Small Business Ownership & Personal Development
Hosted by Keith Kalfas from the Landscaping Employee Trap & Window Cleaning Blueprint.
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Small Business Ownership & Personal Development
Hosted by Keith Kalfas from the Landscaping Employee Trap & Window Cleaning Blueprint.
Copyright: © Greenwood Publishing 2020
In this episode, Keith Kalfas shares transformative insights on mastering financial systems based on his personal experiences. Highlighting the importance of having robust systems in place, he discusses James Clear's philosophy on systems over standards and introduces the MVSA (Minimum Viable System). Keith provides a detailed breakdown of the 30% and 50% rules for managing finances and achieving a 50% gross profit margin. He emphasizes the routine of 'Friday Finances' and how it brought order to his financial chaos. Additionally, Keith invites listeners to join his Untrapped Alliance group for deeper learning and access to successful business strategies, featuring contributions from financial experts like Dan Plata. Throughout, he underscores the significance of habit-building and consistent system application for financial stability.
"You already have systems—some of them just suck. But once you become aware of that, you can fix them. That’s when everything starts to change." – Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Introduction to Systems and Integrity
Understanding and Implementing Systems
The Life-Changing Friday Finances System
The 30% Rule for Taxes
The 50% Gross Profit Margin Rule
The Untrapped Alliance Invitation
Testimonials and Success Stories
Key Takeaways
Systems Save You—Even From Yourself James Clear's quote sets the tone: "You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems." Keith drives home the point that even with ADHD or chaos in life, simple, repeatable systems create stability. His Minimum Viable System (MVSA) concept proves that even imperfect systems beat no systems—because consistency wins.
The 30% and 50% Rules Are Game Changers for Small Biz Finances 30% Rule: Set aside 30% of your gross income (yes, even if it stings!) for taxes in a separate savings account. This protects you from tax season panic and builds discipline fast.
50% Rule: Build every job estimate to hit at least a 50% Gross Profit Margin. That means if it costs $1,000 to do the job, quote $2,000. This ensures your business isn’t just busy—it’s profitable.
Your Financial Habits Shape Your Freedom Keith’s “Friday Finances” ritual is a simple but powerful weekly system: review all accounts, reconcile records, check in with your bookkeeper, and make sure every dollar has a job. Over time, this habit pulled him out of financial chaos and into clarity—with 17 bank accounts now dialed in like a boss.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas talks with Coach Carroll, a renowned sales coach and entrepreneur from Louisville, Kentucky. They delve into Carroll’s multiple business ventures, including his new AI-driven project. Carroll shares insights on his journey in building multimillion-dollar businesses, his philosophy on time management, setting healthy boundaries, and the future of artificial intelligence in small businesses. They discuss the importance of adapting to new technologies, particularly AI, for business growth and efficiency. Carroll also introduces ‘Alli,’ his AI platform designed to help small businesses streamline operations and never miss an opportunity. This episode is packed with valuable advice on entrepreneurship, AI integration, and personal growth.
" It's your fear of raising prices and losing customers. That's the enemy. Not the leads, not more from your website, not more follow up funnels. It's getting over that mindset shift." – Coach Carroll
Topics Covered:
The Rise of AI in Business
AI's Impact on Small Businesses
Introducing Ally: The AI Platform
Coach Carroll's Mission and Vision
Leveraging AI for Business Growth
Future of AI and Business
The Value of Reading and AI's Potential
Custom AI for Sales Coaching
AI's Empathy and Human-like Characteristics
The Future of AI in Business
Leveraging AI for Personal and Professional Growth
AI in Content Creation and Book Writing
AI's Impact on Small Businesses
Key Takeaways
AI is a Tool for Survival and Scale:
You’ll learn how AI isn’t just hype—it’s a real, practical tool that can save you time, cut costs, and help your business grow faster. DJ shows how using AI for lead detection, customer service, and creative work can give small businesses a serious edge, especially those who act now.
Your Mindset is Your Biggest Limiter:
A major lesson here is that fear holds most business owners back more than competition does. Fear of raising prices, fear of tech, fear of change. DJ points out that it’s no longer about not having the right tools—it’s about having the courage to use them.
Adaptation Beats Skill:
You’ll see how the businesses that thrive aren’t necessarily the smartest or most experienced—they’re the ones that adapt the fastest. From social media to AI, the landscape keeps shifting. If you stay curious, keep learning, and evolve, you’ll stay ahead of the curve.
Connect with Coach Carroll
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_carroll/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dj-carroll-65589b21/ Website: http://www.coachcarroll.com/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this episode, Keith Kalfas shares his thoughts on living a peaceful, inspired, and motivated life by following one's purpose and staying in a flow state. He discusses the pitfalls of comparison and scarcity mindset, the importance of emotional well-being, and the benefits of maintaining a beautiful state of consciousness. Keith also touches on the impact of materialism and societal pressure, emphasizing the value of building meaningful relationships and staying true to one's core values. He integrates lessons from personal experiences, spirituality, and teachings from influential figures, making this episode a thought-provoking discussion on the essence of a fulfilling life.
" We chase Bugattis to feel loved, not realizing it's not the car we want—it’s significance. A lot of people are rich physically, but poor mentally." – Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Inner Peace and Inspiration
Comparison, Scarcity, and Self-Doubt
Consciousness, Flow, and Purpose
Perfectionism and Self-Worth
Fear, Suffering, and the Human Experience
Materialism, Wealth, and Debt
Family, Presence, and Personal Loss
Faith, Prayer, and Spirituality
Navigating Business and Life Challenges
Personal Growth and Fulfillment
Key Takeaways
Feeling Inspired and Motivated:
The episode highlights the joy and fulfillment that come from doing what you love and finding your purpose. Being in this 'flow state' where time flies and everything feels just right is incredibly rewarding.
Mindset Matters:
It's easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, especially on social media. However, shifting your perspective and focusing on your own journey can drastically change your experience and outlook on life.
True Wealth Lies in Relationships and Faith:
Keith emphasizes that real wealth isn't about money or possessions. It's about the love and connections you have with family and friends, and the peace you find in your spiritual beliefs.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas talks with Joel Kouski from Kouski Landscaping, who has built a $2 million business with 20 employees. Joel shares his story and talks about why staying emotionally detached in customer service is important, while still building real connections with customers. They discuss overcoming challenges, leading with humility and strong character, and using smart sales strategies. Joel also gives practical tips for handling the busy spring season, boosting team productivity, and staying focused on personal growth and faith. This episode is packed with useful advice for landscaping business owners and entrepreneurs.
" We're trying to be a lot of things for good reasons, but what if trying to be that thing in the first place is actually the thing holding you back? Just take the pressure off, " – Joel Kouski
Topics Covered:
Joel Kuski’s Business Journey
Challenges in Entrepreneurship
The Role of Encouragement in Business
Solving Technical Issues in Business
Balancing Personal Life and Business
Building Systems and Automations
Personal Growth and Humility in Leadership
Customer Connection and Sales Success
Pricing and Value in the Landscaping Industry
Employee Management and AI Tools
Key Takeaways
Building Real Connections in Business:
Joel stresses the importance of genuinely understanding and connecting with people — whether it's customers, employees, or family. For example, instead of just selling a pool, he suggests creating a space that fits the customer's real desires, which builds trust and loyalty.
Emotional and Mental Health:
Both Keith and Joel talk about how important it is for entrepreneurs to take care of their emotional and mental health. Joel shares how stress and poor emotional management hurt his relationships and emphasizes the value of self-awareness, admitting mistakes, and focusing on personal growth.
Value and Pricing:
Instead of focusing on discounts or low prices, Joel advises businesses to focus on understanding their customers’ needs and offering high value. By doing so, they can justify higher prices and build customer loyalty.
Connect with Joel
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoelKouski Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelkouski/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-kouski-9b751a73 Website: https://www.joelkouski.com/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this insightful episode of the Untrapped podcast, host Keith Kalfas interviews Erica Krupin, the founder of Kroopin's Poopin Scoopin. Erica shares her inspiring journey from working at the University of Michigan Hospital to creating a multiple six-figure business specializing in poop scooping. She discusses the pivotal moments that led her to entrepreneurship, the challenges she faced, and the strategies she employed to achieve success. Erica also touches on the importance of customer reviews, organic content, and social media marketing in growing her business. Additionally, she shares her personal growth, shedding light on how she overcame emotional and business hurdles with faith and perseverance.
" I want to inspire that person to know that just because you came from a certain place and you were raised a certain way and you were treated a certain way, doesn't mean that you have to live that life. It doesn't mean you have to get stuck in the poverty loop. You can. Break away and you can make changes and you can grow." – Erica Krupin
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Entrepreneurial Journey and Challenges:
Erica shares her experience of building a six-figure business, including initial struggles, scaling up, making financial mistakes, and learning to focus on core services for better efficiency.
Marketing and Branding Strategies:
Discussion on effective marketing strategies ranging from organic social media content, Google and Facebook ads, using community-specific tactics like business cards in vet clinics, and maintaining consistent branding.
Personal Growth and Spiritual Journey:
Erica's transition from a hospital job to entrepreneurship, overcoming personal challenges, including addiction, and the role of faith and spirituality in her journey towards personal and business growth.
Connect with Erica
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvDcw9Kf62FDkBRp2mYDTSg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica_krupin/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-krupin-605756172/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this lively episode, Keith Kalfas hosts Austin Douglas from Ditch The Itch, who has built a six-figure business from scratch by removing poison ivy and offering mosquito treatments. Austin shares his journey from part-time work to significant growth, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and networking. He discusses his innovative approaches to marketing and client retention, as well as the development of his training academy. Austin also provides practical advice on poison ivy identification, safe removal techniques, and strategies for expanding service offerings. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and green industry professionals.
"You have to act the part. You're only going to be perceived as a professional if you put yourself out there as a professional." – Austin Douglas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Business and Marketing Strategies: Networking and Relationships: Building connections through industry meetings can open significant business opportunities. Marketing Tactics: Utilizing social media ads, billboards, and referral programs to effectively grow a business. Client Retention: Providing excellent service leads to repeat clients and reduces the need for extensive marketing.
Treatment and Removal Techniques: Poison Ivy Control: Use protective gear, Dawn dish soap for cleaning, and selective herbicides like Garlon 3A for effective poison ivy treatment. Tick and Mosquito Management: Apply permethrin-treated clothing and DEET to minimize bites. Understand mosquito treatment innovations, such as using longer-lasting formulations.
Education and Community Impact: Continuous Learning: Investing in education enhances business credibility and opportunities. Public Speaking and Online Education: Use platforms like YouTube and industry events to share expertise and position oneself as a leader. Community Engagement: Incorporate charitable activities into business practices to positively impact the community and enhance brand image.
Connect with Austin
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/austin-douglas-ab1683175 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ditch_the_itch_mi/ Website: https://ditchtheitchmi.com/about/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
The Untrapped Alliance: https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
In this episode, Keith Kalfas discusses the intense work required when starting a business, including long hours, stress, and financial struggles. He highlights the importance of healthy eating, proper sleep, and reinvesting earnings into personal growth and education. Keith also addresses overcoming mental barriers like unworthiness and emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with positive, supportive people to achieve success.
"Success isn’t about grinding forever—it’s about knowing when to let go of the struggle, invest in yourself, and step into the future that’s already waiting for you." - Keith
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Invest in Yourself Before Upgrading Your Lifestyle When you start making money, the temptation is to splurge on luxuries, but true success comes from reinvesting in your education, health, and personal growth.
Success Requires Sacrifice, but Burnout Isn’t the Goal Building a business demands long hours and sacrifices, but sustainable success comes from prioritizing proper sleep, nutrition, hydration, and exercise to maintain long-term performance.
Let Go of the Past to Step Into Your Future Many people stay stuck because of limiting beliefs, unworthiness, or fear. The moment you recognize that you’re ready, cut the ties to old struggles and allow yourself to move forward with confidence.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
In this engaging and personal episode, Keith Kalfas shares his raw and emotional journey of overcoming self-sabotage and insecurity. From his early days as a landscaper with dreams of becoming a musician, to his moment of self-sabotage at a city-wide talent competition, Keith emphasizes the importance of persistence and emotional control. Through relatable stories and personal anecdotes, he explores the significance of staying committed to one's goals, controlling negative emotions, and believing in one's own worthiness. Keith also shares insights on how to develop a plan, handle setbacks, and ultimately achieve success in business and life.
"The doors to success are often wide open—but only when we believe we deserve to walk through them." - Keith
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Perseverance and Commitment: Emphasizing the importance of not backing out or running away from challenges. Staying in the fight until the end and giving it your best, even in the face of intimidation or insecurity.
Recognizing and Overcoming Self-Sabotage: Highlighting the detrimental effects self-sabotage can have on one's goals and dreams. Recognizing these self-destructive behaviors and taking a moment to control emotions before making rash decisions.
Self-Worth and Receiving: Understanding the significance of feeling worthy and being able to receive gifts or opportunities graciously. Recognizing one's worth can open up the ability to accept and embrace positive changes and external help without feeling uncomfortable or undeserving.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
In this thought-provoking episode, Keith Kalfas explores the challenging relationship between empathy and achieving extreme success. He argues that highly successful individuals often have to develop skills akin to a 'personality disorder' to manage their emotions and compartmentalize stressful situations. Through various analogies and insights, the episode delves into the necessity of conscious competence, emotional regulation, and high-level compartmentalization. Keith shares personal experiences, discusses influential figures like Dan Kennedy, and emphasizes the importance of developing oneself to meet a higher calling and achieve long-term success.
"Success isn't just about reaching the top—it's about mastering the delicate balance between empathy and the traits that may seem discordant with it. In the pursuit of greatness, we must learn to compartmentalize, adapt, and evolve, understanding that what appears as disorder may, in fact, be the order required for extraordinary achievement." - Keith
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
The Complex Reality of Extreme Success: The journey to achieving success is undoubtedly fraught with hurdles that test one's mental fortitude. Successful people encounter stressful situations daily, similar to being in a batting cage with baseballs hurling at them from all angles. Yet, they demonstrate a profound ability to switch gears and remain composed, much like donning various hats seamlessly.
The Art of Compartmentalization: The ability to context switch is not just a survival mechanism—it's an art form that many successful people practice. They can leave a heated discussion or family dispute and shift immediately into a productive business mindset. This skill may appear almost sociopathic, but it is, in essence, a testament to their emotional intelligence and maturity.
Leadership Through Empathy and Understanding: If you're somebody with high empathy, crafting this balance can feel unethical or even inauthentic. Yet, to thrive in today's competitive world, understanding how to control your emotional outputs is crucial. Even though our ancestors relied on tribal support to process their emotional experiences, today's society demands a different strategy—one where emotions are acknowledged but not allowed to disrupt business.
The Role of Perspective and Gratitude: At the core of this practice is a profound sense of gratitude and the recognition that we are all standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. The opportunities we have today are built on the back of countless sacrifices and innovations of our forebears. This awareness can be a powerful motivator, inspiring us to rise above our emotional turbulence and seize the opportunities available to us.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
In this episode, Keith gets real about the tough balance between working for money and chasing what you love. He talks about his journey dealing with jobs that paid the bills versus work that brought him joy. Keith shares some eye-opening insights on whether doing something just for the cash or trying to turn your passion into your paycheck is worth it. He even brings in some tips from the pros on how to juggle financial needs while still following your heart. If you've ever felt stuck doing a job you can't stand or dreamt of making money doing what you love, Keith's got some solid advice to help you figure it out. So, tune in for an honest chat about finding that sweet spot between responsibility and fulfillment.
Check out these episode highlights 💡:
00:00 Growth Through Unwanted Tasks Opens Doors
05:55 Entrepreneurial Insights from Business Experts
08:52 Hidden Opportunities in Daily Work Routine
13:00 Thoughts Alter Water's Molecular Structure
14:52 Profitable Art of Tree Trimming
🔑 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Leverage Unpleasant Work for Future Opportunities: Sometimes, doing work you dislike can open doors to opportunities you love. It can provide the financial stability needed to invest in your passions or elevate your business to the next level with more options.
🔹 Long-term Vision and Responsibility: It's crucial to face responsibilities and have a clear long-term vision. Avoid falling into the trap of Peter Pan syndrome, where reluctance to grow up and take responsibility can hold you back in both personal and professional spheres.
🔹 Success Structures and Reducing Resistance: Success often comes from understanding and creating the right structures. Reducing emotional resistance and building structured ways to solve problems can lead to financial gains and personal fulfillment.
🌐Resources and Websites 🔗:
Untrapped Alliance - https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Connect with Keith 📱
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Transcript 📝
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas [00:00:06]:
It's this crazy hard truth that I learned years ago that improved the quality of my life. So I wanna share it with you. Here's what it is. You might be having a conversation in your head with yourself that says, I don't like the money I'm making or what I'm doing. I wanna make more money, but I wanna do something that I love. I've spent so much time doing stuff that I hate and still not making the money that I wanna make. I wanna make great money and do something that I love. I don't wanna do something just for the sake of money.
Keith Kalfas [00:00:39]:
Now you might be the opposite. You might be like, I don't care what it is. If it makes a lot of money, I'll do it. I'll freaking sell my soul for the money. And there are people that do that. There are people who make tons of money. They don't feel full of their life videos already gone. They don't fulfill their life's purpose at all, and they don't even care.
Keith Kalfas [00:00:59]:
They just can't. They just get a whole bunch of money. And you know what everybody else says? You know what society tells them? Wow. You're a superhero. You're so smart. You're so great. You're such an achiever. You're outstanding.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:12]:
And you know what they say? Well, yes, I am because I make a lot of money. I make so much money it's because I'm a genius. I must be fulfilling my life's purpose. And look at all these people looking up to me. And because you make a lot of money yeah. You know what? But if you don't spend time with the people that you love and look them in the eyes and be present with them and get them a card that says thank you. I appreciate you. Since I make a lot of money, let me pay for lunch.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:42]:
Let me buy everybody dinner and then act like I didn't do shit. There's fun things you can do when you make a lot of money. But the reason I'm saying this is because I have five x my income. I don't know. It's steadily going up. Anyways, never mind. It's not about me. It's about you.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:08]:
Here's my point. If you say I want to do something that I love and make money, I don't wanna do that. I hate that. I don't want anything to do with that. That sucks. I don't wanna learn how to do that just to make money. Here's the tough part. Where are you at right now? Are you doing something that you hate and not making the money that you want? Wouldn't it be a lot better to get because you know what money creates? Options.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:36]:
If you do something that you don't like doing and you get good at it and you can make a lot more money, now you can make more money and have more options to do more of the stuff that you love to do, to invest in the things you always invest in, to give and create value for and contribute at a level that you dreamed of. It opens up doors. Kinda like Jordan Peterson said one time. He's talking about this Peter Pan syndrome thing. I was like, somebody, they don't wanna grow up. They don't wanna face responsibility. And it's okay because they're like, man. You're young, still figuring it out that a person gets into their mid-twenties.
Keith Kalfas [00:03:13]:
They still don't wanna face responsibility. They don't wanna conform to the system, and they still haven't figured it out. And people still gave them the benefit of a doubt, it's called. They say, well, maybe he's just a late bloomer. He just hasn't figured it out yet, but it's okay. He still got time on his side. He'll figure it out. Then dude gets in his thirties, and he still hasn't figured it out.
Keith Kalfas [00:03:39]:
And it's still, like, you know, let's say crying, being a victim, making others people's lives difficult because you don't wanna face the responsibility that there's a major part of life that just sucks. And you know what the good news is? It's across the board for everybody.
AD [00:03:57]:
More of the Untrapped podcast right after this. Do you need some serious help focusing on your service business this year? Would you like to go live in a private group coaching environment that's focused every other week with myself and special guest experts who have built multiple $6.07, and even 8 figure businesses? If so, I would like to extend a special invitation to consider joining my new private group coaching program called the Untrapped Alliance. And we're already two months at the time of this recording. Two months in. And for instance, last week, we had special guest, Steve Dehant. My friend Steve has a $7,000,000 landscaping business with 60 employees and eight sales guys. They have 05:30AM sales trainings every Tuesday morning. And Steve came on for two hours, and he taught our private group how to build your own sales presentation on an iPad. So, when you sit down with your customer, you can show them critical mistakes to avoid as the customer.
You educate them, and you show show them pictures of your work. You gain trust and build authority. And by the time you're done with this presentation, the customers will see it. If you do good quality great quality work, the customers will see it as a risk to go with anybody else. And Steve was gracious enough to walk us through this entire process and and describe how he has built a multimillion dollar business specifically in how to build rapport and trust and authority with clients quickly. And he's done this through trial and error for the past twenty five years. He's mastered it. This guy, you would have to pay him $1,500 an hour to even get an hour coaching call with him, and he got on for two hours in our live private group, and the members loved it. I loved it. It was incredible. He had me in tears at one point because he was talking about how, you know, incredible. He had me in tears at one point because he was talking about how here's a guy, nothing was handed to him. He reached in the trenches and almost lost everything in 02/1989 and built his business back up from nothing. A few weeks ago, we had another guest on, Dan A few weeks ago, we had another guest on, Dan Plata, the home service CFO. He taught us how to hire employees and how to screen and vet them out and the mindset around growing and scaling the business, but he also taught us how to understand our numbers and profit and loss statements and dial in your numbers strategically, so you get crystal clarity on the math in your business, and he made it fun. This week coming up, we have special guest, my friend Eric Reno, who's built a Deca million dollar roofing empire, and he's gonna teach us his marketing strategies of how to become five mile famous. He goes all in when it comes to marketing and advertising. He's gonna show us his best kept secrets and practices and hold nothing back.
So, I don't take this lightly. I mean, I feel very thankful that these people I know are willing to come on because they respect and trust me to share with you and me everything that they're doing. And that they can't share everything, but they can within an hour or two share a lot. I mean, this is invaluable information, and it's a private group coaching setting that is not garbage social media. I mean, this is a private Zoom calls. And you get access to all the replays when you join up. So, this is a monthly paid membership group. And so, you get in, you pay.
Right now, the introductory investment is only $97 a month. So it's about $50 per call. And so if you could get in and learn some stuff that could make you an extra, I don't know, you say the number, $20.50, hundred, hundred and $50 this year. I don't know the size of your business, but the stuff that we're learning, if implemented, I can't make you any promises, but if implemented is hyper valuable. So this program costs me money to put together. I pay for the software, the systems. I have a media team that I pay that helped me put this together. And so I have hard costs involved here, but I love doing this.
So if you're interested, open up your browser right now and type in KeithKalfus.com/Alliance, and I'll see you inside of the next call. And remember, you get access to the replays immediately as soon as you sign up, and you'll be part of the group. See you there.
This is Untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:34]:
I remember real quick. I wanna interject real quick. People will lie to you. I remember having this conversation when I was in my like, about 24. I was telling the owner of a landscape company I worked for. I spent too many years working for other people, and he was like, hey. Everybody get goes to work. Right? You say you wanna have your own business and all.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:52]:
Even if you do that, you gotta get up and go to work. Look at me. I'm at work. We all get up, and we all go to work. But there was something he wasn't telling me. He wasn't saying, look over at me in the passenger seat of the truck and be like, did you know for a very small amount of money and some ambition and and awareness, you could go start your own landscaping business and say la vie to me, and you can go make, like, five or you could make 10 times. You can make unlimited amount of money compared to what you're making right now. He went about to say that to me, so he was speaking out of the side of his mouth.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:27]:
Everybody goes to work. Now she keeps showing up and making me money. I appreciated the job, man. Any job that I had, any boss that was a landscape boss, man, shout out. I appreciate you because you helped me get through hard times when I needed money to pay my bills and pay my rent. And I showed up, and I did a good job. Thank you. Some of them are my friends' faith.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:47]:
But, anyways, Jordan Peterson said this thing. He's like, if you're in your mid thirties and you still don't wanna take responsibility, it's Peter Pan syndrome. Right? You don't wanna grow up. When you're in your thirties, there's no more excuses for you, and nobody cares. And they don't wanna hear it because they're like, what have you been doing for the past ten years? Get your act together. Be part a contributor to society. Right? It's like nobody cares anymore. And then if you get in your late thirties and you started getting your forties, I don't catch judgment on anybody because you don't know what people have gone through or what they're going through, and that's the truth right there.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:26]:
You gotta do the best you can with what you know how. Because I have met a lot of brothers, and I get messages and comments and DMs from brothers and emails that are going through a lot of stress, and my heart goes out. So, I'm not judging on anybody. Right? Actually, I feel incredibly grateful. But here's my point in all this. If you do the hard thing and you go get around the successful people, let's say you wanna learn how to do luxury outdoor living spaces. You wanna learn how to build patios, or you wanna take your business to the next level. You have to swallow your pride and stop looking at the law of attraction and abundance.
Keith Kalfas [00:11:01]:
How am I gonna become a multimillionaire by meditating? You know, matter of fact, I did sign up for one program a few years ago. It was a quantum coaching program, and it was kind of expensive. It actually reorganized my brain in terms of my worthiness of what I believe I'm worth, and and it helped me understand what I'm gonna share with you right now. Some things are just structures. Oh, here's an example. Oh, a lot of things following me. The Osmo packet three. If you're curious, I love this camera.
Keith Kalfas [00:11:34]:
This bottle of water is a structure. The bottle, the water inside, you can actually drink it. I can look at this bottle of water and be so upset that the water isn't spilling out of it, but it doesn't care because in third density physical form of consciousness, the way the atoms vibrate, this way this thing was engineered, it all came from the way it's constructed, manufactured. Someone invented this, and they reiterated it many times. No matter how I feel about this, the water's not gonna spill.
AD [00:12:06]:
More of the Untrapped podcast right after this. Hey. If you're looking for what is probably the greatest software ever to run your business on, go to getjobber.com/keith. You can create proposals, invoices, collect payments, even track your entire business directly on the Jobber smartphone app. And if you wanna get a totally free trial of Jobber right now, open your browser, type in getjobber.com/Keith. And if after the trial, you decide you wanna sign up with Keith's link, you'll automatically get 20% off your first six months. So what are you waiting for? Go to getjobber.com/Keith. This is Untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:00]:
Unless you're freaking Superman and you can shoot lasers out of your eyes. Like, you have to physically take the cap off and, like, pour the water out. Now there is a different theory if you read Masaru Emoto, the power of water, and you study quantum physics and Deepak Chopra and all these different things, which you can change the molecular structure of the way the water is structured by your very thoughts and intentions or the way you speak or vibrate or communicate because your body is 90% water. So if you're happy and you're joyous and you're chasing your goals and you're grateful, the molecular structure changes. And also there's part of a vibration that's outside of physical consciousness that's affected as well. I'm not too educated on that. So there's that way you can have an effect. But what I'm talking about is the physical container is a structure.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:43]:
Right? And it holds water no matter how you feel. So in the business world, there are people who own businesses or have investments that are structures that they were very conscious about. They don't have a deep emotional attachment to it like a dead end job that they hate or a service business that they need to work so bad. It's just a structure, and they build it and they set it up, and they care and they're conscious. And it creates a result. It solves a problem. It fills a need, and it creates cash flow. It makes sense, and it creates cash for them to do other things.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:21]:
So my point is, what if you reduce the amount of emotional resistance? You say no. You know what? Just for an example, you might love the idea of, building patios and stuff. How am I gonna meet with this, guy, Crux Cruise Lawn? Sorry. That's his proper name. You guys are brilliant. He's built, like, a luxury outdoor living space patio for, like, Greg Woodstock, the pond guy. He's meeting with my friend Steve Dehant from PMS Brick Pavers. I might go over and interview him today or tomorrow here.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:52]:
And, but this it got me thinking of that. It's like, you might love the idea of doing that because you could turn your art into life, and you could but you might hate the idea of doing that. Like, I never cared about trimming ornamental trees. My friend William taught me how to do this, and it became the highest profit margin thing that we do. We can pull weeds and trim bushes and mow lawns all day and make $6.07, $800 in revenue, or we can go trim a bunch of ornamental trees and do, like, $34,000 in revenue at, like, the profit margins are insane instead of making maybe $200 for the day net profit after all your expenses. You can make $1,200 profit in a day, right, by doing this stuff. So I was like, I love trimming trees because I can learn how to do it and I can make money. Now, obviously, you shouldn't just go trim trees unless you're learning how to properly trim them and prune them and there's a whole another story.
Keith Kalfas [00:15:51]:
But there's people that would argue that you shouldn't do anything unless your heart's on board and you're fully passionate about it and it's what you want. Do you want it to be a career? I think you gotta do what you gotta do to get to where you gotta get and do the best with what you know at the time. If your dream is to eventually run some type of foundation that helps people on a grand scale, and it's some big nonprofit organization, what do you gotta do now to get to that point? Long drawn out stories here.
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, Keith Kalfas gets personal and pretty inspiring as he talks about how even the smallest positive gestures can have a massive impact on the world. He shares some cool stories about passing on the right book at the right time or making a YouTube video when you least feel like it can be life-changing for others. Keith digs into how trusting your gut and doing random acts of kindness aren't just lovely things to do—they can totally transform lives, including your own. He also talks about the highs and potential lows of success, urging everyone to make the most of their unique gifts. It's all about taking action, being kind, and letting your light shine brighter than ever. Tune in for some real talk and motivation to double down on your goodness this year!
Check out these episode highlights 💡:
00:00 - Inspiring Impact Through Sharing and Connection
09:05 - Choosing Intuition Over Navigation Maps
10:14 - "Destiny Shaped by Tiny Decisions"
15:17 - Inspiring Entrepreneurial Success Stories
18:11 - True Fulfillment Beyond Success and Wealth
22:02 - Inspiring Others Through Random Kindness
25:41 - Reversing Roles: Buying for the Wealthy
28:55 - Navigating Success and Dealing with Envy
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Harness the Power of Small Acts: Even the most straightforward act of kindness can set off a chain reaction that leads to significant changes. Whether it's sharing knowledge or a chance encounter, you never know the impact of your actions.
Pursue Your Vision with Confidence: Moving forward with your dreams is essential, regardless of whether others see your vision. Your determination and courage can turn naysayers into supporters as your success story unfolds.
Recognize and Use Your Gifts: We all have unique gifts and talents given to us, which, if not utilized, can be lost. Embrace these gifts and take action to fulfill your purpose, as ideas and opportunities won't wait around indefinitely.
🌐Resources and Websites 🔗:
Untrapped Alliance - https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas [00:00:05]:
My friend, you have power that goes way beyond what you might be currently aware of. Something as simple as one positive interaction with even a stranger can impact that person's life and create a butterfly effect that goes on to impact millions of people's lives. That's the power that you have. So, I wanna encourage you to take a leap and double down on your goodness this year and reach deep down inside of yourself and pull out the courage and the determination to let your light shine. See, God made you in his likeness and image, and he made you for a reason. And some other people around you might not see the vision that you have and that's okay. They're not supposed to so you don't have to waste any more time worrying about what anybody else thinks because when you step forward confidently in the direction of your dreams You start putting one foot in front of the other and you don't ask for permission or approval of anybody you just put together a plan and you start taking action take that next step what happens is when you are committed and you're 100% confident that's a foregone conclusion in your brain. That's when the people around you that maybe might have been naysayers or didn't believe, they'll back you up, and they'll support you.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:35]:
And the support will come from nowhere, and it'll come too late. You could have used it in the past when you really needed it But it's amazing that all those things will come when you no longer need them All the things you want in your life will show up when you no longer want them so badly that cause you suffering. It's the very suffering that pushes them away. So, you can start with small things. Random acts of kindness is a good way to go. Sorry, I'm stuttering. I just came from a wedding very loud for hours on end so my ears are readjusting I'm in a hotel room right now in Florida, a wedding I went to so There's people that came up to me at this wedding that I didn't know they were friends of my friends and I said like Keith, you're Keith, this Keith I've been hearing about and then they wanted to thank me because they said that I'll make this very short of talking about the power that you have Many years ago one of my very very close friends I started loaning him books because I love to read books like Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Cashflow Quadrant all these phenomenal books that changed my life and really opened my eyes and My friend was very ambitious at the time. I'd give him a book.
Keith Kalfas [00:03:01]:
I'd see him a week later and he'd be like I already read it I'm like you already read the entire book? Right? And this went on and on and basically a bunch of his dreams came true and I wasn't even aware that he held me in such high regard as a friend who was a catalyst for him that basically put the right information I don't take any credit for any of his action but I put the right information in his hands at the right time and since then he has gone on to inspire many other entrepreneurs and it was so funny at the wedding he's like this is Keith he's the reason why some things have happened that and I'm like no no no no no and then these guys came up to me and they're like no dude you have this impact and it's interesting I see myself as a super-connector What do you see yourself as? My YouTube videos have helped start over 10,000 businesses have prevented people from hurting themselves, and have made a big impact in the green industry, and I meet people that say, and you know why that is? It's because I made videos when I didn't feel like it I've pulled myself out of bed at three and 04:00 in the morning because I felt in the bottom of my heart that I need to make this video. Now I had to speak this and so in the moment like me It's just me speak I'm by myself speaking to a camera the microphone. What difference could that make? It's insane to think anything other than this base reality very fundamental, right? But with the leverage of technology and everything we have at our disposal, these conveniences, a lot of them we traded our rights for, that's a different conversation. It's fascinating that when you use and you leverage technology if you have a message that you want to share with the world or maybe you have a service business, you know, I have a landscaping business You can impact people in such a positive way. Here's my point You can become instead of like candle is fine, a lamp post is fine. I'm talking like a lighthouse, a watchtower for people and you don't even know it that so you have a tremendous impact on the people around you whether you're aware of it or not and there's people that love you and care about you and they actually have your best interests at heart and They love you so much that there's nothing you can do about it. Think about that and I just really hope that you don't I hope that you're not being hard on yourself or beating yourself up and I hope that you're not seeing yourself in a negative light or overanalyzing or psychoanalyzing any little negative thing that you said or done to the point where you're not giving yourself enough credit devaluing of your goodness so when you understand what's really at stake in the responsibility, your ability to respond, because once you have the information, right, now you gotta do something because not doing anything is a choice. Doing nothing is a choice. Sometimes that's the best thing to do is do nothing.
