Interview Series: Stephen Shapiro on Team Dynamics and How Teams Can Work Better Together

Interview Series: Stephen Shapiro on Team Dynamics and How Teams Can Work Better Together

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-manager-bootcamp] Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-connect] Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-aspire-workshop-landscape-software-training] Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/about-grow] Episode #168 In this episode, author Steve Shapiro talks about milestone projects in his career, how people who are different from you push you to be better, and what drives innovation in teams and companies. In his new book, You're Not Playing with a Full Deck, he details how teams often are missing key perspectives with too many alike thinkers. This episode previews that book and applies this mindset to small businesses. BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com] is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grow-show/id1683205964] ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrowGroup] Key Learnings If You Only Hire People Who Fit the Mold, Eventually Your Organization Grows Mold: Opposites don't attract, they detract. But when we surround ourselves with people who think like us, we get stale ideas, musty ideas, and the same things we have always had. Understand Who You Are Not: Most people focus on identifying their strengths. The bigger unlock is identifying who you are not. That tells you exactly which kind of people you need to surround yourself with. The person who drives you crazy is often the person you need most. Find Your Ray: Steve had a coworker named Ray who drove him nuts, but together they did the greatest work of his career. Not in spite of their differences, because of them. Everyone needs a Ray. Appreciate them, learn from them, have empathy for them. Organizations Have Personalities Too: Company personality is not defined by the mix of people you have. It is defined by what gets valued, recognized, and rewarded. People leave companies when they do not feel valued or appreciated. Expertise Is the Enemy of Innovation: Past experience worked in the past. It does not necessarily work in the future. If the world is changing, we cannot keep relying on the same perspectives and the same expertise we have always had. Relational Conflict Is Bad, Idea Conflict Is Good: Some conflict will always happen when you work with people who are different. Conflict over ideas is productive. If everyone agrees on every idea, you will never do anything new. Match the Environment to the Person, Not Just the Task: Do not stick people in boxes. A structured person can be creative if you give them a structured approach. A relational person can be a great implementer if you give them flexibility. Communicate to the Whole Deck, Not Just Your Cult: Most leaders speak only to the dominant culture in their company. Use the four-part rhythm: problem, pain, solution, vision. That hits every personality type. Most Leadership Teams Are Too Rational: A leadership team full of logical, structured thinkers will miss the relational side. Bring people-oriented and idea-oriented voices to the table and give them an equal voice. That is how you grow. A Leader's Job Is to Ask Better Questions, Not Have Better Answers: The best question to ask: what problem or opportunity are we really solving? Hit pause before chasing solutions, or you will waste time, money, and energy solving the wrong thing. In a Digital World, Our Value Is What Makes Us Human: Anything digital is becoming a commodity. Knowledge is a commodity. AI is a tool. The differentiator is humanness, empathy, and judgment. Reflection Questions 1. Who in your business drives you crazy, and could that person actually be the one you need most? 2. What gets valued, recognized, and rewarded in your company? What does that tell you about the perspectives you are missing? 3. Is your leadership team mostly rational or mostly relational? What would change if you balanced it out? More on Stephen: * You're Not Playing with a Full Deck by Stephen Shapiro: https://www.fulldeckbook.com [https://www.fulldeckbook.com] * Personality Poker: https://www.personalitypoker.com [https://www.personalitypoker.com] * The Innovation Speaker: https://www.theinnovationspeaker.com [https://www.theinnovationspeaker.com] Additional Resources: BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com]  Aspire [https://www.youraspire.com/?utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_exact_home&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_content=shd_test_dynt_dem_07172025_1&cid=701PM00000xXXZLYA4&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_brand_CPC&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&hsa_acc=6234924545&hsa_cam=20348537411&hsa_grp=151852382620&hsa_ad=764457471967&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-465561275476&hsa_kw=aspire%20landscaping&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20348537411&gbraid=0AAAAACs4TKNhCCUGHmIFAgHBIX-Sq_QpX&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhjVg1CQXwPCwt3VFpD_EbcAau_BnKyia5WAEj2XyNaCnKQ0-nWo77xoC3JIQAvD_BwE] ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] Virtual Sales Bootcamp [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-bootcamp]   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips]   https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2025The Grow Group [https://www.growgroupinc.com/]    Grunder Landscaping [https://grunderlandscaping.com/]    Marty Grunder LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygrunder/]

