66. Why Good Help Is Hard to Find and How to Build the Right Team Anyways

66. Why Good Help Is Hard to Find and How to Build the Right Team Anyways

Every business owner knows that Good help is hard to find. In this episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Zac breaks down four practical ways to address the challenge of finding, hiring, and keeping the right people for your company. He talks about why your company needs to show who you are, what you do, and what kind of person fits your culture. Your social media should not just sell your services. It should show your work, your team, your standards, and the kind of mission people can see themselves joining. Zac also discusses why experience is not always the most important thing. Sometimes the best hire is not the person with the longest resume, but the person with the right mindset, work ethic, attitude, and willingness to learn. Then the topic goes to the importance of promoting from within. When you give your current teammates a path to grow, you build loyalty, strengthen your culture, and make hiring easier because you only need to bring people in at the entry level. Most importantly, it's why business owners cannot afford to be discouraged. This hiring struggle is not just happening in landscaping; it is happening across every industry. The companies that stay positive, keep showing up, and keep building the right team will be the ones that last. If you own a landscaping company, lead a crew, manage a small business, or struggle with finding reliable employees, this episode is for you.

65. Don't Forget to Enjoy the Ride

There is a dangerous trap that hard-working people fall into. They become so focused on building the business, chasing the goal, growing the company, serving the customer, fixing the problems, and proving themselves that they forget to actually live the life they say they are working so hard to create. This episode was inspired by a message from Sahil Bloom about the importance of not waiting until “one day” to enjoy your life. In this conversation, Zac talks about why stepping away from work is not weakness, laziness, or a lack of ambition. It is part of staying sharp, being a better leader, and keeping your mind healthy enough to see the work clearly. Sometimes the best ideas do not come when you are buried in the grind; they come when you are walking away from it for a minute, when you are with your family, when you are outside, when you are driving, when you are resting, or when your mind finally has enough room to connect the dots in a new way. If you own a business, lead a crew, work in the trades, or are building something that matters, this episode is a reminder that the ride matters too. The work matters, but so does the life you are building around it. Don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

64. 10 Rules Professionals Follow

In this solo episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Zac Small breaks down how to stand out from the competition in the green industry, not by talking louder, making excuses, or acting like the job owes you something, but by becoming the kind of professional every company wants more of. Whether you are applying for a job, working on a landscaping crew, leading a team, or trying to earn more responsibility, the little things matter. * Showing up early matters. * Looking the part matters. * Paying attention matters. * Asking questions matters. * Staying off your phone matters. * Accepting critique matters. * Being transparent matters. * Doing the work without acting like everything is beneath you matters. This episode is a mentor session for anyone in landscaping, hardscaping, lawn care, the trades, or blue-collar work who wants to rise above the average and become someone people can actually count on. Zac talks through lessons from the Navy, federal work, and his time at Landscaping Unlimited, and explains why professionalism is not about wearing a suit and tie. It is about discipline, awareness, attitude, dependability, and how you carry yourself when nobody is begging you to do the right thing. If you want to become the person your team points to and says, “Be more like him,” this episode is for you. 🌱 Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. | Eastern North Carolina 🎙️ The Landscaping Podcast | Powered by Landscaping Unlimited Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. #TheLandscapingPodcast #LandscapingUnlimited #GreenIndustry #LandscapingBusiness #LawnCareBusiness #BlueCollarBusiness #SkilledTrades #Professionalism #Leadership #WorkEthic #Hardscaping #LandscapingLife #SmallBusiness #TradesPodcast

63. Back on the Mics (Why Rest Isn't a Reward)

After two weeks off the mics, we're back. Zac was on vacation with the family, Shay had a stretch of work that wouldn't let up, and instead of forcing content for the sake of content, we took the time we needed... This episode is about that. In the green industry, taking time off feels like a luxury you have to earn. There's always one more job, one more bid, one more thing that "only takes a minute." But the truth is, if you're not pouring back into yourself and the people who matter most, the work eventually starts taking more than it gives. We get into what the last two weeks looked like, what we learned stepping away, and why prioritizing your health, your family, and your friendships isn't soft, it's a strategy; the business will still be there on Monday, your kids growing up, your marriage, your own well-being, those don't wait. If you're a business owner, a crew leader, or just someone grinding through a busy season, this one's for you.

62. The Places Landscaping Can Take You

Solo episode this week, recorded on a quick break from installing artificial turf for Beast Games. A few years back, if you'd told me landscaping would put me on a set like that, I would have laughed. That's really what this episode is about. One minute, we're on a high-profile install, and just before that, Shay and I were standing in front of an elementary school classroom for career day, walking kids through everything we do beyond mowing lawns, which they already know about. That's the thing, most people think landscaping starts and ends with mowing. We got to show the students how much more is involved, from hardscaping and irrigation to lighting, drainage, turf, and the kind of jobs that pop up out of nowhere and take you somewhere unexpected. Every week in this industry looks different; that's part of what makes it worth showing up for. If you work in the trades, are thinking about getting in, or have a kid who needs to hear that there's real opportunity in this kind of work, this one is for you.