Keith Kalfas [00:06:27]:
Choose your battles wisely. But what I'm saying here is don't despise small beginnings because small things can turn into big things really quickly. I placed a newspaper ad years ago in my landscaping business. I talked about this in a video. I couldn't even find my debit card. I didn't even have a company credit card yet.
Keith Kalfas [00:06:50]:
And I was on the phone with a newspaper company in the car with my wife, and I was like, oh, never mind. I don't have my question. My wife is like, no. You just take my credit card and run the ad. And I was like, no. No. No. She's like, no. It's fine. I'm like, sorry. I took credit card, ran, like, a little tiny sixteenth of a page ad in a the city newspaper. Think about that for marketing and advertising. You know, my for my landscaping business, very simple ad, that ad, I got a phone call, and it was from elderly woman who need a couple bushes trimmed. Right? And then I went there, we trimmed the bushes. A tiny job. It was barely worth it, but the neighbor came out and did a whole property trim.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:35]:
Then the other neighbor needed some bushes trimmed, and this little tiny job, this elderly woman's nephew turned out to be a real estate guy and hooked me up with him, and we ended up doing, like, all 25 of his properties for years. He's still my client today. And then we launched the window cleaning side of the business, and then we started doing tons of window cleaning and gutter cleaning, fall cleanups, property trims, property makeovers. And then he introduced me to other clients. Then that guy hooked up with, like, my friend Eric Reno who did some roofs for him. I don't often become friends with my clients, but I became friends with this client and went out on his fishing boat one time. Right? And it was fun. It was cool.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:21]:
And we became friends. And I was like, all this happened from one little, tiny newspaper ad. It feels like Don LaPres, this marketer back in the day. He's like, tiny little classified ads. So, this type of butterfly effect thinking messes with my head and I'm reading a book right now called You Are the Mountain I'm in Florida, I'm hungry last night, you know, long flight, haven't eaten all day and I'm like looking at some restaurants downtown Fort Myers. There's restaurants to the left and to the right. Maybe I want some seafood. I go to walk to the left and I stop energetically, it's like, no.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:05]:
Don't go that way. Go to the right. But I look at my Google map, and it's a much longer walk to get to those restaurants. And then I was like, no. I have to go to the left, but my higher self-told me, don't go that way. Go to the right. And then I stood frozen on the sidewalk for, like, maybe thirty seconds. I was like, am I crazy? Or should I just honor those gut feelings? So, I went to the right I honored it, right? And I ended up downtown, and there was like a party outside, there was hundreds of people everywhere, and I found this amazing restaurant and I ate there and the food was amazing and so I've become interested in like it's just like an experiment what little tiny micro decisions affect literally reality affect everything So I said if something is insignificant as if you walk into the left or the right, how significant is it? I said, well, you can actually do the recapitulation meditation, and you can go back through your whole life.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:14]:
And I literally if I go back through my whole life, there is, like, one little, tiny micro decision oh, I can think of it right now, that made the difference or not of me eventually meeting and marrying and being with for fifth I'll go fourteen years, my wife. All the way back down to one little, tiny micro decision that at the time, it didn't seem like anything, and it changed my entire destiny, and my wife is my she's basically my rock. It has been a huge part of the reason why I've been able to make videos like this and inspire 80,000,000 views online. Podcast 750,000 downloads now 155,000 subscribers on YouTube hit the subscribe button so I asked myself these higher questions like is all this ordained before the foundations of the heaven and earth where you ordained with a message, a mission, and a mandate? Or is it a privilege to even be able to participate in what God is going to do anyways? So, this is the answer I came up with I know you've been giving your all, but you've been given gifts and callings and they come without repentance which means there are people who have gifts really phenomenally great people and there are people who have gifts aren't so great people that are complete narcissists. Right? The gifts are still true. So, what are you gonna do with the gifts that God gave you? And if you don't use it, you lose it. The story in the Bible where he basically it's the story about the talents If you have a gift and you bury it and you don't do anything with it and you're too scared to pull the courage out of yourself and start taking some action It will be taken away from you, and the opportunity will be given to someone else Just like if you have an idea to invent something and you don't, and you watch it pop up in the marketplace in six months or a year, and you're like, what? I thought that thing up, and that's crazy, right? So, nothing can stop an idea whose time has come who's going to be the executive and take action on it is it going to be you? Because if you don't somebody else will this is the great news None of this is neither right or wrong nor good or bad. It's just relative to the experience you are having, and others are having of you, and that's all it is.
Keith Kalfas [00:12:46]:
And that's the good news. But now that you have the information and you know, it's almost like double jeopardy to not put together a plan and take action because it's like you've seen I had a friend, Dave, once I was talking about responsibility. It's like, if you pick if you help somebody or somebody helps you or pick somebody, pick somebody up and takes them to a place higher than what their feet can touch the ground that's beyond what they can do today.
AD:
Do you need some serious help focusing on your service business this year? Would you like to go live in a private group coaching environment that's focused every other week with myself and special guest experts who have built multiple $6.07, and even 8 figure businesses? If so, I would like to extend a special invitation to consider joining my new private group coaching program called the Untrapped Alliance. And we're already two months at the time of this recording. Two months in. And for instance, last week, we had special guest, Steve Dehant. My friend Steve has a $7,000,000 landscaping business with 60 employees and eight sales guys. They have 05:30 AM sales trainings every Tuesday morning. And Steve came on for two hours, and he taught our private group how to build your own sales presentation on an iPad. So when you sit down with your customer, you can show them critical mistakes to avoid as the customer.
You educate them, and you show them pictures of your work. You gain trust and build authority. And by the time you're done with this presentation, the customers will see it. If you do good quality great quality work, the customers will see it as a risk to go with anybody else. And Steve was gracious enough to walk us through this entire process and describe how he has built a multimillion dollar business specifically in how to build rapport and trust and authority with clients quickly. And he's done this through trial and error for the past twenty-five years. He's mastered it. This guy, you would have to pay him $1,500 an hour to even get an hour coaching call with him, and he got on for two hours in our live private group, and the members loved it.
I loved it. It was incredible. He had me in tears at one point because he was talking about how here's a guy, nothing was handed to him. He reached in the trenches and almost lost everything in 02/1989 and built his business back up from nothing. A few weeks ago, we had another guest on, Dan Plata, the home service CFO. He taught us how to hire employees and how to screen and vet them out and the mindset around growing and scaling a business, but he also taught us how to understand our numbers and profit and loss statements and dialing your numbers strategically, so you get crystal clarity on the math in your business, and he made it fun. This week coming up, we have special guest, my friend Eric Reno, who's built a Deca million-dollar roofing empire, and he's gonna teach us his marketing strategies of how to become five mile famous. He goes all in when it comes to marketing and advertising.
He's gonna show us his best-kept secrets and practices and hold nothing back. So, I don't take this lightly. I mean, I feel very thankful that these people I know are willing to come on because they respect and trust me to share with you and me everything that they're doing. And that they can't share everything, but they can within an hour or two share a lot. I mean, this is invaluable information, and it's a private group coaching setting that is not garbage social media. I mean, this is private Zoom calls. And you get access to all the replays when you join up. So, this is a monthly paid membership group.
And so you get in, you pay. Right now, the introductory investment is only $97 a month. So, it's about $50 per call. And so, if you could get in and learn some stuff that could make you an extra, I don't know, you say the number, $20.50, hundred, hundred and $50 this year. I don't know the size of your business, but the stuff that we're learning, if implemented, I can't make you any promises, but if implemented, is hyper valuable. So, this program costs me money to put together. I pay for the software, the systems. I have a media team that I pay that helped me put this together.
And so I have hard costs involved here, but I love doing this. So if you're interested, open up your browser right now and type in KeithKalfas.com/Alliance, and I'll see you inside of the next call. And remember, you get access to the replays immediately as soon as you sign up, and you'll be part of the group. See you there.
This is Untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas [00:17:52]:
What's real and doable for them just hang with me for a second. Their feet lose contact with the ground, and if you let go, they fall back to where they were. So my buddy Dave, I'll close this loop. He basically said he goes, no. No. No. No.
Keith Kalfas [00:18:11]:
Because if you reach down and you help somebody else or somebody helps you or something, they get to, for a second, see what's on the other side, right, or what's past that mountain. And then they go back down and they've had the vision, you know. And I love this because you can stand on the shoulders of giants, and you can read amazing books and autobiographies by successful people that live in their imagination, who have been able to change the world and make it a better place and so you can just be a phenomenal coach, a phenomenal husband or wife or a phenomenal parent, or a phenomenal service business owner, you can start a blog online and inspire people, or you don't have to become freaking Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, right? And I can't imagine the level of sacrifice unless that's part of what's truly rooted in your value hierarchy that makes you truly fulfilled, that higher calling. What are you comparing yourself to with the measuring stick of success? And what I mean by that is once you realize that you're running your own race and this is strictly between you and God, you start asking how can I develop myself to deploy myself into the purpose that was mandated for me? Not just go do something that makes a whole bunch of money because I saw Tom or Joe do it and I want to be significant like them I want to feel important and loved too so I want to make a whole bunch of money because if the reason why you say you wanna make a big difference in the world and you wanna do all these great things, this is the scary part, is rooted in fear of unlove or resentment or it's rooted in trying to get the attention of people who you hope will love you it can be a scary path where you end up at the top of success one day, and it's not all it's cracked up to be. You might possibly it's like you climb a mountain and you forgot to take your water bottle with you or, like, the most important things, and then you have to climb back down to go pick up the shit that you left behind because you were too much in a frickin' hurry and I think it's putting the cart before the horse I just know people who have put their careers and their work and money and success and accolades before other things that I mean this is according to my value hierarchy I'm not saying I'm right putting things in the wrong order have a cost and sometimes a very hard cost See, you notice how I'm talking about this without getting into any specifics because you know what your specifics are But I implore you to look deeper and say where is the true value in my life? Where is the thing that makes me feel the most deeply fulfilled? And I can probably promise you it's not just money or something like that but my friend Joshua Latimer he says something amazing. You know, God made him to make be really successful so he can make a whole bunch of money so he can impact other entrepreneurs and coach people and give money away. I won't say too much of his business, but he said things to me on the phone before like just little experimental projects that he does to help people that he doesn't publicize. I'll just kind of stop right there.
Keith Kalfas [00:22:02]:
I'm like, what? You're amazing, bro. You're you like, how would you even think to be such a giver and a contributor, like, impacting people's lives? So, he inspires me. Who do you have that inspires you? So anyways, if you're down in the dumps by chance, I encourage you random acts of kindness. If you give somebody who's homeless, give them $20, give them a $20 bill. Say, God bless you. Walk away. Don't tell anybody about it. And if you might have a negative thought in your mind like, oh, what are they gonna do with the money? That's between them and God and what you did was between you and God or donate to something or help somebody close to you or buy somebody in line I'm not trying to publicize what I did but I was at Chipotle getting a carryout for my wife and I and behind me was a guy who he looked like he had just gotten off work and I looked back and he looked me in the eyes just kind of like a cold stare, and I smiled.
Keith Kalfas [00:23:05]:
He didn't smile back. He was just like in like grind mode or something. I was like, oh, yeah? So, when I got to the checkout, I was like, hey, pay for his food too. Like that. In a different obviously, separate bags, but I paid for his food. Right? And then I just walked out real quick. And I walked out towards my truck, and my wife was waiting. She's just scrolling on her phone.
Keith Kalfas [00:23:33]:
And I looked back, and the guy behind me, he was like, hey, bro. He's like, he held the food up in his bag. He's like, bro, thank you. Thank you. And he was, I look back, and we both smiled at the same time. It was the biggest smile ever. And in that moment, complete stranger, there was a currency more valuable than any money. It was a feeling of abundance and love.
Keith Kalfas [00:24:00]:
Like he in that moment, I didn't even know this guy. He was my brother. It was like we both felt it. All of a sudden, it released all these endorphins in my body where I felt so abundant. And I told my wife, I was like, I just paid for that guy's food. And, like, he smiled, but and my wife is like, that's awesome. That's so cool. And then she smiled, and then we smiled all the way home.
Keith Kalfas [00:24:25]:
Right? And I felt I felt good. I didn't even do it for that reason. It was just a byproduct. And so one thing you can do is if you're financially a little bit tight and you see some people in a restaurant, maybe you shouldn't judge anybody, but let's just say you, like, see a family that like a whole family eating and you get the sense I'm gonna pay for the whole dinner, complete strangers, and you just say, hey, put that on the tab. Right? Or you see, like, I remember one time I saw the pastor at a church I used to go to eating dinner with his family. Olive Garden. And I was not crushing it financially back then. And I just had this feeling.
Keith Kalfas [00:25:14]:
I was like, pay for their dinner. And it was not cheap, and I paid for the whole dinner. And I walked out, and I felt a little bit of anxiety. It was a rush. Like, what did I just do? I was like, I got this. It was a great feeling. Another time, it was a whole family dinner at a restaurant with my wife's family, all my in-laws, and I went, and I snuck to the waitress, and I paid for the whole table. I'm like, you did what? Thank you, Keith.
Keith Kalfas [00:25:41]:
And I didn't even do it for thank you I just wanted to know what it felt like to be the caretaker the provider the one who pays the bill right because when you're growing up and you're just a broke kid and there's always somebody who's paying the bill for you and I wanted to know what it feels like to be the one who can front the bill. Another thing that's really amazing, I know this is money things, but if you ever get a chance to go out to eat, it could just be lunch with somebody who is really successful or more successful than you are, but sometimes really successful, especially the millionaires. Get the ticket before they can and buy their food and don't say anything and watch how they respond they almost most of the time, they can't even handle it emotionally, you'll see a different person come out and I've asked them because I'm pretty open. I'm like, when's the last time somebody bought you dinner? Like, I don't even know because they're rich, and they're always paying for everybody's dinner all the time. They're used to it, they expect it, other people expect it, and so when you buy them dinner, they almost don't even know how to handle it because they feel out of place and uncomfortable, they might even become insecure because it's almost like, is this taking my power away? Like, because sometimes they're getting used by other people. My friend who's a a music artist, Hatch, he's a very brilliant guy. I told him that and he told me, who was it? Now I forgot this really successful guy, I think he's he's, like, famous or something. He told the story of how he always bought everybody dinner all the time.
Keith Kalfas [00:27:28]:
He paid for everything all the time because he's rich. Right? And everybody expected it, but this one time at the dinner table, everybody's out to eat at this really nice restaurant, and his wife goes, you not gonna pay for dinner this time, just this once. He's like, what do you mean I always pay? I have to pay. I always pay for She's like; you are not gonna pay this time. Okay? Okay. So the waitress brought out separate checks for everybody at the table, and he just paid his bill, him and his wife, and then they signed the check and he stayed calm and kept to himself and everybody else was getting their separate check and they looked at their checks and everybody at the table was looking around like, you know what I mean, like, so everybody had to pay their own bill and when everybody got up normally everybody would be shaking the rich guy's hand and giving him a hug and high fives almost nobody even said goodbye to him everybody was really awkward, and everybody just kinda left the restaurant, and it was a totally different vibe, and this guy was like, woah, all because they had to pay their bill? So, there are some repercussions that come with being extremely successful. Can you handle them? It's just the success tax. The success tax.
Keith Kalfas [00:28:55]:
It's interesting. And people that sometimes that you want their love the most can become nasty if they see you becoming very successful, especially financially successful. And you have to learn all the skills of how to deal with that. Right? So I'm talking about some of the stuff because it could be some of the roadblocks that come up that are these deeply embedded subconscious pathologies in our nervous system that can inhibit us from doubling down on our goodness and becoming the version of ourselves that we dream of becoming like successful and I think I'm complete I just yawned that my yawn means my subconscious mind is reshuffling the deck and my nervous system relaxes I'm like I'm complete everything is good so I'm fired up look at this You probably don't get to see me dressed up this often. Look at my shoes. My wife is nice to dress me. I should just wear this in every video. I just dropped a couple thousand bucks at Banana Republic of all places anyways this stuff you don't care about alright much honor love and respect to you check all the links below subscribe if you haven't already if you like this type of content let me know below also if you made it all the way to the end of the video, I want you to put in the comments, I do this again.
Keith Kalfas [00:30:30]:
This is a full comment. Double down on your goodness in 2025.
In this episode, Keith opens up about the rollercoaster ride of building and running his own landscaping business. You’ll hear about why he now schedules all his landscaping quotes for Mondays. It's part of a strategy to bring more sanity into his hectic schedule and ensure that he’s not just drowning in work but enjoying life.
Keith dives into those early days of hardcore hustle when he was grinding seven days a week to keep things afloat. Whether you’re in the landscaping business or any other venture, you probably know the strain it can put on your personal life — missing dinners with family and events with friends. That's where his newfound love for batching tasks comes in. By tackling quotes all in one day, he's improved efficiency and reclaimed some downtime.
He also doesn’t shy away from the challenges—like managing employees, dealing with unexpected problems, and the nerve-wracking task of raising prices. These are real-talk moments that many small business owners face, and Keith shares his journey with humor and honesty.
Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or starting, Keith’s stories about figuring out how to make better money in less time and dealing with the daily chaos of running a business will resonate. He wraps it all up with a reminder to be grateful, stay committed, and always keep pushing forward. So, grab your headphones, get comfy, and enjoy this episode full of real-life insights and inspiration!
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 - Adopting Batching for Efficiency and Balance
03:24 - Monday Quote-Only System Success
06:28 - "Struggles in Legalizing Small Businesses"
13:14 - "Seeking Rock Star Employees"
14:55 - Launching New Crew: Monday Rollout Plan
20:55 - Newlywed Arguments and Hurt Feelings
24:41- Prioritize Selfishness for Business Success
28:05 - Weekend Motivation and Mike Andes Recognition
Key Takeaways:
Efficient Batching: Discover how dedicating a single day to client quotes can enhance your time management, allowing for deeper focus and increased productivity throughout the week.
Work-Life Balance: Transitioning quotes to a fixed schedule has helped reclaim personal time without sacrificing business success, marking a significant shift towards a healthier work-life balance.
Growth through Challenges: Hear stories on navigating the complexities of scaling a business, from handling employee challenges to making tough pricing decisions while maintaining a committed and grateful mindset.
Resources and Websites:
Unstrapped Alliance - https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas [00:00:07]:
We're live. What's up? This is Keith Kalfus with the Unstrapped podcast. Hope you guys are doing awesome. In this video, I wanna talk about why I'm only doing landscaping quotes on Mondays now in my business. And I hope you're doing well. I hope you're enjoying your week. This is that time of year where you're over the hump, over the hundred days of hell, they call it, from the break of the spring in, like, April 1 all the way to July 4 where you're running nonstop to just book out as many clients as you can and get the business to a just a good positive cash flow. If you notice that in the first few months of the season in your business, you're not really clearing much of a profit because if your business is anything like mine, you've got year-end taxes, then first quarter taxes, all your insurance policies are renewing.
Keith Kalfas [00:00:58]:
And the next thing you know, you have a ton of expense. Then coming into, like, late June and then in July, that's when you break into the profit. And then just that you gotta hustle. It's like getting a plane off the ground. But, nonetheless, I was always doing quotes on Saturdays and Saturdays only, working six, seven days a week in my landscape business, seven days a week for sure, the first three years just to get the business off the ground, then five years always constantly working. And I know you guys know what that's like. You're hustling. And let me know if you can hear me clear.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:28]:
I got this new studio environment set up. I'm testing some stuff. So I apologize if the sound is a little bit off, but I'll be fixing it as time goes. But I was out late at night and in the evenings doing quotes every single day after work, destroying my personal life, destroying my family life, basically never being at the dinner table with my wife and, missing family events, and things like that. So I said, it is impossible to only do quotes once a week. How is this gonna work? Then I started learning about batching and listening to audiobooks about getting things done and being efficient and time management. And I learned that if you let things pile up and then batch them into one or two days a week, then you get on a specific train of thought or cord a cord, and then you can bang stuff out with a lot of proficiency and efficiency. I started doing that with Saturday quotes.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:14]:
I said there's no way customers are gonna wait all the way till Saturday. It worked. It actually worked. And so I'd run the business all week, and then I go out on myself, or there might be some guys finishing something up. But I usually I'd be out by myself on Saturday doing quotes. What's up, guys? I see all your comments coming in here. And I would go bang out, you know, anywhere from 10 to 15 quotes on a Saturday, sell a bunch of work, and book us out. Well, after a few years of doing this and being totally burned out and not even experiencing what it's like to have a weekend to myself, I wasn't complaining because I was happy, and I'm still happy and super grateful just like you guys are to have your own business.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:52]:
I mean, be your own boss, make your own hours, and you can make as much money as you want in your own service business as much as you're willing to take on. Right? But it started to take its toll to the point where I was like, the saying, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. It's very true, and I got really frustrated. And my friend, William, the tree service guy, you see him in my videos, a guy with the big beard. He's a maniac with the chainsaw. He was talking about how he only does quotes on Mondays. I'm like, how do you do that? That's impossible. What do you mean? Mondays.
Keith Kalfas [00:03:24]:
He's like, well, we work four days a week hard, but then on Mondays I do quotes. So I'm like, well, I can have the guys go out and work Mondays without me, and then I'll sell and run the business all week. But Mondays specifically, I'll do quotes. I was afraid to do it. And then I started doing it, and I exclusively only do quotes on Mondays now, and it actually works. Let me know in the comments below, when do you do quotes? Do you do them after work? Do you do them on the weekends? Do you pick a specific time? Do you do them all virtually on Google Earth? Do you have a system of square footage? I sell landscaping projects, installs and ripouts and maintenance projects. So for the most part, I have to see what's going on. I have to lift things up and look underneath and find out.
Keith Kalfas [00:04:10]:
Right? I gotta be there. And, you know, when you're not there, it doesn't work. So it's been great, and nothing has changed. And now we're booked out for two months, and I can't take on any more work. So I went back, and now I'm working Mondays too, because we were so booked out and it's interesting. But nonetheless, I really wanted to test out this new studio environment. I've been working on this for a long time, kind of getting this all set up here. And I hope you're enjoying your Saturday.
Keith Kalfas [00:04:40]: Let me get to some of the comments here. What's up? Launch Gates of America. Can you guys hear me clear? Give me a thumbs up. Tap the like button if you can hear me clear. Everything's looking good on my end. Let me check out my phone here. What's up, Taylor man? Zib boss. I just noticed I can look on my phone here at the comments.
Keith Kalfas [00:05:01]: Yeah, dog. Alright. Sweet, sweet. But all this I'm saying not to be confused if you are new in your business or just getting started. Man, I suggest working seven days a week if you can to get as much momentum going in the business as you can. Keep throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks. Your attrition rate is normal, which means things are gonna fall off. You gotta keep throwing mud at that wall nonstop, nonstop until some good stuff starts sticking, which are good clients who don't complain about the price.
Keith Kalfas [00:05:31]:
They like you. They appreciate you. Are they willing to pay what you need to make? They support your business. 80% of the clients don't even care. It's just a transaction to them. But 20 of them, you gotta dig through that 80% to get to the 20% of clients that'll actually kinda make sense for the level you're at in your business. For me, every single year, I kept getting the guts up to raise the prices a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. And I remember when my wife and I moved out of this crappy little one-bedroom apartment we were living in, and I was afraid because our rent was going to double.
Keith Kalfas [00:06:03]:
I was like, how am I gonna afford this? I have no choice but to raise the prices. The clients are gonna fire me. This is gonna be so scary. And that was when I just threw my heart over the bar and went on faith and raised the prices even more, and it happened. Clients were firing me. They're dropping like flies. So I learned about the split test, which is you don't raise prices on all clients. You just raise them on specific clients, and then you leave other people grandfathered in.
Keith Kalfas [00:06:28]:
And you're tweaking and testing and tweaking and testing. And then I don't know about you, but some of you you're in your business or you're just getting started. If you don't have full insurance or work comp or payroll and all that stuff, you might not even be paying taxes. You might just be running under the table cash business. And I encourage you to get above board as soon as you possibly can. Right? Which you should do it right away immediately. But what I'm saying is now you have all these extra expenses with having a legit business and being above board that your entire business basically implodes on itself. It implodes because there's not even enough money coming in to support the overhead.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:06]:
So you raise the prices and then the customers fire you, and now you're freaking out. Right? Because now you just bought a new truck. What were you doing going out and buying brand new truck? Because you saw your landscaper buddy, your friends, your friend got a brand new truck, you're gonna get one too. But you ain't even got insurance to work comp payroll taxes yet, and you just bought a new truck. You still didn't make no sense. Now your back's against the wall. Now you just found out your old lady's pregnant. She about to have twins.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:30]:
She pregnant with twins. You got a brand new truck and now she gonna own a house. Wanna house with a baby's room. She wanna paint that baby's room light blue and have dual cribs. And not only that, your baby's momma saw it. Robotic vacuums. Robotic vacuums. She wants two of them, like, one on the top, one in the bottom floor.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:47]:
She want a big ass hoe. She want the babies right down and right right around on them robotic vacuums. They're gonna be about $1,500. Peach, you fucked out. You ain't gonna eat. Eat. Now you're stressed out. Now you're working eight days a week, and there ain't even eight days a week.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:01]: And now you get home, she's hitting you over the head with a frying pan because you ain't never there. You're never there. You workaholic asshole. All you do is work. You ain't never hear from me or the family, you piece of shit. And you're like, I'm trying. I'm trying.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:17]:
You go and look at yourself in the mirror. In the bathroom, brushing your teeth all angry. Start punching yourself in the head saying, you worthless loser. You base a shit. But I'm trying my hardest. Nobody gives a shit how hard you're trying. In everybody's eyes, you're a loser. And when you're a winner, nobody cares. But they care when you're losing because they only care about how it affects them. That's all they care about is their comfort. So you better shape up or you better ship out.
Sponsor:
More of the Untrapped podcast right after this.
I created a group called the Untrapped Alliance where we go live every other Wednesday night in a controlled environment. I'm sick of scrolling on social media. I'm sure you are too. Let's get focused on our businesses. We already started the group, so if you join it, keithkalfas.com/alliance, you can get access to the replays. And the bonus is we're gonna have special guest experts who run multiple 6 and 7 figure businesses. They're gonna come out and teach us how to do sales, marketing, persuasion, close higher ticket jobs. These are people who got their shit together.
And I'm really excited to have them on. Go to https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance. I'll see you on the Wednesday night call. Let's go.
This is Untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:32]:
So the secret to all this, just go figure out how to just make more money in less time. You just gotta figure out how to make triple the money in the same amount of time. How do you do that? You gotta hire employees. You know, when I hire an employee, I have a stack of 32 pages that they have to sign with ink. The payroll, the media release form, background check, drug screen, submitting their driver's license and background for the DMV to make sure that they can adequately drive. And so you can let show that to your insurance company. Gag orders, basically noncompete clause, job application. What is it? I just said background check.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:14]:
And it's just a whole bunch of stuff, and you gotta sit there. You're printing all that shit up or you have your office manager do it. Right? And then they sign it all. You've gotta train them. Motherfucker. Go weed whip. And you tell a guy this is your new employee. Now be really careful.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:29]:
This is Mrs. Jones' house, and her air conditioning unit is a hundred and four degrees out. Be careful at missus Jones' house. Come here. Come here, Joe. Where are you going, Joe? Put down the cigarette. I told you there's no smoking on customers' properties. It's right here in page 42 in the company policy and the employee handbook that I stayed up for six months making you. See? No smoking.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:50]:
If you wanna smoke, do it after work. You can smoke in the truck, just not on the customer's property. Find a cigarette, buddy. You're gonna get fired. But, listen, come over here. Missus Jones has an air conditioning unit, and it's not a complete it's something's broken out of the bag. There's wires sticking out of it, and there's grass growing through the wires. This is a weed whip.
Keith Kalfas [00:11:12]:
And if you weed whip that grass, it's gonna rip the wires out of the air conditioning unit. And then missus Jones, who's 85 years old, isn't gonna have any fucking air conditioning. And you know what that means? Mister Jones is in there on oxygen, and he's 87. I love I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be disrespectful here. I apologize. I'm just cracking jokes. Mister Jones is 87, and he can't go without air conditioning.
Keith Kalfas [00:11:38]: I showed you not to weed with the lines on the air conditioning unit. And then what happens? Tell me. What happened? Anybody please in the comments?
Keith Kalfas [00:11:48]:
You get a call on Wednesday. Missus Jones and Mister Jones have not had any air conditioning in their house since Friday. Their house has been a hundred and five degrees. They're dripping in sweat, and nobody told you about this. And now you gotta run over there. You gotta call an air conditioning guy to come and fix that, cost you $300, and apologize profusely. And then you ask your employees, hey. Hey, Joe. I thought I told you not to weed - whip the air conditioning. You the wire this was not good. You caused this. Well, I don't know. I have no idea.
Keith Kalfas [00:12:21]: They know he doesn't even know. So you ask the other guy, and the other guy's go, oh, I saw him weed whip it. I saw him weed-whip it. I saw I saw it with my own ass. Why didn't you tell me?
Keith Kalfas [00:12:30]: You didn't tell me this? They didn't tell you nothing. You know why? Because they forgot. Because they were about to go do lunch and go look at Jimmy John's Taco Bell with sour cream with hot sauce back. They don't care about you or about your business, but there's a solution to this. There's a solution.
Keith Kalfas [00:12:49]:
The solution is building a company culture, a company culture where people love to come to work at your business. They love coming and working their ass off in a hundred and five degree weather for $14 an hour. They won't even show up for $14 an hour, by the way. They won't even show up for 15, 17, 18. They want 25 plus bonuses, and they won't. They want a company vehicle. So you what you do is you say, listen, man.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:14]:
I can't really afford all that. I can't afford to give you about a I gave you $17 an hour for the bonuses and Christmas bonus. I'll buy you lunch, and please, will you just come work for me? I need some help here. I can't get this shit done all by myself. But every now and then again, if you're still watching, if you haven't left, you find some pretty amazing employees that are rock stars. Why? Because you've upgraded your identity. You've upgraded your standards and what you will and will not tolerate. And now you're excited about your business.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:49]:
It's working. You're making money. You've crossed the 6 figure mark, which mean you're doing over a hundred grand a year. Now you're making a hundred and 40, hundred and 50, hundred and 80 5 grand. You might cross $2.25, 2 70 5. I don't know what your business is at. You can let me know in the comments below. You get some rock stars that come in. You're like, oh my god.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:11]:
This new employee is the savior of my business. You get on the phone with your wife. He's amazing, honey. I can't believe it. She's like, really? Is he really? You're a new guy. He's doing a great job. Dude, he's doing a weed whipping and trimming. He knows all the accounts already. He's climbing up and down the ladder, trimming the bushes. He's amazing. I literally have found the one who's gonna make it out. We're gonna be able to go on vacation, babe.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:34]:
So you tell your wife on the phone. We're gonna be able to go on vacation. He's gonna run a crew. I'll pay him $21 an hour. The day comes. You just invested in a new truck. It's really just your old truck, but you invested and you clean it up. You spray-painted the bumper.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:55]
Right? You got the old the paints all chipped off from the bottoms with white spray paint, a little bit of black spray paint, scrub the grims, a little bit of aluminum colored spray paint that baby crispy dog. Call up your insurance company. Everything's good to go. It's only gonna cost you $500 a month more to run this extra crew. You got all the accounts set up. The customer's a happy shit doubt. You get a fresh shiny set of keys made for them. Monday morning is the day you launch a new crew.
Keith Kalfas [00:15:33]: Now it's gonna be your crew and his crew. Your crew and his crew. I doubled the revenue. Doubled the money. Monday morning is the day. Cannot wait. Can't wait, folks. Can you wait? I couldn't wait.
Keith Kalfas [00:15:50]:
Monday morning rolls around. 07:30 AM. You open up the garage door. You go to the shop. You get everything up going, and you can't wait for fucking Joey. You're a big success now. Everything's on the line, man. 08:30 rolls around. Where the fuck is Joey?
Keith Kalfas [00:16:10]:
Pull out your phone. Joey's a great guy. He's always here on time. Maybe he just got held up. Maybe it was too many red lights. Maybe Joey's dog was thrown up, and his wife was hitting him over the head with a frying pan. 09:00 rolls around your yard. You had to leave.
Keith Kalfas [00:16:24]:
Right? You're now you you're like, what's going on with Joey? I just spent all this money and launched another crew. Where the fuck is Joey? Ten thirty rolls around. You've done called Joey five, six times. You've texted him. Joey. Joey. I gave you a raise. I know that you was coming to run a crew. Everything was gonna be perfect. No sign of Joey. No sign of fucking Joey. Where the fuck is Joey? Sorry. Two days go, why? No sign of Joey.
Keith Kalfas [00:16:59]:
You done stressed out? You canceled the plans with your old lady. If you got kids, your kids are crying at you. You're the worst fucking dad in the world to hate you now. You ain't going to Disney World no more, motherfucker. You know why? Because you put all your eggs in one basket and depending on Joey.
Keith Kalfas [00:17:16]:
Joey got a DUI. You just found out even though you drug tested him, Joey was out all night drinking, and he was taking the wrong type of pills that he shouldn't I don't even know where he got them. Joey was doing 90 on the freeway while intoxicated and just drifted off into the side of a semi-truck. Joey shows up to work. It's not Monday. It's Thursday morning. Joey shows up to work.He's like, Joey, I'm glad you're here. What happened, man? I was just I was I was so worried about you. You got new gray hairs. You're only 23, motherfucker. You got gray hairs popping out your head. Shit. Joey. He even give Joey a hug, and then you look at Joey's car.