Nothing Happens Till Someone Sells Something! | How to Run an Effective Sales Meeting with Marty Grunder

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-manager-bootcamp] Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-connect] Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-aspire-workshop-landscape-software-training] Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/about-grow] Episode #167 This episode of The Grow Show focuses on how to run effective sales meetings that actually drive accountability, alignment, and growth within a team. Marty breaks down why most sales meetings fail, the key components of a productive and engaging meeting, and how leaders can use meetings to build stronger sales cultures, improve communication, sharpen skills, and create momentum. BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com] is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grow-show/id1683205964] ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrowGroup] Key Learnings The Purpose of a Sales Meeting Is Simple: Create clarity, accountability, alignment, and momentum. That is it. Every effective meeting should answer four questions: Where are we going? What's working? What's not working? What are we going to do next? Your Team Needs Focus, Not More Information: Most salespeople are overwhelmed, distracted, reactive, and busy. They have too many dials and too much data. A good sales meeting cuts through the noise. Most Sales Meetings Fail for Predictable Reasons: No structure, they become reporting sessions, no accountability, and leaders talk too much. If you are doing 90 percent of the talking, your team is doing 10 percent of the thinking. Always Start With Wins: Real wins. Closed deals, breakthroughs, objections overcome, referrals. Recognition creates energy, and energy changes performance. Keep this fast and intentional, five to ten minutes. Salespeople Need Scoreboards, Not Feelings: Review key metrics every meeting: leads, appointments, close rate, proposal volume, average ticket, pipeline value, follow-up activity. But do not weaponize numbers. They bring clarity, not shame. The Leader Should Speak Last: Your best ideas are already sitting inside your team. Ask Tony what he thinks, ask Jimmy, ask Oscar. Facilitate the discussion. The mistake leaders make is assuming they always need to provide the answers. Role-Play Is the Most Underutilized Tool in Sales: Skills deteriorate without repetition. If someone cannot confidently communicate in front of their peers, they will not do it at the kitchen table or in a boardroom. Practice creates muscle memory, just like a tight end running routes. Never End a Meeting Without Clear Commitments: Vague expectations create vague results. Every person should leave knowing what they are responsible for, what success looks like, and when the next check-in is. Consistency Matters More Than Intensity: A decent meeting every week beats one incredible meeting every quarter. Rhythm is what creates the culture you want. Praise in Public, Chastise in Private: Coach with honesty, challenge directly, but never humiliate. Fear-based sales cultures eventually collapse. People perform best when there is both accountability and psychological safety. Reflection Questions 1. If you were a salesperson on your own team, would you look forward to your sales meetings or dread them? 2. Are you running a sales meeting or a reporting session? How much of the talking are you doing versus your team? 3. When was the last time your team role-played a real sales scenario together? If it has been more than a month, what is stopping you? Additional Resources: BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com]  Aspire [https://www.youraspire.com/?utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_exact_home&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_content=shd_test_dynt_dem_07172025_1&cid=701PM00000xXXZLYA4&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_brand_CPC&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&hsa_acc=6234924545&hsa_cam=20348537411&hsa_grp=151852382620&hsa_ad=764457471967&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-465561275476&hsa_kw=aspire%20landscaping&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20348537411&gbraid=0AAAAACs4TKNhCCUGHmIFAgHBIX-Sq_QpX&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhjVg1CQXwPCwt3VFpD_EbcAau_BnKyia5WAEj2XyNaCnKQ0-nWo77xoC3JIQAvD_BwE] ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] Virtual Sales Bootcamp [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-bootcamp]   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips]   https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2025The Grow Group [https://www.growgroupinc.com/]    Grunder Landscaping [https://grunderlandscaping.com/]    Marty Grunder LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygrunder/]

