Episode 64

Ezra McCarthy

Hello and welcome back to the Lawn Care Blueprint. Today I’m catching up with none other than the Lone Star tumbleweed, Andrew Martinez himself. It’s been a while since we’ve had him on, so I wanted to kind of catch up with him and discuss what’s going on with his lawn care business and catch up. So Andrew, sure great to have you here today.

Andrew Martinez

Oh man, Ezra, it’s always a treat, man. It’s always a joy to get on to talk with you and catch up. Let alone on the radio wave, man. Yeah, thanks for having me on again.

Ezra McCarthy

Yeah. 

How are things there in Texas? You’re still enjoying the heat there?

Andrew Martinez

Yeah, they’re calling for a little bit better temperature, I guess, moving forward. I mean, we don’t have any 100 degree days. I think this last number of days, it’s been highs of lower 90s, kind of toggles off between humidity and the dry heat. It’s always a slur here, man. But yeah, I mean, it’s getting better. The worst is behind us and we’re getting better.

Ezra McCarthy

That’s good. How’s the summer been? You’ve been keeping busy and…

Andrew Martinez

Yeah, no, it’s just another summer full of lawn mowing and maintenance. Just pretty much been able to stick with mowing maintenance myself. I’m still running on my own. I don’t have a team or anything, but I do have a contract crew that I’ve had a good relationship with for the last, I don’t know, seven, eight years. And that enables me to allow me to do sod work and tree work and big cleanup and things like that. So I’ve been able to maintain that side of my business and just do kind of what I really like to do is just mow lawns, mow lawns full time.

I’ve been doing that for a few seasons now, but I think I just turned 40 this year. So I think I’m gonna have to budget in and look for some hired help starting in 2026, because it feels a little bit differently cranking up in the morning at 40 than it does when you’re 30 or 25. I can tell you that right now.

Ezra McCarthy

I believe it. Now, Andrew, I know you’ve done quite a bit of Christmas lights. We actually just recorded an interview. It’s not released yet about a friend of mine, actually a customer. He’s getting into Christmas lights or has been. Are you still doing that this year?

Andrew Martinez

Oh, sweet. 

Yes, yes, that’s actually pretty much a permanent part of my business now. I’ve been one to say this is my fifth season doing Christmas lights and I’ve kind of migrated into the rehang side of the business rather than trying to acquire a whole bunch more new business because it’s just me, right? It’s me and my personal bills and all that. So if I can make a couple of extra bands going into the winter time, that’s what I preach about both on my podcast, people I talk to in the industry, guys that are by themselves, maybe one or two trucks out there and maybe they have some seasonal help.

But yeah, I’m out to tune in. I’m gonna try to, I’m gonna listen to that. I’m always soaking that in because lawn mowing, I don’t know, it’s good CRM, good advertisement, good website and don’t scalp anybody’s lawn. mean, that’s kind of what you do, right? But then in the Christmas light venue, I think it’s still, it’s not like a widely accepted practice, but I know certain parts of the country, I know you’re in Canada, I don’t even know how it is out there, but I don’t think a lot of people consider that as an extra part of the business to…

Ezra McCarthy

It’s a luxury service.

Andrew Martinez

It is, yeah, no, it is. It depends on what part of the country you’re in. I mean, to some of these rich folk, that is a requirement. HOAs make them put them up, right? 

Ezra McCarthy

Oh really?

Andrew Martinez

No, I’m just joking. I’m totally joking. I have no idea.

Ezra McCarthy

I was gonna say, I’ve never heard of that.

Andrew Martinez

No, no, but no, you’re right. No, you’re right. It absolutely is a cherry on the ice cream for lawn mowing and maintenance. If you’re elderly, if you’re disabled, you travel a lot, you may be helpful, but you travel a lot and you have a lot of family outings and stuff like that. Maintenance crew and service is definitely almost near a requirement to have, but you’re right. No, you’re right. It definitely is a luxury service and I guess it just kind of goes back to your market if it’s sustainable. 

But I always preach about it no matter what. Test the market, test what people, the tolerance of everybody’s budgets and end of year stuff. You might be able to catch them before they blow their nut on Christmas presents and end of the year holiday stuff. So you might be able to get in before that. But yeah, this is my fifth season now doing it and I enjoy it. 

I enjoy it much like the lawn mowing that’s repetitious throughout the season. I’ve gotten to a point where I have like 60, 70 rehangs, both commercial and residential. So I’m not really looking for new stuff. I’m looking for enhancements. I’m looking for add ons for the clients that I already have. If I have people that recommend me to a relative or a friend, I’m not going to say no. Now, if they’re out of my coverage area, obviously, yes, I am.