Keith Kalfas [00:18:02]:
What's going on with Joey's car? What the hell is that? There's big ass tire marks on the side of Joey's car, and there's dents all over the those are the biggest tire marks I ever there's rubber tire marks on here. Joey's like, I was, I fell asleep at the wheel on the freeway, and I ran into a semi truck, and I was high on pills, and I, I've got a problem, Kelfish. Joey's got a problem. Are you gonna trust to put Joey in that truck now? I don't think so. So now you gotta find a new fucking Joey. There's a lot of Joeys. No. There's not.
Keith Kalfas [00:18:41]:
So times that by ten, and then you got 10 crews, dawg. That's gonna be you at Disney World with your family. Even one of your kids' names is gonna be Joey. It's gonna be Martha, Lavinia, and fucking Joey. And there's your wife right there. Time to go to the Disney World. And you're gonna be shaking. You got three cell phones and shit just like cowfish. Three. Look one, two, three. Sneaking off. Honey, I gotta take a piss real bad. She's like, you you've been drinking a lot of water. You you you wouldn't pee three times in the past. I was like, no.
Keith Kalfas [00:19:13]:
I gotta take a piss real bad again. You don't even gotta take a piss. You're sneaking off around the side of the bathroom.
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This is Untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas [00:20:18]:
What's going on over there? Your business is now consuming you. Your business has consumed you, and now your wife's taking a ring off, throwing at you across the park, screaming right in the middle of Disney World. I hate you, you bastard.
Keith Kalfas [00:20:30]:
And you're like, oh my god. I just I just spent $6,000 on fucking Disney World, and my wife's screaming at me. My kids hate me. I'm a fucking piece of shit I hate.
Keith Kalfas [00:20:40]:
No. No. Be a grown ass man here. Calm the fuck down. You're a man. You control your emotions. You created this problem. Now you deal with it. Put your ring back on, woman. Put it back on. Put your ring back on, woman.
Keith Kalfas [00:20:55]:
When I first married my wife, we used to get in some fights, man. My wife took off her ring and threw it across our little tiny apartment. She couldn't throw out very far because we basically lived in this little tiny ass comp apartment where we were like that, bro. And it hurt my feelings so bad. So bad. She took the ring. She threw it at me. So I'm gonna go back and live at my mom's. And then one time, I got so fucking mad. I got sick of being a nice guy. You know what I said? I said, go and fucking do it then because I'm sick of this shit.
Keith Kalfas [00:21:30]:
I'm trying my best woman. I'm working a hundred hours a week. I went fucking nuts, dude. I started ripping all the pictures off the walls in my apartment and shit. Go back to your fucking mom's house. I don't give a fuck. I snapped. I went nuts.
Keith Kalfas [00:21:44]: I got the keys to my truck. She tried to block the door of our little apartment. She's leaning against the door. No, dear. Not going nowhere, you fucking asshole. I should get out of the way or I'll jump out the window. We was living in two stories at that time. Two-story building. I got in my old piece of shit truck, the Blue Goose, rust all over it, barely even ran 330,000 miles. There was Kalfas, Peeled up. Took off. She's texting me 800 times. I'm trying to get a landscape business off the ground here, folks. My woman's texting me, you piece of shit. I fucking hate you. I fuck. I'm fucking I'm gonna divorce you, you fuck. Do you better not use it?
Keith Kalfas [00:22:25]:
She's threatening to fucking throw my shit all over the front lawn and everything, and I think she did it too. Right? I went where did I go? Straight to my dad's house. Knock on the door. 01:00 in the morning. My dad opens the fucking door. He's like, Keith, what's going on? It's it's 01:00 in the morning. And I'm sitting there. My phone's on silent.
Keith Kalfas [00:22:49]:
You fucking piece of shit, you asshole. I and my wife I said, I don't get I said, I love have I ever told you how much I love you, dad? He's like, oh, come on in. I'll make you some macaroni and cheese. I said, macaroni and cheese, it's 01:30 in the morning, motherfucker. Can I sleep on your couch, dad? Dad let me in. Dad. Nothing like dad.
Keith Kalfas [00:23:21]:
My dad's a little crazy just like me. So I go and I spent two days and nights at dad's house. It was the most peaceful two days I ever had in my life. It was two days of pure fuck it. That's what it was. The whole two days, my wife was calling me. Hey, Machu Picchu. That turned real quick into, oh my god. I'm so sorry. Please come back. Oh my god. I know you're trying to start a landscaping business. I just feel like you don't love me anymore. You're never home.
Keith Kalfas [00:23:52]:
But I didn't even care. It was over. I was over. I was over it. Just chilling at dad's house, and dad loved it. He goes, hey, cowfish. I'll make your breakfast.
Keith Kalfas [00:24:08]:
There I was eating breakfast with dad again. I felt like everything was gonna be okay. And I head down way down where I live, my apartment's on fire, and I my wife's packing all my shit. Getting a landscape business off the ground is the hardest thing I ever it's not the hardest thing ever, but it's hard getting a business off the ground because everybody hates you. Everybody thinks you need to be my wife is Chaldean. She has 18 family events a year minimum. They've got a family event in like two hours. I gotta get out of here and go to another family event.
Keith Kalfas [00:24:41]:
So you gotta become incredibly selfish for like two to three years in high levels of communication with the people that you love and say, listen here, I love you, I love you, I love you, and I love you. I love all of you. And I'm getting a business off the ground, and this is gonna take every ounce of energy that I have and don't have for probably the next one to three years. So I can only be at the most important family event. I will be at your birthday party, but I will not be at your fucking birthday party and all the way. I gotta work seven days a week to get this shit popping, and no one's gonna do it except for you. And if you don't do it, you're just gonna be broken. No one's gonna care.
Keith Kalfas [00:25:26]:
And it's like but then there comes a day. You got your debt paid off. Your bills are paid. You got money in the bank and food in the fridge. Your credit score is coming back. You've got a brand new truck that you can actually afford. You've launched a second crew. You've got an office place.
Keith Kalfas [00:25:44]: You finally got a house and you're finally getting shit together and you're getting all this shit. And you're like, you wake up one morning on a Saturday, and your mind is blown how far you've come in just a couple years. Your life went from a place that was a living hell to a place that is a living hell. Not really. It's all about perception. The happiest times in your life can be when you're going through a lot of shit. Right? There are people who have everything that you could ever think that you'd ever want and their life sucks. But nonetheless, I think gratitude is the secret behind all of this.
Keith Kalfas [00:26:24]:
Things turned around in my business when I got a % committed and took full responsibility. Things turned around in my marriage when I got a % committed and I looked at my wife through the eyes of love, and I said, I love you. Like, I had no more psychological backdoors. I wasn't like, if anything doesn't work out, I'm gonna get the fuck out of here, and I'll go sleep with my dad's. That's what I used to think. Anytime this bitch go crazy, I just get the wiggle. Uh-uh.
Keith Kalfas [00:26:52]:
Now I shut the door, I say. Listen here, woman. I've had enough of your wives cracking, yelling at me like that. Meet me downstairs in about twenty minutes. Actually, meet me downstairs right now. You learn the way these women work. She just wants your attention. Did you know you're gonna give your woman literally just a few minutes of attention per day, but it's gonna be a % pure present, undivided, loving, caring, devotional attention. You just look in her eyes and and say, how did your day go? And there you go.
Keith Kalfas [00:27:36]:
Well, that'll take about an hour of her just telling you about how her day went and all this and this and then. And by the time she's all done, she goes, you're the best husband I ever could have dreamed of. And you just smoke the big ass joint with her. I don't smoke joints, but I have and, actually, I never really have, but I probably should. Anyways. Alright. This has been fun, my friends. Oh, oh, my camera's shutting off.
Keith Kalfas [00:28:05]:
I'm overtime, folks. I hope you're having a great weekend. I hope you're crushing it. I hope you're achieving all of your life's goals and mandates and dreams and all the things that you promised yourself that you were going to do in this life even though you're busy as hell? Mike Andes is here. Just gave me $5. Thank you, Mike Andes. Anybody here don't know who Mike Andes is? Well, he's the young millionaire guy on YouTube. He's got a he's got, like, 80 crews and some McDonald's franchise type of loan and landscape business and motherfucker.
Keith Kalfas [00:28:36]:
It's crazy. Thank you, Mike Andes. Anyways, I see all your comments. And any of you here that ever, message me, if I don't respond, please don't say Oh, Geek Kalfus is an asshole. He never responds. And I'm busy as fuck, man. I'm here. I I try. Sometimes in the winter, I sit down for, like, four hours and get back there. Hey, man. I'm sorry. It's been four months, but I'm getting back to you. I've got a little tiny YouTube channel, a hundred thousand subscribers. You maybe have a 80,000 following total, and there's so many messages coming in. I can't get back to everybody. But I do read all your message, and I totally appreciate.
Keith Kalfas [00:29:12]:
And when you keep poking, if you message repeatedly, I'll get you and I'll get back to you. Come to the GIE Expo twenty twenty-one Louisville, Kentucky. I'll be there. A lot of people here in the chat will be there. It's the biggest green industry event in The United States every single year now. You get 50% off your tickets if you go to keithkelphys.com/resources. Find g I e x one there, and then you get 50% off your tickets. Anyways, I'm about to jump off here, and that was so fun.
Keith Kalfas [00:29:40]: I think I'm gonna change the title of this video now to Keith Kalfas. This is crazy. Alright. Later, guys.
In this live episode, Keith Kalfas dives into the realities of running a landscape business, especially when dealing with customers who try to get free work. He shares hard-earned lessons on setting boundaries, valuing your services, and handling tough conversations with confidence. Reflecting on his journey from solopreneur to business owner, Keith explores the internal challenges and strategic shifts needed for long-term success. He also discusses his passion for personal growth, continuous learning, and the books that have shaped his mindset. Whether you're in the service industry or looking to level up your business, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world experience.
"Success in business isn’t just about skill—it’s about setting boundaries, valuing your work, and having the tough conversations. Growth starts with self-awareness, a strong mindset, and the willingness to evolve." - Keith
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Customer Interactions and Boundaries: It's crucial to establish clear boundaries with customers to avoid being taken advantage of. Keith emphasizes the importance of not agreeing to do extra work for free and always maintaining a professional attitude.
Business and Personal Growth: Transitioning from an employee to a business owner involves significant internal and external challenges. Personal growth, learning to say "no," and having difficult conversations are part of the entrepreneurial journey.
Understanding True Value: Keith discusses the difference between being nice and being a pushover. It's essential to recognize your worth and ensure that you are fairly compensated for your work.
Confronting Fear and Uncomfortable Situations: Overcoming burnout and maintaining sanity in your business requires facing fears and discomfort head-on. Practicing difficult conversations and setting boundaries are key.
Intellectual Investments: Keith highlights the importance of continuous learning through books and resources to improve both personally and professionally. He recommends several books, indicating how these resources have helped him.
Balancing Business and Personal Life: He talks about maintaining a healthy work-life balance, emphasizing regular date nights with his wife and not letting business stress affect personal life.
Digital and Online Presence: Building a substantial online presence, including multiple YouTube channels and using social media strategically, can significantly bolster a business's visibility and credibility.
Pricing and Services: Keith gives practical advice on setting prices for services such as mulch installation, stressing the importance of considering all factors, including hidden costs, to avoid financial losses.
Philosophical and Spiritual Insights: Keith delves into deeper philosophical and spiritual reflections on life, consciousness, and business practices, encouraging a holistic approach to entrepreneurship.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
In this episode, Keith Kalfas and Mack explores the challenges and strategies of balancing lawn care and landscaping services. It features a discussion between two lawn care business owners on the benefits and fears of transitioning to landscaping, focusing on how to streamline services and manage both effectively. They discuss how to schedule and price recurring maintenance, charge for additional services like shrub trimming, and ensure steady revenue without overwhelming their small crew. The conversation emphasizes the importance of a consistent, stress-free approach, customer loyalty, and the value of confidence in business operations. They also touch on the influence of sports on handling rejection, the significance of Google for marketing, and the emotional aspects of running a business. Inspirational anecdotes about overcoming challenges and keeping a positive, confident mindset round out the dialogue.
" If you don't get on Google, you are shooting yourself in the foot. You're really killing yourself. If you talk confidently, then you can charge anything." - Mack
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Team Resilience and Positivity: The ability to laugh about difficult situations, such as being soaked after a rainstorm, indicates a positive and resilient attitude among team members. This kind of environment can foster a supportive and resilient workforce.
Emotional Fulfillment: Working together in demanding conditions can lead to emotional fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment. The hardships shared build stronger connections, making the work more than just a job but an enriching experience.
Shared Experiences Foster Trust: Trust is built through shared experiences and overcoming obstacles together. When team members know they can rely on each other in adverse conditions, it strengthens their overall bond and trust in one another.
Cultural Significance of Teamwork: The repeated reference to tribal importance suggests that teamwork in this industry goes beyond practical collaboration, encompassing cultural and personal significance. This cultural aspect underlines the depth of connections formed within the team.
Connect with Mack
Podcast: On the Attack with Mack Podcast Podcast: Lawn Care Power Moves Youtube: Mack Landscaping and Lawn Care
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
After his recent trip to Atlanta for a speaking gig, Keith's got some fresh insights about how the way we see ourselves can really shape our success. He's breaking down the difference between a scarcity mindset that holds you back and an abundant mindset that drives success. Keith shares some personal stories and drops some knowledge bombs on how shifting your identity and aligning with the right energy can totally change your game. If you want to level up in business or life, this episode is packed with tips and wisdom you won't want to miss. Let's dive in!
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 - Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs and Burnout
06:03 - Spiritual Alignment Attracts Positive Opportunities
07:53 - Elevating Identity to Overcome Scarcity Mindset
11:12 - "Exploring Purpose and Seeking Guidance"
14:41 - "Embrace Clarity Through Higher Perspective"
Key Takeaways:
Identity Dictates Perception: The same piece of information can lead to vastly different outcomes depending on one's mindset. Whether you're stuck in a scarcity mindset or thriving in an abundance-focused one, your identity steers the ship.
The Power of Conviction: Aligning with high beliefs and developing strong convictions in your actions can attract the right people and opportunities. Conviction is an unparalleled influence that can't be easily replicated.
Faith and Action: Faith isn't just belief; it's action. It's about courage and the commitment to move forward, trusting in your ability to figure things out. This approach opens up new perspectives and higher levels of opportunity.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas [00:00:06]:
All right. So this is a shift, a breakthrough that I've been waiting 20 years to figure out. Just came to me now. And just a quick disclaimer: I just got back from a speaking engagement in Atlanta, and I'm sick from traveling. But I didn't even want to make any videos, but I have to document this. So imagine your identity controls everything. You can have a high-quality piece of information. I've been meditating 1 to 2 hours a day and listen to what I'm gonna say.
Keith Kalfas [00:00:39]:
And if you don't listen, then it's not for you. Your identity controls everything. When I heard things like that, because I didn't understand what that meant, I've heard that stuff a bunch of times. I just push it off. That's not for me. This when the student's ready, the teacher will appear. You can take the same piece of information and put it in front of a 100 different people, and depending on the lens in which they look at it through, you're gonna get a 100 different responses. Do you want me to to go in the studio? Okay.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:08]:
My wife's right here. She's hot. Anyways, I was like, I wanna do this video right in front of you. Alright. Even better. Take a person who is in a scarcity victim mindset who's just making ends meet, Or maybe they got their own little small business and they're just struggling. And now put them next to a person who has a multiple 6 or 7 figure business. They're a seasoned entrepreneur.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:30]:
They know marketing. They know production. They know administration. They know how to facilitate. They understand how business works, and they've made a lot of money, and they've been through processes and workflows. And they live in an opportunity-abundant mindset. Right? A different identity. Now give them a piece of information about maybe a great business idea that's relevant.
Keith Kalfas [00:01:51]:
It'll work. The person who is stuck in the victim scarcity mindset might intellectually be very intelligent and, awake, and understand. They're conscious. They're here and now. They'll understand all the information coming in, and they'll get excited. They're like, yeah. Oh my god. That's a genius idea.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:07]:
See how I'm looking up? That's a genius idea. Oh my god. I could actually do that. They could get excited. They could start forming plans in their head, and it's great. And as soon as they feel like they're going to reach up and start doing it, and they might actually take some action and get a little bit of progress. But what's gonna happen is because of where their identity is, take a pendulum swinging like a grandfather clock. Right? Their identity is here.
Keith Kalfas [00:02:34]:
Then the self-limiting beliefs that are controlling from behind the scenes, pulling the puppet behind the strings, the deep subconscious negative programming from growing up broke, grown-up broke parents, people crying about money, whatever it is, guilt, what are people gonna think, whatever it is. It's gonna pull them down like prep, prep, prep, prep, and make them feel like it's so hard. And maybe they're approaching it with just a technician mindset that they don't have the integrated relationship entrepreneur mindset of how to approach it as a facilitator. They're approaching it as try-hard technician work, dig with the shovel. So they might make a little progress, but their identity is gonna pull them back like this, like an anchor, and they won't be able to actually just do it. And even if they make some progress, they might quickly get burned out and the pendulum will just swing back to where the identity rests, and it's holding them, and they'll give up. It's too hard. I can't do it.
Keith Kalfas [00:03:30]:
I thought I could do it. I was excited, and they don't understand why because the identity is controlling them behind the scenes. Now same pieces of information to the multiple 6 and 7-figure entrepreneur whose identity lens is at a different spot, just different, different relativity. When they hear that information about the good idea, they might already be you won't even have to finish telling them all the information. All they need is the inspiration, and they're already setting plans of action. They already see the end result, and they're already extrapolating other people that it can help that the original information didn't even imply. Because they're thinking not linear, but they're thinking geometric because they're spiritually in the quantum, which is not bound by space and time. It's not stuck in linear units of measurement.
Keith Kalfas [00:04:19]:
It's geometric. Right? It's not 1 +1 equals 2. It's like 1 +1equals18 type shit or 25. So what I mean is their identity lens is up here. So when they hear an idea, it swings up to their identity. They already see it already done, and they're like, oh my god. This is a great idea. This needs to be done yesterday.
Keith Kalfas [00:04:41]:
And what sector or fashion or sector of our business who can we already have tools? We can boom. We can get this done, and it's already done, and they're already done. Listen to what I'm saying. With it to the point where it might even be an underqualified a day like, is that going to make us 20,000 in the 1st 30 days? Like, they're qualifying it. Like, can we fit this in because this is a good idea? How is this get like, how could I say this, man? Their identity lens of qualifying opportunity is they're operating from the end result. As soon as they hear about it, they already see what the result looked like. That's the next thing I was gonna say.
Keith Kalfas [00:05:23]:
Now, I want you to fast forward an identity past the identity that I'm talking about to an even higher identity. And higher beyond that to where ideas like that, you're like, oh, that was 15 years ago. I remember when we used to do that. That was spooky in the sandbox-type shit. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That led us all the way up to this.
Keith Kalfas [00:05:41]:
So it's so far down. It's so much an easy task, and they say, what would this look like if it were easy? Then it's like way down there. Oh, yeah. I remember we had that idea. That's when we were thinking small. Now, the victim mindset, that little tiny thing is like, oh my god. It's this little mountain. This little mohail is a big fucking mountain, and they can't do it. But the only difference in all that is the identity.
Keith Kalfas [00:06:03]:
Now the victim's gonna say, well, of course, they've got money in the bank, and they've got connections, and they've got all these things. Fuck that. They do have that, but why? Here's why. Because people who have identities that are aligned with spirit, You say God's law, consciousness. I'm not talking about fleshy, living in sin, bullshit, living in shame, guilt, and fear, and anxiety, which triggers negative belief and negative belief systems, which pushes opportunity and pushes positive people away from you. I'm talking about when you get rid of negative shit in your life, and you cut anchors, and you align with God, the holy spirit, and then you develop high beliefs and high expectations, and you develop conviction and confidence, and you become convicted in your beliefs and what is right and you know it, and you're doing it no matter what, you're gonna start attracting people to you, people, places, tools, technology, systems, information. You'll repel away negativity and start attracting the right people, places, and opportunities to you because you're convicted. I've seen this happen in my own life.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:06]:
As soon as I got convicted about my landscaping business, the clients started showing up. The right employees why employees are really hard, but employees started showing up. When I got convicted about my videos and online business, you can hear it in my voice right now. People believed it because conviction is something you can't fake unless you're a sociopath or a psychopath. Right? We were learning about that last night in some videos. That's crazy. Right? You have to have discernment. But when you become convicted, that's the one powerful piece that you have within your control of influence that you're not seeing. So, the people that are in the abundant lens operate from a place of conviction and discernment, and they cut right to the truth.
Keith Kalfas [00:07:53]:
The people that are in the scarcity victim lens where the pendulum is swinging way down here, like, no matter how much you try to pull the pendulum and get them to believe it swings right back to where the identity resides, they're stuck in a negative low scarcity and attracting other people like that. But those belief patterns because water seeks its own level. But a rising tide raises all boats. And what controls the tide? Well, it's the moon. But let's say that's the identity. So if you move the identity up and you do the inner work inside, loving, forgiving, letting go, aligning with God, then when you raise the identity, right, the pendulum will swing up up here to a higher or more or just it's not right or wrong or good or bad. It's just relative to the experience of that you're having and others are having of you, and that's all it is. And that's the good news.
Keith Kalfas [00:08:48]:
Why is that good news? Because you can alter and change it. So when you change the way you see things, the things you see change. Look, I'm sick right now. See? I felt my vibration go down. When I declare that I'm sick, I start coughing. But when I get high energy, the sickness suppresses because the spirit takes over because you have gross, subtle, and causal. Causal is spirit at the level of causality. When you go upstream, and you solve the fucking problem from upstream or from the root, not from the leaves of the tree, but to the roots of the tree.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:24]:
If you're putting poison in the roots because you got roots and fruits, and you put poison in the roots of the tree, the leaves and the fruit's gonna be all poisoned and fucked up and have spots all over it. But when you get to the root of the problem, right, what's the root of the problem? It could be addiction. It could be demonic. It could be negative beliefs. It could be traumas. It could be your own bullshit. It could be anything. Right? You get to the root to the problem.
Keith Kalfas [00:09:50]:
And what do you do when you got pain, and you go to the dentist, and you got a wisdom tooth sticking out, and you're screaming in pain? He goes and he extracts it, sews it up. You go home sore or wet a few days later. Oh, you feel much so much better because the problem was extracted. So you gotta give up to go up. So the first thing to do to level up your identity is start giving up and letting go of all the shit that no longer serves you. Stuff that used to if you study, there's something called in your consciousness called a stable datum. It's a set of beliefs that create an identity that, in a storm, can blow over palm trees, and they'll bend. Imagine there's a storm, and you're holding onto a palm tree.
Keith Kalfas [00:10:31]:
It's a hurricane. Everything's blown away. You're so traumatized. The storm's been done for 2 years,
Keith Kalfas [00:10:37]:
And you're still holding on to that thing. And people are like, what are you doing? Let go. Like, are you kidding me? I can't. I'm gonna die if I let go. No. You're not. There's no more storm. But you built a belief system that even though you're suffering, at least you can survive in those beliefs and suffering. Because the fear of the unknown is worse than just suffering and something you know you can survive because at least you know you can survive. Stepping into the fear of the unknown might mean certain death. The ego doesn't know how to control it or handle it, so it avoids it and rejects it.
Keith Kalfas [00:11:12]:
I think I always call it monkey bars in the fog. If you can reach up into through meditation and through prayer, aligning, asking the holy spirit for guidance as repenting, right, then you can maybe just get a moment or get around people who have different lenses and look and see. It feels uncomfortable. Right? Breathe into different identities and say, woah. Oh, that feels uncomfortable. Then you keep asking, why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? And here's how I wanna close this. Why does it feel uncomfortable when all of your life's hopes and dreams and wishes and the highest level of contribution that you can give back and do God's work and humanity and be the best family person and the best yourself with the best health and get good sleep and live in abundance and success and be able to be a great contributor? So when you die one day, and you go to the golden gates, all you hear is, well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Keith Kalfas [00:12:08]:
How do you do all that? Why would you resist that? Why would you resist that? Why would you resist that? Why would I resist that? That's a great question. So you start asking higher and higher and higher questions and higher levels, higher devils. The devil doesn't want you to ask those questions because then you'll see that all through all his bullshit and all those lies is actual freedom where the world's a better place, and people are getting saved. It's all a fucking illusion. It's a big smoke screen. So it's identity. Here's what I wanted to say, then I wanted to close it with this. As soon as you start to make progress in these areas, you got this.
Keith Kalfas [00:12:49]:
You get a notification, and you look at it. When you check into social media, I do this. I had this problem myself. You check into the world. When you check into the world, you check out of strategy. You're in strategy, you check into the world, you check out of strategy, and then more time is going by. So it's gonna take higher levels of self-discipline. And I don't say self-discipline as in a forceful way.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:15]:
It might take force at first. If you read Doctor David R. Hawkins's “Power versus Force,” there's things that are powerful. Imagine you can just speak and touch with your finger. And like Jesus said, with the faith of a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, move, and it will move. Like Moses parted the Red Sea. That's, like, faith that they're talking about. And if you study all this and you do deep levels of meditation and prayer, you will learn that all of this comes back to faith. Because the definition of faith is faith in things unseen, but faith is really action.
Keith Kalfas [00:13:51]:
What? What do you mean faith as a verb? Here's why. Because faith is putting one foot in front of the other, walking into the unknown. Having faith and courage: the definition of a courage is your belief in your own ability to figure things out. Right? You're toeing the lining and holding yourself accountable, saying, I will make this work step by step, and I'll figure it out because my heart's in the right place. I'm in the right place with God. This is good for me, good for the people around me, and good for the entire world. I'm gonna keep moving no matter what because I'm a principle-centered man. When you walk like that, that's how you can start to open up these lenses that I'm talking about because now there's thoughts, concepts, precepts, then there's methods, then there's principles, then there's doctrines, then there's maxims.
Keith Kalfas [00:14:41]:
You have all these different levels of truth into what we call exclusive equity, which is the articulations, non religious articulations of Christ. And I don't even know what I'm talking about here, but I'm learning this. So when you can see and take your hat off and bow before the one and only lord of lord, king of kings, and see how he saw, That's how you can see through a higher lens because he gave that gift to us to see through a higher lens. Why would we not wanna do that? Why would we not wanna do that? Oh. Therein lies the question. So, letting go of the old lens, you gotta give up to go up. So vibrate into the new lens, or you don't have to vibrate if you were just it; you will see through the lens; you go to the eye doctor, and they're switching the lens in front of you, and you're seeing things through different lenses what if you just switch the lens Or clean off the prism is cloudy. The prism is clouded.
Keith Kalfas [00:15:48]:
Clean the lens so you can see. Imagine if there's white light and you see through a prism and you can see the entire spectrum, And now you.. I once was blind, but now I see. Now you can see because you're seeing through the maxims of equity, the eyes of equity. You have equity eyes. Oh my god. I'm sick right now. I think part of being sick is I'm, like, not thinking how I'm normally thinking, and I like how I'm thinking. Honey, I love you.
Keith Kalfas [00:16:24]:
My wife's got I came home and I got her sick too. She's used to this crap. Do you love me? She goes, mhmm, with her whole heart. Okay. I gotta go hang out with my wife. I'm so excited right now. Yeah.
In this episode, Keith explored the crucial skill of discernment in business decisions. He shared insights from his experiences in the landscaping industry, emphasizing that saying no can be more beneficial than saying yes to everything. He discussed the importance of focusing on core services, understanding the risks of overextending, and utilizing smart subcontracting. Success lies in mastering what you do best and making decisions that align with your expertise and capacity.
When you narrow down what you offer, you’re not only cutting out stress but also boosting your profits and efficiency. It's about breaking free from those nagging fears and old stories in your head and realizing you don't have to do it all to succeed.
And hey, there's more! Keith’s got some exciting updates on what's brewing with the Untrapped Podcast and other projects that are in the pipeline. So, if you’re here for no-nonsense stories and solid tips to make running your biz a breeze, you’re in the right place! Stick around, and let's jump in!
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 - Optimize Landscaping Business Strategy
03:19 - Launching a Landscaping Business
07:12 - Transition to Quieter Battery Trimmers
10:45 - Effective Equipment Management Tips
13:57 - Skill Building and Pricing in Landscaping
18:50 - Unlocking Business Success Mindset
20:04 - Commitment Yields Significant Revenue Potential
Key Takeaways:
Market Research and Strategy: Begin by analyzing successful local businesses and defining your service area to target the most lucrative neighborhoods. Use tools like Google to research and map out income per zip code.
Invest Smart in Equipment: Start with affordable, used equipment from places like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. As your business grows, reinvest in new, reliable equipment. Remember, "buy nice or buy twice."
Pricing and Profitability: Ensure proper pricing strategies by charging enough to cover costs and desired profit margins. Aim for at least a 50% gross profit margin by multiplying your cost estimates by two.
Resources and Websites:
Here's the video and story about our Window Cleaning brother in the UK I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_pxfE8A4k
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7QgzAauFCQ
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGSn9Rx8f8&t=0s
The Time William and I climbed 115ft. in a tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVmT_Nhohjk&t=0s
Tree Work and Arborist Videos playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLub0_q7i2mDRR3pk7GpX3k8JhZiE2IvYm
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas 00:00:00 - 00:00:48
How to start a landscaping business in 2025. Let's go. So, before we get started, I just got a comment on my YouTube channel. There's a guy who's trying to start his landscaping business, and he found himself on another YouTube channel that talks about how to become a millionaire and wealth and abundance and all that stuff, which is great. He left that channel, and now he's binge watching my videos because he specifically wants to learn how to start a landscaping business right now. So that's step number 1 because you gotta cut all the other fat of all this other information that's not helping you get your business to the next level. Step 2 is do market research. We're gonna talk about the equipment you need in a minute, but this is really important.
Keith Kalfas 00:00:48 - 00:01:41
1st, go on Google and type in landscaping businesses near me and look at the most successful ones and analyze how are they running their business how are they marketing their business. You can learn a ton just by doing that. And I want you to go on Google Maps and create your service area, right? So ours is a 6-mile radius from our home base. And what I also want you to do is go on Google and type in income per zip code in your area and find out where all the money is at, and then you'll know where to market. I like to go in specific neighborhoods, market, and advertise repeatedly. You drill deep in specific neighborhoods, and that's where the most potentiality, the most amount of clients, the fastest is, and make the most amount of money. Let's go to step 3. Step number 3: you gotta get your business legitimized with something like an LLC.
Keith Kalfas 00:01:42 - 00:02:10
And open up a small business checking account, which is exciting because now this is official. You can go online. There's tons of options. I have some in my resources below. What I did was I went to my accountant. How do you find an accountant? You basically ask people who own small businesses around you. You say, where can I find an accountant? And they'll be like, oh, my guy Bill. You know what I mean? And you find an accountant, and I asked him, dude, I need to make my business legit. He's like, oh, easy.
Keith Kalfas 00:02:10 - 00:02:37
Paid him some money, fill out all the paperwork, Boom. I was an LLC, and I went to the bank with that paperwork opened up a small business checking account. I was in business. Now, all the money that comes through your business flows through the checking account, and now you legit, daw. Number 4, you need a truck. Don't despise small beginnings. I don't know where you're at, but I literally Facebook or Craigslist for sale by owner. Look at this.
Keith Kalfas 00:02:37 - 00:03:19
2008 Ford Ranger Super Cab 4 by 4 185,000 miles, $29100. 2,003 Ford Ranger. You're like Ford Ranger. I want a brand new, then go buy one if you can afford it. I don't know where you're at. 2,009 Chevy Silverado, 2,002 Dodge Dakota, 2009 F150. So anywhere from 2 to $7, you can get a smaller series truck used that will get you making money now. Now, when you go to buy a truck, obviously, you wanna pull the dipstick and check all the fluids, test drive it, turn it all the way to the right and to the left, check for any bumps or grinds or vibrations. Anything going on that doesn't feel right that could be an issue, and you might be able to get it fixed cheap.
Keith Kalfas 00:03:19 - 00:03:59
And that's why the person selling it, and if you're mechanically inclined, it's gonna be amazing. But definitely don't buy something that's gonna blow up on you. That's why you wanna take it on the freeway and run it through all the gears and make sure the transmission shifts smoothly, and then you're in business. There's a lot of great trucks out there you can get for cheap and literally go make a $100,000. Real quick, we're about to go to Weingartz and look at some equipment, but I wanna tell you I started my landscaping business out of the back of the trunk of my wife's car with debt collectors calling me. I didn't have a truck and didn't have anything. I was terrified working a dead-end lawn care job at during the day and going out at night and on the weekends to get my business off the ground. I made enough money to dump out change to get a piece of crap.
Keith Kalfas 00:03:59 - 00:04:23
Well, actually, I love this truck. It's called the Blue Goose. It was a 1991 Dodge Dakota with a quarter 1000000 miles covered in rust, and that thing actually drove like a dream. So we started with nothing, bro. It was terrifying, and I pulled it off. Let's go. And the most important piece of equipment you really need to even get started is I'm just playing with you. Step 5: you need equipment right away.
Keith Kalfas 00:04:23 - 00:04:51
Of course. But you can go on Facebook Marketplace and buy equipment used. I got my stuff from pawn shops, Craigslist because I couldn't afford any brand new equipment. The problem with used equipment is it's beat up. It's gonna be gunked up. Like, the carbs, the carburetor inside of it, you're gonna have to pull it 20 times to get it started. Sometimes, you have to do a tune-up by yourself, but you can get lucky. But as soon as you possibly can, you need to get brand new equipment, in my opinion.