Marty's Prediction: The One Thing That Will Define the Best Landscaping Companies in Five Years

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-manager-bootcamp] Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-connect] Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-aspire-workshop-landscape-software-training] Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/about-grow] Episode #166 What will separate elite landscape companies over the next five years? In this episode, Marty Grunder shares why the future won’t belong to companies with the best trucks or biggest crews — it will belong to companies with the best operational intelligence. From AI and leadership systems to recurring revenue and client relationships, Marty breaks down the mindset shifts landscape leaders need to make now to stay ahead. BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com] is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grow-show/id1683205964] ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrowGroup] Key Learnings Operational Intelligence Will Beat Equipment, Labor, and Design: The winning companies will turn their data, client relationships, and leadership systems into a scalable platform. They will know more, communicate faster, predict better, and execute more consistently than competitors. Traditional Competitive Advantages Are Becoming Commodities: Equipment is temporary. Labor is unstable. Design is replicable. Marketing is easier than ever with AI. A $2 million company can look like a $30 million company online. Execution consistency at scale is what separates elite operators now. Good Managers Make Good Decisions With Good Data: Operational intelligence means seeing your business in real time, not waiting until the end of the month. Connect your CRM, estimating, production, job costing, communication, and equipment into one operating rhythm. Watch the Five Signals: Margin drift, client friction, leadership health, capacity forecasting, and owner dependency. Elite companies track these in real time and make decisions before competitors even realize there is a problem. AI Is a Tool, Not the Answer: AI amplifies whatever system already exists. A disorganized company using AI just becomes more disorganized faster. The companies that benefit most already have the processes, standards, and clean data to plug it into. Bet on Recurring Revenue Ecosystems: The future winning company will behave more like a membership organization than a contractor. Focus on lifetime value, recurring services, add-ons, and advisory positions. Manage the entire outdoor experience year-round. Clients Do Business With You Because They Trust You: When Grunder surveyed clients 25 years ago, they did not lead with quality or creativity. They said they trust us. Operational excellence frees up time to spend with teams and clients, which is how trust gets built. The Best Companies Will Reduce Owner Dependency: Look at how many decisions require you, how many problems wait for you, how many relationships exist only because of you. Scalability depends on distributing leadership, not centralizing it. Reflection Questions 1. Do you have real-time job costing, or are you waiting until the end of the month, quarter, or year to find out what is working? 2. How many decisions in your business still require you personally? What would it take to reduce that number? 3. Are you selling one-off projects, or are you building recurring relationships around the lifetime value of a client? Additional Resources: BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com]  Aspire [https://www.youraspire.com/?utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_exact_home&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_content=shd_test_dynt_dem_07172025_1&cid=701PM00000xXXZLYA4&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_brand_CPC&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&hsa_acc=6234924545&hsa_cam=20348537411&hsa_grp=151852382620&hsa_ad=764457471967&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-465561275476&hsa_kw=aspire%20landscaping&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20348537411&gbraid=0AAAAACs4TKNhCCUGHmIFAgHBIX-Sq_QpX&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhjVg1CQXwPCwt3VFpD_EbcAau_BnKyia5WAEj2XyNaCnKQ0-nWo77xoC3JIQAvD_BwE] ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] Virtual Sales Bootcamp [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-bootcamp]   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips]   https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2025The Grow Group [https://www.growgroupinc.com/]    Grunder Landscaping [https://grunderlandscaping.com/]    Marty Grunder LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygrunder/]