But I’m sorry to kind of bunny trail on that but… 

Ezra McCarthy

Yeah. 

Oh no, this is great. 

What is your average ticket price for those Christmas lights?

Andrew Martinez

But no, I actually have it on the website, so you tell me. No, I’m just joking. No, I’m just messing. I got to a point where I started doing free storage. It’s not really free storage because people, for some reason in my market, I don’t know why they just don’t want to pay the extra $100, $150 a year for storage. But it’s very important to me really for schedule wise. I don’t mind spending a little extra money to house the Christmas lights.

Ezra McCarthy

We’ll have to double check.

Andrew Martinez

But when it comes around to this time of year, going into the fall, going into that time of year, that’s very important to me. So I’ve just gotten to a point where I’m just charging an extra like 10 cents, 20 cents. I catch a look at my books again per linear foot and both on the rehang and initial install. And I offer that as a free service, but coming back to the actual rate, I do it by linear foot. I don’t do the leasing option that they buy it. It’s theirs. 

I just house it white glove at forum as far as maintenance and all that kind of stuff. Take down, like I said, storage. Initial install is I started at 675 linear feet on the initial install. I do have about a six to $700 minimum on new installs. And then on rehangs for those same clients, the following seasons, I started at about 250 to 350 a linear foot on rehangs. And all my clients, I have them in my CRM now, they already know what the pricing is gonna be. They already know kind of what to expect, stuff like that. So it’s, while there’s that 10 month gap, 10, nine month gap of time. just like lawn mowing. It’s like when that time of the year comes back up again, I’ve already had most of my 60, 70 clients. 

I’ve had most of them. I’ve had probably 40 of them since day one when I started about four or five seasons back, four seasons back. So they kind of know what to expect already both in procedure and in rate. That’s what my rates look like right now. I try to simplify it as much as possible because you are right. It is a luxury service and I try to make as minimal obstacles in decision making as possible to close that sale, cause you’re right. 

I mean, if they get to thinking too long, it’s like, ah, 1500 bucks, thousand dollars. I really wanted to get that ATV out of a layaway or something for my kid or that big toy or whatever. I don’t know. Get a necklace out for Mrs. Go buy something. So on the marketing side, it sounds a little, or on the sales side, it sounds a little bad that way, it’s, hey, it’s sales. At the end of the day, I want to earn money, but at the same time, I want to spread that Christmas joy. So yeah, I like it. If I could do Christmas lights all year long, I would. 

And in fact, some friends in the business have actually gone towards doing lighting in general all year long. In fact, a friend of the show, friend of mine, Yellow Dog Lawn Care, think out of, I think he’s out of, ⁓ I think he’s around Louisville. I can’t remember. He’s done that. He’s rebranded his business in the last year or so.

Ezra McCarthy

Oh wow.

Andrew Martinez

Lawn Care and lighting, because the margins are great. You’re not getting dirty. It’s just a different scope of work. It’s cool to do. It is. It has its obstacles like anything else, but I mean, the lighting’s awesome. It’s just fun. It’s a really nice thing. And then the margins, much like treatments and pest control and irrigation, it’s kind of up there and even higher sometimes. Because I think people kind of see it as a specialty service. And it is in a sense, but it’s a little voltage. It’s not like we’re electricians or anything. 

But you said it though. I mean, it is a luxury service. And I think when people are happy about something, they’re looking forward to it. They might spend a bit more and their pocketbooks may be a little bit deeper, which means more profits for us. But at the end of the day, it shows and reflects and it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful.

It’s like instant gratification like when you pull off of a lawnmower or a cleanup job or a sod job or you kind of get it as a Contractor you kind of get that same satisfaction at the same time. So but yeah that as far as rates go again bunny-trolling, but my average ticket right now I was actually just looking the last few days because I’m kicking reinstalls off early this year So I can make sure I’m not putting so many off on my contractors I can capture the revenue more and I know that my regular people are getting service as they need and I’m not waiting until late November, early December. Because if you’re spending a minimum of five, $600 on a rehang, want you to get, I want the option to be on your side, the client side to be, to enjoy that lighting as much as possible, if that makes sense. But yeah, I’d say my average ticket rehang right now is about 450, 400, 450. It falls down somewhere inside of there.

So on the rehang side, that’s where we’re at. And then on the install, just kind of minimum 600 and then just kind of depends on what the client wants, initial install.

Ezra McCarthy

So what would your man hour rate be for something like that? I know that’s a lot of money, but it almost feels kind of low. But I guess if you have it kind of down to science.

