In this episode of TradesTalk, Justin and Maggie sit down with James, founder of Yard Dawgs Lawn Care, to explore how he turned his Calgary-based lawn care company into a thriving business. James shares how niching down to fertilizer, weed control, and soil enhancements helped accelerate growth, and why their customer-first approach, with guaranteed 48-hour response times, is a game-changer.

The conversation dives into Yard Dawgs’ plans to expand into three new cities—Edmonton, Red Deer, and Saskatoon—while maintaining a lean, high-margin operating model. James also highlights the importance of hiring the right people to protect their culture and using HubSpot as a CRM to scale efficiently. Packed with insights on focus, culture, and leveraging technology, this episode offers invaluable lessons for businesses aiming to grow strategically. YouTube

In this episode of TradesTalk, Justin and Maggie are joined by Chase Gallagher, a 23-year-old entrepreneur who turned a lawn-mowing gig into a 7-Figure landscape construction business in the Philadelphia suburbs. Chase shares his journey from mowing lawns at 13 to transitioning into project-based landscaping, highlighting the importance of understanding pricing, overhead, and profitability.

Chase also runs CMG University, an online coaching program where he teaches lead generation, marketing, and networking strategies to grow landscaping businesses.

Beyond landscaping, Chase dives into his real estate ventures, sharing how he purchased his first property at 20 through owner financing and uses tax-saving strategies like cost segregation.

The conversation explores Chase’s daily routine as a young CEO, his focus on time management, and the critical aspect of having the right mindset. The group even touches on private aviation and how jet ownership creates unique networking opportunities.

This episode offers valuable insights into Chase’s rapid entrepreneurial success and the strategies that helped him grow his landscaping and real estate businesses at such a young age.

To Connect with Chase, follow him here:

https://www.instagram.com/chase_gallagher_/

https://www.tiktok.com/@chase_gallagher1

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-gallagher-309036177/

In this episode of TradesTalk, Justin and Maggie sit down with John Vlay, a seasoned leader in the landscape industry, to explore his impressive career and his vision for the future. Starting as an assistant estimator at Jensen Landscape in 1983, John worked his way up to CEO, where he helped transition the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). He shares the benefits and challenges of ESOPs and why Jensen ultimately sold to Monarch Landscape in 2015.

John’s post-Jensen career is just as inspiring. He discusses his work promoting battery-powered and robotic equipment with Garden Land and his latest venture with Cold Bore Capital, where he’s building a platform to acquire and grow landscape companies using cutting-edge technology like AI, robotics, and battery power. Throughout the episode, John emphasizes the importance of partnerships, innovation, and staying connected in the industry.