Are You a Liar? The Lies That Get in the Way of Growth with Marty Grunder

Upcoming Events: Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-manager-bootcamp] Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-connect] Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-aspire-workshop-landscape-software-training] Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/about-grow] Episode #165 In the 42 years that Grunder Landscaping Co. has been in business and the 30+ years Marty has been working with fellow landscape pros through The Grow Group, he's seen every excuse. Often the biggest thing standing in a team's way? Themselves and the lies they let become reality. In this episode Marty shares the common self-limiting things he hears, and how teams can move beyond this to be successful this year. BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com] is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grow-show/id1683205964] ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrowGroup] Key Learnings Growth Is Not a Straight Line, It Is a Staircase: Growth stalls, plateaus, and sometimes looks like failure right before a breakthrough. Business growth is often delayed compensation for consistent effort. Most people quit because the timeline did not match what they imagined. The Hardest Thing for an Entrepreneur to Say Is I Need Help: Businesses do not scale through isolation. They scale through leverage: people, systems, partnerships, mentors, peer groups. Trying to do everything yourself eventually makes you the bottleneck. Growth Always Takes Longer and Costs More Than You Think: Marketing costs more. Hiring costs more. Mistakes cost more. What worked at $5K a month breaks at $50K. Scaling means rebuilding parts of the business over and over again. That is normal, not failure. Perfection Is Hesitation in Disguise: Ready, ready, ready, aim, aim, aim is not preparation. It is fear. Meanwhile someone less talented but more willing wins. Business rewards execution over perfection. You Were Not Good at This When You Started Either: If someone can do the task 80 percent as well as you, let them do it. Give your team a shot. They will learn from your mistakes and accelerate past where you started. Hard Work Alone Is Not a Growth Strategy: You can work 14 hours a day and stay stuck if your positioning is weak or your systems do not scale. The smarter you work, the luckier you get. Build a business where the right work compounds. More Customers Will Not Fix Broken Systems: Sometimes you do not need more traffic, you need more clarity. Better retention, better messaging, better pricing, better onboarding. Growth does not fix broken systems. It exposes them faster. The Finish Line Keeps Moving: Every new level brings new complexity. More revenue means more responsibility, more decisions, more pressure. You do not grow by reaching a level with no problems. You grow by becoming the person who can handle bigger ones. Reflection Questions 1. What is one belief about growth that you have been holding onto that might not actually be true? 2. Where in your business are you isolating yourself when you could be asking for help? 3. Are you working harder, or are you working smarter? What is the difference in your business right now? Resources Mentioned * The Grow Show #48: Tribute to Clay Mathile [https://the-grow-show-1.castos.com/episodes/dream-no-little-dream-1?_gl=1*1w6b63f*_gcl_au*MTQ5OTY2OTYyMC4xNzc4MDA2OTQ5] * Patrick Lencioni: Humble, Hungry, and Smart [https://www.tablegroup.com/product/ideal-team-player/?srsltid=AfmBOoo2t6aXk-5blLaqzq8djCcTCN8r8KtMQPo37RDEgJ-NG-y8K9ge] * ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] * Grunder Landscaping Co. Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Additional Resources: BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com]  Aspire [https://www.youraspire.com/?utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_exact_home&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_content=shd_test_dynt_dem_07172025_1&cid=701PM00000xXXZLYA4&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_brand_CPC&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&hsa_acc=6234924545&hsa_cam=20348537411&hsa_grp=151852382620&hsa_ad=764457471967&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-465561275476&hsa_kw=aspire%20landscaping&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20348537411&gbraid=0AAAAACs4TKNhCCUGHmIFAgHBIX-Sq_QpX&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhjVg1CQXwPCwt3VFpD_EbcAau_BnKyia5WAEj2XyNaCnKQ0-nWo77xoC3JIQAvD_BwE] ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] Virtual Sales Bootcamp [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-bootcamp]   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips]   https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2025The Grow Group [https://www.growgroupinc.com/]    Grunder Landscaping [https://grunderlandscaping.com/]    Marty Grunder LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygrunder/]