Keith Kalfas 00:04:51 - 00:05:22
I'm gonna walk around and show you some of my favorite stuff. I've been doing this my whole life, so I know what all the good stuff is. Now, the new battery-powered technology is amazing, but it's crazy expensive right now, so you probably won't get started there. But my favorite equipment always comes down to, well, steel because it's just a powerhouse. Steel's expensive. It's heavy-duty. This literally could last you 5, 6 years of beating on it. Right? This edger, if you're doing lawn care, everything's steel, by the way.
Keith Kalfas 00:05:22 - 00:06:00
It's just heavy and expensive. The next step that's a little bit cheaper is echo. Check this out. I've actually toured the Echo factory in person. I've seen all this stuff. And the echo power tools, like here, you got articulating hedge trimmers for trimming bushes, and this is a power pruner pull saw. Dude, Echo stuff doesn't have the power of steel, but you can just beat on this stuff for dude, you can just beat the hell out of an Echo trimmer, and that mug will always start every single time. Let me know in the comments.
Keith Kalfas 00:06:00 - 00:06:29
They just keep a licking what? They'll take a licking and keep on ticking, bro. Echo stuff. I have all this stuff, so I never really liked echo weed whips. Some people love them. I don't know why I don't like it, but I really like echo edgers. The reason I don't like an Echo weed whip is I know something about the way it's balanced. I don't like it. Blowers over here, echo blowers are good, they're decent. Redmax are over here.
Keith Kalfas 00:06:30 - 00:07:11
These are amazing. I've had all these backpack blowers. It's a phenomenal blower. My favorite backpack blower again comes all the way over here to the steel backpack blower is my favorite. So the BR 430 is it's like more like a homeowner's blower. I wouldn't get anything less than the BR 600 in any type of landscaping, but I've got the big ones. This is the 800 model. It's the steel is powerful, extremely powerful, but it's also quiet compared to, like, a Shindaiwa, which is that's, like, was the industry standard for a long time because they're so powerful, but they're so much louder.
Keith Kalfas 00:07:12 - 00:07:49
So with steel and all this stuff coming out of homeowners getting upset about loud equipment, that's why they're trying to move over to the battery-powered, steel is a little bit quieter. But when it comes to shrub trimmers, I don't like steel. Ain't that weird? Check this out. The industry standard for a long time, the most common are these are just the powerhouse steel HS 40 fives. They're $300. They've pretty much always been $300. They start right up either they'll mow through anything, but I'm telling you, these things are loud. They're like miniature tanks, and that's part of the reason I don't like them anymore.
Keith Kalfas 00:07:49 - 00:08:13
It's just they're almost overkill for doing residential shrub trimming because they're so powerful and so loud. For instance, come over here. I've used all different types of trimmers. My favorite are the Redmax trimmers, and it's different different brands for different things. These trimmers are amazing. I actually got the shorter ones. I bought all of them. I don't like echo trimmers, by the way.
Keith Kalfas 00:08:13 - 00:08:47
I don't like them at all. These are the best because the way that they're balanced. It feels like a gyroscope in your hand, so it's easier on your back. RedMax, not the homeowner versions. Anyway, is this a I bought both, and they're both great. So these are my favorite. So I've owned tons of chainsaws by all different brands from Husqvarna to Stihl to Eko, And the best chainsaws, in my opinion, are steel. But here's something you have to know. When you look at all the prices, I'm not gonna get into the different models.
Keith Kalfas 00:08:47 - 00:09:10
I don't wanna overwhelm you. Any chainsaw that's, I'm saying, any chainsaw that's underneath $250, don't even waste your time buying it. Don't buy it. Like the cheap homeowners might, oh, this is a good saw. I'm gonna use this. Don't buy it. Trust me. You're better off spending 1 to 200 extra dollars and getting a pro series.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:10 - 00:09:28
It's a completely different machine. You'll find out. You can find out the hard way. So buy nice or buy twice. So this is the MS 194 T Top Handle Ergonomic Saw. You could take it up in a tree, which you probably shouldn't do in the beginning. And it's got all the safety switches and bar and lever and everything. I mean, this is a phenomenal saw.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:28 - 00:09:53
And over here, the 251, it's all locked into place. I mean, these things are just, they're beautiful saws. So steel is the way to go with the chainsaw and make sure you pick up all the safety gear as well. Don't operate a chainsaw unless you're wearing all the safety gear. Alright. So, if you're getting into lawn care, which I did lawn care for 15 years. I started out my business with lawn care, and it gets you access to tons of property maintenance installs. Lawn care is the bread and butter.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:54 - 00:10:24
You probably won't be able to afford if you're just getting started. You might not be able to afford an expensive, beautiful dream machine like this. I actually have a Radius X 48-inch riding mower. It's their tanks. These things can cut grass, suck up leaves. They're almost indestructible, and they're expensive for a reason because: they make you money, and they last for years, years years like the BMWs. But get a mower anywhere you can. Used off Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, you're gonna start out with a walk behind, but I think Exmark's really the way to go.
Keith Kalfas 00:10:24 - 00:10:45
The top brands, like Exmark. When it comes to doing snow removal, I plowed snow 15 years. Toro makes some of the best snowblowers you can ever get your hands on. These things are beasts. Now, they're not indestructible if you beat on them. They will need parts. I mean, snow is really tough, but get a Toro. They're phenomenal.
Keith Kalfas 00:10:48 - 00:11:45
Look at this over here, a quick tip. You can get a couple of these with a couple of guys. You don't even need a blade for doing residential, and you can literally take these in a couple shovels and just bang out residentials and make a ton of money without an actual snowplow. But when it comes to stuff like this, like all these cool ergonomic things, they might have upgraded the technology by now, but sometimes if there's all these cool bells and whistles on a snowblower, just know you gotta be extra careful when loading and unloading onto trucks or anything because that's more stuff that could get broken and compromise your equipment. So keep it simple. Here's a quick tip that served me really well when growing my landscaping business is don't ever buy a piece of equipment until you are on the way to that job, that morning where you sold that job, where you need that piece of equipment to do that job. Right? Don't just buy pieces of equipment cause it's nice to have. And that way, you're making your ROI, your return on investment, back immediately.
Keith Kalfas 00:11:45 - 00:12:12
And when it comes to loppers and pruners, like, these are $20. That's good. There's pruners by Felco. You can spend $200 on a pair of crazy expensive exotic pruners. And if you lose them on a job site, because it's easy to lose them or an employee loses them, it's not fun. I've done all this stuff. So I try to just. I'd rather buy more pairs of just decent pruners for 20, $30. But when it comes to loppers, you definitely get what you pay for.
Keith Kalfas 00:12:12 - 00:12:47
You should be spending 60, 70, $100 on a pair of good loppers because the cheap ones suck. Don't buy the cheap ones. You will just trust me. The powerful tip to protect your investment: I only put premium fuel in all of my 2-cycle power tools and use the proper mix, and I only use steel oil. If you find something better, let me know. But whatever you do, do not use cheap 2-cycle oil, and always use the proper mixture to protect your investment—learned that the hard way. And also with, the gas cans have different gas cans.
Keith Kalfas 00:12:47 - 00:13:20
If you got 2-cycle or regular gas, make it incredibly obvious that you don't ever put regular gas in 2-cycle. I made that mistake, too. It blows up your equipment in 2 seconds. And final tip, this is so important. Like, this is a sod cutter machine. You might get jobs doing sod, and you can make really good money ripping up and replacing sod and doing lawn repair. But are you gonna go out and buy a multi $1,000 machine when you don't do that every day? No. Find a local equipment rental place.
Keith Kalfas 00:13:20 - 00:13:56
I have done the math, and I have actually saved and made more money by renting equipment and renting dingoes and stuff like that. So you can rent all the equipment that maybe you can't afford to buy right now, and you can go make money today by renting equipment. Really smart. Step number 6: build your skills and your knowledge. Now cutting grass, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, spreading mulch, that's all easy stuff. You never wanna do anything that would dishonor your client, and don't bite off more than you can chew. But there's a saying that I heard that this is powerful. Make a big promise and then grow into that promise.
Keith Kalfas 00:13:57 - 00:14:38
So you can take on jobs that are bigger and outside of your comfort zone, and that's good because now you got time to close the gap by making phone calls, watching videos, and doing the research, and learning how to do that job the right way. Or you can make friends with other landscapers who are doing jobs you don't know how to do and go work with them for free or offer to work for a day or two and learn that. So now you're really proactive in those bigger jobs. And when you start getting bigger ticket jobs, that's how you're gonna learn and build your knowledge and your skill set. Let's go talk about pricing. Step number 7 is pricing. How much should you charge to do landscaping services? Well, check this out. Let's say the absolute bare minimum you wanna make is $25 per hour.
Keith Kalfas 00:14:40 - 00:15:30
You wanna times that by three and charge $75 per billable man-hour. Right? So let's say something takes you 2 hours. You should charge no less than a $150, just labor to do that. So there's something called t and m. That's time and materials. Right? So if something takes you 2 hours, 75 times 2 is 150. And let's just say you got a $150 in materials like overhead to your kind of cost of goods sold. You should charge 150 times 2 is $300 to do something that'll take you 2 hours. So if you wanna make $25 an hour pure profit, which is gonna be pretty low, you're gonna make a lot higher than that if you're just by yourself solo.
Keith Kalfas 00:15:31 - 00:16:16
You times whatever you wanna make by 3. You don't tell your customer it's $75 a man-hour. You just give them a price in a line item. And then you add the materials. Let's say there's mulch or whatever it is, and you put those two numbers together, and that's how you get your price. That's called a 50% gross profit margin, or 50% GPM, or a 100% markup. What that means is you figure out all the costs of what it takes you to do this job to the best of your knowledge, and you want to get a stopwatch and start clocking your jobs. And say if something's going to cost you about $500 to get this all done, you wanna times that number by 2, and that's what you charge is $1,000.
Keith Kalfas 00:16:17 - 00:16:43
So that way, when the job is all done, you made half a 50% gross profit margin. And something that's really cool there's a software that'll help you do all this stuff in your billing and invoicing. I'm an ambassador of a software called Jobber. You can get a huge discount after a free 2-week trial. Plug it into your business, and my exclusive link is getjobber.com/kalfus. Click the link in the description below, and you can sign up for Jobber. That'll help you tremendously.
Jobber Ad 00:16:44 - 00:17:35
More of the untrapped podcast right after this. Hey. If you're looking for what is probably the greatest software ever to run your business on, go to get jobber.comforward/Keith. You can create proposals, invoices, collect payments, even track your entire business directly on the Jabber smartphone app. And if you wanna get a totally free trial of Jabber right now, open your browser, type in get jobber.comforward slash Keith. And if, after the trial, you decide you wanna sign up with Keith's link, you'll automatically get 20% off your 1st 6 months. So what are you waiting for? Go to get jobber.comforward/Keith. This is untrapped with Keith Kalfas.
Keith Kalfas 00:17:36 - 00:18:00
So rewind the video if you have to and, watch this, and make sure you're charging properly. Let's go to the next step. So step number 8 is you have to learn how to market your business and you have to learn some advertising. I've written books about this. This is my latest book. This one's all nuts and bolts; how do you get more landscaping customers? This book these are on Amazon and Audible. You can listen to this while you work.
Keith Kalfas 00:18:00 - 00:18:50
This will help you overcome a lot of the challenges as sticking points and grow your confidence in your business. And then also, there's a lot of free information on the internet but you can also get really specific by getting into group coaching or online courses. I just launched the untrapped alliance where you can get on Zoom calls with me and a tight knit group of people that will literally walk you through the sticking points in your business and help you get to the next level. But, nonetheless, I want you to get out there and crush it, and I wanna hear about your success. Leave a comment below. And one more thing, I wanna be a 100% real with you. Starting and getting a landscaping business off the ground is not easy. It's really challenging because you have to take a lot of other stuff that was going on in your life and kinda like push it to the side and focus to get the plane off the ground.
Keith Kalfas 00:18:50 - 00:20:04
And there's gonna be really challenging moments, but there's this sweet spot that you get into, and it's freaking unbelievable. It's where you start to learn the way that this thing works, and your subconscious mind starts reshuffling the deck and neurons that fire together wire together. Right? When you start getting some successes and making more money in a day than you used to make in a week, something like it's like you come online. You're like, you start connecting all these dots, and this that for me, it changed my life because especially when I started learning up, like, how to do ornamental tree trimming and landscaping installs, I was on fire, bro, and I still am. But the sweet spot is where you start seeing, like, customers and money everywhere and all these people that you can take care of. And when you do what you say you're gonna do when you say you're gonna do it, whether you feel like it or not, and you take your business serious, the moment you take your business serious, and you take yourself serious, that's when all these customers will take you more serious, and you'll start getting the money that you want. But if you're kinda half-assing it and you're on the fence and you don't feel it, people are smart. They'll pick up on it, and they might hire somebody else instead of you.
Keith Kalfas 00:20:04 - 00:20:39
But when you're a 100% committed, that's when the right employees start showing up because they can feel your commitment. So when you go all in, I'm talking, you can make 5, 6 grand a week. I literally have you can make I don't know what it is for you. If I said $10 a month, is that a good number? You can make 15, 20, 30, 40, $50,000 a month. Now that's revenue. It's not all profit. Right? Of course, you're gonna have to reinvest back into your business. But I'm telling you, you can do such a good job and make so much money, and you got this.
Keith Kalfas 00:20:40 - 00:20:50
This is the year. 2025 is the time to get it. This is your time to shine. I'm rooting for you. Hit the subscribe button. Let me know what's up in the comments below. I'm Keith Kalfas. Much respect to you.
Keith Kalfas 00:20:50 - 00:20:51
Peace.
Keeping your landscaping and service business on track can be challenging, but Keith has some great tips and stories today.
In this $13,000 project, he and his crew dealt with everything from chopping down massive arborvitaes to detecting hidden PVC pipes. Keith explains the importance of saying "no" to things that aren't in your wheelhouse and why sometimes you need to learn the hard way.
In addition, Keith shares some insights from other successful businesspeople who have discovered that streamlining your services can transform your business. It's a proven fact that focusing on your team's strengths will save time, reduce costly errors, and increase your bottom line. The key is letting go of the mental blocks and old stories that make you think you have to do everything when focusing on what you're good at is more efficient.
We've covered you with real-life business stories full of practical advice to help you run your business more smoothly and efficiently.
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 Focus on big jobs; skip tricky extras.
06:05 Stick to core job duties and skip extra work.
07:14 Turning down a stressful job taught lessons.
12:36 Identify what you enjoy and focus on that.
16:30 Join for business advice and expert insights!
17:12 Want to chat? Hit me up at keithkelphus.com/call for some business advice!
Key Takeaways:
Discernment in Service Offerings: Knowing when to say 'no' to client requests outside your expertise is vital. This protects your business reputation and helps avoid unnecessary complications and delays. As tempting as it might be to take on every opportunity, focusing on what you excel at brings better results and client satisfaction.
The Power of Specialization: Concentrate on a select few services your team performs exceptionally well. This approach not only streamlines operations but ensures consistent quality and efficiency, allowing you to train new employees and serve your clients with excellence quickly.
Embrace and Overcome Mental Barriers: Understand that many perceived obstacles in managing a business, such as controlling quality and needing to be physically present, often exist in your head. Trusting and empowering capable team members can lead to broader success beyond individual efforts.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
Durable AI Website: Durable AI Website Builder and Small Business Software
Here's the video and story about our Window Cleaning brother in the UK I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_pxfE8A4k
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7QgzAauFCQ
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGSn9Rx8f8&t=0s
The Time William and I climbed 115ft. in a tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVmT_Nhohjk&t=0s
Tree Work and Arborist Videos playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLub0_q7i2mDRR3pk7GpX3k8JhZiE2IvYm
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas - 00:00:10 - 00:01:02
But when I'm going through my notes thinking of what content to create for you, I always go back to what's valuable and its mistakes to avoid. In the landscaping business, or any business for that matter, every time you take on something new, there's a learning process where it could be easy, could be really hard, and expensive. And so, like, we took on this job, and I wanna tell you a couple of stories and mistakes to avoid. This is so valuable. This job was, like, $13,000, and I always think of that song, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, from like the eighties because every rose has its thorn. So a job that is like, yes, it's a jackpot job. It's gonna have something in there, and you feel like you have to say yes to that thing, or you might have to do that thing. It's just you have to have discernment here.
Keith Kalfas 00: 01:02 - 00:01:55
For instance, we removed these huge arborvitaes that were growing up as part of this $13,000 job. These huge arborvitaes were growing up behind the house and we had to cut them down and grind the stumps because the customers wanted them gone completely. And after we dug out all of the arborvitae trimmings, all the dead stuff, there was this white PVC pipe with the, basically the roots growing right up against it, and we had to grind it. And I told my guy, I was like, dude, you have to be so so so careful. Use a sawzall, chip around, cut around, whatever you do, do not hit that pipe. And I can't say that I wouldn't have hit the dang thing because he's extremely careful. He's on that thing for 3 and a half hours grinding around up against the house, and there's this pipe that was hidden, and he nicks the pipe. So we had to get this PVC repair stuff, and luckily, it was just like a drainage.
Keith Kalfas 00:01:56 - 00:02:40
It wasn't anything crazy. And we were able to completely repair it with this PVC stuff and then smooth it over and sand it. And the moment the question mark comes up, you're like, So that's what you do, you get paid to solve problems. I have a friend who, I can't say his business, but he told me, once he started standardizing his business and saying, this is what we do, this is what we don't do. It could be a $50,000 job, and the customer could be like, well, can you repair the railing on my steps? Because I really need it fixed. And in the moment, you might feel like you have to say yes because this whole $50,000 job is hanging on it. But you will eventually get to the point where you can confidently say, oh, no. I'm sorry. We don't offer that service.
Keith Kalfas 00:02:40 - 00:03:28
We can do the $50,000 job. We're experts at this, but we're not going to repair your railing because we're not experts at it. Right? And the customer, my friend, told me, he said that he was afraid to say no, and once he started saying no because he said it's the little tiny; the devil's in the details. It's those little tiny things that will snag you and mess up a whole job because then you try to fix the railing, and you realize it has parts that are discontinued. Now you have to special order them. Right? And it's part of the job. It's on the service contract. So then it takes 4 weeks for them to arrive, and it's the wrong dang parts, and then you have to reorder them from somewhere else, and you have to fine them. And you're waiting on a $50,000 check being held up or your final deposit because of some stupid little parts from a railing coming off that you're not even supposed to be doing anyways, but it's part of the job.
Keith Kalfas 00:03:28 - 00:03:48
You agree to do it. So you gotta be really careful. My friend told me when he started saying no, the customers just went, “Oh, okay. No worries. I guess I'll have to find somebody else to do that”. He's like, boom. It was all in his head. Another friend of mine said that he got completely out of all the labor in his business, and I'll tell you some other stories here.
Keith Kalfas 00:03:49 - 00:04:31
He subcontracts only. Right? But it's a type of higher profit industry that allows you to subcontract and to standardize its commercial work. And he said, I said, “Wait a second. How do you control the quality if you're not there inspecting everything?” And my friend starts laughing, and he goes, “Bro, all the stories we told ourselves all these years as service business owners, a lot of it was just stupid stories in our heads of what we're afraid of. It's all in your head.” And he reiterated it. He's like, and you're so stuck on the story of, like, I have to be there to control the quad, I have to be there. He's like, when you find the right people, or you have the right people or people that are accountable or have an invested interest, it's all completely in your head.
Keith Kalfas 00:04:31 - 00:05:03
And so the most successful people know that you don't have to be there. Right? You just have to find somebody who's, like on and on. A hundred examples. So anyways, this PVC thing, we fixed it and repaired it when removing these large arborvitaeys from behind this house on this $13,000 job. There was a hidden PVC pipe. We had to grind it and cut it around it with a sawzall to get the roots out and accidentally nicked the pipe and had to fix it and we did. And then we're removing these pine trees. They have very shallow roots.
Keith Kalfas 00:05:03 - 00:05:27
No big deal. Grind them down. Topsoil, grass seed, done. We get called Miss Dig. There's electricity, high voltage utility lines running directly underneath them. So we have to, like, change our approach and do a surface grind. I think we only went, like, 4 inches deep, and we had to cut and pull the roots up by hand. That took an extra few hours.
Keith Kalfas 00:05:28 - 00:06:05
Here you go. So you feel like you have to say yes to some stuff, but other stuff you can just outright say no to. This one customer, awesome customer, do every different type of property maintenance, but she's like, come in the backyard, look at my garden. I want you to delineate the garden beds and separate them from the grass. So there's the bushes and the garden beds, but then the grass is growing into the garden bed. She's like, “I want you to create a brick retaining, like with brick pavers, a retainer. And I also want you to install a whole patio next to my patio to install it.” Right? To extend it.
Keith Kalfas 00:06:05 - 00:06:50
And I looked at it, and I was like, we can definitely do that if I'm here because I know we're gonna dig, and we're gonna end up cutting sprinkler lines. It's gonna be some work. I said, but I don't have time to be here because my job is to keep the calendar full. I'm mostly out of the field now. My job is to do sales and marketing and, talk to customers and, collect money, and make sure the guys have all the materials that they need so that they can bang out jobs. So you might have to say no and reduce some of those extra services that you were doing when you were there because you're so focused, and you know you can pull it off even if you're not totally experienced. You just have that capacity because, frankly, because your ass is on the line to do a phenomenal job. So these things tie you to the job.
Keith Kalfas 00:06:50 - 00:07:13
So I very confidently. Well, actually I wasn't confident, 'cause I wanted to do it so bad, 'cause I wanted the money. It was another It could be another $3 or something or $4. I was like, we're not experts at this, so I have to decline that. And the customer said, “Oh, come on. You can do it. I know you can do it.” And I said, “Oh, let me think about it. We might be able to do it.”
Keith Kalfas 00:07:14 - 00:08:17
So I walk away from the customer and now I have this thorn in my side, and I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about it. I already know that it's a no. Days go by, and the customer is messaging me, “Hey, are you gonna give me a price to do this garden thing and the little patio extension with the brick pavers?” I'm so stressed about it because see what happens is you learn from your mistakes. When you say yes to something that you know you should have said no to, but just because you want the money or you need the money, and then you're stuck on that job when you're supposed to be doing other things, and now you're stretched so thin that you're out there behind, you're on Sunday, then you tell yourself a story. Well, being crazy busy like this, this is where I make the most money is when you're up to here, and that's also true. When you're so busy, you're up to here, where you don't have you're on the run constantly. That is where you make the most money, but is it? Or is it just a story? So you learn all these little lessons, and I basically messaged the customer back like, I got on the phone and said, “Hey, I did some research, we're not gonna be able to do that.”
Keith Kalfas 00:08:18 - 00:08:33
No. No. No. No. No. No means no. And the customer says okay. And then what happens? Very same day, we close another 6 to $12,000 in work doing this stuff that we're good at, which is property maintenance.
Keith Kalfas 00:08:33 - 00:09:02
This is what my employees know exactly how to do. They can trim the shrubs, and pull the weeds, and edge out the garden beds. They can put in mulch. They can do decorative stone. They can do all the stuff that we do every day, and I don't have to be there at all. I just send them the work order on Jobber, and they can just do, oh, go to get jobber.com/kalfas. I'll put a link in the description below because I'm a Jobber ambassador. You can save you get just basically a huge discount with my exclusive link when you sign up with Jobber.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:02 - 00:09:42
So anyways so you have to reduce the services that you offer. So you can cookie cutter your business, so it becomes more predictable. So I remember when I first started my landscaping business, I would look at other companies, and it's called copycat marketing when you first start running your business. You see what other people are doing that appear confident, and you just kinda copycat what they're doing. But sometimes the truth is, they don't even know what they're doing. They just copycat it someone else. And if it seems to work, it seems to work. But this one landscaping company in my town, they have like 20 services listed all over the trailer.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:43 - 00:10:40
It's like tree trimming, landscaping, shrub trimming, mulch, decorative stones, sprinklers, this, that, patios, pergolas, and it went on and on to all the like, oh, fertilizing, dethatching, aerating, there's a whole list. And I was like, oh, that's genius. Because then customers are gonna see it, and they're gonna look for the service that they need. So if it's a bigger company that has different divisions or different times of the year and they specialize, like, for instance, we would do gutter cleaning only in the spring and in the fall. We'll get a huge list, and we bang them all out and we bang them all out. When we have a gutter cleaning randomly in the middle of the like the late late late spring or summer, it doesn't even fit. So if you have these services like dethatch, aeration, combo special, they're like $500, you'll come out and do all this. You just do it in the spring, right, or in the fall or something.
Keith Kalfas 00:10:40 - 00:11:16
And you segment it and you black it off and let all your customers know, hey. We're gonna be doing this for this month, this service, and you could kinda tie it into maybe when you're a little bit slower. That's what I love about doing ornamental tree trimming. That's why we do spring and fall cleanups. That's why you do snow removal.
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Keith Kalfas 00:12:22 - 00:12:36
But when you have this hodgepodge of services, it makes it very difficult. So the more refined you get and say, hey, we just do these few things very, very well, and we do them over and over and over and over again. That's so amazing because whenever you have a new employee come, you can train that employee quickly to do these services.
Keith Kalfas 00:12:36 - 00:13:55
And then you can leave, and then they'll know exactly what to do. But it's hard in the beginning when you need money because you'll say yes to all these different random things because you could just swap yourself with months of work and make literally 100 of 1,000 of dollars in revenue by just saying yes. But the problem with that is, again, to reiterate, is once you start getting employees, if you don't have if you don't have a training system and you have all these services, you might have to have all these different types of tools. So if Tuesday the guys turn in bushes and on Wednesday you got the guy pressure washing, how do you expect that guy to even learn and do a good job? That's your fault if you don't teach him. And if he doesn't do pressure washing again for another 2 weeks and randomly on a Thursday, he's doing pressure washing, how can you expect him to do a great job? Now you're gonna be walking on eggshells, afraid that something goes wrong. It's you could tell I've been through this crap. Right? So it's like, I think it's very important to get very clear about the services that you offer. And if you've been in the business for a while running solo, you can look and say, okay, What are the highest profit margin services that you do? What services do you love to do? What services do you absolutely hate doing? And try to narrow it and move it around and be like, you know what? I really like doing this.
Keith Kalfas 00:13:55 - 00:14:41
One of them could be a landscaping installs anywhere from 75100 to 15000, like installing stuff. And moving up with inflation, the bigger ticket jobs you get that are more kind of luxury, where customers have disposable income is, the higher the profit margins can go. So if you have a 50% gross profit margin on a, let's say, just a $10,000 job, 5,000 gross profit. And the one thing I like about doing bigger jobs, which is a whole another video, whole another piece of content, is that it's big rocks in your calendar that block up more time. So anyways, if you like these types of stories, let me know in the comments below. I appreciate you. I see and I read all of your comments even if I don't respond. It's because I just get so many messages.
Keith Kalfas 00:14:41 - 00:15:20
And again, I'm Keith Kalfas. This channel is called the landscaping employee trap. And if I say that in my older videos, you can look and see. I also have some announcements to make, so keep listening. If you go down and you see playlist or my older videos, I would say, what's up? It's Keith Kalfas with the landscaping employee trap. It's because when I first started this channel, I was a landscaper who was stuck in what I call dead-end landscaping jobs because I wanted to start my own business. So I said, let me make some videos for guys who are stuck in the landscaping employee trap, and the channel kinda took off. And so we also I created a podcast called The Untrapped Podcast.
Keith Kalfas 00:15:20 - 00:15:52
So if you don't have time to watch the videos, you can also go to Apple or Spotify, The Untrapped Podcast, and you can listen to it while you work. We just crossed 850,000 downloads. And then also, I have a whole much more announcements. If you need a great website, go to durable.co. Durable uses the power of AI to give you an amazing website to market your business. And with AI, it'll templatize your whole website out quickly. You just type in, like, make me a lawn care or landscaping website. And then you go in and you fill in all the blanks.
Keith Kalfas 00:15:52 - 00:16:30
And then, with my unique code, because I'm a durable ambassador, I'll put a link in the description below. You can click it, and you get a huge discount with my link. So next thing is keithkelphus.com is my website. You can get access to all my resources. If you go to keithkelphus.com/resources, you get access to everything that I talk about in my videos. If you need software, you need equipment, you need help with your business, I have also started something. We're beta-testing the untrapped alliance, which is a biweekly coaching group. So you can get on a Zoom calls with me and a few other people.
Keith Kalfas 00:16:30 - 00:17:12
It's a community where you can get your questions answered, and we can walk you through your business sales and marketing. And really excited about that. I'll also be having, from time to time, other experts come on that are have profound knowledge in running a service business, and then they can answer your questions too, so we have more diversity. So, I'll put the links to everything that I'm talking about below here. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and turn on notifications. If you wanna get on a call with me, it's keithkalfas.com/call. Sometimes people try to get a hold of me and I can't. I'm busy running a couple businesses and I'm married and I have so much stuff going on that I can't get on the phone with people anymore. And sometimes people are getting upset.
Keith Kalfas 00:17:12 - 00:17:40
They're like, yo, I wanna talk to you on the phone, bro. How come you won't talk to me? And I was like, I just can't. I spent a few years talking to people all the time on the phone and for free in Facebook, chatting and messaging, helping them the guys who are trying to start their businesses. And that's my favorite thing to do. That's what this whole channel is about. So I created keithkelphus.com/call. It's a paid 30-minute or 1-hour call you can get on the phone with me. And I also offer higher-level coaching because I'm completely obsessed with marketing.
Keith Kalfas 00:17:40 - 00:18:18
So Yeah. That's it. What up, though? My studio, I am remodeling a part of it. And I'm gonna be taking the podcast to a next level, and it's gonna be sweet. I can't wait for you to see it. Oh, also, another announcement. We just finished traveling around the country doing a season 1 of our shop tour series. And we've done amazing interviews with people like coach Carroll, Tommy Mello, Kirk Kempton from ResponsiBid, Ryan Johnson from Reach at Window Cleaning, we've done Troy Klog, and we've done, I said Tommy Mellow, a one garage doors.
Keith Kalfas 00:18:19 - 00:18:34
So that'll all be coming out soon on my YouTube channel here. I'm so excited about it. It's gonna be totally free. They're like full, almost like a TV show of amazing epic interviews. And that's it. Stay blessed.
In today's episode, Keith dives into a pretty intense story that could really make you stop and think.
A few years back, in 2021, Keith had a near-miss that none of us would ever want to face—he almost got seriously hurt while working on a tree job near some high-voltage power lines. And he's shared why that experience serves as a major wake-up call about the realities and risks of working close to electricity. Keith's not just telling this story for kicks—he hopes it opens eyes and might even save a few lives. We'll hear how important it is to be cautious and learn about electrical safety so that nobody finds themselves in a similar scary situation.
So, if you're in the green industry or know someone who is, you'll want to stick around and listen to this one!
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 Trimmed branches with a telescopic pole saw.
03:17 Felt weird after a close call with danger.
07:13 Firefighter calls it a miracle: mild injury.
10:09 Assume wires are live; check safety videos.
Key Takeaways:
Keep Your Eyes Peeled: Power lines might look like they're far away, but give them respect and distance—always.
Assume Every Wire is Hot: Whether it’s an electrical, phone, or even a cable line, treat them all like they’re live. Better safe than sorry, right?
Know Before You Go: Watch safety videos on electrical hazards and tree work. A little knowledge goes a long way toward keeping you safe.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
Here's the video and story about our Window Cleaning brother in the UK I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_pxfE8A4k
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7QgzAauFCQ
Tree Work Electric hazard awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGSn9Rx8f8&t=0s
The Time William and I climbed 115ft. in a tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVmT_Nhohjk&t=0s
Tree Work and Arborist Videos playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLub0_q7i2mDRR3pk7GpX3k8JhZiE2IvYm
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript
(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
Keith Kalfas 00:00:05 - 00:00:49
So this goes out as a warning to everybody in the green industry. I almost died a few years ago at work, and I keep avoiding making this video because of my ego is afraid of looking stupid and getting criticized, but I believe that what I'm about to talk about can very much save lives, and so I'm gonna tell you the story. I can't believe I'm making this video. So I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for the safety of others. Alright. So 2021, we're doing a tree job, and I'm removing a jack pine tree. This tree was maybe 25 feet tall behind a shed in a backyard. And so I'm actually pretty experienced doing tree work.
Keith Kalfas 00:00:49 -00:01:53
I just don't post it on social media, and well, there was primary power lines, but they were 15 feet away from the tree and way high up, so they're about 10 feet away and then another 12 feet up. I mean, they were so far back and up in the air that once I was up in the tree and I started removing branches, they're behind me. I stopped paying attention to them because they were literally really far away. Right? Well, there's this thing I needed to trim a branch in front of me that I couldn't reach and get out to. So I'll tell my guy on the ground, I'll be like, yo, hand me the Stihl PP 800. It's a telescoping 18-foot aluminum pruning telescoping pruner pole and with the saw head on it. Right? You attach the saw head. And what I'll do with it, I'm up in the tree, is he'll extend it all the way out and then push it up to me, and I'll reach down and grab it, and then I'll fish it up behind me, and then I'll collapse it back down and just trim what I need to trim.
Keith Kalfas 00:01:53 - 00:02:23
Well, in this instance, dude, I got my gear on ropes, I got my gaffes, which are my spikes, I got my saddle. I got my buck strap my lanyard around the tree. I've got my pruning saw. I'm fully geared up, and I'm in the tree. It's a dry, hot July day. Very hot, very dry out. And as I'm fishing, the saw up, and it's going higher and higher and higher behind me because I stopped paying attention to this wide-open aluminum primary line. I don't know how many volts it is.
