In this interview, Marty Grunder is joined by Taylor Milliken to talk about changes that come when you grow a company and the journey from being a high-schooler striping lawns to now being an impressive, professional operation serving Nashville's growing market.
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Episode Chapters:
00:00 - Start
01:01 - A Heartfelt Thank You
01:50 - Meet Taylor Milliken
02:31 - Taylor’s Background and Early Days
05:13 - Building the Business
07:13 - Challenges and Lessons Learned
15:19 - Focus on Customer Service
18:22 - Balancing Innovation and Focus
19:49 - Embracing Peer Groups and Industry Advocacy
21:17 - Balancing Ideas and Implementation
23:32 - The Importance of Vision and Core Values
24:26 - Write This Down!
26:03 - Leadership and Empathy in Business
29:34 - Streamlining Technology for Efficiency
34:39 - The Power of Continuous Learning
36:41 - Future Outlook and Closing Remarks
Resources:
Virtual Sales Bootcamp
Grunder Landscaping Field Trips
The Grow Group
Show Notes:
The Strategic Reset: Going Backwards to Go Forward
The Problem (2023-2024): Revenue dropped from $14M to $13M
The Solution: "Sales needs to be a product of customer service"
Hard Lessons That Stuck
The Property Line Disaster
First pool project - installed pool with property line running through middle of it, completely off client's property.
What Changed:
The Learning: "Professionalism is about being prepared for your client"
The Idea Filter: Stop Chasing Squirrels
Used to implement 50 things in 30 days after conferences. Nothing stuck.
Now runs every idea through:
Key Quote: "Too many businesses optimize things that shouldn't even exist in our company" - The Science of Scaling
New Rule: Pick 3 priorities maximum. Master them before adding more.
Game-Changing Communication System
The 5-10 Rule
The Friday Email (100% Eliminated Weekend Complaints)
Before leaving Friday, project manager emails client:
Why it works: Customers spend weekends looking at work and developing questions. Proactive communication eliminates reactive complaints.
Accountability: All emails CC'd to management, part of PM evaluation
The Team That Challenges You
30-day controller Sherry: "Taylor, you have the team focused on too many things. We need to focus on just being great landscapers."
Response: Within 24 hours, brought to team, deprioritized immediately.
Leadership Principle: If your team can't tell you when you're off base, you either have wrong people or need to add someone who can.
Daily Standards
Trucks washed every day before going out
Client meetings: Both decision makers must visit office for initial appointment
Strategic Reading Approach
Minimum 4 books/year for all leadership and middle management
Taylor's Method: Read books aligned with when you'll need those skills
Interview Question: "What book are you reading?"
Technology Philosophy
Key Learning: Technology without dedicated ownership doesn't succeed
Nashville Market Competitor Agreement
Gentleman's agreement with 4-5 competitors:
2026 Outlook
Bottom Line
Happy clients sell the next job. Focus on who you're serving today, not just who you're selling tomorrow. Implement fewer things better. Surround yourself with people who'll tell you when you're wrong. Create systems that prevent problems before they start.
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