AI search is moving fast! And it’s already changing how homeowners discover local landscape companies. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, host Jack Jostes reveals the three massive shifts happening right now in summer 2025 that every landscaper needs to know to stay visible in this competitive market. Listen to the full episode, where we dive into: How Bing plays a surprising role in ChatGPT search results Why first-party reviews can give you an edge in AI rankings How short-form videos ...
Aug 15, 2025•13 min•Ep. 284
What does fearless leadership look like in the landscaping industry? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Peggy Berns shares how she built a thriving landscaping business through strong leadership, a focus on her team, and the courage to make bold decisions. You’ll hear Peggy’s journey, including: How she overcame early challenges in business The leadership principles that helped her build a strong, loyal team Her advice for landscapers who want to grow their company without losing control...
Aug 08, 2025•23 min•Ep. 283
From mowing lawns with a Jeep Liberty and one truck to running a million-dollar landscaping company in just four years, Jacob Peffer’s journey is one you’ll want to hear. At only 24, Jacob has grown GreenerConcepts into a thriving business, proving that with the right mindset, mentorship, and strategy, massive growth is possible in a short amount of time. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Jacob live from the 2025 SIMA Symposium about: How he grew GreenerConcepts f...
Aug 01, 2025•32 min•Ep. 282
Isolation. Burnout. And feeling invisible in a male-dominated industry. These are just a few of the challenges women face in the snow and landscape world — whether they’re operators, spouses, or business owners themselves. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , host Jack Jostes interviews Val Lesak, co-founder of Influential Encounters, live from the Ramblin Jackson booth at the SIMA Symposium. Val shares how she’s helping build a nationwide community that supports women in snow, landscape,...
Jul 25, 2025•20 min•Ep. 281
You’re closing deals, working hard, and watching the money come in… But your bank account still isn’t growing. What gives? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes interviews Jeff Heller, a Profit First Professional, landscape industry consultant at The Green Executive, and SIMA 2025 Board Member, about why so many snow and landscape companies struggle with cash flow — and how to fix it. Here’s ONE thing Jeff wants landscapers to know: If your profit is “whatever’s left over,” you’...
Jul 18, 2025•18 min•Ep. 280
Artificial turf is booming—but too many landscapers are cutting corners and losing money. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Steve Rice, the founder of Lawn Kings and Titan Turf Supply. From Hollywood movie sets to thousands of installs across the U.S., Steve shares what it really takes to do turf right. Here’s one thing Steve wants every landscaper to know: The base prep is everything. Skip it, and you’ll lose trust—and repeat business. You’ll hear: Why cheap ...
Jul 11, 2025•46 min•Ep. 279
What does it take to lead a multi-state snow and landscape company, when you didn’t grow up in the industry? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Jack Jostes sits down with Eddy Zakes, CEO of Earth Development, to explore how grit, values, and systems fuel business growth. Eddy shares: What it’s like to acquire and lead a company as an outsider to the industry How Earth Development builds long-term partnerships with clients and service providers His personal discipline—training for an Iro...
Jul 04, 2025•26 min•Ep. 278
For years, Theiss Landscape Works gave away free estimates and paid the price in unqualified leads, sales chaos, and owner burnout. Then they stopped… In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Monty and Justin Theiss share the bold decisions they made after partnering with Ramblin Jackson —decisions that led to stronger leads, smoother operations, and their biggest December ever . 💥 If your sales process feels messy, manual, or totally dependent on you as the owner... this is your sign to fix...
Jun 27, 2025•24 min•Ep. 277
You’re not BrightView. You don’t have a $100 million budget, a fleet of trucks, or an army of marketers. But guess what? You don’t need it. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes shares how small, family-owned landscape companies are outranking national giants — with one simple thing most businesses still overlook. What You’ll Learn: How Google reviews give small businesses a real edge over big brands What Google’s 2025 SEO leak revealed — and what to do about it Why most AI cont...
Jun 20, 2025•24 min•Ep. 276
If you own or manage a snow and landscape company, you're probably already hearing a lot about AI. But are you actually using ChatGPT to coach your team, lead more effectively, and grow your business? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes shares how he’s using ChatGPT at Ramblin Jackson to streamline management, improve communication, and lead with more confidence. Whether it’s running a 30-day check-in, preparing for a tough feedback conversation, or coaching based on DISC prof...
