April 16, 2025 • 25 mins
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What does your environment say about your mindset and success?
In this powerful episode of the Super Entrepreneurs Podcast, host Shahid Durrani speaks with Steve Griggs, one of New York’s top luxury landscape designers. With over four decades of experience serving high-net-worth clients, Steve goes beyond aesthetics—he curates outdoor environments that reflect how people think, feel, and lead.
From rooftop gardens on skyscrapers to serene backyard sanctuaries, Steve shares how intentional design impacts success, well-being, and personal growth. You’ll also hear what sets truly successful people apart—from how they treat their time to how they protect their space.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, real estate investor, or creative thinker—this episode is packed with wisdom on aligning your inner world with your external environment.
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Chapters:
03:12 The Value of Time Over Money
04:02 Client Relationships and Trust
05:49 Understanding Luxury in Landscape Design
06:48 What Sets Steve Apart from Competitors
08:28 Taking Risks in Business
09:15 Overcoming Challenges: The 2008 Crisis
10:09 Starting Fresh: Marketing and Sales
11:17 Creating Unique Outdoor Environments
13:35 The Importance of Listening to Clients
14:31 Advice for New Entrepreneurs
16:30 The Power of Relationships and Networking
19:57 The Role of Marketing in Business Growth
22:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Pullout Quotes
- "To me, luxury is when you walk into your space and feel like you're on vacation."
- "They don’t want to micromanage—they want to trust the professional and focus on what matters."
- "I’m only as good as my last job. That’s why I keep building the brand."
- "Marketing is constant gardening—sales becomes easier when you’ve nurtured visibility."
- "Just s
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
how are you able to stroke a checkfor a hundred thousand dollars?
(00:03):
Like it's nothing and it's fascinatingand how they live and how they
respect time and how they value time.
Over money almost
(00:33):
Welcome to super entrepreneurs podcast.
I'm your host.
Shahid Durrani.
Today we have with us, Steve Griggs.
Steve is a top luxury landscape designerwho's worked with high net worth clients
to create some of the most breathtakingoutdoor spaces that you can imagine.
(00:55):
But beyond the design, he actuallyunderstands something that we talk
about a lot on the show, right?
Something much deeper, howyour environment shapes.
Your mindset, your energy,and even your success.
So welcome to our show, Steve.
(01:15):
Glad to be here.
I guess you're up in Toronto.
I can tell by the accent.
I guess you're a hockey fan.
I guess you're a hockey fan.
Not really.
No, I never got into anykind of sports growing up.
But glad to be here.
Yeah, I was complaining
about that.
I was complaining about thecold in New York, but you told
me you got seven feet of snow.
So
yeah, it's all good.
(01:37):
We have, we had multiple andFor me, it's just each of these
experiences enjoyable, right?
Because I, people that when it'stoo hot, their complaint is too hot.
So you just go with the flow,whatever comes your way.
Just go with the flow.
So it's cool to be here.
Looking forward.
I like what you're doing.
You've been doing this a while.
I see a lot of episodes, a lotof episodes under your belt.
(01:57):
That's good.
It's a big commitment on your part.
I know it's a lot of work.
Yeah no.
It's my pleasure.
It's great to meet with people like you.
To share, the story and what you havedone from the inner world to the outer
strategies and see if we can help peoplethat are out there trying to do the same.
(02:18):
But the tendency for people thatgo into business that is not that.
Creative and experience for most, right?
And the major component that I'm verypassionate about is the inner world,
because when we have the inner world inalignment, then the outer has no chance
to bring you down, so that's why I getto get a chance to meet with wonderful,
(02:41):
successful people like yourself.
You have been designing these outdoorspaces, which was very intriguing, very
unique niche for many successful people.
Now, What do you think theirapproach is to design look at
success and wealth accumulation.
(03:03):
That's an interesting question.
Cause I, I was broughtup blue collar, right?
My father was a construction worker.
We lived okay, but notlike I see people live.
And I was always amazed that.
How these people are able tostroke a check, like they're
paying an electric bill.
It always fascinated me.
I always learned a lot.
What do they do for a living?
(03:24):
Like, how did you know?
Cause that's how we learn.
Like how are you able to stroke acheck for a hundred thousand dollars?
Like it's nothing and it's fascinatingand how they live and how they
respect time and how they value time.
Over money almost, youknow what I'm saying?
Like they'd rather pay, they'd ratherpay a premium to get the job done,
(03:46):
so they can focus on other things.
And I noticed that between the goodclients and the bad clients, the good
clients always, they demand a lot, butthey always, they always wanted that
extra, they didn't want to be bogged downwith details of that was your business.
They trusted the professionaland they let me do my job.
And I was always fascinated about in thatworld and how their mind thinks at all.
(04:08):
And I really, I try to learn fromevery one of my clients as well.
Yeah.
And you'll notice there's anature of abundance underneath.
Engagement,
right?
Yeah.
They were never really, theywere, but they're not, they're
always frugal, they're frugal.