Keith Kalfas 00:02:23 - 00:03:16
Like, let me know in the comments. 12,000 volts. And I've watched a lot of electrical videos. Like, you should just stay the hell away from electrical lines because you could touch something that's touching something that's touching something, and it'll take a full Thanksgiving turkey and set that mug on fire and fry it in like 20 seconds. So anyways, as I'm fishing it up, my hands on the aluminum, bare hand, and I take my hand off the aluminum because that's where, like, there's a rubber grip, and it's not insulated for electrical safety. Soon as my hand goes off the aluminum, I push up one more time, and I grab the rubber grip. I hear tink, and I felt a buzz go through me, and my hair stand on end. And I look behind me and I hit the primary line, and it swings back and goes pink and hits again. It goes bzzzz, dude. I pulled the pole away from the line.
Keith Kalfas 00:03:17 - 00:04:14
Right? Real quick. And my just whole heart my energy dropped. I got rid of the pole real quick, put it through down on the ground, rappelled to the ground, took my gear off, and immediately just walked and sat in my truck. So, as I'm sitting in my truck, this sounds really weird, like an out-of-body experience, and I'm still freaked out about this. There was a part of me that believed that I had died and that my spirit walked over and was sitting in my truck waiting for, like, the ambulance to come and watch my body get carried away and that I was just a witness. Because when you touch an electrical line, aluminum line with an aluminum pole, you don't just not get injured. It either sets your body on fire, your organs explode, your legs explode, you get stuck on it. You're toast.
Keith Kalfas 00:04:14 -00:05:02
You don't touch an electrical line without, first of all, dying, having an instant heart attack, being set on fire, or having severe injuries. And one of our brothers, he's actually in UK, is a window cleaner, and he's water-fed pole. He's cleaning windows two-story building, working hard, and building his business family at home. There was an airline, and the water, it was windy, was like misting off in the air because there's water jets when you clean windows. It's a really cool window-cleaning system, and this could happen to anybody. It arced, and it traveled along the water, ran down the pole into his hands, blew this guy back, like, 10 feet, and left burn marks in the grass. And this guy is I think he's just getting out of the hospital. He's had, like, 20 surgeries.
Keith Kalfas 00:05:02 - 00:05:41
It's affected his kidneys. He has burnt necrotic tissue, several infections, blood clots. They've had to remove part of his forearm tons of muscle tissue in his legs, and this is permanently negatively affected this guy for the rest of his life. And if you're part of, like, the tree care safety and being a certified arborist, which I'm not, and what is it? The ANSI standards and all this stuff. There's reports that come in every single week about all the injuries that happen across the United States. Most of them are actually homeowners with chainsaws trying to do work themselves or people getting electrocuted, people getting injured, people could it's like it's such a high severe risk.
Words From Our Sponsor 00:05:42 - 00:06:36
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Keith Kalfas 00:06:37 - 00:07:13
But especially electrocution. So I got on the phone. I instantly called one of my landscaping clients who climbs power poles and works on electrical lines, and I told him immediately what happened. I was embarrassed on a care. I say, “Hey, Mrs. Jones. Can I talk to Mr. Jones? I know he does this for a living.” I'm I'm the land “What's going on, Keith?” And I was like, I tell him what happened, and he says, “Brother, all I can say is that the good lord was on your side today, and that's a miracle that you are not burnt, and you are still here with us. The good lord is on your side.”
Keith Kalfas 00:07:13 - 00:08:00
I get on the phone with a retired firefighter lieutenant, and I tell him the story. Firefighters are highly trained when it comes to electricity. And he says, “Brother, what happened to you today was nothing short of a miracle. That you were okay.” Now, I did have some back pain for about 2 weeks. It wasn't too bad, but I felt like I had some kidney pain going on. It could have been from the saddle that I was in, just like a muscle. I can't tell. And I was very shaken up, but I talked to somebody else. I don't wanna throw them under the bridge, but I talked to one of my best friends who does tree work for a living. And he's, like, basically, well, he took it very serious, but he was also, like, I was overreacting.
Keith Kalfas 00:08:00 - 00:08:29
He's, like, “Quit being a wuss. Bro, what are you afraid of a little bit of electricity? I mess with electricity every day.” So, anyway but, I'm just trying to joke around to lighten it up a little bit. It's not funny. Oh, yeah. Here's the weird part I'll share. You know how, like, parallel universes? Sometimes, when I'm around my wife, I will think about that moment, and I feel very blessed. So if you're sitting around your house and you're bored and it's like a Sunday, you got no reason to be bored.
Keith Kalfas 00:08:29 - 00:09:08
If you are healthy and you're still here, you won. Okay? But I look at my wife sometimes, and I go, like, what if I really didn't make it that day, and it split off into like an alternate reality? I know that sounds crazy and like don't think that, don't think that, that's crazy thoughts because you know, it's like some.. Anyway, so here's the moral of the story, man. Stay the hell away from electricity and electrical lines. If you see a downline, don't even go near it. Don't even pick up branches. Dude, there could literally be. Oh yeah, also, the power line guy said maybe because it was so dry out that it didn't have anywhere to ground. My spikes were in the tree.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:08 -00:09:35
Right? If I would have been touching the aluminum, it probably would have fried me. But I was touching the rubber grip. The rubber grips and not insulated for electrical protection. Like, so You know, I was barehanded. It was dry out. My spikes, I was wearing long pants, and I was wearing gaffes that were coming off of rubber boots going into the tree. The electricity didn't have any place to go through me and ground. So it allegedly, I think, it kinda went in me and just went back out. It didn't have anywhere to ground.
Keith Kalfas 00:09:35 - 00:10:09
Say if it grounded out of my right gaff into the tree, it would have blown a hole in my leg or set my leg on fire. Right? So I was, like, so extremely lucky. I don't know what I would. I guess my gut says that was probably less than a 10%, maybe a seven, or as low as a 3% chance. 3% that I didn't get injured at all. Freaking unbelievable. So I feel incredibly blessed. So stay away from electricity. If you're trimming some tall shrubs and there's lines going through it, I don't think you should do it.
Keith Kalfas 00:10:09 - 00:10:53
There's phone lines, cable lines, internet lines. You should treat every single wire as if it's live and active. You know, I'm gonna put some links in the description below to electrical safety training videos. That wasn't the next thing I'm gonna say. Spend an hour watching videos of tree workers failing, dropping trees on houses, crushing vehicles, getting injured, being projected, you know, like a projectile 30 feet their whole body because they get hit by a branch. Literally, them being set on fire and being fried to death like a roasting marshmallow. Watch electrical safety training videos of where, like, they'll have like a wagon and then a pole and then something else and then they'll touch a stick with these big rubber gloves to a hot dog—five things touching the wire.
Keith Kalfas 00:10:53 - 00:11:17
Five independent things, and then they touch a hot dog to it, and the hot dog freaking sets on fire. So it what it is. It's a silent unaliber. It's a silent. You don't know that it happened until it happened. So you could just be walking up, and it's totally quiet. Just watch all the videos, man. Alright, I'm going back to running my Saturday errands. I got that off my chest. I hope that saves someone's life or protects somebody.
Keith Kalfas 00:11:17 - 00:11:22
I'm so thankful that I'm here and everything's okay, and I ain't never doing that ever again.
In this episode, Keith Kelfas shares a personal story about cutting corners on a landscaping job due to fear and lack of confidence. He recalls how he started his landscaping business with an obsessive focus on quality and customer care, only to land a wealthy client whose massive property overwhelmed him. Keith recounts undercharging for extensive landscaping work and making a critical error by not using enough weed barrier fabric. This mistake haunted him for years, teaching him valuable lessons about knowing his worth and the importance of doing the job right the first time. He emphasizes the significance of providing top-notch work and charging appropriately, highlighting the stress and emotional toll of undercharging and cutting corners. Keith also touches on using Jobber Software to improve his business operations. With a focus on continuous improvement and learning from mistakes, Keith aims to inspire landscapers to deliver exceptional results and run healthy businesses.
"True mastery in business comes from the pain and suffering of lessons learned the hard way. Charge what you're worth, commit to top-quality work, and never let fear drive your decisions. Build your confidence, stay connected to your heart, and you'll create a business that serves both your clients and your dreams." - Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Undercharging and Low Self-Esteem: Starting out with low confidence led to significantly undercharging for services, which resulted in cutting corners and causing long-term stress.
Learning from Mistakes: Hard lessons were learned about the importance of charging appropriately for work to ensure quality and avoid future stress and financial strain.
Importance of Self-Worth in Business: Understanding and valuing one's worth is crucial for running a successful business, delivering high-quality work, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Keith delivers a profound narrative on navigating life's darkest moments in this compelling episode of The Untrapped. He recounts his experiences of financial hardship and emotional challenges, illustrating how he discerned a faint glimmer of hope amidst seemingly insurmountable despair. Keith emphasizes the importance of developing resilience and the readiness to receive life's blessings when they eventually appear. He invites you to consider the broader aspects of success beyond material wealth, challenging them to cultivate inner peace and purpose.
Join us as we uncover the significance of being prepared to emerge as guiding lights for future generations, reinforcing the enduring truth that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.
Check out these episode highlights:
00:00 Patience and perseverance build the readiness needed for responsibility.
03:10 Embracing inner peace invites blessings; firmly resist negativity.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
Transcript (Note: this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)
00:00:00
Bro, I want to talk about a time that I was in such a pit of despair and depression that I couldn't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was so small it was like a pinhole. It might as well been a whole black sky and me looking up at one single star. I was broke, I was in debt, I had debt collectors call me, and I would go out to the park at night, look at the sky, and get on my knees, and I would pray to God, and I would say, "God, please let me be successful. Please. Please." I was begging him, and I felt God say, "No, you got a long way to go. It's gonna happen, but you got a long way to go."
00:00:35
But here's the thing: even in the pit, I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel because I could see it. I could see it. Even though it was this small, there was still a light. So all I had to do was just put my focus on it and put one foot in front of the other. I was walking the line. And bro, it took another 15 years. And here's why because: if God gives you what you want, that you say that you want, that you're praying for, that you're begging for, that you're asking for, if he gives it to you right now, you have not developed the skill set. You hadn't been through the real hard work and actually got the stars and stripes to be able to deal with the responsibility of what you're asking for.
00:01:15
Are you ready for all that? You better be careful what you wish for because you might only get it once and you squander it, you mess it up? No. So I'm asking god, "Please delay my blessing until I'm ready for it because I see the light at the end of the tunnel." This is a blessing that I'm going through the pit right now in despair because now I got all this time to walk it out. So when I do get there, when I do get there, when you do get there, you'll be ready to walk into your blessing. And you can handle it because you're a good steward of your blessing. And it's not just about money. If you read the book, The Wealth Money Can't Buy by Robin Sharma.
00:01:58
Bro, he talks about how wealth is just one little tiny piece of the pie. There's all these other things you got to learn. Some people who make a lot of money are complete failures. No amount of financial success can compensate for failure in the home, and no amount of worldly success can compensate for failure with your relationship with your creator. So, if you're not yet where you say you want to be, I want you to take a minute and think real clearly about where you're at and get humble. Get humble. And then, I want you to think about who are you honoring and praising right now and who are you gonna continue to honor and praise when things are good. Because they're gonna get good.
00:02:46
Your blessing is coming, and when it comes, it's gonna come quick. I remember very clearly each level up in my life. It was when something changed inside of me. I had to get to the point where I was like, you know what? I deserve better than this. I'm worthy of this. I put in the work. It still didn't happen. It was when I finally threw in the towel, and I surrendered, and I said, you know what? I'm done.
00:03:10
I'm done being so upset about what's not happening on the outside. I'm gonna maintain peace on the inside. So that's when the blessing just went right into my life. And one thing, the naysayers, the toxic people in your life, and I know you got one because I know I got one too, you have to go to war with these people, not physically. It could just be drawing new lines in the sand and staying in your square and saying, "You know what? I have a huge dream, and I'm gonna keep chasing that dream and taking action every single day towards that dream," despite if you're in depression, if you're in the pit, no matter what. And I'm telling you, I'm a walking testimonial. I'm a walking testimonial. I've watched it happen in my life.
00:03:53
I went from being broke and debt all of it. Right? And scared to literally walking into having multiple business, being a keynote speaker, having millions of views on social media, having a happy marriage, being able to literally go all over the country and do what I want, when I want, how I want, and have multiple streams of income. I'm a walking testimonial. I'm I'm so serious right now. If I can do this, if I could do it, if I could do it, if I could do it, then you can do it. I want you to not give up. I want you to keep trying. I want you to keep fighting.
00:04:23
I want you to give everything that you've got. Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't ever compromise, and you will watch these blessings open up in your life. It is going to happen for you. And if it ain't happening right now, that's fine because there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And how dare you? How dare you put your head in the sand and avoid sick? Because you know how the time's gonna go by, and you're gonna wake up in regret.
00:04:50
Regret. Now, wake up in regret. The light is at the end of the tunnel, and it's real. And I wanna leave you with one last thing. Who better to be a testimonial to others than somebody who's gone through it themselves? I'm telling you right now, if you have a vision and you have a dream, stick to it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel because there are people waiting for you on the other side that are gonna need your help, they're gonna need your mentorship, they're counting on you—people that you don't even know yet, maybe people that haven't even been born yet. There are people that are depending on you.
00:05:33
There's a light at the end of the tunnel. You got this, bro. You got it.
In his inspiring speech at the 2024 Lawntrepreneur Academy, Keith Kelfas discusses the importance of grit in overcoming professional and personal challenges. Drawing from his own experiences in the landscaping business and his faith in God, Keith shares powerful stories of perseverance, emotional growth, and the journey through highs and lows. He emphasizes the significance of honesty in business, the importance of setting expectations with clients and staying composed under pressure. Keith underscores that success comes from within, staying true to oneself, and always honouring God. Through anecdotes and practical advice, he motivates the audience to rise above adversity and carve their own path to success.
"No matter what you're going through or how a customer treats you, it's never, ever, ever admissible or okay to have a negative energy with the next customer. It's not their fault. " - Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
On this episode of The Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kelfas talks with Cornell from Mack Landscaping and Lawn Care, currently attending the Lawntrepreneur Academy event in Novi, Michigan. Cornell shares his journey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he grew up learning lawn care from his grandmother to starting his own lawn care business in 2016. They discuss the importance of having commercial auto insurance, leveraging online platforms like Google for business growth, and the significance of investing in oneself through continuous learning. Cornell also highlights the value of creating a supportive network and taking action to overcome excuses and setbacks. The conversation provides insights into both the personal and professional development necessary for running a successful business in the lawn care industry.
"Know your worth and embrace it. You’re not just valuable to your industry, but to yourself, your family, the world, and to God. When you truly recognize your worth, it elevates how you see yourself—and that confidence fuels your growth." -Cornell Mack
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Connect with Cornell Mack
Youtube: @mack_landscaping412 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mack_landscaping412 Website: macklandscaping412.com
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP
In this episode, we dive into the psychological and financial struggles of running a service business, especially when undercharging creates a cycle of stress and low profitability. Keith Kalfas, shares personal strategies for escaping this 'doom loop' by setting boundaries, improving communication, and learning from successful entrepreneurs. We also discuss the value of staying positive, organized, and building a high-performance mindset, supported by strong personal relationships. Plus, stay tuned for upcoming content featuring successful business tours and interviews.
"Break free from the 'doom loop' of undercharging by valuing your work, setting boundaries, and treating each challenge as data rather than a personal failure." Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Avoid the Doom Loop: Undercharging for services can lead to a cycle of low profit, high stress, and client relationships that lack loyalty. Breaking this pattern starts with valuing your work and charging accordingly.
Set Clear Boundaries: Clear communication with clients and setting boundaries are essential to maintaining profitability and avoiding burnout.
Surround Yourself with High-Performers: Learn from successful entrepreneurs, stay organized, and build a high-performance mindset supported by strong relationships to elevate your business and personal resilience.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
Build Your Website: https://durable.co/ Promo Code: keith30
In this episode, Keith Kelfas offers crucial advice for landscaping business owners facing economic uncertainty. He emphasizes the importance of staying strong, learning new skills, and maintaining a positive mindset. Keith shares insights from books like 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' and 'Guerrilla Marketing Tactics' to highlight resilience and strategic thinking. He also introduces a new sponsor, Durable.co, showcasing its AI-powered website-building tool tailored for landscaping and lawn care businesses. For a detailed understanding, tune in and get inspired to keep hustling and growing your business.
"If you focus on what you can control, you’ll feel more empowered. Start by spending less time with negative, victim-minded people." Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Stay Resilient and Focus on Self-Improvement: In tough economic times, continue learning new skills and sharpening your saw. Your resilience and hard work will pay off when the market conditions improve.
Control What You Can: Focus on aspects within your control and avoid spending time with negative, cynical people. Surround yourself with successful, high-thinking individuals to stay motivated and inspired.
Utilize AI Tools for Efficiency: Smart tools like Durable.co can help you quickly build professional websites for your business, saving time and resources while maintaining quality.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
Build Your Website: https://durable.co/ Promo Code: keith30
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, Keith Kalfas shares the hardships and unpredictability of the landscaping business, focusing on the importance of resilience and gratitude in the face of challenges. He discusses personal anecdotes and those of others in similar businesses, illustrating how perseverance through difficulties can lead to greater growth. Keith emphasizes learning from mistakes, maintaining faith, and the significance of managing stress and uncertainty.
" The pressure turns you into a diamond, people who don't have any pressure on them sometimes they just become very lazy and lackadaisical and they don't amount to anything. " Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Running a landscaping business is extremely challenging, especially in the first few years. Small business owners face a variety of issues such as negative reviews, unreliable employees, equipment breakdowns, and personal sacrifices.
It's essential to anticipate problems, manage stress, stay positive, and view challenges as opportunities for growth. Faith, integrity, and prioritizing family and customers are crucial.
Overall, the message is to stay motivated, work hard, and seek inspiration from others who have succeeded despite difficulties.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
Build Your Website: https://durable.co/ Promo Code: keith30
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, Keith Kalfas interviews Dan Platta, the Home Service CFO and founder of Best Dan Bookkeeping. They discuss key topics such as managing chaos in business, the importance of having the right team, effective organizational strategies, and Dan's journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship. The conversation touches on the significance of recruiting top talent, leveraging checklists for operational efficiency, and the biggest lessons learned from past mistakes. Dan also shares his vision for future ventures and insights on balancing business and personal life. Throughout the episode, actionable advice is provided for small business owners aiming to scale and improve their operations.
"Find good mentors and learn from their mistakes" Dan Platta
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Revenue Achievement and Service Diversification:
Importance of Support Systems:
Organizational Strategies:
Recruitment and Quality of Employees:
Influential Books:
Facing and Overcoming Fears:
Mentorship and Learning from Others:
Prioritizing Customer and Employee Satisfaction:
Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG):
Handling Mistakes:
Understanding and Leveraging Financial Data:
Connect with Dan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-platta-30736b31
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
Build Your Website: https://durable.co/ Promo Code: keith30
Join us as we dive deep with David Carroll, founder of Dope Marketing, who shares his inspiring journey of building a multimillion-dollar service business in window cleaning, pressure washing, and soft washing before transitioning into his dream venture, Dope Marketing. Discover the secrets behind his success, automation of service businesses, and how he balanced his family's priorities. Learn about the importance of personal health, making life-changing decisions, and maintaining happiness amidst the hustle. Don't miss out on this insightful interview packed with valuable lessons on business, life, and personal growth!
"Think of the last three times that you worried yourself to a point that no one could really talk you out of it. Remember that feeling? How do you feel today? It was nothing." David Carroll
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Automating and systematizing a business ensures it can run smoothly without constant involvement from the owner. Letting go of control and trusting the team reduces unnecessary stress and allows for better focus on what can be influenced. Understanding business cycles, maintaining consistent marketing efforts, and planning ahead for busy and slow periods are key to sustaining steady growth. Personal accountability and self-improvement are essential, with learning from mistakes and prioritizing well-being being critical for long-term success.
Achieving balance in life is also vital, with family and personal health prioritized over work. Empowering employees and trusting them to make decisions without micromanagement leads to more efficient operations. Additionally, having a clear vision and regularly revisiting the original goals and purpose helps stay motivated and keep the business on track.
Connect with David
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopemarketing/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davedopemarketing/ Website: dopemarketing.com
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
In this episode, Keith shares invaluable insights from a decade-long experience serving 5,000 clients in a landscaping business. He discusses the challenges and strategies to make the business more manageable and enjoyable. Key topics include the importance of consuming industry-specific knowledge through audiobooks and podcasts, avoiding unrelated distractions, and systemizing tasks. He emphasizes the importance of integrity, simplifying services, and maintaining a clear separation between personal and business life. Real-world advice on facing and learning from mistakes, setting clear boundaries, and investing in coaching programs for faster growth are provided to help landscaping business owners succeed.
" And when you make these mistakes in your landscaping business, don't resist them and stick your head in the sand, take full responsibility, fall on your sword and eat the mistake, no matter how painful it is and eat it right. That way you'll learn. Through pain and suffering. And then that's how you get better."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways
In this episode, Keith shares valuable insights for small business owners, particularly in the window cleaning industry. The discussion delves into overcoming anxieties associated with running a service business by implementing a thorough follow-up process similar to a 21-step system used by larger companies. Keith emphasizes the importance of pricing strategies, the 'one and done' method for task completion, and the benefits of using software like Jobber for systematization. Additionally, it highlights the need for small business owners to simplify their services, raise prices, and potentially hire employees and virtual receptionists to handle administrative tasks. Real-world examples, such as receiving tips and raising prices, are provided to illustrate these strategies.
"The moment your business changes and you wake up and it starts to become successful is when you realize that your business isn't your whole life and you stop stressing about your business and making it this big, stupid, and stressful thing."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Success often begins once you stop seeing your business as your entire life.
Reducing stress and not overburdening yourself with work can positively impact your business.
Recognizing and addressing the stressors in your business is essential for growth and success.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Keith reflects on the importance of maintaining faith and gratitude both during challenging and prosperous times. He shares personal counseling experiences, emphasizing the need for unwavering belief and commitment to God. Keith discusses how people often turn to God only in dire situations and neglect their faith once the crisis passes, drawing parallels with the biblical story of Israel and Judah. He advises viewers to surround themselves with positive influences, seek true spiritual growth, and use social media wisely to reinforce their faith.
"Shared laughter amplifies joy, turning even life's challenges into moments of happiness."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Praise Consistently: Emphasizes the importance of praising God not only in times of need but also when times are good.
Consistent and Committed Faith: Highlights the need for a consistent relationship with God, avoiding lukewarm beliefs and striving to remain steadfast in faith.
Positive and Supportive Community: Encourages surrounding oneself with positive, faithful friends and engaging with spiritually uplifting content.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In this compelling episode, Keith Kalfas shares twelve critical tips that have profoundly impacted his life and the lives of many men. He emphasizes the importance of personal accountability, self-improvement, and resilience. Key points include understanding that no one cares about your struggles, realizing that no one will solve your problems for you, the necessity of avoiding repetitive mistakes, fully committing to your work, taking time to unplug, and the critical role of coaching and creating systems. He also discusses the value of financial planning, the importance of hiring help, the need to build multiple income streams, and the ultimate realization that growth requires proactive change. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, Keith offers guidance for overcoming life's challenges and achieving success.
"The success that you are looking for lies in the hard work that you've been avoiding."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In this heartfelt reflection, Keith shares an intimate moment of overwhelming love and gratitude towards his wife, realizing the depth of his feelings when confronted with thoughts of loss. He narrates experiences highlighting their bond, from a panic attack at a 'Beauty and the Beast' movie to learning valuable life lessons about trust and commitment. The episode delves into his journey of appreciating his wife’s constant efforts and navigating through arguments, ultimately emphasizing the significance of unconditional love and commitment in a relationship. A raw and emotional exploration of love, trust, and responsibility.
"Without love, It's destitute you have nothing"
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Appreciation for Loved Ones: Recognize and cherish the presence of loved ones, and don’t take them for granted.
Unconditional Love: Experiences of deep unfettered love and connection as moments to treasure.
Balancing Priorities: Learn to balance work and personal life, making time for loved ones over professional demands.
Sacrifices for Happiness: Sometimes endure personal discomfort to make our loved ones happy.
Addressing Flaws: Acknowledge and work on personal shortcomings for the sake of harmony in relationships.
Commitment: Fully commit to the relationship without thoughts of backing out, creating stability and trust.
Mature Dispute Resolution: Handle disputes directly and maturely, demonstrating reliability and strength.
Responsibility: Take full responsibility for any mistakes, offering sincere apologies and avoiding future errors.
Growth through Vulnerability**: Embrace openness and vulnerability to strengthen your bond.
Personal Improvement: Enhance personal habits and appearance as a gesture of love and consideration.
Trust and Boundaries: Respect boundaries and avoid distrustful actions to maintain a healthy relationship.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Keith Kalfas reflects on his experience in the window cleaning business, sharing how trusted customers fired him after they raised their prices despite years of service. This realization led them to advise others to seek out clients who value their worth, rather than complaining about existing customers. This episode underscores the importance of finding clients willing to pay fair prices and hints at applying this lesson to the landscaping business, emphasizing a new pricing minimum.
"Go find customers who can pay what you're worth."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
You may have long-term customers who seem to care about you, but this doesn’t always translate to them valuing the worth of your services. When the time comes to increase your prices to match or even come close to the industry standard, some clients may choose to leave instead of paying the increased price.
Instead of lamenting over clients who refuse to pay what you’re worth, the focus should be on finding new customers who can and will pay for your services at your desired rate. It's crucial to proactively seek out and secure customers who understand and can afford your pricing.
The lesson from a landscaping pricing example applies similarly to window cleaning: setting a minimum price threshold can help in maintaining profitability and ensuring that your services are being appropriately compensated. Adjusting to a new pricing model, like the $700 minimum mentioned, although challenging, is necessary for growth and sustainability.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Join us on the podcast as we delve into the pivotal journey of scaling a business. Throughout the episode, Dan elucidate the crucial components of bookkeeping, utilizing the "5 bucket" concept to articulate different facets of business decisions. He discusses the trials and triumphs of scaling, from the practicalities of hiring and systematizing operations to delving into the financial nitty-gritty and reflecting on personal anecdotes related to business expenses and insurance claims.
Dan shares indispensable insights on the complexities of employee management and the financial toll of growth. He explores the challenges that arise and the insightful lessons learned from personal experiences. Discover the crucial balance to sustain profitability while navigating the risks and rewards of expanding your business.
Tune in for invaluable advice on overcoming obstacles, achieving longevity, and making informed decisions. Don't miss out on this essential discussion for entrepreneurs navigating the path to sustainable business growth.
Topics Covered:
00:00 The difficulties faced by small business owners.
06:31 Be mindful of rapid business expansion risks.
14:20 Unplanned growth and business expansion through hiring.
15:57 Unforeseen challenges induce stress, readiness is crucial.
26:30 Delegate to lighten your workload and succeed.
27:43 Money can be lost without your presence.
36:39 Entrepreneur's reluctance to adopt essential systems.
38:50 Brand style guide streamlines business operational processes.
44:13 Choosing between job scales and staying small
52:14 Scaling brings new challenges and limited resources.
57:11 Transition to higher earnings through strategic decisions.
59:10 Align labor pay with commissions and manage costs tightly.
01:07:14 Emphasize profit and avoid unnecessary equipment purchases and tasks.
01:13:18 Revenue growth doesn't raise infrastructure expenses.
01:17:49 Navigating challenges in business growth and staffing.
01:22:22 Optimize system, improve staff management for success.
01:26:12 Exploring multiple marketing strategies is vital for growth.
01:35:31 Navigating leadership challenges in culture spread and marketing.
01:37:48 Assess administrative productivity, prioritize leadership development, and implement EOS.
01:45:13 Analyze business decisions through profit and loss.
01:49:36 Embrace challenges and find joy in entrepreneurship.
Key Takeaways
Connect with Dan Platta
Website: Best Damn Bookkeeping
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestdamnbookeepping/
Email: dplatta@bestdamnbookkeeping.com
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
VA Mastery - Master the Art of Hiring Virtual Assistants in Just 7 Days!- VA Mastery Optin 6 (keithkalfas.com)
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas sits down with Paul Jamison from the Green Industry Podcast. The conversation covers Paul's upcoming move to Florida, his journey in podcasting, and the success of 'Cut that Grass and Make that Cash.' Paul shares insights into his new book 'How to Build a Thriving Lawn Care Business,' and discusses the importance of aligning one's life with God's will, alongside the four R's of deliverance: recognizing, renouncing, repenting, and resisting. The episode concludes with an impactful prayer session, further emphasizing the role of faith in achieving entrepreneurship success.
"What are your 10X goals? How can you be more intentional with your time to achieve them? Reflecting on these questions might just be the first step towards your own journey of transformation."
- Paul Jamison
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
I started looking at things and saying, "Okay, the lawn business is bringing in, you know, six figures, it's bringing in good money and the media business is bringing in a lot money and it's actually more than the lawn business."
And I realized if I would, I need to double down on one or the other, that the Pareto principle, the 80, 20 rule. Is 20 percent of your income or input is going to produce 80 percent of the results. And so I was noticing I'm making a lot of money doing this right here, but I barely do any of that because I'm doing all this other stuff over here, right? - Paul
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In this engaging episode, I took a deep dive into the world of entrepreneurship, grappling with the formidable foes of overwhelm and stress. I learned that the key lies in remaining calm in the face of chaos, cutting off distractions, and owning up to our commitments. It's not just about pushing through; it's about finding that sweet spot and edge where growth and challenges intersect.
I also made an important distinction between material Success and true fulfillment. It's not just about the numbers in your bank account; it's about aligning with your purpose and finding holistic wealth.
So, remember, when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, dig deep, take charge, and overcome the overwhelm.
This is your journey to unleashing your true potential and thriving in business.
"I think that you can have all of the materialistic wealth and money and riches and the boat and the cars and the houses and all these things and be able to give to charities and help people and stuff like and do all these beautiful things and have a vacation home and do the thing that you love and are passionate and your dream and desire to do. But you have to turn off the world and check out of the world and stay checked into strategy and your heart and what means the most to you." - Keith.
Topic Covered:
00:00 - Manage overwhelm by finding your edge and working it.
05:06 - Text customer, prioritize calm and avoid overwhelm.
06:29 - Experienced freedom and self-care crucial for well-being.
12:07- Success lies in finding purpose, hard work, and embracing challenges. Instead of pursuing materialistic wealth, strive to do what you love, even during difficult times. Embrace the idea of falling in love with what you hate as a secret to reaching the next level, as suggested by Grant Cardone.
15:06 - Embracing the wealth of being present, overcoming anxiety.
Key Takeaways:
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇
Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS
How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs.
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In today's episode I deep dive into the intricate world of content creation, marketing, and personal development. I peeled back the layers of impactful storytelling, emphasizing the incredible power of harnessing emotions to create compelling and meaningful content. My discussions also illuminated the importance of unwavering authenticity in an industry plagued by manipulative marketing tactics. I delved into the challenging yet transformative journey of transitioning businesses, effectively automating operations, and cultivating financial stability. By exploring personal anecdotes and insights, I unearthed the pivotal role of integrity, strategically building and managing your team, and harnessing social media to foster exponential business growth. Elevate your business game and leave a lasting impact! Head to keithkalfas.com to access exclusive insights and grab your free downloadable guide on smartphone-based social media marketing. It’s time to turn your dreams into reality!
Topics Covered:
00:00 Embrace bold action and leverage online content creation.
09:04 Passion and targeted content are essential for success.
13:43 Influencers emphasize integrity in making money online.
18:49 Parking lot lines symbolize life's journey.
23:22 Overcome fear, embrace change, and stay passionate.
31:53 Started landscape business with raw authenticity and passion.
37:03 Entrepreneur warns against manipulative marketing tactics.
39:25 Podcast and media businesses thrive and diversify income.
48:49 Stay focused and purpose-driven; avoid distractions.
54:22 Fully commit to video/podcast. Use every moment.
57:13 Structure habits, set rules for specific behavior.
01:05:40 Building a personal brand and marketing strategy.
01:09:29 Struggling with services, considering removing window cleaning.
01:16:35 Commitment attracts like-minded individuals, and fear repels.
01:18:55 Interview, hire and test virtual assistants efficiently.
01:25:20 Invest in books, business, and executive assistance.
01:27:34 Free group coaching call invites for everyone.
Key Takeaways
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In today's episode, I delved into the critical topic of understanding your worth in the business world. I shared valuable insights on setting boundaries, implementing minimum pricing, and the significance of prequalifying employees. My personal anecdotes and hard-earned wisdom paint a vivid picture of the challenges and triumphs entrepreneurs often face. My message is a powerful reminder that we are the architects of our worth as business owners. It's time to take control, stand firm in our value, and let this session embolden and guide us on our entrepreneurial path.
I started raising the prices on the customers that were outside the service area incrementally without however far they were. It was so hard to do when customers dropped, by and they said, hey. Last year, it was a $1,000 to do all this. Why is it, you know, 12, 1400? And if you have a reason why, and you believe it in your heart, and you know your worth If you believe it in your heart, they'll feel it and you'll get it. And you'll start to get it more and more and more. - Keith
Topics Covered:
00:00 Community recognizes Keith's impact and authenticity.
05:43 Struggling with demanding boss and financial dishonesty.
08:11 Establish boundaries, work smarter, prioritize well-being.
11:16 Set aside 30% for taxes and raise prices.