Jun 13, 2025•11 min•Ep. 275
What if better landscaping sales started with empathy? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Todd Brown from Southern Classic Landscape Management. After nearly 40 years in business, Todd shares what he’s learned about running a high-touch company rooted in trust, clear communication, and treating clients like family—even when things go wrong. From handling a stolen magnolia tree and $50 underpayment with grace, to training his kids and team to lead with respect, ...
Jun 06, 2025•22 min•Ep. 274
What if your kid knew how to handle cyberbullying before it started? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes interviews Ashley Parker, a high school author, illustrator, and founder of the nonprofit Click With Kindness. After facing online harassment herself, Ashley took action—writing and illustrating Sasha Goes to Cyberspace , a children's book designed to help elementary-aged students understand the risks of digital life and how to navigate them with empathy and confidence. Thi...
May 30, 2025•32 min•Ep. 273
Is scaling your landscape business always the right move? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Jack Jostes talks with Scott Parker of Parker Landscape Design about why he stopped chasing growth and started prioritizing craftsmanship, plant expertise, and exceptional customer service. Scott shares how trying to scale his business actually made things harder: more stress, lower quality, and less client satisfaction. So he pivoted—and hasn’t looked back. In this episode, you’ll learn: 🌱 Why...
May 23, 2025•36 min•Ep. 272
What if better leadership could start with just one minute? In this solo episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes unpacks his top takeaways from Ken Blanchard's The New One Minute Manager . It’s a tiny book with immense value, especially for landscaping company owners who are training managers, growing their team, and trying to get better results without micromanaging. Jack shares how he’s using this framework at Ramblin Jackson to train middle managers, increase clarity, and scale more sm...
May 16, 2025•13 min•Ep. 271
What do fighter pilots know about leadership that most landscape business owners miss? Turns out— a lot . In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Jack Jostes sits down with Cujo Teschner , retired Air Force fighter pilot and author of Debrief to Win , live from the Bach Business Partners Summit. They talk about the kind of accountability that actually inspires high-performing teams, and how landscaping business owners can apply military-grade clarity, coaching, and vulnerability to scale sma...
May 09, 2025•19 min•Ep. 270
Ever reviewed your sales process mid-ski run? 🎿 This week on The Landscaper’s Guide , we’re riding the lift and carving out real sales advice with Ramblin Jackson’s Director of Client Strategy, Robert Felton . Join Jack Jostes as they break down three key sales strategies you can implement before your next coffee break. No snow gear required! From the base of Loveland Ski Area, they cover what really helps close premium landscaping jobs faster, and how you can lead your team through better syst...
May 02, 2025•21 min•Ep. 269
What happens when a former U.S. Marine trades in military boots for landscaping boots—and scales his business from a single trailer to a 20-person crew in just four years? Meet Landscapin’ Nathan of Crystal Coast Custom Landscapes . In this episode, we’re talking shop straight from Belgard University, covering the mindset, systems, and marketing shifts that helped Nathan grow his business while reclaiming time with his family. 🎯 What it really takes to pre-qualify leads—and stop wasting time on...
Apr 25, 2025•26 min•Ep. 268
What if the biggest thing holding your landscaping company back... was you? In this special in-studio episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Jack Jostes sits down with two powerhouse landscapers, Robyn Schmitz of High Prairie Outdoors and Scott Parker of Parker Landscape Design , to dig into the messy, not-so-glamorous, but totally necessary shifts it takes to grow past $2M without losing your mind. They talk about leadership, marketing, margins, and the surprisingly simple things that have kept th...
Apr 18, 2025•47 min•Ep. 267
Michelle Lane’s family landscaping business has been around for 75 years. But when she Googled herself during a presentation at Belgard University… she found three reviews. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , Jack Jostes talks with Michelle about something even the most established landscape companies get wrong—and how to fix it—with better branding, smarter marketing, and a whole lot more Google reviews. 🎯 What You’ll Learn: 🌼 Why legacy customers aren’t enough to win new business 📍 ...
Apr 11, 2025•17 min•Ep. 266
Luxury design in a small space? That’s exactly what Joe Raboine, VP of Design at Oldcastle APG, helps contractors pull off every day. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Joe at Belgard University in North Carolina to talk about real-world trends in outdoor living and what today’s homeowners are actually buying. From charging for consultations to closing $50K patio jobs in 15x30 ft lots, Joe brings the contractor’s mindset with a national designer’s perspective. ...
