave him plenty of reasons to feel that way. if I were in his shoes, I would’ve disliked me too.

it was my father-in-law.

he was a good man. and back then, I was not a good man. I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out now—but I used to be the kind of person that makes a father-in-law worry.

we were trying to find a way to get a loan, and out of nowhere, my mother-in-law contacted my wife and asked for her Zelle information. we didn’t ask them. it wasn’t even on our radar.

and she said, “your dad wants to send you the money you need.”

I was like—what? are you sure?

but we said okay. we took it. we went and picked up the zero turn. and we paid him back in just a couple weeks.

from there, man—the Lord’s just continued to bless us.

Ezra McCarthy
that’s amazing. so as your business has grown, you’ve obviously learned a lot. what are some ways you’ve seen your mindset shift? earlier you mentioned having more of an employee mindset—how would you say that’s changed?

Jason McLeod
my first year, I ran the business kind of like I used to sell dope.

and I don’t say that to be funny—I mean it. I wasn’t smart enough to set aside money to re-up or plan ahead. whatever came in just got spent.

and I did the same thing when I started my business. when I had money—I just had money. I didn’t know what winter was going to look like. I knew what winter was—but I didn’t know what we were supposed to do in it. I figured, “I’ll figure it out.”

so going into year two, I realized: you have to charge more so you can set money aside for winter.

and right around that same time, circumstances forced me to become an LLC. I started the business in maybe April or May, and by June, the same brother who let me use the trailer hooked me up with a commercial contract. but to get that job, I had to be a legitimate business.

they asked, “are you licensed and insured?” and I told them, “we’re in the middle of incorporation.” and from there—we got it all set up.

that forced me to start thinking differently. it pushed me to realize—you’re either going to stay stuck running around doing jobs forever, or you’re going to build something.

and look—I’m almost 45. I’d like to have some time with my kids. some time with my family. if you’re always an employee of your own business, and you never get it to a place where it runs without you, that’s not freedom.

I’m not there yet. but I’m working toward it, consciously. every step I take now is building toward that.

and planning for winter? that’s part of it too. if you don’t plan, you’re going to keep using the same mower until it breaks down for good. and at some point, you’re going to need to upgrade. you’re going to need to add team members. and you’re going to have to give them the tools to do the job.

we can’t all share one mower and one weed eater forever.

Ezra McCarthy
this is so good. I remember there was a guy I knew—he had a lawn business, but I don’t think he’s in business anymore. and I’ll explain why.

his mindset was, I’d say, stuck in that employee mindset.

he had some of my old commercial contracts—ones he got from me after I left. and one of the properties we used to service had gravel. now, you know with gravel, you’ve got to spray Roundup or something similar to keep the grass down.

so a few months later, I was talking to him and he said, “yeah, I keep having trouble with that gravel area. grass just keeps growing through.”

and I said, “why don’t you just spray it?”

and he goes, “man, that Roundup’s expensive.”

I was like—seriously? yes, it costs. but so does not investing. he lost the contract because he wouldn’t spend the few bucks to keep the place looking right. he was trying to weed it all by hand, and it looked terrible.

and that’s the mindset shift—we’ve got to stop thinking everything that comes in is personal income. because that’s not how a business works.

so Jason, now that you’ve been in business a couple years, and you’re growing—what advice would you give to your younger self?

Jason McLeod
don’t listen to the world.

listening to the world will have you following the world. but listen to that voice that speaks to you inside—because there’s nothing that’s impossible out there.

miracles happen every day. whether you consider building a successful business a miracle or not—sure, a lot of people start one. but what’s the stat? 90–95% are out of business in five years?

there are unlimited possibilities. the sky isn’t even the limit.

whatever you feel inside—chase that. do that. pursue it with everything you’ve got.

and you’ll get it.

Ezra McCarthy
well, Jason, this has been interesting—and no doubt, the listener’s gotten a lot out of it. hopefully some encouragement, some direction, especially if they’re trying to get more customers.

big thanks to Jason for sharing his story and the strategies he’s used to find success in his lawn and landscape business.

whether you’re growing your business or just trying to figure out the next step, hopefully this episode has given you some daily actions you can take right now.

if you got value from this episode, be sure to share it with a fellow lawn or landscape pro who’s also on this journey. and don’t forget to subscribe.

until next time—keep working hard. we’ll talk to you on the next one.