15:31 Raising prices to cover travel and density.
17:35 Struggles lead to a desire for a better life.
21:00 Overcoming hardship, finding identity, and making accurate decisions.
22:59 Embrace life's challenges and seek rewards.
Key Takeaways
🚀 **Know Your Worth**: Keith shares his personal journey of realizing his worth in the landscaping business. Understanding your value is crucial for success in any industry.
📈 **Minimum Pricing**: Establishing a minimum price and not compromising on it is essential. It's about standing your ground and delivering value that matches your worth.
🌐 **Marketing and Advertising**: Keith emphasizes the importance of continuous marketing and advertising efforts. Keeping the hopper full and staying booked are vital for business growth.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In our podcast episode, we delved into the sobering realities of entrepreneurial growth. We explored the complexities of navigating business transitions, emphasizing the critical need to separate personal and business finances. Our discussion shed light on the strategic investment decisions that define success in the competitive landscape of entrepreneurship.
Join me and my friend Dan Platta on this journey through the challenges and triumphs of building a sustainable business, where the sacrifices made for growth are met with unwavering dedication and a steadfast commitment to financial discipline. Tune in to gain invaluable insights into the unvarnished truths of the entrepreneurial journey and the unwavering focus required to succeed in the dynamic world of business.
"Know that you are 2 different people. You are a CEO, and you are an owner. We like to use the term owner operator a lot in the service industry, And even that is 2 separate words, and they are 2 different people. We just smash them together like it's the same person. But owners don't have jobs. Owners don't get paychecks. Owners sit on a beach and get dividend checks and check in every once in a while to see what's going on. CEOs or operators have jobs, get a paycheck, show up to work, do the thing, and make operating decisions, which are different than investment decisions."- Dan Platta
Topics Covered:
00:00 - Valuable content transformed my business. Grateful mentor.
05:46 - Making profitable decisions is crucial for business.
12:06 - Comedian shares business principles from fishing experience.
17:53 - Leverage debt strategically for business expansion and earn rewards.
23:29 - Submit old PDF to be taxed as S Corp.
28:36 - Ownership entails investing and overseeing business operations.
36:55 - Balancing work, fitness, and family responsibilities.
46:21 - Maintaining work-life balance through intentional activities.
53:22 - Dedication to pool upkeep and family enjoyment.
59:04 - Business growth presents financial challenges and increased expenses.
01:01:36 - Delegate tasks, focus on growth and marketing.
01:10:58 - Discussing business growth and profit margin strategy.
01:15:06 - Challenges of business growth and leadership at $1,000,000.
01:21:55 - Analyzing marketing investment and growth strategy risks.
01:23:56 - The entrepreneur's aggressive growth strategy leads to a heavy financial burden.
01:34:05 - Express heartfelt encouragement and courage sincerely and earnestly.
01:35:37 - Struggling as a guest to not take over.
Key Takeaways
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas talks to Adam Sylvester, owner of Charlottesville Lawn Care and a successful gutter cleaning business in Virginia. They discuss the challenges and benefits of running multiple businesses, employee management, leadership styles, maintaining work-life balance, and the importance of working on the business rather than in it. Adam also shares valuable insights about becoming a better communicator and leader, focusing on personal development, and creating a simple, fulfilling life. They also highlight the role of Jobber software in streamlining business operations.
"You don't get what you preach. You get what you tolerate."
- Adam Sylvester
Topics Covered:
Adam Sylvester: From Lawn Care to Gutter Cleaning Success
Starting and Scaling Two Separate Businesses
Cultivating Leadership and Building a Positive Work Culture
Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution
Personal Development in Professional Growth
Financial Management and Budgeting
Leveraging Technology and Planning for Growth
Key Takeaways
Assess Your Current Business: Ensure your existing business is running efficiently and has systems in place to operate smoothly without your constant supervision.
Effective Time Management and Delegation: Successfully handling multiple businesses requires wise time allocation and trusting others to manage tasks that don’t need your direct oversight.
Financial Preparedness: Ensure you have the necessary funds and a solid financial plan to support a new venture, and understand the financial risks involved.
Anticipate Challenges: Be aware of potential challenges such as burnout and stretched resources, and prepare for these obstacles ahead of time.
Recognize the Rewards: Multiple income streams, diversified investments, and increased market presence are some of the benefits of running two successful businesses.
Personal Decision and Planning: The decision to start a second business is personal and requires thorough planning, assessment, and a willingness to take calculated risks.
Stay Motivated: The satisfaction of achieving something few others attempt can be a powerful motivator. Keep dreaming big and stay open to new opportunities.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
Keith Kalfas, alongside guest Dan Plata of Blue Sky Services, explores critical aspects such as financial management, dividing personal and business finances, and the evolution of the owner's role during growth. It tackles the transition from hourly to commission-based employee compensation, demonstrating how it can boost productivity and align employee incentives with the business's success.
This episode also highlights the significance of managing operational capacity, the financial and structural implications of business expansion, and practical tips on asset management. Furthermore, it addresses the importance of a strategic approach to marketing, recruitment, and maintaining quality over quantity as the business scales. The conversation provides a well-rounded perspective on achieving profitable and sustainable growth, balancing operational efficiency, and navigating the challenges inherent in expanding a service-oriented venture.
" If you have the employees right now, your ceiling is unlimited, but if you don't have the employees, you can't go anywhere. You can't keep growing because there's nowhere to go with those phone calls."
- Dan Plata
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Recruiting Investment: Emphasizes the pivotal role of investing in recruiting, sharing a lesson learned about spending significantly more on recruitment the following year, demonstrating how it fuels business growth.
Employee Value: Highlights the crucial role of employees in business success, stressing the need to prioritize hiring and retaining the right employees as they are the key to unlocking business scalability.
Managing Employee Onboarding: Discusses the extensive process of managing employee onboarding, training, documentation, and compliance tasks as a full-time job that demands attention to detail and thoroughness in execution.
Outsourcing Recruitment: Suggests the option of outsourcing recruitment to streamline the hiring process, ensuring that only qualified candidates are presented to optimize time and resources effectively.
Scalability Challenges: Describes the challenges of scaling a business, from the initial investment in infrastructure to managing expanding costs, and the necessity of balancing revenue growth with escalating expenses.
Impacts of Infrastructure Expansion: Explores the financial impacts of scaling infrastructure, touching on the trade-offs between revenue growth and increased operational costs, shedding light on the complexities of financial sustainability during business expansion.
Net Profit Margins: Illustrates the fluctuations in net profit margins as the business scales, exemplifying how revenue growth may not always correlate with increased profitability due to escalating expenses and operational challenges.
Business Evaluation: Advocates for continuous evaluation and adaptation in response to evolving business needs, emphasizing the iterative nature of assessing and adjusting strategies to navigate the complexities of business growth effectively.
Expectation vs. Reality: Dives into the contrast between expectations and realities of business growth, showcasing how predictions of profitability and success can be challenged by unforeseen obstacles and the need for agile problem-solving.
Continuous Learning Curve: Acknowledges the ongoing learning curve in business management, even for experienced professionals, underscoring the need for adaptability, resilience, and a strategic approach to overcome challenges and propel business success.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In this video, Keith Kelfas shares comprehensive advice on how to effectively price and execute mulching services in 2024, starting with a baseline charge of $150 per yard installed. He details the process of mulching on a commercial property, emphasizing the importance of direct application to save time and resources. Keith discusses considerations for coverage area based on mulch shred type and suggests using online tools for accurate measurements. He recounts his pricing evolution from $65 to $150 per yard installed, including materials and transportation, and stresses the importance of adjusting mulch quantities around plants and garden design. Keith also covers different mulch types, the issues with red mulch, and the necessity of charging for additional services like bed prepping and mulch removal to avoid suffocating plants. Finally, he highlights the need for clear communication with the client to ensure property boundaries are respected and offers a free workshop for landscapers looking to increase profits.
"Mulch isn't just about beautifying landscapes; it's about protecting plants and ensuring their health. Charge accordingly, and let your work speak volumes"
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Pricing Strategy: Emphasizes the importance of pricing mulch installation services appropriately. He suggests charging based on factors like material costs, labor, transportation, and overheads. His progression from $65 per yard to $150 per yard reflects the value he attributes to his service and the market demand.
Value Proposition: Beyond mere installation, stresses the value of his service in terms of expertise, quality, and attention to detail. He advocates for charging what's right to reflect the comprehensive nature of the service provided.
Customer Education: Highlights the importance of educating customers about mulch types, proper application techniques, and the potential risks of incorrect mulch usage, such as suffocating plants or promoting fungal infections.
Upselling Opportunities: Discusses the opportunity to upsell additional services like bed preparation, edging, weeding, and plant maintenance. These services enhance the overall aesthetics and health of the landscape while increasing revenue for the landscaper.
Transparency and Honesty: Emphasizes the benefits of being transparent and honest with customers about pricing, scope of work, and potential challenges. This builds trust and credibility, leading to satisfied customers and repeat business.
Continuous Learning: Encourages landscapers to continually educate themselves about best practices, industry trends, and business strategies to improve their services and profitability.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence
In today's episode, I explored the transformative power of the P.O.P.P method—Passion Overcoming the Pressure to Peacock—while diving into the art of captivating storytelling and authentic engagement. I delved into the significance of leveraging personal experiences, the hero's journey, and the oscillation method to craft compelling narratives that resonate with your audience.
From utilizing smartphones for video creation to mastering content syndication and virtual assistant support, I covered a wealth of strategies to elevate your business's online presence.
If you're ready to unleash the full potential of your entrepreneurial journey, this session is a goldmine of wisdom. Keep the passion alive and keep creating!"
"Before you ever even make videos, you can think about it or write it down. I went and looked in the mirror, and I was like, don't ever be negative. Don't whine or complain, complain on videos, and have the specific things you talk about." - Keith
Topics Covered:
00:00 - Overcoming video fears and seeking validation online. 05:18 - Overcoming challenges in starting a landscaping business. 08:25 - Professionals handle job site challenges with expertise. 11:50 - Man leaves to save world, showing personal vulnerability. 13:30 - Crossing the Rubicon leads to irreversible consequences, causing high stakes and anxiety. 16:51 - Friend with huge YouTube following, Brian Barzak, passed away tragically. 22:09 - Started successful business in just 6 weeks. 25:13 - Customize message length for greater impact on the audience. 29:13 - Planning content safeguards personal and business brands. 30:28 - Belief in self leads to emotional response and success. 36:08 - Efficiently outsource content distribution to multiple platforms. Hire help for social media and podcasting. 37:17 - You have 7 days to do it. Take care.
Key Takeaways
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you level your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: Register for the two day workshop (keithkalfas.com)
Discover the 3 Steps To Crush It in Your Landscaping Business: Landscaping Free Video Series - Organic (keithkalfas.com)In this episode, join host Keith Kalfas as he embarks on a journey toward personal growth and enlightenment. Through candid stories and thought-provoking conversations, we unravel the highs and lows of elevating our consciousness. From the allure of social media stardom to the profound impact of spiritual wisdom and community bonds, discover the genuine keys to unlocking personal development. Tune in as we navigate the intricate process of integrating profound insights into our everyday experiences.
"True success is not measured by the size of your bank account, but by the depth of your spiritual growth and the strength of your connections with others."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
Authenticity Over Fame: The podcast emphasizes the importance of prioritizing genuine personal growth over the superficial allure of social media success.
Spiritual Guidance Matters: Highlighting the significance of spiritual wisdom, the podcast encourages listeners to seek guidance from within and prioritize spiritual well-being.
Community Connections: Building strong community bonds is essential for personal development. The podcast underscores the value of supportive relationships in nurturing growth.
Integration of Wisdom: Mere accumulation of knowledge isn't enough; integrating wisdom into daily life experiences is crucial for genuine personal evolution.
Embracing Challenges: Embracing challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth is a recurring theme. The podcast encourages listeners to view obstacles as stepping stones toward enlightenment.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Ready to level up your game? In this powerful session, I dive into the importance of decisive action and preparation. From fighting the good fight to maximizing every minute, I explore the significance of surrounding yourself with the right people, setting healthy boundaries, and finding your purpose. It's time to cut out distractions, gain clarity, and take a bet on yourself. This is your year to shine. Let's do this!"
"Believe in your own ability to figure things out and start taking bets on yourself. Awaken the entrepreneur within. Every single minute counts." - Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
00:00 - Prepare, fight, create structure to succeed.
07:00 - Find supportive people and avoid negativity.
09:05 - Increased self-awareness, connected mind and body.
11:02 - Get fired up; it's your turn now!
Key Takeaways
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you level your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: Register for the two day workshop (keithkalfas.com)
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas shares a breakthrough insight on the power of identity in shaping our success, particularly in the realms of small business and personal development. After returning from a speaking engagement in Atlanta and despite being unwell, Keith felt compelled to make this episode to share his realization that one's identity fundamentally controls their reaction to and utilization of information. He contrasts how people with scarcity mindsets and those with abundant, successful mindsets respond differently to the same business ideas, attributing the variance to identity. Keith delves into the psychology behind these mindsets, discussing the influence of self-limiting beliefs, the importance of conviction and alignment with higher principles, and the transformative power of letting go of what no longer serves us. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of faith, continual personal growth, and seeking higher questions to fundamentally change how one perceives and interacts with the world, thereby achieving true success and fulfillment.
"The person who is stuck in the victim scarcity mindset might intellectually be very intelligent and awake and understand they're conscious. They're here. And now they'll understand all the information coming in and they'll get excited."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways Identity Controls Everything: Explore how your identity shapes your success in business and personal development.
Shift in Mindset: Discover a breakthrough moment after 20 years and the importance of understanding your identity's influence on decision-making.
Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset: Contrasting the mindset of struggling individuals with successful entrepreneurs to highlight the power of identity.
Conviction and Faith: Learn about the importance of operating from a place of conviction, faith, and courage to overcome limiting beliefs.
Self-Discipline and Growth: Embrace self-discipline, let go of old beliefs, and adopt new perspectives for personal and professional growth.
Newsletter Invitation: Support the Untrapped Podcast by leaving a positive review on Spotify to inspire more listeners and help others on their entrepreneurial journey
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
During today's episode, I discussed how you can raise prices for your business while keeping your existing customers happy. It was fascinating to explore the mathematical precision of price increases and how to navigate customer perceptions.
I will share more valuable insights like this at my upcoming free workshop, Level Up Your Landscaping Business. For practical tips, check out my free workbook. Find out more at Keith's Workshop - Level Up. Click This
Don't forget it's all about creating a healthy, profitable, and successful future for your business. Stay tuned for more game-changing strategies.
Topics Covered:
00:00 - Serving customers with loyalty and offering additional services can dramatically increase profits and allow for business growth.
06:56 - Undercharging for landscaping may attract low-paying clients, impacting your business identity and beliefs.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you level your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: Register for the 2 day workshop (keithkalfas.com)
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kalfas interviews certified arborist Austin Douglas, the visionary behind a unique green industry business that specializes in poison ivy remediation and mosquito control services.
Austin shares insights on his entrepreneurial journey, the specialized services his business offers, the importance of certifications in arboriculture, and the niche markets he serves. He also discusses the challenges and solutions in poison ivy removal, the technical aspects of tree care, and his passion for continuous education within the green industry.
Furthermore, Austin touches on his educational efforts through Elevate Applicate, aimed at helping individuals become certified pesticide applicators. The conversation encapsulates the journey of a green industry professional who has carved a niche for himself through innovation, education, and a deep-rooted passion for the environment.
"You're a problem solver first. Whether you're solving the problem of beautifying a property through mulch or mowing the lawn, you're a problem solver."
- Austin Douglas
Topics Covered
Key Takeaways:
Pursuing Passion with Expertise: 'Ditch the Itch' exemplifies how following one's passion, driven by expert knowledge and specialized skills, can lead to creating a unique and successful business. This story inspires us to delve deep into our interests, gain certifications, and become leading figures in niche markets. It's a testament to the power of combining passion with professional growth.
Empowering Through Education: The use of digital platforms for education and brand building goes beyond mere marketing. It's about sharing knowledge, inspiring others, and creating a community that values continuous learning and improvement. This approach not only elevates a business but also contributes to the industry's overall advancement, encouraging us all to share our journey and expertise for the greater good.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
Landscaping Workshop keithkalfas.com/levelup
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Level Up Workshop: Keithkalfas.com/levelup
This episode reveals the secrets to getting your landscaping business to the next level. By defining your service area, developing a focused suite of services, and you can turn landscaping problems into profits.
Take advantage of my free 2-day workshop to learn even more about these strategies and unlock the potential of your business.
Get started by registering at the link below: https://www.keithkalfas.com/2dayregistermar
See you there!
Topics Covered:
3:04 - Establish a healthy customer base in specific subdivisions, then raise prices.
4:53 - Reduce your scope of offerings and increase your prices after realizing you were unable to meet demand with too many services.
6:17 - Our "property opportunity checklist" helps landscapers find and capitalize on these opportunities, resulting in higher profits.
8:08 - Learn how to say no so you can grow your business.
Key Takeaways:
1. Develop a Specific Service Area: Identify and focus on a specific service area in order to build route density and maximize profitability.
2. Build a Service Suite: Specializing in a few high-quality services is the key to streamlining operations and elevating your brand.
3. Creating Profitable Landscapes: Learn how to turn landscaping problems into opportunities for profit.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you level your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/2dayregistermar
This episode explores the process of starting a landscaping business from scratch, providing guidance on landing your first client, marketing your services, and scaling your business.
Among the topics I covered were creating irresistible offers, using social media, and managing your business operations. Here's a must-listen episode if you're ready to become an entrepreneur in the landscaping industry.
To learn more, check out our free video series at keithkalfas.com/landscapingseries.
Topics Covered
1:33 - The importance of marketing and advertising to find clients and build a successful business.
4:57 Start a landscaping business and making good money within two to three years.
5:30 - The low barrier to entry and potential for high earnings in the industry.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/2dayregistermar
FREE 3 Video Series reveals: at keithkalfas.com/landscapingseries.This episode dives into the remarkable journey of Joshua Latimer, from starting as a pizza delivery guy to becoming an entrepreneurial powerhouse, generating $200,000 a month with a window cleaning business that he later sold. Latimer's success story is punctuated by his strategic approach to business through systemization, a focus on marketing tools like 'Send Jim', and educational platforms aimed at teaching entrepreneurs the value of leveraging systems and analytics.
He further explores the philosophy of tackling challenges one at a time, akin to setting off a domino effect, attributing his accomplishments to a rigorous work ethic underlined by a family motto 'Do Hard Things'. Highlighting figures like Elon Musk as exemplars of effective time management, Latimer shares his aspirations of generosity and personal development, aiming to donate a hundred million dollars. This episode encapsulates the essence of achieving entrepreneurial excellence through hard work, focused effort, and strategic planning.
"All I'm saying that you need to do is market to the neighbors of this job with hyper-targeted, personalized, multi-touch marketing. Could be a door hanger, could be a postcard. But what you want to do is you want to get in front of them and say, Hey, You're our kind of person, and we just did work for your neighbor, and you would love our service. Give us a call. And then it hits them again, and hits them again, and hits them again."
- Joshua Latimer
Topics Covered
Key Takeaways:
Humble Beginnings: Joshua Latimer started his business journey with very modest means, originally working as a pizza delivery driver and using a basic car to begin his entrepreneurial venture in window cleaning and exterior cleaning.
System Implementation: A significant part of Joshua's success was his focus on implementing systems within his business. These systems allowed for scalability, efficiency, and a transition to significant monthly earnings.
Automation and Delegation: Joshua successfully automated his business operations, which allowed him to reduce his working hours to as few as five per week while managing a team and maintaining high productivity and profitability.
Team Building and Culture: He focused on building a strong team culture by providing company bonuses, organizing team parties, and creating an environment where employees felt valued and integral to the business's success.
Leadership and Mentorship: Joshua is described as a mentor and leader who is not only involved in his business but also actively supports others in overcoming their business challenges through direct engagement and advice.
Expanding Beyond Initial Success: After automating and selling his initial business, Joshua moved his family to Costa Rica and then returned to start and develop new ventures, demonstrating his continuous drive for entrepreneurial growth.
Educational Commitment: He is committed to educating other entrepreneurs through initiatives like his 'Automate Grow Sell' brand and the 'Send Jim' service, which help other business owners systematize and market their services effectively.
Generosity and Community Contribution: Beyond business, Joshua is motivated by a desire to contribute to his community and the broader world, with goals like giving away a significant portion of his earnings.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
Landscaping Workshop keithkalfas.com/levelup
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, I, Keith Kalfas, host an engaging conversation with Brianna White and Daniel Miraval, co-owners of Emerald Tree Care. Renowned for their expertise in arboriculture, we dive deep into the significance of comprehensive tree care, sharing their journey as certified arborists and emphasizing the importance of root health, the impact of trees on environmental management, and strategies for disease prevention. We highlight the unique challenges and opportunities within the green industry, stressing the value of education, passion, and intuition in driving a successful tree care business. This episode serves as a masterclass for green industry professionals aspiring to elevate their knowledge and services in tree health and preservation.
"Arboriculture involves legal scrutiny and credentialing, with arborists often called upon for post-forensic assessments to determine the causes of tree failures, such as improper pruning, to prevent future incidents and advance professional expertise."
- Daniel Miraval
Topics Covered
Key Takeaways:
Time Investment: Planting trees is a long-term investment that requires careful planning and maintenance to ensure their survival and contribution to the environment.
Proper Care: Proper aftercare programs and attention to detail in tree planting are essential for the long-term health and survival of trees.
Environmental Impact: Failure to care for trees properly not only results in financial losses but also has broader implications for the environment, emphasizing the need for sustainable tree management practices.
Education and Awareness: There is a need to increase awareness and education about the importance of proper tree care to mitigate the loss of trees and their associated benefits.
Long-Term Thinking: Planting trees requires a long-term perspective, as the investment of time and resources in growing them can span years or even decades.
Proper Care and Maintenance: To ensure the survival and health of trees, proper care and maintenance are essential. This includes aftercare programs and attention to detail in planting and nurturing trees.
Environmental Impact: The discussion highlights the broader environmental impact of tree planting and care. Trees play a crucial role in the ecosystem, and proper management is necessary to preserve their benefits.
Educational and Awareness Efforts: There is a need for increased education and awareness about the importance of proper tree care. This includes understanding the time and effort required to grow trees and the potential consequences of inadequate care.
Sustainable Practices: Emphasizing sustainable tree management practices is crucial to ensure the long-term health and survival of trees and their benefits to the environment and society.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode of the Untrapped Podcast, Keith shares insights on dealing with narcissistic or toxic people who drain your energy, drawing from his passion for personal development. He explores the psychology behind toxic behaviors, strategies for maintaining emotional distance, and the importance of setting boundaries. Keith advises against engaging in logical conversations with narcissists, as it can lead to manipulation and emotional turmoil. He also discusses the 'mean sweet cycle' of toxic individuals and emphasizes the necessity of pre-deciding how to handle such people calmly and proactively. Additionally, Keith highlights the importance of empathy, self-care, and developing the conscious capacity to support those affected by toxic relations. The episode includes a brief interlude promoting the Ramp Rack product and touches on Keith's personal challenges, such as the burpee challenge. Keith concludes by encouraging listeners to focus on personal development and support the podcast on Spotify.
"Empathy and support: Listen, love, and let them be."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "Imagine that every single time a person who has toxic traits does something that's rude or mean or downright abusive. It's just like if you just stand in your square, you just stand there in presence, in love and faith. Every time they do something. That's disrespectful. Imagine that they just pushed themselves farther away from you. They made a withdraw from the emotional bank account. Now they're going to have to make a bunch of positive deposits into that emotional bank account to earn your trust to get close to you again." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
I wrapped up an incredibly insightful session on how to take your landscaping business to the next level. In this episode, I shared 3 absolute game-changers that have helped me succeed in the industry. First off, it's all about strategically defining your service area. Then, it's crucial to develop a focused suite of services to streamline your operations. Lastly, I revealed how to turn landscaping problems into profits using my exclusive landscaping property opportunity checklist, and I'm giving it away for free!
Intrigued? Join me, where I'll dive deeper into these strategies and share even more valuable information that could be a game-changer for your business.
Here is the link to my workshop: https://www.keithkalfas.com/2dayregistermar. Don't miss out!
"Start narrowing your focus and raising your price precedents. There's a saying you got to keep them how you got them. You have to go get brand new customers now that you have nice work shirts with nice embroidery, your trucks are clean and have logos on them, and you're licensed and insured. You go get new customers with your new identity and high-price precedents.
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered 00:01 Broaden the service area initially, then narrow it as necessary.
5:19 Specialize, offer profitable services, and seize new opportunities.
7:10 Leverage property opportunities to maximize your profit. Join the landscape workshop for more insights.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
2-Day Workshop where you LevelUp Your Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/2dayregistermar
In this short episode, Keith emphasizes the importance of raising standards across all areas of life, including personal health, relationships, business, and financial management. By elevating standards, individuals can effect positive change in their behavior and interactions with others, leading to growth and improvement. Keith shares personal anecdotes, including lessons learned from their spouse and the impact of taking decisive actions based on high standards. This reinforces the idea that by committing to higher standards, one can drive significant growth in both personal and professional spheres, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and successful life.
"Raising your standards can lead to significant personal and professional growth, transforming your behavior, interactions, and overall quality of life."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways The importance of raising standards across all aspects of life, including personal health, relationships, business, and finances. By committing to higher standards, individuals can drive significant growth and improvement in their behavior, interactions, and overall quality of life. The speaker emphasizes the transformative power of elevating standards and encourages listeners to reflect on their own standards and consider how raising them can lead to a more fulfilling and successful life.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Check this out!: ramprack.com
discount code: keith10
What strategies can be employed to train employees properly and delegate tasks effectively to maintain high-quality work in a business?
In today's episode, Keith dives deep into the concept of the 'technical perfection deception' and its impact on business profitability. He discussed the critical importance of upholding high standards and not tolerating shortcuts, along with personal anecdotes of addressing corner-cutting and the value of effective leadership. This episode offers invaluable insights for entrepreneurs striving for sustained success. Tune in for indispensable advice and exclusive offers to elevate your business endeavors.
Topics Covered
00:00 - Importance of maintaining business integrity and leadership.
05:02 - Prioritize integrity and quality work over low prices.
09:29 - Increase pricing for thorough, meticulous service provision.
10:30 - Slight quality reduction can increase productivity and profits.
16:01 - Landscaping professional emphasizes perfection and client satisfaction.
17:57 - Delegate effectively, hands-only, and inspect work carefully.
22:09 - Maintain standards, enhance leadership, reduce stress, and improve sleep.
32:10 - Keith Kalfas announces live events and a new book.
34:04 - Free guide for successful smartphone business growth.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In an inspiring episode of the Untrapped Podcast, host Keith Kelfas sits down with Jeremy Talboy, the dynamic founder of North Georgia Landscape Management, a thriving business exceeding $20 million annually. Jeremy, initially aspiring to be a history teacher, shares his transformation into a successful entrepreneur amidst the recession, detailing his ventures into commercial landscaping and pool construction. He emphasizes the significance of learning, teamwork, calculated risks, and a focus on customer satisfaction. Additionally, Jeremy discusses his managerial transition, investing in marketing, and leveraging a comprehensive media team. The episode also delves into navigating business growth, anxiety, and the impact of integrity and faith on success. In closing, Jeremy and the host reflect on the importance of treating people well and acting with integrity. Jeremy recommends following North Georgia Landscape's online presence for their impressive design and build projects. The host, expressing a personal connection, encourages positive reviews and shares the podcast's milestone achievements, including significant downloads and a top-40 ranking in iTunes' entrepreneur category.
"The boat won't reach its destination if it stays in the harbor. It's better to start moving, even if it's in the wrong direction at first because you can always course-correct and reach your final destination faster than if you were just sitting still, unsure of which way to go."
- Jeremy Talboy
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "You have industry partners and trade partners who can assist you. There are also people on Facebook who can provide support. If you're short on manpower, you can go to Facebook Marketplace to find individuals with access to labor, machines, and trucks. There are always people looking for work, so you need to be resourceful. Here's an epiphany: Chuck in a truck might think, "I committed to digging this ditch, so I'll just work myself to exhaustion to get it done." However, Abundant Anthony would think, "I need a team to dig this ditch because I can't afford to exhaust myself for three nights till 10 o'clock. I need to focus on being the visionary for the facility." - Jeremy
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
Discover the 3 Steps To Crush It in Your Landscaping Business: Keithkalfas.com/superpowerIn today's episode, I've explored the emotional impact of creating motivational videos and a personal story of overcoming fear to inspire others as I share some inspirational thoughts in this event as a guest speaker.
I dove into content syndication strategies and social media engagement tips. You don't want to miss these actionable insights! Oh, and I also shared my journey in growing my brand through video marketing, so stay tuned for that. Remember, it's time to start making videos and sharing your unique story. Let's go all in and make an impact and tune in on the show.
"I want you to take your passion and start a podcast, start making videos, you wouldn't believe how many leads come into your business"
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered
00:00 Inspire to create videos, engage, and grow.
04:40 Passion overcomes pressure to be unique.
07:16 Using vulnerability to share business challenges.
11:57 The Character faces an impossible challenge, and commits to change.
16:27 Status plays an individual identity in society.
18:07 Authenticity leads to success and connections.
22:13 Started small, now offering luxury property services.
25:02 Optimized video length varies, tailored to the audience.
30:24 Be mindful of what you share online.
31:55 Using videos to boost confidence and motivation.
36:43 Optimize social media use for maximum engagement.
39:45 Hiring media person to share content widely.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode, Keith shares his journey of starting a landscaping business and growing it by leveraging digital marketing strategies, social media, and video marketing. He delves into the value of using virtual assistants to handle aspects of the business such as bookkeeping, marketing, and content creation. Keith underscores the importance of hiring fast and firing fast, maintaining clear communication, and providing fair remuneration to virtual assistants. His business strategy also includes having an integrator role to translate vision into reality, and using online platforms like Upwork to source virtual assistants.
"Success is not a solo journey; it's the symphony of delegation, automation, and visionary leadership that orchestrates dreams into reality."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways The takeaway from this passage seems to be about the excitement and fulfillment that comes from achieving dreams and goals in business, particularly through delegation, automation, and hiring the right people. It highlights the importance of having a vision and being able to delegate tasks effectively to grow a business. The example of Marvin and his automation success illustrates how strategic delegation can lead to significant progress and freedom to pursue other goals, such as starting a podcast and traveling. It also emphasizes the value of investing in employees and virtual assistants, recognizing their contributions, and paying them well for their work. Overall, the message is about the transformative power of effective delegation and strategic planning in business growth.
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone
Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode, Keith Kalfas speaks on the importance of developing effective marketing strategies for small businesses, emphasizing the role of networking and attending live events to gain insights. He discusses his seven steps to marketing business which include taking advantage of Google My Business, adopting price transparency, downloading the MailChimp app for email marketing, and making use of ringless voicemail for retargeting existing clients. Keith further emphasizes the need for outsourcing tasks like website building or graphics design to virtual assistants and the importance of delegating tasks to knowledgeable parties rather than attempting to master all roles individually. By being transparent, consistent, and constantly engaging with customers, he suggests businesses can effectively raise their profiles and increase their clientele.
"Success grows from nurturing the low-hanging fruit. Retarget your existing clients first; they're the seeds of your future harvest. Stay on their minds, show gratitude, and offer value consistently. Like a well-tended garden, your efforts will yield abundant returns."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Takeaway:
"Utilize these seemingly small strategies—such as garnering positive five-star reviews, leveraging ringless voicemail, and implementing email marketing. Additionally, consider hiring virtual assistants to support your graphic design needs and create compelling flyers. These actions can help you establish an effective marketing system, enabling you to generate revenue consistently. Think of it as a reliable tool that you can access whenever needed, providing you with a constant stream of returns." - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/4steps
Today, Keith is joined by special guests, Joshua Tree Experts, who share their insights and success in franchising their tree business. From discussing the challenges and trust required in tree work to delving into creating a franchise system, this episode provides a captivating look into the world of scaling a business in the green industry.
Listeners can expect to gain valuable knowledge about franchising, budgeting, hiring, and managing a business, along with actionable tips and resources to support their entrepreneurial journey. With engaging discussions and practical insights, this episode promises to be an enlightening and inspiring listen for anyone looking to grow and scale their business.
Topics Covered
00:00 Franchising necessitates careful relationship-building and substantial administrative preparation, such as state registration and the development of comprehensive operational and disclosure documents.
06:19 Free education and franchise opportunities in tree care.
09:10 The company successfully implemented the Gino, Wickman, and EOS model.
13:09 Developing diverse skills for strategic business expansion.
14:43 The corporate office offers comprehensive recruitment support.
18:09 Establishing goals, enforcing accountability, fostering team collaboration.
20:49 Franchise support and success processes for franchisees.
Key Takeaways:
1. Building a Franchise for Your Business:
Learn how Joshua Tree Experts leveraged their expertise in the tree care industry to create a replicable and scalable business model, similar to the franchise systems seen in fast-food chains. Their approach has led them to sell 5 franchises in just over a year, with expansion plans across different cities.
2. Transforming Your Business through Clear Systems and Support:
Discover how the Joshua Tree Experts team emphasizes providing a clear system and unwavering support for their franchisees. They have streamlined processes for onboarding, tool and equipment procurement, and even offer a comprehensive recruitment process to ensure their franchisees have the necessary backing to succeed.
3. Nurturing a Collaborative and Forward-Thinking Culture:
Joshua and Dylan reveal the importance of fostering a collaborative environment and a forward-thinking mindset within the franchise. They actively seek out entrepreneurial individuals who are not just looking to do the technical work but are keen on investing in and scaling a proven system.