Apr 04, 2025•19 min•Ep. 265
What would you do if a brand-new employee caused your family business to go viral – for all the wrong reasons? In this episode, we sit down with Stuart and Andrew Ward of Buckhead Landscape, a father-son team from Atlanta, Georgia, who faced a social media firestorm head-on. 🎯 Discover how they responded with integrity and transparency 🛠 Learn how EOS and core values shaped their culture through crisis 🌱 Hear their succession plan and what it’s really like running a family-owned landscape bus...
Mar 28, 2025•40 min•Ep. 264
Most landscapers are sitting on a high-margin service they’re barely tapping into – irrigation. If you’re only fixing irrigation when it breaks, you’re missing out on recurring revenue and long-term client retention. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide , host Jack Jostes sits down with Weathermatic President Lex Mason to share how irrigation can become a profit center instead of a reactive expense. Lex explains why water costs are rising faster than any other utility, why most landscapers ...
Mar 21, 2025•29 min•Ep. 263
Struggling to Hire? Here’s How One Landscaper Got 120+ Applicants FAST Most landscape business owners struggle to find and keep great employees—but if your job postings aren’t bringing in the right candidates, chances are you’re making one big mistake. In this episode, Jack Jostes takes you inside his keynote at Green & Growin’ in North Carolina , where he shares real-world hiring strategies that work. You’ll learn the 3 key reasons employees choose one landscaping company over another —and ...
Mar 14, 2025•8 min•Ep. 262
Struggling to hire and keep great employees in your landscaping business? You’re not alone. With more job options than ever, competition is fierce, and if you’re not standing out, you’re losing out. But the best landscape companies are winning the hiring game with smarter, more strategic approaches—and in this episode, we’re breaking them down. Join Jack Jostes as he sits down with Robert Felton and Jamie DuBose from Ramblin Jackson to uncover what’s actually working in recruiting right now. For...
Mar 07, 2025•29 min•Ep. 261
Most landscapers load up their trucks, roll up to a job site, and get to work. But what if your “job site” is a rooftop 40 stories above the streets of New York City—with no easy way to get plants, soil, or even tools up there? That’s the daily reality for John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, a team that transforms urban spaces into lush, thriving environments in one of the most challenging places to do it. At the NALP Elevate Conference in Charlotte, I met with Mark Mini and Matt Wessol from John ...
Feb 28, 2025•13 min•Ep. 260
Some folks think keeping a landscape healthy just means dumping more fertilizer and cranking up the sprinklers. But that’s like throwing steak on the grill without seasoning—it’s not gonna turn out the way you hoped. That’s why at NALP’s Elevate conference in Charlotte, NC, Jack Jostes caught up with Dr. Eric Brown, a PhD agronomist from Massey Services, to talk about what really makes plants thrive (hint: it’s not just luck). Dr. Brown has spent years researching how to get big results with few...
Feb 21, 2025•9 min•Ep. 259
Most landscapers think they have a handle on their numbers—until cash flow problems, unexpected equipment costs, or skyrocketing overtime smack them in the face. In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Steven Bach from Bach Business Partners (BBP) about the financial traps that cost landscapers money every single year—and how to avoid them. One of the biggest mistakes? Confusing sales with revenue. Just because you landed a contract doesn’t mean that money is in your po...
Feb 14, 2025•45 min•Ep. 258
Rolling out new software at your landscaping company? It can either transform your business—or turn into an expensive headache. At NALP’s Elevate conference, host Jack Jostes caught up with Aspire CEO Mark Tipton to unpack the real challenges behind implementing new systems and making them work. Mark explains exactly who Aspire is designed for and why some companies thrive with it while others struggle. The key? It’s not just about the features—it’s about having the right mindset. Jack also shar...
Feb 07, 2025•8 min•Ep. 257
What if you could get more done with the same team—and without the stress? In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes sits down with Mark Tipton, CEO of Aspire, and Whitney Griffin, Senior Product Owner, to talk about the biggest challenges landscapers face, from labor shortages to vendor management. They share real-world strategies for improving efficiency, streamlining operations, and planning smarter. One of the key takeaways? Proactive planning beats putting out fires. Whitney ex...
Jan 31, 2025•23 min•Ep. 256
What does landscaping have to do with alligator hunting? More than you'd think! In this episode of The Landscaper’s Guide, Jack Jostes talks with Jason Lee, owner of SkyFrog Landscape and co-host of the Green Side Up Podcast, about how he balances running a thriving landscape business in Florida while wrangling gators in his free time. Spoiler alert—both require patience, skill, and a solid plan! Jason shares how he grew SkyFrog Landscape from humble beginnings into a full-service company specia...
Jan 24, 2025•41 min•Ep. 255