Andrew Martinez

Yeah, yeah. I’m glad that’s yeah, that’s a great question. How I’ve tried to minimize that how I’ve tried to capitalize and get the most out of my dollar per hour man hour wise, what I do with every new client, I invest that a little bit, I invest that little extra time upfront that I create a grid as I’m putting the strands together, as I’m assembling the lights, as I’m doing all of that on the initial. Part of that is I make an install key. So the following season, everything’s color coordinated. Everything is on a picture and on a map of the house or on the monuments or wherever I’m doing it. I know exactly where everything’s going.

And so initial install, it’s kind of hard to say on the man hours because let’s say I’m going two hours on an initial install and then there’s a running around time getting all of that. So, I mean, put an extra hour on there for getting materials and all that kind of stuff. But the following season is where I really capitalize on my money and man hours. Somehow I’m only there for an hour, maybe 30 minutes, and I’m still getting that average rate. That’s I found that that’s been standalone outside of some of the smaller things to be efficient in operation. 

That’s been the best thing for me on rehanging is that on site stuff that has really allowed me to keep my margin strong on the rehangs is that install key just where I know where everything’s going. And like I said, most of my houses I’ve been doing season by season for the last since I’ve started. So I already kind of by second nature, I know where a lot of these things go. But having that map, having that install key, that was a big game changer for me when I think about my second or third season in the business I made that investment. I took one whole season to actually do that for all of my clients both commercial and residential. I do that standard practice in any house I go to anymore.

Ezra McCarthy

Can you describe a little bit what that is? Because when you say design key, I don’t know what you’re saying. And I’m sure the customer is trying to wonder what he is talking about. So can you like visually lay it out to us so those listening could understand what you’re talking about?

Andrew Martinez

So what I’m saying is what I’ll do is I’ll take a picture of the house, a property, a structure, where the lights are gonna go. And when I do that, I color coordinate with zip ties on starting points, end points, peak, mid points, areas like that. If I’m gluing, if I’m clipping into, if I’m ending out at a certain point or starting at a certain point, that’s what I’m talking about. So it’s kind of like, it’s like a roadmap that you design. 

So let’s say if I start at one side, let’s take a conventional house, the front of the house. You know how most of our houses are in DFW used to live here. So a standard home, which is my main client, is a home. I’ll start with a color coordinate starting point, which I have as green on one side of the house. And then I’ll have an arrow pointing in this picture towards like a towards, Hey, it’s starting here, it’s going this way. And then like on peaks, they’re all color coordinated on where I have the bulbs. At the top of these peaks, they’re yellow. So when you’re pulling, and then the end points are red. I’m kind all over the map here, but I do all that. So when you’re pulling these out of the bins, when you’re about to, they’re all bundled up and you’re about to install them on the house, mentally by color coordination, you already kind of have an idea. Okay, I have, I’m seeing these peaks here.

As I’m unraveling these things and somebody’s helping me put them up, we already kind of know where we’re going, if that makes any sense. So basically green is a starting point, yellow is our peaks or mid points, and then the red is where an actual line ends off. That doesn’t mean the actual strand ends there, but that lit up point on a particular point of the property or the home or the business, that’s beginning, middle, start points. And I have them numbered also. I mean, some of these properties like HOAs where there’s like ground lighting, monument coverage, I got to do bushes.

I steer off of that a little bit, I just have notes on how to install that kind of stuff. Hope I’m not confusing the listener. Hope I’m not confusing you, but if you can just kind of mentally imagine looking at a home, you have, you know, peaks, have flat areas, but basically, and I can email you or text you an example on my Instagram page. I have a few examples of that where starting points, mid points, end points where electrical ends, know, stuff like that. 

And that’s really helped me on time as far as install, because I got to tell you the first two years man hour reinstall was terrible because I pulled everything down the prior season. Then I go out in November and I’m already kind of behind the eight ball cause I didn’t know what I was doing. And then I would go to put them all up. And then I look in the bin and it’s just a strand of lights, a whole bunch of duct tape and strands of lights and pieces and I’m like, Oh man, I you’re at that point where, okay, I talked to the client, they put a deposit. I pull up to the house, I get everything out and then I’m like, Oh crap, I don’t know where anything goes. 

And it’s almost like a, it’s like, it’s almost like a new install all over again, but now I have all these pieces already cut up and stuff. So, I hope that, I hope I painted a better, a better picture of that. But…

Ezra McCarthy

So to clarify Andrew, when you put it away, you have colored zip ties that you have a system for, if I’m remembering this correctly. So when you put it away, you zip tie them together and that’s how you can tell. I think that’s, if that’s how I understand it, that’s a really good idea. Cause I can imagine you’re tired when you take it down, you’re trying to get it done. You just throw it in a box. So don’t do that.