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode, Keith share his inspiring journey. From humble beginnings to incredible success, Keith's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and self-belief. Join us as we uncover the secrets to building a successful business and living a fulfilling life. Keith's insights into marketing, branding, and mindset are sure to leave you motivated and ready to take on the world. Tune in as we explore the keys to unlocking your true potential and achieving your dreams.
"Nothing is going to change... Nothing's going to happen if you don't know your worth. It's never going to happen. Nothing is going to change."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Takeaway:
"Raise the standards of your personal excellence... Raise your personal identity. The old you of where you started is dead and gone. Hug that person, let it go, cry it out, but today you're an entrepreneur and today you get paid what you're worth." - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS
Launch Your Landscaping Business: https://keithkalfas.com/landscapingseries
Manage your finances: keithkalfas.com/budget
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode, I delve into the delicate but crucial topic of when it's time to part ways with a toxic employee. Join me as I explore the signs that indicate it's time to take action and the impact it can have on your business. Through an engaging story, I will highlight the importance of setting boundaries and maintaining a positive work environment. Discover the valuable lessons learned from facing this challenge and the proactive steps to avoid similar situations in the future. Stay tuned for practical insights and advice on handling toxic employees, and learn about a free resource to guide you through the essential process of training employees effectively.
"Work is not a place for drama. It's a place to work. And then it can become a sanctuary, right? Because you said you drew the line, here's what it was."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
00:00 Identify and address toxic employees promptly.
04:28 Be mindful of your actions; they're emulated.
Key Takeaway
"I was going through a bad mistake because now you've set a precedent where it's okay for them to now start talking about their stuff. And now you become more like friends, instead of the role you're playing of like you're supposed to be the leader, and they're supposed to be working, which is great. You appreciate them, of course. But now it's changed the dynamics of the relationship where there are unhealthy boundaries that aren't being set. And you're paying for the whole thing. You're paying for all of it" - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here: https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course: https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16 Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
Free Budget Opt-in: Keithkalfas.com/budget Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone Identify Your Power: Keithkalfas.com/superpower
In this episode, Keith Kalfas imparts empowering lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey. These include the importance of creating value for others, self-reliance, and maintaining a balance between receiving help and doing things independently. He stresses that quality communication holds great significance and shares how acceptance of rejection helped him progress. He also highlights how over-reliance on self-sufficiency can lead to a stagnation in growth. Incorporating experiences from his music and landscaping businesses, he advocates for the necessity of asking for help and the significance of building relationships. He ends by encouraging his audience to not fear rejection, try new things, and share what type of content they wish to see from him in the future.
" If someone rejects you or doesn't see the value in what you offer, recognize that you don't necessarily need them to succeed. There are countless other resources and opportunities available to learn and grow. By adopting a mindset of self-reliance and perseverance, you can overcome rejection and achieve your goals."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Takeaway:
"Have interactions with others, especially those who are more successful or experienced, with a mindset of offering value rather than just seeking something for yourself. Instead of solely focusing on what you can gain from them, consider what you can bring to the table and how you can create value for them. This approach not only increases the likelihood of a positive response but also fosters genuine connections and relationships built on mutual benefit. Additionally, it's important to be mindful of the quality of your communication and how it impacts the responses you receive from others. If you find yourself consistently facing rejection or avoidance, it may be necessary to improve the quality of your communication and interactions." - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Identify Your Superpower: keithkalfas.com/superpower
In today's episode, I will take us on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth in the realm of online influence. I delved into a pivotal moment during a speaking engagement in Seattle, where I found myself confronted with the realization that I had been unknowingly projecting a "know-it-all" attitude.
Through vulnerability and introspection, I will share how a sincere conversation with a close friend opened my eyes to the importance of humility and the value of being a lifelong student, regardless of one's level of expertise. Join me as a transformative story unfolds, highlighting the profound impact of self-awareness and genuine connection in the dynamic world of social media influence, where I opened up about a significant experience that reshaped my outlook on being an influencer.
I shared a story about a time when I let my ego get the best of me and how it negatively impacted my interactions with others. This experience taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of humility and lifelong learning, no matter how much expertise we may have. I delve into how this realization transformed my approach to attending events and how it can positively influence your journey as well. Don't miss out on this powerful reflection, and stay tuned for more impactful stories and valuable insights on the Untrapped Podcast, available today on all major podcast platforms
In this episode, Keith Kalfas shares his experience and advice on starting and scaling a landscaping business. He emphasizes on the importance of undertaking larger jobs for higher profit, dealing with the administrative side of business including taxes and employing help, and making strategic investments back into the business for growth. The podcast discusses the challenges associated with raising rates, losing customers, and managing the administrative side of the business, offering tips for getting through these problems. He advises on getting on top of billing, collections, and administrative tasks, raising prices for more profitability, and dealing with the emotional difficulties of establishing a successful business. He also highlights the importance of tracking the data to steer the business effectively.
"Drive and be the leader and drive everything forward and make sure that production is happening at a very efficient rate"
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Takeaway:
"You have to draw hard lines in the sand and make decisions you've never made before. I used to repeat to myself all the time, Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and expect a different result. So just working harder or trying harder or mentally trying harder, being more frustrated or being more committed doesn't make the difference." - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
This episode dives into the personal journey of starting a window cleaning business amidst challenging circumstances including poverty and debt. Keith discusses his persistency in building the business from ground up, even when faced with the harsh conditions of winter. He delves into personal struggles, offering motivation and vivid storytelling about overcoming obstacles and building a profitable business. He further explores concepts of resilience, hard work, networking, and not taking 'no' for an answer. Also, he emphasizes the importance of making sacrifices, facing your own pain, and realizing nobody else will bear your suffering for you, which are all key to success. Throughout this episode, he imparts lessons about business growth, the need for transitioning from survival mode to steady growth, and underlines the necessity for structure and organization within a growing business.
"When you finally get a little bit of money in the bank, what got you here won't get you there. You're going to have to change gears at some point and start hiring employees and having training systems and allow yourself the freedom to sleep in on the weekends."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Takeaway:
"The next 7 years of my life are going to be hell. Five to seven years, but seven years to pay off these karmic debts. I never did anything wrong. I wasn't a bad person, but to dig myself out of this hole and build and establish my life. It seemed like an eternity, but I did the math and the math said seven years is going to go by either way. So in seven years, you're going to crawl out of this fucking hole. And finally be somebody. And it's not going to be the person you always wanted to be. You're not going to be a somebody you have to just accept the fact that you're an average Joe. And you will have a chance at being an average Joe or you're going to be a fucking loser. What are you going to do?" - Keith Kalfas
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
Is it important for business owners to prioritize and value their employees over their clients, and how does this impact their ability to take on larger jobs and expand their businesses?
In today's podcast, we will cover the crucial topic of hiring and retaining employees for home service businesses. In this episode, Dan Platta shares his invaluable insights and experiences on the complexities of recruitment, employee turnover, and how to foster a positive working environment.
Let us guide you through the challenging terrain of finding and nurturing a team that will drive your business forward. We'll explore everything from practical hiring strategies to the trials and triumphs of employee retention. Get ready for a candid and engaging discussion about finding and keeping the right potential employees, whether you're a business owner or simply curious about the hiring process.
"We can't grow a business with just us, it is not possible. And if you grow a business with shitty employees, which many of us have done myself included, that sucks; I would rather just be doing it by myself when you have a business full of crappy employees, like your world's not better because you're doing more. Your world is multiplied with more shitty problems. And so getting the hiring process right to grow your business is really like the baseline thing that we've got to get right as business owners. And it's not easy. But there are some things we can do to make it a lot easier."
- Dan Platta
Topics Covered:
00:00 Bookkeeping and recruiting tips from Dan Platta.
03:39 Bad hiring decisions led to bad employee choices. Showcase your company's values and culture to attract talent.
10:31 Employing people who have a positive attitude rather than those with experience.
15:51 Hiring process needs to be improved with a better filtering system.
19:32 Enhance your chances of success at job interviews and avoid frustration.
21:33 Check for competitive spirit by preparing, asking, and assessing.
25:12 Troubleshooting issues related to cash flow and undercharging.
28:55 Success in business depends on employees, not clients.
31:59 Nonverbal cues play an important role in the interview process.
33:24 Educating employees about the company's origin story and core values helps them stay engaged.
37:05 Maintain a positive attitude in the workplace by embracing humor.
45:11 Include group interviews in your recruitment process to make it more attractive.
46:23 Learn more about recruiting in our HireLead Chill Facebook group.
Takeaway:
"It all starts with us. And we got to create a job that people want, right? And we got to be a leader that people want to work for and people want to follow, they will come for the money. But they won't stay for the money, right? They stay for us and for the culture. And they will stay even when they could go get more money elsewhere. Right. So, there are a few core things that we need to do to create this atmosphere where we have people who want to come and work for us. One is it's all about our core values and our culture and getting people to follow you and believe what you believe." - Dan Platta
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Connect with Dan
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hireleadchill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.platta
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-platta-30736b31/
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
This episode comprises discussions with Steve DHondt, a successful landscaping businessman, covering the dynamics of running his Michigan-based landscaping business. They delve into his strategies, from staffing to project management, and handling unforeseen issues such as environmental challenges. They highlight the significance of pricing, maintaining a strong team, client relationships, and showcasing a unique showroom experience. The second part discusses the shift of his business to an 'by-appointment-only' setup due to COVID-19, thereby enhancing customer service and experience. They encourage simplicity and value in life; investing back into the business instead of seeking grandiose lifestyles. The conversation ends on a philosophical note promoting non-material wealth, emphasizing family ties, and mental and spiritual fulfillment.
"The processes are important because that's how you get people to be able to be productive, feel good about what they've done, right?"
- Steve Dhondt
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "I like that saying, you got to keep them how you got them. Some of these customers that knew you, the old identity, you, the first three years, first five years, whatever they.
See you in a certain through a certain lens. And then as you're, they don't know you're out there um, earning, growing your business going, cause you're showing them a professional face. You're not showing them everything you go through. And as you start to level up your whole identity and your worth, your knowledge base grows, you're just, you have to start raising your prices and Hey, you want to live a good life too." - Keith
"I feel more fulfillment helping people. So if I can drive a car like that, I would feel I wouldn't feel right. What is it? This car is not practical at all. It doesn't do anything. Nobody wants to be you. They'd want a They want your car and they picture them in the car.
There's no reason for the car if you don't, especially if you're just trying to show off, and that's what most people are trying to do is show off. Or do they want you to think I just heard this? You're going to compare your life to someone else's highlight reels. And it's not, that's not, you have no clue what those people are going through with the struggles at most of the stuff that you see out there, the flash and all that.
It's, it'll never bring you happiness, invest it back into your company and your company will keep paying you. And it's just this. Ying yang relationship with your company that your company will take care of you and you take care of your people and you have your, like you said, your own ecosystem where everybody is not capped." - Steve
Connect with Steve
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-dhondt-534b23166Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weretheguys/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChx5v0dBiCB8UaGNfn4S4Ng/videos Website: https://www.weretheguys.com/about-us
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
In this episode, we dove deep into the crucial strategies businesses need to thrive in today's challenging market. From effective marketing tactics and pricing strategies to providing a premium customer experience, we covered it all.
Delving into the current challenges faced by businesses in acquiring leads and new clients, we offer invaluable insights into the dynamics of revenue, profit, and the potential impact of an impending recession. My friend Joshua Latimer introduces an upcoming free virtual event promising tactical and practical tips for marketing and business expansion. He emphasizes the profound importance of strategic marketing and pricing and extends his commitment to assisting struggling businesses, particularly those operated by individuals with families.
Join us for an illuminating exploration of the complexities of effective marketing strategies and gain invaluable insights into navigating the competitive landscape of business.
"Marketing is everything. And everything is marketing, like the way people perceive you as marketing." - Joshua Latimer
Topics Covered:
4:58 - Most local small businesses don't make enough noise in their marketing efforts, either not making enough noise or making noise at the wrong time.
8:38 - Small business marketing strategies and budgeting.
12:18 - Emphasizes the importance of nuance in marketing, citing examples of how small differences in tone, pacing, and structure can make a big impact.
18:38 - Emphasizes the importance of taking action and building character to achieve success in business.
Key Takeaways
"First of all, we want to make noise at the right time. The other thing about noise is we want to make sure that we're not making noise in the ocean. You know, I think a lot of people, do this shotgun marketing. And it's like they're jumping up and down in the ocean thinking that they're doing something I stole that line from Dan Kennedy because it's so good. But they're jumping up and down like in the ocean thinking they're making waves and they're not. I read a statistic that Stanley Steemer, who's a huge carpet cleaning company, does 150 million a year which is 400,000 a day, okay, it's how much revenue they average, the average carpet cleaner in the United States makes $326 a day. And when you ask yourself like okay, what are the differences between like Larry, making 300 bucks a day doing one job a day and Stanley Steamer now first of all, Stanley Steamer's quality is worse than Larry's. For sure." - Joshua Latimer
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
This conversation-centric podcast episode focuses on the topics of business growth, leadership and overcoming challenging situations. Guests, Steve DHondt of PMS weretheguys.com, a successful brick paver company, and Eric Reno of Paramount Building Incorporated, a firm developed from scratch, share their own personal experiences and growth narratives. They discuss various strategies including dealing with public relations, employee happiness, excellence in customer service, strategic delegation, and optimal process development. The discussions also emphasize on adopting a positive mindset for business growth, the dynamic nature of service business economy and the value of a driven, collaborative team. They highlight their respective core business values and the important role of faith in their personal and professional lives.
"The common theme that I'm seeing again amongst these entrepreneurs that are growing their businesses and succeeding is they're extremely proactive. They're not sticking their head in the sand. They're not being a little bitch and wanting to run under, hide when things happen."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "It's going to be about, evolving your mind because brief story, like I was stuck, I don't want to say I was stuck at the 5 million revenue mark, but I was stuck at the 5 million, um, place in my mind. Like I was personally stuck there. Like I wasn't growing as a person and I wasn't evolving as a person, though I wanted more. So it's more geared toward evolving the mind because everything that happens out here is a product of what happens up here. So that's really what I focus in on, keep the distractions out as you're growing. And when you scale a business to scale, scaling a business is mental. It's not physical, right? So coming from me, somebody that's physically. In roofing and I'm out there getting it and I'm laying shingles and I'm running crews and doing what I want that's not going to get you to eight figures right up here. This is what's going to get you to eight figures. It's physically impossible with the amount of hours in a day to make more unless you do it with your mind and leverage. " - Eric
"It's just the leaders. The leaders of our company are the ones that understand. It's shared with the whole vision, but we're seasonal, and a lot of my guys do end up going to Mexico for the winter. So I don't have as much contact with them. We do let them know we post things up. We make sure that, our core values are everywhere. Everything that we are about and what we're changing, from our five year plan and our 10 year plan and our, all those things. The guys are aware of what we're trying to do and the girls as well and as a company and we've implemented profit sharing every single month to every employee and it's always the same. It doesn't matter if you've been here for 30 or 20 years or you just started everybody gets the same profit sharing check. So it really has helped bring more people to my business as well where people have labor shortages. We had six new guys sign on, so we had six new guys sign on to our company, which that's huge. It's huge in our business especially six that not only worked out, they were fantastic or fantastic. " - Steve
Connect with Eric
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-reno-78471865/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.reno.165/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric_reno/Website: https://paramountbuildinginc.com/our-team/
Connect with Steve
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-dhondt-534b23166Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weretheguys/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChx5v0dBiCB8UaGNfn4S4Ng/videos Website: https://www.weretheguys.com/about-us
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
In this episode, Keith shares his journey in the world of landscaping, highlighting the importance of knowing one's worth and getting adequate mentorship. He talks about his struggles in his early years, underpricing his services, and the frustration of his low income despite having an active business. Keith shares how he learned to value himself, raise his prices, and improve his business. He stresses the importance of creating a business structure and setting a minimum for undertaking jobs to ensure a suitable profit margin. Keith emphasizes the idea of problem-solving through engaging the appropriate 'who' instead of focusing on 'how', endorsing the concept of hiring or seeking help for areas outside one's expertise. He encourages listeners to download his free workbook to help them upgrade their landscaping businesses.
"In a world filled with complexities and hurdles, it's easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged. However, by shifting our mindset and asking ourselves, "What would this look like if it were easy?" we open up a new realm of possibilities."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "If you are excited, you're worthy. If you're depressed, you're still worthy. If your business sucks right now, and you're not making any profit, you're still worthy. You are totally worthy. It's a miracle that we're all here right now in this room. You've seen the videos on YouTube and how it's scientifically incalculable and it's impossible. They can't even, they just keep coming back, they're like, Wow, there must be a God or a higher divine intelligence. Because it's impossible that we're all here right now in this moment. It is actually mathematically impossible. So that means that you must be completely worthy. No matter what the story is going on in your head." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget
In this episode, Keith dives into the inconvenient truth about levelling up in life and business. From sharing personal mindset insights to discussing the impact of external circumstances and internal responses, Keith explores the gap between stimulus and response, drawing inspiration from Dr. Victor Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning." He emphasizes the importance of facing challenges with resilience and choosing to respond to difficult situations. Keith also reflects on the concept of toughening up and building emotional resilience to navigate the adversities of business and life.
"The secrets to leveling up - surround yourself with A players and people who have a great attitude and who actually genuinely care about you. There are people who are coming to your life and they leave for just a season. And if you make the mistake of thinking that and opening your heart up too much to somebody who doesn't deserve that part of you. Then you're, you're opening yourself up to getting hurt."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "So here is the inconvenient truth to leveling up. You might've heard this stuff before. And it's funny that the cliches are true. It's when you're faced with hard times, how do you respond?"
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Feeling stuck in life? Hit a ceiling that seems impossible to break through? I got you. I recently came across a powerful speech that shook me to my core. I'm about to break it down because there's a ton of wisdom in this episode that could change your life.
This powerful message from this podcast episode reminds us that the true journey to success often starts from the hardest battles. Embracing challenges, finding your path, and taking bold action are the key elements of achieving greatness in life and business.
My message is deeply rooted in the challenges of personal struggles and the vital importance of resilience in the face of adversity. This thought-provoking episode serves as a clarion call for listeners to shatter self-imposed constraints and fully embrace their inherent potential. As I dissect the compelling rhetoric, ambition, and the unwavering pursuit of personal development. So, for anyone struggling to break through that ceiling, feeling held back by circumstances, or lacking motivation, remember this, embrace resilience, find your vehicle, invest in growth, and seek purpose. You've got this. Keep pushing forward!
"When you change the way you see things, the things you see changes."
-Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
00:00 Financial struggles and self-worth reflections intertwined. 03:28 Navigating family toxicity on the path to peace. 11:40 Achieve work-life balance through disciplined self-care. 15:23 Embracing selflessness, service, and overcoming limitations. 17:48 Learning business principles and endless problem-solving cycle.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and People Mentioned:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Joshua Latimer: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaLatimer/videos
In today's episode, I dive deep into the struggles and triumphs of personal and professional growth. I address the common narrative of feeling stuck and the toll it takes on our mental and emotional well-being. Through powerful anecdotes and motivational insights, I explore the concept of perseverance, the impact of toxic thoughts, and the importance of breaking free from limiting beliefs.
Join me as I navigate through the darkness to find the light at the end of the tunnel and discover the strength within ourselves to keep pushing forward, no matter our hardships.
"Do you know how much of a miracle it is to wake up every day in your shoes, have what you have, and experience the love that you experience? You are blessed. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
3:30: Relentless pursuit of success and integrity. - Struggles with perseverance despite facing challenges and having successful role models. 5:07: Manifesting reality through vibrational energy. - The power of thoughts and emotions in manifesting reality, using examples from personal experiences and spiritual texts. 6:58: Breaking through apathy and shame to reach personal growth. - Reflects on past struggles with addiction, trauma, and personal growth.
Key Takeaways
"The most successful people I know have gone through the most effed-up stuff and continue to go through it. And somehow, they persevere. They persevere through it. Never said those words together in that particular order. They persevere through it. So maybe just think I said the word peer. They peer through the successful people." - Kieth
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this podcast episode, we dive into the world of lawn care business expansion and acquisition with Blake Albertson of B&B Lawncare. He sheds light on the challenges and strategies involved in acquiring new companies, particularly in areas like billing and customer transition. We also discuss essential topics like efficient cash flow management, payroll tax handling, and the benefits of learning from industry experts and peers. Blake emphasizes the importance of maintaining a focus on core business activities while steering clear of unnecessary diversification. Furthermore, we explore quick and effective problem-solving skills, the value of empowering employees through open communication and striking a balance between delegation and micromanagement. The episode concludes by highlighting the benefits of decluttering the business for improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Tune in for valuable insights into lawn care business growth and success.
" The number one thing that I'm grateful for with the place we're at in business right now is being able to spend more time with my kids that were just like, it's such an age that it's fun, it's moving so fast and I get to hang out with them a little bit more than I could if I was working till dark every night and um, That's what I'm most thankful for, that we've done everything we've done, and we've grown a little bit and stepped a little bit out of the field is being able to spend time with my family. "
- Blake Albertson
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"People that like got into a position and now they think that they're the rulers. And that's why people hate their jobs is people get in that position where they have a boss that just thinks they're awesome and they try to control the whole world. So as a business owner that you really want to grow a business that people want to work for you, you need to figure that out within yourself and you to figure out how to not have that." - Blake
"It's called delegation by abdication. So it's like you just delegate and you say here, do this thing and figure it out. All right, peace. And you don't want none to do with it. And then they don't do it right. But it's your fault because you didn't give them clear outlines of specific expectations of what the end result would look like and empower them correctly. So You're like, Oh my God, I'm so busy. Just do it. And then you can start to bullshit yourself and be like, well, I know that they're going to mess it up one out of five times and I'm just willing to deal with that. But then they can lower their self esteem and they can get upset and feel stupid and then start to resent you because you're not giving them the proper to print the proper parameters." - Keith
Connect with Blake
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bblawncarekc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBLawncareLLC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bblawncarekc/ Website: https://www.bblawncarekc.com/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this engaging and insightful podcast episode, the conversation dig into the challenges of scaling a business, significance of transitioning customers into loyal, recurring clients. We discuss the critical role of profit and loss statements in business analysis and how to identify potential trouble areas in scaling, particularly related to hiring and administration.
The talk centers on the entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the importance of enjoying the problem-solving process that every growth phase brings. They touch on the power of social media platforms like Facebook for networking, the significance of organized financial records, and briefly introduce the topic of hiring strategies.
"Just know that there's always going to be a set of problems out there. Whether you stay small, go medium, go big, whatever it is, the biggest thing to know is that it's going to be rough getting there. It's a journey. Enjoy the journey."
- Dan Platta
Topics Covered:
Managing Cash Flow for Business Growth: Explore the crucial role of cash flow management in facilitating business expansion. Learn how to allocate resources wisely to invest in marketing and recruitment, ensuring financial health during growth.
The Role of Marketing and Recruiting in Business Growth: Delve into the significance of effective marketing and recruitment strategies in fueling business growth. Discover why these aspects should be prioritized to reach new revenue milestones.
Navigating Business Purgatory: Understand the challenges and solutions entrepreneurs face as they transition from one revenue level to the next, such as reaching the $300,000, $800,000, and $1 million marks. Gain insights into the complexities of scaling a service business.
Hiring and Training Employees for Business Success: Learn about the critical role of building a strong team and developing effective hiring and training processes for sustainable business growth. Find out how the right employees can propel your business forward.
The Benefits of Financing Business Assets: Discuss the advantages of financing assets rather than using cash to maintain a healthy cash flow, which can be redirected into marketing and recruitment efforts. Understand the financial strategies behind business expansion.
Evolving Leadership in Growing Businesses: Explore the evolution of leadership roles as businesses grow. Transition from being managers to becoming true leaders within the organization. Learn how to adapt your leadership style for continued success.
The Importance of Recurring Revenue: Delve into the stabilizing effect of recurring clients and revenue on your business. Discover how focusing on building recurring relationships can help grow your company in a sustainable manner.
P&L Analysis: Understand the key components of a Profit and Loss statement (P&L) and its role in identifying areas of improvement within your business. Learn to leverage financial data for more informed decision-making.
Scaling Challenges: Discuss the difficulties associated with scaling a business, particularly in terms of hiring and administrative aspects. Uncover the common challenges that business owners face as they aim for expansion.
Business Problem-Solving: Explore effective approaches to identifying and solving problems encountered at different stages of business growth. Gain insights into strategies for overcoming obstacles and making informed decisions.
The Entrepreneurial Journey: Embrace the entrepreneurial journey and the process of overcoming obstacles in your business. Discover the satisfaction and fulfillment that can be found in tackling challenges and achieving success.
Online Presence: Discuss the importance of establishing and maintaining an online presence, including the use of social media platforms like Facebook to connect with other entrepreneurs and expand your network.
Financial Organization: Learn about the critical role of well-maintained bookkeeping in achieving business success. Understand how organized financial records can provide valuable insights and support growth.
Hiring Strategies: Explore the intricacies of developing effective hiring strategies to attract and retain the right people for your business. Discover the importance of assembling a capable team.
Business Development: Discuss strategies for developing and improving your business model. Gain insights into the steps required to adapt to changing circumstances and foster growth within your company.
Key Takeaways
"There might be people come back once every year, a couple of years, whatever, maybe even twice a year. If you don't turn that customer into a client, into a raving fan and a recurring, some type of recurring revenue client where you don't have to go out and get. a new customer, like pay to market and advertise and build a relationship and all this shit.
Then you are constantly filling up that one big hole in a bucket that's constantly draining with time, energy and money. So building a business that has recurring revenue model that grows and grows and grows on the back end with clients that are sticky, that keep coming back every single At least every quarter or something." - Keith
"There's shitty things about staying small. There's, the inverses of those are what applies to a scaled business when you're scaling on the positives. Yeah, it can make more money for sure, right? If you can bring in more revenue and manage it correctly of scaled business can make as much money as you want it to make. If it's just you and you're small- there's a ceiling on how much money you make like you can literally only make so much money because there's so many hours in a day. When you scale a business that ceiling is gone " - Dan
Connect with Dan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-platta-30736b31 Twitter: https://twitter.com/dan_platta?lang=en Youtube Playlist with Dan: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLddtfVaWoqxXqCKmwIpH1N67-fqzKG__Z
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, Keith is joined by the financial expert, Dan Platta. Together, they unravel the secrets of success in the business world, sharing practical insights on bookkeeping, growth strategies, and the art of aligning your passion with your business. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just embarking on your journey, tune in for invaluable advice that can help you navigate the entrepreneurial landscape and achieve unbounded success.
"When you scale a business, your role as a business owner changes drastically. Your day-to-day is totally different, but it also is the most rewarding thing you can do because then it's a business, it's not a job. And that transition is probably one of the hardest parts of owning a business. Your role changes so much, and if you can't adapt to that change, you can really get yourself in trouble."
- Dan Platta
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "And what it's done for me is it's just raised my awareness to know the language that you're using is creating the reality that you're living in. And if you can change that language and really understand the difference between an expense and an investment and everything is a business expense, that changes everything." - Keith
Connect with Dan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-platta-30736b31 Twitter: https://twitter.com/dan_platta?lang=en Youtube Playlist with Dan: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLddtfVaWoqxXqCKmwIpH1N67-fqzKG__Z
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to disregard the invaluable life experiences and insights that our elderly customers bring to the table. Join me as I provide a unique glimpse into the nuances of serving elderly clients in the landscaping industry. From demonstrating respect and acknowledging their contributions to tackling the intricacies of pricing and client expectations, you'll gain valuable insights how to approach these interactions with a spirit of humility and understanding. It's high time we redefine the way we cater to the elderly and embrace the wealth of experiences they have to offer.
"Elderly people are amazing. They're to be respected and honored. That's how you deal with elderly people. If you keep that first in your thoughts, then everything else will fall into place."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "When you do work for an elderly person, not only you put everything in line items and make it crystal clear what you're doing and you make sure that your words match what's in writing... and you also stay in communication so everything and your consciousness is completely clean."
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Hey there, it's Keith Kalfas, and we're about to dive headfirst into the intriguing world of landscaping pricing – the kind of stuff that can make or break your business. Have you ever wondered, "How much should I charge per hour or per day?" Well, my friend, you're in the right place because we're about to uncover the secrets.
"Before you promise the customer something amazing, you better be very careful about that, that you're inspecting what they expect and you're clarifying the expectations like I've even gone and I'll get a shovel or get some shrub trimmers. I'll do an area for free just a small area right in front of them and their garden beds."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "These prices are always changing. I look at videos that I made a few years ago and oh my god, I was charging that. Well, of course before all the inflation, we could charge that much. Right now, we have to charge more. Everything has gone up, right?" - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, we dive straight into the world of landscaping businesses. Keith discusses the need for change and shares personal experiences of overcoming challenges in the industry. You'll discover valuable insights on marketing strategies, pricing, and delivering high-quality services that can transform your landscaping business. Plus, get ready for a motivational boost as we explore the mindset needed for success. Whether you're already in the landscaping business or considering entering the field, this episode offers actionable advice and inspiration to help you achieve your goals. Tune in and take the first step toward unleashing success in your landscaping venture!
"If there comes a 90-day period where you've realized you're not learning anything new. Then you better be earning more raising your prices, raising your value and your worth."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "One baby step in the right direction can be the thing that changes everything in the right direction. And so there's a way to shortcut the stuff and compress time and it's through through online courses and programs, and now, coaches and consultants, if you can get the right coach that's been through all the stuff for real. And then they can help you compress time and kind of shortcut that chasm, you can make a lot of headway in a short amount of time." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, Keith dives deep into his journey from starting a landscaping business to reaching the 100k milestone in just two years. He emphasizes the importance of mindset and shares valuable insights on the balance between learning and earning in the entrepreneurial world. Keith also discusses the challenges he faced, including taking on too much work and the importance of setting the right minimums for your services. Along the way, he encounters a surprise guest, William, who shares his perspective on the landscaping industry. Get ready for an engaging and insightful conversation that will inspire and motivate you on your entrepreneurial journey in the season of 2023.
"It's when you get sick of your own bullshit. So the story you're telling yourself in your head about your business and all these things, if you're in a victim state, nobody cares. Nobody cares... There are people who have it way worse than you. So clean it up. And keep climbing. You got this."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "Well, one, you can logically look at it and split test it if you feel trapped. Do more marketing and advertising and specific neighborhoods get really good at that. So then the math is more in your favor. Be more of a, a white glove, prestige, prestige, very high value experience service on time communication. Everything is like flawless. You get what I'm saying? Like be the best of the best, but also. Put yourself in a position so the customers, it's okay if you lose customers, right? And you don't just raise the price 30%, you raise it in small incremental percentages on your existing customers, and then higher percentages on your new customers, and there's all types of things." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Welcome to this episode of The Untrapped Podcast, where we're joined by a remarkable guest who's about to drop some serious wisdom. Today, we have the privilege of sitting down with Joshua Latimer, a true business visionary. You might already know Joshua from his incredible success stories - he's taken multiple businesses past the million-dollar mark, automated them, and even sold them, all while maintaining an unwavering passion for marketing. With over a thousand entrepreneurs personally coached and countless millionaires created through his guidance, Joshua is a game-changer in the world of business. In the next few minutes, he's going to share insights that can revolutionize your approach to business and marketing. But before we dive in, make sure to mark your calendars for September 13th and 14th because Joshua has a game-changing event coming up, and we'll get all the details.
"Now, I think Warren Buffett, or a lot of famous investors say you make your money on the asset when you buy it, not when you sell it. And we're going to make our money in 2024. Now when we plan it, not when we're in the middle of it. And so it's going to be exciting, it's awesome."
- Joshua Latimer
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"You're poor, and then you're balling. And then you panic here, even though it happens every year, and then you mini-balling again. And then you're poor again. And then it's this emotional rollercoaster. And what happens is people do their marketing backward. Backward means they stopped spending money on marketing up this curve right here. Because they get booked a month or two out, right? And then when it starts to go down, they panic. And they spend all their money, waste all their money, marketing when people don't want to buy their stuff. And then it goes up again. And the cycle continues, right. " - Joshua
Connect with Joshua
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaLatimer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Joshua-Latimer/100006782565455/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meetjoshlatimer/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Welcome back to The Untrapped Podcast, where we dive deep into the art of mastering time for life success. As Johnny Mow aptly puts it, "It's all about your time. So the older I get, the more valuable my time is, and becoming a master of my time is critical to life success." In today's episode, we're exploring key topics and insights from Keith and our guest, Johnny, as they share their wisdom on time management, personal growth, and prioritization.
"It's all about your time. That's what he said. So the older I get, the more valuable my time is and becoming master my time is critical to life success. "
- Johnny Mow
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"And I said I'm gonna change actually, I dropped a whole bunch of accounts. I started prioritizing my time. And I don't know if you can see this, but I have like five statements I live by. And this is one of them. It says proper planning prevents poor performance. And when it comes to priority prioritization of your family, you have to plan for it. It has to be on your mind. As soon as you get up in the morning. " - Johnny
"When you change the way you see things, the things that you see literally change, just like going through this like putting your hand on a hot stove, and it burns the hell out of you like running around. I'm just on a quick rant here. Yeah, for your customers. Because when I had people on the podcast that have been through stuff, and they've come to these conclusions, then they'll speak it from the end result. I'm obsessed with the emotional, the breakdown, sometimes you gotta have a breakdown in order to have a breakthrough. " - Keith
Connect with Johnny
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnnyMow
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this short episode, inspired by the wisdom of Keith Kalfas, we'll journey through pivotal topics that transcend the landscaping industry. Get ready to explore the intricacies of business challenges, the shift from customer-centric to sales-focused strategies, and the profound impact of speaking from the heart.