Everybody misunderstandsthat they just waste money.
No, they always watch every dollar.
(04:29):
That's how they got, that'show they got to be successful.
But they always
places.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They valued like their homes and theyvalued the homes and how the home
How's the sound the auto good, right?
And they always valuelike a nice living space.
That's their sanctuary and theyalways take care of their family and
that's the protected environment.
So that's what I got out
of it.
(04:50):
As they say, as you do one thing,you do everything . The same way
as these outdoor environmentsthat they create, specifically.
It has a direct link to how they lookat, life and success and business.
Correct.
Yes.
They're bringing that landscape,the quality that they're
(05:12):
seeing in their environment.
They're actually puttinginto their business as well.
They're smart people, right?
They said, yeah, I don'twant to cut corners.
Yes.
I want to do the job one time anddo it right, so I don't have to fix
it every time I have to come back.
So they understand, thevalue of quality, right?
Not saying, just paying outrageous prices.
They want to pay a little, they wantto pay to have the job done right.
(05:33):
Have it supervised properly, use materialsthat are going to last, make sure the
contractors aren't cutting corners,because they know what's going to happen.
If you beat the contractors up too much,you use not quality materials, you're
going to be back fixing it, and theydon't want to be dealing with that.
What are some misunderstandings when itcomes to these luxury landscape designs?
(05:56):
It depends.
Luxury what is luxury?
To, what is luxury, right?
To each person, you want to try to developa space that's comfortable with you.
That's luxury.
That's luxury.
When you walk into a backyard.
That's luxury.
When I walk into my backyard andI'm like, I feel like I'm vacation,
that's luxury, whether it's a littletiny swimming pool or it's whatever.
(06:18):
To me, that's luxury, right?
Yeah.
It's the, to the person, what's intheir heart, just like in success, one
person could feel completely successfulwhen they have brought peace in the
world, that they're completely fulfilledand they're just having our earth.
That's their biggest accomplishment thatmost people struggle to never achieve so
(06:41):
for them, that success for someone else isa Lamborghini, yeah, so it's all relative.
Yeah.
Obviously you must have competitors,what makes you different when it comes
to attracting these high end clients?
What makes me different?
They can pick up the phoneand they can call me.
My, they have my cell phone, like I'm nothiding behind a secretary, I'm available.
(07:06):
And I think that really sets meapart because they can reach me.
Busy people don't want tobe waste time going around.
If they want to get ahold of me, they pickup the phone and they can get ahold of me.
That's very, me and my project managers.
So they're busy people.
Like they don't want to be, they'renot leaving a phone message.
They're not going toleave you a phone message.
(07:26):
They just want instant.
I'm in New York.
Very tough market.
Very tough market.
They're not waiting around.
This is not out West and, orthey're not, they're busy people.
Yeah.
They don't, it's veryaggressive here, as right?
It's
So
Steve,
is there anybody that we would knowin the audience of anyone that you
(07:51):
could share that you have done thiskind of project for anybody famous?
The problem with working for those typeof people is they want to remain private.
That's the downside.
That's the downside.
That's yeah, I respect their privacy.
Yeah.
And that's just the way that comes withthe turf and you cannot break that.
(08:12):
And very importantly, youdon't break that trust.
It's just a matter of, hey,it's, that's my public life.
That's my public, but this is my homeand my family is, and I keep private.
I wanna keep it private.
I'm totally, I was, I said, no problem.
I totally respect that.
So what is the biggest risk youhave taken in your business?
(08:32):
That was something that felt like a gambleat the time, but actually changed it.
Every
day I wake up, it's a gamble.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Something big.
That I took a risk building, doingsomething that building a garden.
34, build, trying to build a garden34 stories up on a building in
(08:53):
Manhattan in a skyscraper, right?
Big risk, big risk, sometimes you win,sometimes you lose, you gotta take,
you can't be afraid if in business,you can't be afraid to take risk.
Every day is risk.
Yeah, okay.
Was there any moment that youfelt that you actually hit rock
bottom and you brought yourself up?
(09:15):
Yeah, 2008.
I've been doing this for 40 years, right?
2008 in the States, it was avery, the banking crisis hit.
It was bad.
I had a wife, two babies, mortgage.
And you just, I guess if you're, youjust cannot quit, like they, you, you
hear it, it sounds very cliche, whatam I going to, what are the options?
(09:38):
That's really, that was one thatreally stuck out of my head.
And I, you just, you, by doinggood jobs for other clients, all
those years, you can go back tothem, and you can get a little job
from them and get you through it.
You want to constantly nurtureand nurture the old clients.
And not just do a one hitwonder and leave, right?
(09:59):
So you keep that relationship going soyou can always go back to the Rolodex
and get some more work from them.
That's really has sustained methrough the low times as well.
So
if woke up, just imagine that youwoke up with absolutely no memory.
Of this business and what you weredoing, and you got this inspiration to
(10:19):
do this landscaping business in today'sday and age, what is that one step you
would take, the first step you wouldtake to get cash flowing immediately?