Andrew Martinez

Yes. And well, and then that’s the coldest time of the year here in Texas. You know, sometimes we don’t have cold times and mentally you’re trying to capitalize on the man hour because taking them down as part of the package of what you’re charging upfront, right? So you’re not really even technically receiving money. Most of the time you’re receiving your money upfront or you’re not receiving it. Some people will do it. They’ll do like the first half of the payment will be when it goes up, second half of the payment when they take it down.

For me, I don’t do that. get my money all up front. But then when I go out there and do it, it’s like, you’re absolutely right. You just want to pull it all down, wrap it all up, throw it in the bin. Okay, next house, you know, because I got 60, 70 properties now to take all down and I’m not seeing, I’ve already been paid for it. I’m like, man, but I mean, yeah, you still got to be professional about it. You got to do a good job. But if you do all that in the front end, you’re not.

It’s all part of that sequence, you know what I mean, but you’re absolutely right. Yeah. You just want to take them all down, throw them in the bin and get on with it. Yeah. But, yeah, that’s been really the best, the best thing for me as far as managing and maintaining a solid dollar per man hour, man.

Ezra McCarthy

So when you first started getting to this, did you sell into your current customer base or did you do marketing? I was talking to, trying to  remember, his name is Tyler Fred from Louisville. If you’re listening, hey, Tyler, he was telling me oddly enough, personally, normally, I don’t think it’s a great idea. Bandit signs. Some people call them different things, yard signs. But he was saying he has had great success with those. Were you doing yard signs? Were you trying to sell into your current customer base? How are you getting? Because like 60 to 70 with…I mean you got a decent business but you’re not like thousands of customers so that feels like quite a bit for where you are.

Andrew Martinez

It is. And that’s why I’ve, I’ll get into that in a second. But what I did when I first started, I didn’t want to do it. I had tried it a number of years back, but at the time I did have a little staff. I had a couple of guys and they noticed that the season, like I told them earlier in the year that, Hey, the season’s going to start winding down around late October, early November for lawn maintenance and cleanups and all that stuff. And we don’t really have a lot of significance, in most areas down here, in my area, we don’t have a lot of leaf removal. We just don’t have a lot. 

We have a lot of live oaks and different kind of oaks that don’t really deciduate like ⁓ a red oak or something like that. So anyhow, they were like, well, what if we did Christmas lights? And I’m like, honestly, guys, I don’t want to do it. I’m scared of heights. I don’t want the liability.

But honestly, if that’s something that y’all want to do, I’ll be more, they’re good guys. I trusted them. was like, well, if this is something you want to do, I essentially kind of made them equity partners in it. ⁓ I said, hey, I’ll finance everything. I’ll bring everything to the table. And I even split it three ways with them just because I didn’t really care to do it. It wasn’t a, I just say, hey, let’s get some extra money. I don’t care, whatever.

Well, they did that. made a little bit and they, the first year how I did was, I didn’t do any signs.  I did exactly that. I started with my client base. I sent out emailers and my CRM, both current and former clients. And one of the guys that I had helping me that I did the split with, he and his wife were very much in the local Facebook forums and things like that. That’s what I think what really did it for me. 

We launched in like local communities. They’re a part of different groups themselves in the local Facebook and marketplace and things like that. And they were on it daily and not everybody can do that, Ezra. So the bandit signs, I think, are a good way to stay in front of people, but sometimes a city will pull it, an HOA, they’ll pull it. That’s what you mainly run into. Then it’s kind of like, it’s kind of like lost dollars almost. 

But I mean, Hey, if you get like five clients off of a $1,500, $2,000 bandit sign investment, your goal, your goal, best thing about the Christmas lights. That’s okay. But that’s how I did it and how I first started. If I were to do it all over again, that’s where I would go. Um, I would start with my current clientele base, which is what I did.

But instead of the Facebook marketplace, I would probably do the bandit signs. I would probably do stuff like that. Cause that seems like from what I’ve seen in my market, I mean, signs go up all over the place. I mean, you have all kinds, you know, of people doing that. I’m not, like I said, for me personally, I’m not doing a lot of that just because where I am, I’m at in the season of my business. But if you’re wanting to grow, expand that kind of stuff. 

It’s just almost like, even if you want to get creative, you know, get with HOAs and do like a Santa Claus appearance or, or think outside of the box and start doing it. Like when people are handing out, put a business card of Christmas lights, when you hand out candy for Halloween or something like that, you know, you can do stuff like that. And that’s all, it’s all in beta. You don’t really know what the results are going to be. It’s just all trying to throw jello at a wall and see what, see what sticks, right? as far as that goes.