Interview Series: Michael Ding on Estimating Work and Software Improvements

Upcoming Events: Sign Up for The Landscape Pro's Sales Training (Virtual - May 13-14, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/landscape-pros-sales-training] Join Us for a GLC Field Trip (Dayton, OH - Multiple Options in 2026!) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips] Level Up Your Sales Manager at Virtual Sales Manager Bootcamp (July 8-9, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-manager-bootcamp] Connect with Fellow ACE Members at ACE Discovery (Tucson, AZ - November 17-20, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-connect] Master Aspire Software at the GLC Aspire Workshop (Dayton, OH - August TBD & December 2-3, 2026) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-aspire-workshop-landscape-software-training] Register for GROW! 2027 Annual Conference (Savannah, GA - February 17-19, 2027) [https://www.growgroupinc.com/about-grow] Episode #164  Meet Michael Ding, the brilliant young man behind the revolutionary BobYard bidding software! In this episode, Marty is joined by BobYard founder and CEO Michael Ding to discuss the inspiration behind their takeoff software and how it saves time for estimators and salespeople. They talk about the journey to create the tool, how systems can make estimates more consistent, and what teams can do to spend more time on the activities that actually drive value for companies. BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com] is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grow-show/id1683205964] ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! [https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrowGroup] Key Learnings The Best Businesses Solve Hard Problems with No Shortcuts: If a market has a shortcut, everyone takes it and you end up competing on price. Pick problems where the only solution is the hard one. Then nobody can follow you without doing the hard work too. Estimators Should Sell, Not Click: Before BobYard, 50 percent of an estimator's day was spent clicking on screens doing takeoffs. Estimators are some of your most savvy people. Their job is to bring in money, not to count plants. An Order of Magnitude Better Changes the Conversation: A 10 percent improvement is a hard sell. A 10x or 100x improvement sells itself. BobYard cuts a 4-5 hour commercial takeoff down to 30-60 minutes. That is not marginal, that is transformational. Hire People Better Than the Average: Every new hire should be better than the previous one. It forces the existing team to grow into a new bar. The best hires shatter your expectations of what a great hire looks like. Ownership Means Other People Sleep Well: Define ownership by how easy everyone else can sleep at night knowing you are in charge of your area. If you are losing sleep over something, that is a sign someone needs clearer ownership of it. Trust and Ownership Are Two Sides of the Same Coin: If you do not trust someone, you will not give them ownership. If you do not give them ownership, they know you do not trust them. Great people want autonomy and partnership. Do Not Go Looking for Nails with a Hammer: Do not ask “where can we apply AI in our business?” Ask “where can we improve?” Then pick the right tool. Sometimes it is AI. Sometimes it is just better systems or a clearer SOP. Run a Real AB Test on Software Vendors: The best customers ab test products, run paid trials, build financial models for the ROI. Smaller companies often buy on emotion. The exercise of evaluating software forces you to actually understand your own business. Self-Reflection Is the Hardest Leadership Skill: It is hard to have people tell you the truth when they report to you. The best leaders build enough trust that their team will tell them when they are wrong. Reflection Questions 1. How much of your estimator's day is spent on actual selling versus clicking through takeoffs? What would it look like if that ratio flipped? 2. Where in your business are you taking the easy path because it is what everyone else does? What hard problem could you take on instead? 3. Who on your team has clear ownership of their area, and who is waiting on you to make every decision? Resources: BOBYARD [https://www.bobyard.com]  Aspire [https://www.youraspire.com/?utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_exact_home&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_source=google&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_content=shd_test_dynt_dem_07172025_1&cid=701PM00000xXXZLYA4&utm_term=aspire%20landscaping&utm_campaign=ga_br_al_brand_search_web_dem_brand_CPC&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&hsa_acc=6234924545&hsa_cam=20348537411&hsa_grp=151852382620&hsa_ad=764457471967&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-465561275476&hsa_kw=aspire%20landscaping&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20348537411&gbraid=0AAAAACs4TKNhCCUGHmIFAgHBIX-Sq_QpX&gclid=CjwKCAiAqprNBhB6EiwAMe3yhjVg1CQXwPCwt3VFpD_EbcAau_BnKyia5WAEj2XyNaCnKQ0-nWo77xoC3JIQAvD_BwE] ACE Peer Groups [https://www.growgroupinc.com/ace-peer-groups] Virtual Sales Bootcamp [https://www.growgroupinc.com/virtual-sales-bootcamp]   Grunder Landscaping Field Trips [https://www.growgroupinc.com/glc-fall-field-trips]   https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2025The Grow Group [https://www.growgroupinc.com/]    Grunder Landscaping [https://grunderlandscaping.com/]    Marty Grunder LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martygrunder/]