"Learn the skill of being transparent and negotiating from the heart and speaking from the why instead of bottling it up."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"Saying good things yourself and believing in yourself and thinking about all the good things that your track record of showing up on time and doing the jobs and all these things like you have all the reason that you need to believe in yourself enough to have a little bit of courage and have the heart to negotiate with these customers that Hey, I gotta raise the price. 12.5% or whatever that is. It's just like, I'm just trying to say you're worthy. And if the customers don't see it, then they're not worth your time. But you got to not go silent. Stop keeping your mouth shut and bottling it up. Start having the courage to communicate because like I said, People appreciate the hustle. " - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, we explore the 50% gross profit margin rule, a game-changing principle shared by Robert Gauvreau that involves knowing your project costs, doubling them, and achieving a 50% profit margin for a solid foundation in your business. Discover the difference between markup and gross profit margin, how to use the 50% margin as a financial benchmark, and why understanding your numbers is crucial in the entrepreneurial journey. Robert emphasizes the analogy of a scoreboard – without tracking the score (your margins), how can you make informed decisions? Keith stresses the importance of being aware of true costs, not just the obvious ones, to drive better business decisions. Join us to unlock the secrets of financial success and build a thriving business that lasts. Let's dive in!
"For every job you're going to do. And you're going to price, you want to know what the costs are associated with delivering that project, right, you need to know all the material all the time, all the travel, everything, get very well informed of what that looks like. And then take that cost and double it, when you double it, it will give you a 50% profit margin on your job. And that is a benchmark that you can take to the bank. And it will help build you the foundation of a really strong, financially successful business."
- Robert Gauvreau
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "If you don't know your numbers, you don't know the score of the game, right? And I use the analogy of thinking of a scoreboard going into a basketball game, you go into a basketball game, there's so many shots being taken, which is like the entrepreneurial journey, right? We're so busy, there's so many things moving. But if we aren't keeping track of the score, how do we know if we should be on offense or defense? are we protecting the lead? Or should we be going hard at trying to score and that sort of analogy in our businesses, we need to know how we're doing in our business, we need to know our margins." - Robert
"100% markup is a 50% profit. So this is the last thing that's really occurring to me is Well, I do know my numbers, I do have a bookkeeper, we do get p&l statements. And I know every single penny coming in and out of the business, right, and it allows me to make better decisions, right. And I was frustrated when I didn't know that. So what sometimes when people say things like that, maybe they might be thinking that either or they're not thinking because they don't know they're not aware, or they're pointing to other people. And like a speculation to that. Maybe the people you're saying this too, aren't aware of their true costs, they just see the costs that are right in front of them, but they're not calculating all of the back end, and ongoing, you know, variable costs and all these different things." - Keith
Connect with Robert
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/robert-gauvreau-fcpa-fca-93531430Twitter: https://twitter.com/robert_gauvreau?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertgauvreau/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.gauvreau.1/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, I shared my preferred method of organizing money using multiple accounts. Let's discuss the importance of having separate accounts for different purposes, starting with small amounts. This is based on my own experience of having money saved up for unexpected expenses, in which I recommend setting up multiple bank accounts. Yes, that's correct! Seventeen bank accounts for various business and personal uses—tips on allocating funds, paying taxes, and ensuring proper financial management. That is why I created a PDF download that you can get from my website so you can set it as an example for yourself. Just go to https://www.keithkalfas.com/budget.
In addition, the free live virtual event on July 26th focuses on mastering business profitability. Attendees will gain important financial insights and receive a free PDF download with key takeaways. Register for free:https://www.keithkalfas.com/events
If you want to transform your financial situation and learn the money system that changed your life, tune in to this episode!
“Every time you have money coming in through payroll, you want to take a percentage of that money and save it. It could be 10% of all the money that comes in.” - Keith Kalfas
Topic Highlights:
4:09 - The importance of having a business checking account. - Three main accounts, business, savings, and payroll. - Personal checking, personal and business checking. - Hire a payroll company to process the payroll. - Payment bi-weekly to save money.
9:54 - How to save money for the winter? - Open a winter savings account. - The following is an emergency savings account like a rainy day fund.
16:49 - Some of these accounts might be empty if you don’t make much money yet. - The trick is to find out a tiny percentage of money.
21:00 - What are the other accounts you can utilize? - The good faith fund account for giving back. - A joint checking account with your wife/husband. - Open up multiple bank accounts and label them. - Get a sketchpad or a notepad and figure out what works for you.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources/People Mentioned: Mastering Profitability in Lawn Care. Free virtual event. Register at https://www.keithkalfas.com/events. Free downloadable BUDGET PDF: https://www.keithkalfas.com/budget Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Kindle Edition by Mike Michalowicz: https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4.
In this episode, we're delving into the world of window cleaning. Keith started his window cleaning business a decade ago in Metro Detroit, Michigan, and today, he's here to share valuable insights and experiences with us. Join us as we explore the learning curve of window cleaning, and learn the key to keeping customers coming back for more. So, if you're ready to unlock the potential of your window cleaning business and find your path to success, stay tuned and let's dive in!
"Your job is not to convince people to let you clean their windows. Your job is to find people who have disposable income."
- Keith Kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"You got to keep marketing and advertising and working and growing and your worth and you got to keep them how you got him that's what I mean it's there's customers that if you if you got them at a low price sometimes you got to keep them that way you can might be able to do a little little incremental prices. But if you're gonna come in also with this new high price you're gonna freak them out. When you get brand new customers who don't know the old you who didn't know who when you had a low self esteem, low confidence, they just know you now they don't know that used to charge deeper and they just accepted at 400 bucks a house. Like this is a whole psychology mindset game of you understanding that, like they don't know that you don't know anything about you." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
You might find yourself overwhelmed by the complexities of financial and accounting terms, often leaving you with little time to dedicate to learning about these topics. Audits can occur inconveniently, adding stress and pressure to your busy schedule.
In this episode, I explore the contrast between physically demanding work and administrative tasks, acknowledging the necessity of handling financial reports and organizing insurance despite personal dislikes. The challenges of completing an audit provide insights into overcoming mental and emotional blocks to think positively and recognize the potential benefits. I explore the fears and anxieties associated with audits and the importance of an insurance company providing support and guidance during these processes.
“When these notices come in, get them handled immediately.”
-Keith Kalfas
Today’s Topic:
00:40 - Free sign-up, Industry Deep Dive: Mastering Profitability in Lawn Care. Free virtual event. Register at https://www.keithkalfas.com/events.
00:12 - How do you handle your business's administrative tasks and financial responsibilities? Do you enjoy these tasks, or do you find them overwhelming?
03:34 - What happens if you have an emotional response to tax audits? How did you handle it, and what was your experience?
7:22 - How do you ensure that your business complies with all the requirements and regulations, especially regarding payroll and employee documentation? If you can’t handle these situations alone, get a bookkeeper from your blue skies accounting or find your local accountant.
Key Takeaways:
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources/People Mentioned:
Mastering Profitability in Lawn Care. Free virtual event. Register at https://www.keithkalfas.com/events.
In this episode, Keith and his guest, Jason Creel talks about the challenges age-based pricing and emphasize the importance of charging based on value. Topics covered include efficiency, navigating the first year of business, attracting profitable customers, weed control programs, online marketing, word-of-mouth referrals, billing systems, window cleaning startup tips, and optimal timing for starting a landscaping business. Tune in for valuable insights and strategies from Keith to excel in your entrepreneurial journey.
"I don't think your pricing should be based on your age, you know, if you're 16 and great, then like, charge what a great person would charge if you're, if you're 47 terrible then charge what a terrible person to charge."
- Jason Creel
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "I think the other side of it is, I think some people try to fix all their problems, their whole broken business by going up $5 on everybody, and you can't fix everything by going up on five bucks. Because some businesses are just so broken, they're in debt up their eyeballs, or there's so I've did a video one time the efficiency was more important in the pricing. And what I'm saying is, that is not that pricing is not important. But if you're driving literally all over town, I mean, in Detroit, what drove all over into traffic to go mow a $40 yard, it doesn't matter if you if you charge them $50 or 60, you still got a broken business. I mean, so you know, it's not the fix all it does pricing them fix everything, you know, say until now, like I really try and get 20 yards in the same neighborhood. And if I'm $2 cheaper than somebody else, I still felt like I'm killing them at the end of the day on profit margins." - Jason
"I think throw as much activity at the wall, throw as much money at the wall as you possibly can and see what sticks if you have a ton of opportunity. You know, some people say do it all. But then I really think that you should do it all and do everything you can and just work like 12 to 14 hours a day and do that for about 90 days until it gets so unbearable that you're forced to start cutting the fat and carving out what doesn't work. Because in that time period, if this is your first year, the lessons that you're going to be that you're going to learn while being in the trenches, and under the fire, with that amount of pressure on you are going to make you have a nervous breakdown, which is beautiful, but to know, they're gonna, they're gonna teach you invaluable lessons, and you're gonna get a, you know, like a master's degree at this a lot faster than most people if you've got that many customers that fast." - Keith
Connect with Jason
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lawncarelifeWebsite: https://www.lawncarelife.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawncarelife
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, I delve into turning down jobs and staying true to core services. Is it a great decision to trust your gut feeling instead of blindly following landscape quotes, and the importance of sticking to core services to avoid regret and stress?
The episode delves into the emotional burden associated with landscaping jobs and my personal experiences with plant health and transplant shock. The dangers of taking on additional tasks outside of one's expertise are discussed, highlighting the need to establish boundaries and say no to tasks that can't be handled. Ultimately, the episode explores the fear of risk and the necessity of discernment in making decisions as a business owner.
Tune in to hear the full episode as I dive into the world of landscaping, business strategies, and making courageous decisions by emphasizing the importance of establishing boundaries and learning to say no to tasks that are outside of one's expertise, as saying yes to everything may not always be the solution. Join us on this episode as we navigate the scary but rewarding world of the landscaping business.
"Trust me when I say, following your intuition and making decisions based on gut feelings is crucial. But also remember to ask for wisdom from a higher power."
- Keith Kalfas
Today's Topic:
[00:02:19] Topsoil, grass seed, fertilizer, maintenance, emotional baggage.
[00:05:54] Taking on unwanted jobs for money: Where's your time best spent?
[00:08:40] Learn profitable landscape maintenance secrets. Free video series.
Key Takeaways:
"Here's the thing, hustling to get a big job might seem like a great idea. But as your business grows, you might find yourself dealing with tasks outside your expertise. Set boundaries and learn to say no when it's necessary."
"Remember, saying yes to everything and taking on any job may not always be the solution. It's essential to establish boundaries and stay true to your expertise."
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources/People Mentioned: Jobber: www.getjobber.com/keith
Welcome to "The Untrapped Podcast," where we unlock the secrets of building business systems that liberate you from the daily grind. Join us as we explore topics like the cashflow quadrant, owning a service business, passive income, and the power of content and commerce in the digital age. Discover how to become a hands-off business owner while your venture continues to thrive and grow. Get ready to break free and unleash your business's true potential.
"Okay, so a B type business owner can walk away from their business for six months. Hands off. And if you listen, basically six months hands off, and their business just keeps generating the same amount or more revenue, it grows without them. Why? Because the business has systems."
- Keith kalfas
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways
"So if you said anybody that's gonna make money in business, in the future of the internet, you have to have these two things. I know this for sure. You have to have content. And you have to have commerce, ways of transacting goods and money so you can get money, right? You have commerce, if you're a merchant, and you have a table set up and you're selling things or you're providing services by way of word of mouth but on the internet, you have to have content out there. Good." - Keith
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Welcome to this insightful episode of the Untrapped Podcast where we sit down with Tommy Mello. Join us as we go through the world of efficiency and growth, as Tommy shares his expertise on building relationships with employees, effective marketing strategies, empowering others to learn from mistakes, and much more. Get ready to elevate your business game with practical insights and key takeaways that can help you achieve remarkable results.
"I'll never charge for a podcast. But also, there is an opportunity cost for time, I've realized now, why would I ever do one shop tour when I could do 10? At the same time? It's just efficiency. Why would I ever speak to 10 people when I can speak to 1000? Now listen, I do a lot of things. And I try to help a lot of people. But there's only so many hours in a day. And if you're not increasing your efficiency, you're never gonna grow. "
- Tommy Mellow
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "Okay, and one of the things that I recommend everybody do is start keeping a little track of your time. And if it's not on a Google Calendar, I just recommend an old-fashioned scheduler and where your time is going. That's your next hire. If you're spending 15 hours on payroll dilemmas, or you're realizing you gotta make the LMS there are people that automate a better LMS than you they understand how people learn. They're the best of the best. And a lot of times when I was a smaller business, I thought I was saving money by buying used trucks and not hiring the best of the best and not getting the best trainers. And I thought I'll just help but then I realized that I was actually losing money because things weren't hitting the finish line and things weren't getting done. And it was kind of a hodgepodge put together. And all these ideas without hiring the best without getting consultants, without reading books without listening to great podcasts without getting, you know, learning at great speaking events, I realized I was actually kind of shooting myself in the foot, I was actually making my life harder" - Tommy
"Love it, man. So you have so much gratitude. That's it. That's it so you know exactly what you want. You're crystal clear. You're on you're hyper passionate you're in love with what you do. And you walk in live in gratitude, infinite curiosity around business and success, or you're always asking questions, you're humbled, you're not afraid to ask for help you build a team around you of people that are smarter than you even know the things that maybe you don't know how to do. You don't want to do it all you focus on what you're best at, and you're a visionary. So you find integrators and people that can help you. And when you help enough people win, you win automatically." - Keith
Connect with Tommy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.mello.33Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@homeserviceexpert7029 Podcast: https://homeserviceexpert.com/podcast
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In this episode, we uncover valuable insights from our guest, Jacob Godar. From overcoming the fear of the unknown to the importance of delegation, daily planning, and building a strong team, we dive into the strategies that drive results. Discover the transformative power of investing in yourself, the significance of networking and conferences, and the impact of embracing a broader perspective. Join us as we uncover the path to long-term success and break free from limiting mindsets.
"If you just focus on marketing, sales, and production, and consistently focus on getting better and better and better at each one, you're going to be able to have that big load of work. That's the deal, though." - Jacob Godar
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "And so honestly, I'm not saying you should let your quality go if you're wanting to delegate, but you got to understand there's going to be things that come up like we had someone in this office, right to my right is our admin who was working on scheduling all the mowing in Florida. And she's learning more and more that she had a mistake today where something didn't get dispatched. So the team didn't see it. You know, back in the day, that would have freaked me out, man, just like show me so I can show you how to fix that moving forward into the future. So we can get that right. I don't care about mistakes, the more mistakes you make, as long as you don't keep doing them over and over again, the faster we learn, the faster we grow." - Jacob
"We all want to build companies grow more make more money. But like the ability to give back and help my team earn more money, like that's that's the cool thing because that's what's going to take you like all the way it's very the whole keep it small and keep it all type of mentality is never going to get you real real far." - Keith
Connect with Joshua
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacob.godar.5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobgodar/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobGodar Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/grow-by-design Website: https://www.jacobgodar.com/grow-comm/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
In today's discussion, we delve into the true essence of success and wealth, going beyond mere desires and materialistic pursuits. Throughout the episode, we explore the importance of expertise, leveraging a service business, anchoring people to higher prices, and controlling the sales process. We uncover the three-step pricing process, strategies to enhance the value of a service, and the ways in which high prices can protect and simplify marketing efforts.
"This is the point, desire alone is almost worthless. But wanting to have lots of money doesn't mean anything. " - Joshua Latimer
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "This is the point desire alone is almost worthless. But wanting to have lots of money doesn't mean anything. Everybody wants that. You know, you got to stop trying to get money to make a lot of money. That's a whole mind bomb like poor people chase money, right? Tommy Mello has never chased money. He is chasing a vision. He's building a machine. It's He's obsessed with his teams. He is literally authentically obsessed with helping them get ahead with it." - Joshua
"I've been able to make more money over the past couple years and like that I've always wanted to make and I've I've surprised myself of what I invest the money in. Because when I was younger, I thought I would go get that badass Cadillac that I always wanted or stuff like that, or get a crazy watch. And now I find myself investing money into my education, and into my business more than because it's like a conscious choice, step by step, I can get this thing now that depreciates and it's cool for five minutes. Or I can invest in this that it's like you're planting more seeds. It's like, at what point I guess you have to decide what truly makes you incredibly happy and fulfilled. " - Keith
Connect with Joshua
Website: https://warplan.com/auditFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006782565455 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaLatimer
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
The marketing process can be really tricky if you're not sure what to do. But you know that posting videos on all your social media accounts will work, right? To increase your business's visibility, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on Google ads in order to create this content. In today's podcast, I'm going to explain how to begin this task if you are not sure where to begin. These tricks took me a lot of time and money to learn, and now I'm passing them on to you. Since I've mastered all of this. Here's your chance to do the same.
Let me give you the basics right now. However, if you want to learn the best strategies, you can enroll in the Social Media Explosion Course, which comes bundled with the Entrepreneur Bundle for a very low price. Give it some thought and let me know. Feel free to send me a message if you are interested. I hope you enjoy today's show.
"Omnipresence is where you can be everywhere at once"
- Keith Kalfas.
Today’s topic:
1:55 “I've learned out of pulling my hair out and trying to do it all myself how you can actually build a small team of virtual assistants around you for an incredibly low cost.”
The idea of hiring one person to do everything for you will not work. Because he or she might be good at one thing but not at everything. Therefore, it is better to have a specialist handle each task in order to avoid messes.
3:18 - “There's fiverr.com. I know you've heard of that. But you ain't heard of it like this. There's upwork.com. There are all these different freelance websites.”
You can hire a virtual assistant from these freelancing platforms. There are people who can do these tasks at very low costs. Find a specialist who is an expert in each area.
4:47 - “You create one great piece of content per month.”
Creating the monthly content that you need to upload does not require much effort. The only thing you need to do is create one great piece of content per month. The goal is not just about creating content, so listen to Keith for some additional advice. There should also be a bit of work on this.
9:10 - “Send it to an article writer. The article writer writes the article on your website, like the blog plugin or something, and you get the blog. And then, when the blog is done, you send it to another virtual assistant, a va, whose job is to repurpose content.”
Getting noticed can be achieved through a blog. As a bonus, you'll be more visible when you repurpose it.
12:09 - “I want you to book 24 or 48 hours with the studio person or somebody who's got a dope camera and maybe some lighting and good audio. And then I want you to script and write out and plan.”
In the absence of a recording space. Booking a studio or room where you can record this stuff would be a good idea. For a small amount, you can buy a green screen and have the video editor edit it for you. This will ensure your content looks professional, regardless of whether you are on a job site or not.
15:02 - “When a customer goes to your website, and they see professional videos, and then they go bounce around on Facebook, and maybe they check to see because you have an Instagram link and everything is cohesive and looks well, it looks professional”
The advantage of creating your own content is that you can control the quality. This proves that you are the best candidate for the job. It is the best marketing strategy you could use for your business.
Key Takeaways:
"Omnipresent means you're on all social media platforms all the time. But you're not doing you have a virtual assistant posting it all for you."
"You tell a story about the job site, a case study testimonial video, for instance."
"If you could take that one video and get a hit, maybe only one out of eight of those videos would become a hit. You can put that thing on the front of your website, and it'll sit there for two-three years and will sell your work."
Connect with Keith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/
Resources/People Mentioned: My Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/
Email: kalfasmedia@gmail.com
Entrepreneur Bundle: https://www.keithkalfas.com/store/RUGXugU8
Jobber: www.getjobber.com/keith Ballard Products: www.ballard-inc.com/ Jill’s Office: www.jillsoffice.com/
We have the privilege of sitting down with Shawn Langton, the visionary founder of Kujo Yardwear, to delve into the captivating story of product development and business growth. Join us as we explore the journey of starting the Kujo Yard, from the inception of an idea to the creation of a revolutionary shoe designed specifically for lawn mowing.
Along the way, we'll uncover the importance of treating customers like gold, strategies for balancing different roles within a business, the power of having a clear vision, and the wisdom of creating a niche in marketing. Get ready for insightful conversations and key takeaways that will inspire and empower you in your own entrepreneurial pursuits. Let's dive in and learn from the experiences and lessons shared by our remarkable guest.
"When it comes to be in a very specific niche, when I wanted to start a shoe company, that was my dream as a kid. I'm doing it, but there's no way in the world I'm going to just compete as a general like athletic shoe or general hiking shoe going against like Nike We had no chance but the only chance we have surviving and actually making something here is to have a very specific niche, do it really, really well and just focus on it and just in just try to be the best in that very specific niche." - Shawn Langton
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "Like you said ideas are not that it's easy. I mean a good ideas is worth a million dollars but ideas are the easy part everybody you know, there's a lot of people that have a lot better ideas than me about things but it's like you said it's the work it's the execution it's the investment it's figuring out how to create a great product bringing it to market and then just busting your butt in the sales and marketing to really you know get people to try it and then once people to try it once people try it that's even the harder part now you have to have outstanding customer service and fortunately that's something I thought of right from the beginning like customers are gold." - Shawn
"I used to make these these crazy videos. And I still do have like me trimming trees and cussing and yelling and talking about being in the trenches and business and like, I still make some of those videos. But as I've grown a bit, I'm more becoming interested in the deep entrepreneurial conversations that caused the highs are the eureka moments where make you reframe something in your brain that makes you oh my god, that's the answer. And these answers move the needle forward. That helped you realize something in your life and business that make you make an extra 50 or 100 grand this year, that make you you know, be able to upgrade your lifestyle and provide for your family better to watch some of your own dreams come true instead of just getting excited of entertaining information." - Keith
Connect with Shawn
Website: https://www.kujo.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kujoyardwear Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KujoYardwearLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kujo-yardwear/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
How do we attract more clients and stand out against competitors’ businesses through effective marketing strategies and systems? As today’s guest says, attracting qualified leads is hard, and landing bigger jobs can be tough. With all the advancement going on, there’s a lot more competition and challenges on the sides. But that’s exactly why he’s here today – to share golden nuggets you can easily implement. Join us as we learn from Matt Thibeau today. Matt Thibeau is the Owner and Founder of Savant Marketing Agency, helping contractors systemize their marketing and sales process. He is one of the top digital marketing experts in the home improvement industry, an Author of Dude 2.0, and a Client Acquisition Expert for top construction companies across North America. Through Matt and Savant Marketing Agency, you can get new ideas, new concepts, and new strategies, giving you results that make your phone ring, projects that make you more profit, and systems that save you time. So what are you waiting for? Have your note-taking tools ready, for we are about to drop mind-bombs on today’s episode of Untrapped!
“In the beginning, the best things that you can be doing are gathering what I call proof assets, and that would be pictures; just snapping quick pictures of your work and really showing before and after pictures of the best thing you can show so someone actually has a level of comparison. Because when you just show an after picture, then people have nothing to compare it to. So, it is important to be able to show, like, ‘Hey, here’s what it looked like before—crappy, ugly lawn or backyard—and then here’s what it looks like now.” – Matt Thibeau
Topics Covered 00:00 – “In the beginning, the best things that you can be doing are gathering what I call proof assets, and that would be pictures.” Welcoming today’s awesome guest, Matt Thibeau 03:51 – “I’ve always been interested in marketing, but I kind of just fell into the contracting niche. And so, I just kind of ran with it from there.” Who is Matt Thibeau? Why is he doing the work that he does? How is he able to understand all the subtle nuances of what contractors actually go through? 06:37 – “If you’re going to be out and doing jobs, you might as well start building a portfolio. Start capturing those jobs that you’re actually doing. Just take a moment, snap before and after pictures, because what I call that is building out what’s called proof assets.” Why is a portfolio a must-have when you’re aiming to get a lot more leads and position yourself as a credible business that stands out against the competition? How do you create before and after pictures for that? 10:04 – “What I like to tell our clients is get into the habit of some kind of system or protocol and how you go about doing a job or onboarding a client, so then you literally can have a checklist and be like, cool.” Matt shares tips on the importance of getting into the habit of having a system or protocol that’s built right into every job. He also talks about getting into the habit of getting reviews and using that to attract more clients, highlighting why you should only ask for a testimonial when your clients are happy and excited. 16:19 – “A golden nugget that you can start implementing that I guarantee you not a lot of landscapers are doing is you can start looking for ways to get people’s attention by adding value into your service with something free that you throw in instead of discounting something.” On giving out freebies, discounts, and warranties: Which is more effective if you want to get people’s attention and stand out against competitors? 18:46 – Want a FREE copy of Matt’s book, “Digital Marketing Secrets for Contractors”? Find out how and where to get yours now! 20:24 – “Google ads are going to be more expensive and more competitive. Just because it’s been around longer, there’s a lot more competition on there. But the thing is that Google ads is going to be a more qualified lead that you get from there.” What is the best route to get into advertising? Comparing Google ads to Facebooks ads for beginners and close clients 26:35 – “What I see a lot of is people going way too wide with their services way too soon. If you’re a newer landscaping business, then stick to one or two things that you can really rock, and you’re the go-to guy for that.” “Niche down, a scale that, become the go-to guy, and then start going wider”: The importance of niching down and focusing on one niche before going wide on your services 29:59 – Connect with Matt Thibeau Key Takeaways “If you’re going to be out and doing jobs, you might as well start building a portfolio. Start capturing those jobs that you’re actually doing. Just take a moment, snap before and after pictures, because what I call that is building out what’s called proof assets.” “If you wait like a week later, and then you say, ‘Hey, can you give us a review?’ then you’re risking that maybe he got in a fight with his wife when you send that email, or maybe something happened in his family that’s just bad, or maybe he got fired from his job or whatever. Obviously, now, your review isn’t going to be the top priority, or maybe you’re risking that his emotional state isn’t going to be in the right state to catch him. So when he’s in that moment or she, and they’re saying like, ‘Wow, you’re so amazing,’ you want to catch it right there. You want to catch them in that peak state of excitement because that’s a window of time that’s limited.” “A golden nugget that you can start implementing that I guarantee you not a lot of landscapers are doing is you can start looking for ways to get people’s attention by adding value into your service with something free that you throw in instead of discounting something.” “In your first couple of years, Google ads might be something that might be a little bit further down the line for you. So then that means that Facebook ads would be a really good option to start with. Definitely, you’re going to have to have fewer quality leads that come through that, but you’re going to be able to get into the advertising game less expensively and be able to start generating your own leads and not just rely on referrals.” “Niche down, and then really, really scale that and become the go-to guy for that, and then start going wider.” Connect with Matt Thibeau Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.thibeau/ Facebook Group: Renovation Contractor Success YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mattthibeau Website: https://savantmarketingagency.com/ Connect with Keith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/ Resources/People Mentioned: My Website: Official Site Keith Kalfas Matt’s book: Digital Marketing Secrets for Contractors FREE mp3 download of Matt’s book: https://contractormarketingbook.com/ Savant Marketing Agency: https://savantmarketingagency.com/ Jobber: www.getjobber.com/keith Ballard Products: www.ballard-inc.com/ Jill’s Office: www.jillsoffice.com/
In today's discussion, our guest Allyn Hane, a seasoned lawn professional, shares valuable insights on the benefits of adding spray services to your lawn business. Allyn emphasizes that incorporating spray services not only allows you to generate excellent profits but also offers a unique value proposition to customers by tapping into a market with less competition and saturation. Throughout the episode, we delve into a range of topics, including the importance of learning your land as a new homeowner, finding joy in mowing, implementing integrated pest management strategies, debunking fears around fertilizer usage, identifying different types of pests, and maximizing earnings through pesticide spraying. Additionally, we explore the experience of working for a lawn care company, the two enemies of a thriving lawn, and when it might be time to hire a receptionist to maintain a positive customer experience. Prepare to gain valuable insights and key takeaways from this enlightening conversation!
Key takeaways from this episode include Allyn's clarification that fertilizers do not cause lawn burns and the importance of proper calibration and adherence to label instructions. As a lawn professional, it's crucial to overcome any fears surrounding fertilizer usage and understand that it contributes to the overall health and beauty of the lawn. Keith also shares a helpful tip for dealing with burnout in your business by hiring a receptionist to ensure a positive front-facing voice while you focus on other essential aspects.
"I was talking to them talking to lawn professionals, a lot of y'all you want to add spray service. And I think you should- I think it's excellent way to make good profit and offer something to customers that has a little less competition and a little less saturation. " - Allyn Hane
Topics Covered:
Key Takeaways "The thing about fertilizing is people have a fear of it. Even lawn professionals that are like lawn companies I talk to a lot of guys like that they have a fear of fertilizer, their fear given a burn something. So fertilizer doesn't burn the lawn. And they're just going to tell you that right now, even if you put down a Triple Thick application for some reason, because you didn't read the label, because you didn't calibrate your spreader, whatever you're not going to bring along." - Allyn
"if you ever get into a place in your business where you are just burned out and you're sick of talking to customers, and you cannot muster up the energy to be super nice and polite and happy and helpful just because it happens. Hire a receptionist who will be the good front facing voice for your business. And then you could just leave the field and muscle through it." - Keith
Connect with Allyn
Website: https://thelawncarenut.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allynhane/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThelawncarenutTwitter: https://twitter.com/AllynPaul
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Resources and Websites:
🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇 Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series
Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16
Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Get Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
Do you want to start a business in the aquascape industry, doing ponds and water features, Or maybe add this to your existing services, but you don’t know how to?
Today’s guest was once just like you—a typical guy that got into the business without actually knowing the business. He was a machine builder 25 years ago and just happened to get into aquascape through a spark of interest he felt upon having his pond in his backyard. But through his passion, he was able to be in the industry of the highest profit in the landscaping business.
Join us as we discuss how he was able to take a step into this industry and learn how you can make high profits with ponds and water features!
Jeff Michaels owns Pondering Waters, an indoor and outdoor design, installation, and maintenance company that has been installing for 25 years with a unique understanding of the wants and needs of both residential and commercial customers. More than just your typical pond company, they are extremely passionate and have unique ideas for water feature designs. Pondering Waters maintains the delicate ecosystems that make up a biological environment while ensuring clients' enjoyment.
“Keep it simple stupid. Don’t go into this industry thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to get a dump trailer. I’m going to go buy an excavator. I started out with my pickup truck, wheelbarrow, shovels, and all that. As long as you have that, you can get a business started doing water features.”
– Jeff Michaels
Topics Covered 00:00 – “What we actually do is we get hired by friends of ours. At other pond companies, we hire each other out to do large projects because it’s those large projects that, if you don’t have a good team around you, things can go bad really quickly. We just help each other out on large-scale projects, and it just makes the project go really smoothly.”
Keith introduces today’s awesome guest, Jeff Michaels, as they talk about Jeff’s experience of traveling to nine different states to do various aquascape work over the past couple of years, like installing a water feature at a zoo.
05:52 – “The more money you’re gonna make is basically on smaller scale jobs. It’s not always the bigger jobs.”
What are the profit margins that somebody can see versus general property maintenance of trimming people’s bushes, installing mulch, and cutting grass? How’s the money made in the aquascape industry?
09:10 – “If a customer wants me to really get artistic using bigger boulders and really take our time on doing these jobs, it’s going to cost a little bit more because you’re spending more time on it.”
Jeff gives a cookie-cutter recommendation as he shares how he was able to do nine grand works in a day and how you can do the same.
13:54 – “When I got done with that job, and she looked at it, she had nothing to say…She ended up being one of the best customers I’ve ever had.”
Talking about Jeff’s first pond job, highlighting how he could do it even when he had no experience in the business as he was a machine builder 25 years ago.
15:56 – “There’s always money to be made on just this one customer alone. It’s a revolving money-making business.”
What do the terms pond clean out, shut down, and start-up mean? How do Jeff and his team do it under certain circumstances?
21:13 – “Now that I know what I know now and we’ve got all the processes in place, that really doesn’t happen.”
Discussion about doing the right things when taking care of your ponds and fishes.
24:05 – “Keep it simple stupid. Don’t go into this industry thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to get a dump trailer. I’m going to go buy an excavator. I started out with my pickup truck, wheelbarrow, shovels, and all that. As long as you have that, you can get a business started doing water features.”
The first step and first pieces of equipment you would need if you want to dive into this industry
28:28 – “It’s a passion. When you’re passionate about something, you get excited about it, and you want to do more.”
Does Jeff’s whole life revolve around ponds? What’s the dopest thing he’s ever done regarding a pond?
33:01 – Serious about getting into this industry? Pondering Waters is doing some massive hiring right now!
Key Takeaways
“On the smallest stock, smaller scale, I tried to focus on a 50% profit margin; that’s my profit margin. Larger scale, you can try to get that 50%, but it’s really tricky because one thing goes wrong on a large project, there goes your profit margin.”
“The biggest thing when you’re doing projects like this is knowing your numbers. If a company does not know your numbers, you can really go down south pretty quick.”
“It all goes back to tracking and knowing your numbers. You get to know what your operational costs are. I think that’s where a lot of contractor kind of mess up a little bit.”
“You got to have something and experiment with it. You got to know what you’re talking about. You can take all the classes you want, but what happens if you experience something at your own pond that you haven’t experienced because, basically, you’re doing it through books and videos? Sometimes, something might come up that you don’t know about. You need to know how to handle it. That’s where having your own pond actually comes into play.”
Connect with Jeff Michaels
Website: https://ponderingwaters.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingWaters Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ponderingwaters/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PonderingWaters/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepondotter
Connect with Keith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/ Resources/People Mentioned:
Eternal Tattoos Koi Pond: Our Favorite Koi Pond Rebuild: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhRqfwv4QaA
Jill’s Office: www.jillsoffice.com/ Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/