But I mean, that’s, I got to agree with that gentleman. mean, bandit signs marketplace on like Facebook and media platforms like that would be secondary. But the number one thing I would start with, if you’re just starting out in it, you’ve talked to some people, you got a little investment going is start with. Just like any other area of facet in business where people have already spent money with you, spending money with you. Go to them. Because dude, you’re right. It’s not a necessity at all. 

It’s the cherry on the ice cream at the end of the year. So it’s, once people walk in and spend that money with you, it’s a good deal. But yeah, it’s not advertising lawn care or even window cleaning versus Christmas lights. You’re right. That audience drops significantly. So it’s a matter of getting, getting out there and staying out there throughout the season. But that’s where I would start if you already have another business going. ⁓ But that’s what I see a lot. So I got to agree with that, gentlemen. Bandit signs are a big thing. I’ve already seen two companies start to post up down here in my area. So I need to get ahead of the curve. They already beat me to it.

Ezra McCarthy

So here Andrew, know here in Canada this will be released in October. Thanksgiving is actually a couple weeks away and there in the US is the third week of November. But do you have any family traditions that you do for Thanksgiving? I’m just curious.

Andrew Martinez

No, not really. I mean, we get together, we celebrate. Might throw the pigskin back and forth in the backyard or out in the street a little bit. That’s really about it because I hate to say it, I’m kind of Debbie Downer sometimes. That’s kind of like relaxing decompression time for me, you know? So, anytime I’m not putting lights up or mowing lawns or anything, all right, a plate of food. Watch a game with my family or just kind of nothing. I don’t do a lot. We don’t do a lot. We just decompress and enjoy each other’s time in company. So I mean, we don’t we don’t 

Ezra McCarthy

No, it’s good. You know, are you a board game family? I know growing up man, we would play you’re played risk You know what the game risk is?

Andrew Martinez

I’ve played this before but not with my family. As an entirety, no. No, we just normally will…

Ezra McCarthy

Oh man. Next time we get together, Andrew. Intense game of Risk.

Andrew Martinez

Okay. Am I taking a risk with everybody? I see that big old grin on your face.

Ezra McCarthy

Well, as long as you’re still my friend if you lose. When you lose.

Andrew Martinez

Okay, well I’ll have to throw it in there. I know I might have one from when I’m like when I’m just great or something back in you know somewhere in the attic or something.

Ezra McCarthy

Just kidding!

As kids we would get so competitive by my brother’s right to write almost three years older than me and then the next sister is Read about two and half three years older. So they were always better than me because they were quite a bit older, but it would get so competitive and Before the Lord’s grace was amazing. There were some flying risk boards, but…

Andrew Martinez

Oh wow. That’s nice!

Ezra McCarthy

It wasn’t, but I still love it, I love playing games.

Andrew Martinez

I take that back. Our kids are starting to get a little older, both my brother and my kids are getting older, starting to get into the junior high, early teen areas. So yeah, we’re actually starting to do a little bit more of that kind of stuff, like games, and they’ll do little things together.

Ezra McCarthy

Well Andrew, it’s been great catching up. I need to prod you to get that Lone Star lawn talk back up and roaring.

Andrew Martinez

Yeah, no, I just, you know, I’ve found the last couple seasons running on my own right around early June when I think when the heat starts ramping up and the work starts intensifying. I’m just kind of living. I give high respect to all these guys that are solo operators in anything and still have time to get out and record a podcast three, four or five times a week. 

I just, I’ve noticed I’ve bottomed out and then here in the fall as things start slowing down, more exciting things start happening, I start jumping back on it again. Yeah, so I’m not breaking that cycle, but just being real. That’s just kind of what’s been going on. That’s right. Yeah, that’s right. 

Ezra McCarthy

Buy back your time. 

Yep. Well Andrew, someone’s interested in finding out more about you and for catching those episodes when they do start dropping again, where is the best place to find you?

Andrew Martinez

Yeah, it’s Lone Star Lawn Talk podcast. I think it’s on all platforms, just Lone Star Lawn Talk. I think if you put that in, it should auto-populate and come up or yeah, Lone Star Lawn Talk podcast. Not on YouTube though. I keep telling myself for the last couple years that I’m gonna start getting on it, but I haven’t yet. So I’m just basically audio based right now on all platforms.

Ezra McCarthy

Well, sounds great, Andrew. Sure, great to catch up with you. And if you got value from this episode and maybe if you’re interested in going in, checking out a risk game after our expose there. But we’ll talk to you guys on the next one. Be sure to hit that subscribe button and leave a rating interview if you found that interesting. We’ll talk soon.