Sell, market marketingprecedes sales, right?
So for me, it's getting my name out there.
Call calling.
(10:40):
Call calling, knocking on doors.
Okay.
Just reaching out, stoppingby new construction.
Just getting, just puttingit out there, right?
By doing a good job in the marketing.
You sales is easier, right?
You don't wanna be out thereselling when you, you haven't
been doing marketing, right?
Yeah.
So the marketing is aconstant gardening effort.
(11:01):
So when the sales part comes,it's just easier sales, right?
Yeah.
That's how what I, if you'rejust starting out, you just,
you gotta to sell something.
Don't sit there on theinternet and Google.
You got to go out there and work.
Find something to do.
Okay.
Do you actually createunique type of environments?
(11:25):
Someone that comes to you andbrings a wish, a dream, of something
that is very unique in the space.
Maybe it's their children'sidea of some kind of
Every day.
Every day.
Oh, that's
cool.
Yeah, but then we have to havea come to Jesus moment, right?
Which is, this is beautiful, I getit, but before we waste each other's
(11:47):
time, something like this is going tocost in the range of X and Y, right?
That usually, oh, that'sa good barometer, right?
So that's a starting point.
Hey.
This is going to cost X and Y.And if they're okay with that,
then we proceed to the next step.
We start designing it.
But yeah, whatever.
(12:08):
Building a swimming pool off of a cliff.
Man, it just, yeah, every day.
And it's not just thechallenge of the client.
It's a challenge of theenvironment, the site location.
Is it doable?
Can it be permitted?
It's a whole other bag oftricks that comes along with,
can I get this project right?
. You have to do, deal with thecity and the authorities and
(12:29):
getting it all approved first.
. Yeah.
No, I agree.
But yeah.
We'll, I'll take on, I'llgive, I'll go anything.
Yeah.
You will, you'll with aslong as it's possible.
Yeah.
You, as long as it's possiblekind of gives you a little
bit of a challenge, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Challenges are amazing.
Okay, good.
Now, obviously, great design, greatlook but if you step back and look
(12:52):
at what that design is really doing,even colors that we look at what
they're doing, they're enticingfeelings that we get from what we see.
The image goes in our brain, wecalculate it, figure out, oh, a
baby to see if it feels really good.
There's this deep intuitivenesswhen it comes to your environment.
(13:18):
How do you exactly tap into knowingWhat the vision of the client has when
it comes to their space, when it comesto that creativity, intuitiveness
that is coming from them, they'retransferring that vision to you.
How do you go about that?
Just through, again, I've beendoing this very long time.
(13:38):
And it comes down to listening, right?
You really just want to get a senseof how they're going to use the space.
How do they want to feel whenthey come into the space?
I've had people say, I want to feellike I'm at a five star resort, right?
I've had other clients say, I want tofeel like I'm on a retreat in the jungle.
You know what I'm saying?
They got certain buzzwords to get thefeeling what they want it to feel like.
(14:02):
You take that, those words that theysay, and that's what you run with.
And if they say they want it to feela certain way, relaxing, calm, then
I know what kind of plants to use.
I know what kind offragrant flowers to use.
I know what kind ofwater features they need.
You know what I'm saying?
So it triggers all that.
You try to hit all the sensoryemotions of somebody's, of somebody.
Yeah,
(14:23):
definitely.
No, definitely.
You've been in business for along time, as you mentioned.
Yeah, a long time.
Yeah.
And that experience.
Is there something that you sharewith someone in the audience that's
starting out or someone that'spretty much in business for a bit,
they're running their day to day?
Some kind of advice you can give tothem of how they can look at their
(14:46):
business and then how they could scale.
When I started there was no internet.
There was none of this.
So now you go on you get bombardedwith Wow, how to scale, how to do this.
It's crazy.
If you're new and you'rejust starting out.
From your experience.
My experience would be for someone toMy advice would be to just say what
(15:09):
you're gonna Say what you're gonna,do what you say you're gonna do.
When you say you're gonna do it.
I like that.
Don't give them excuses.
Nobody wants to hear your story.
Honor your price, even ifyou have to take a beating.
Just, and then if a plant dies, andyou're supposed to replace that plant,
you go back and replace that plant.
(15:29):
I've seen too many guys lose,you do a beautiful job and they
don't, and they don't go backand they don't do a little, why?
Oh, it's in the contract.
It's not that's free advertising.
You go back and you say, and you dosomething that's not even in car.
I just call that marketing.
Like it's just, so it costs mea few hundred bucks to replace a
plant that I didn't have to replace.
(15:50):
It just helps with your credibility.
That would be the biggest tip I cansay to scaling, besides all the other
stuff you read on the internet andyou hear, but that's the best way.
And do it slowly.
Everybody wants to go fromzero to ten million in a year.
I haven't figured that out.
It's been long, slow, steady climb.
(16:10):
Yeah, definitely.
No, that's great advice.
Just doing that small extra servicethat you provide your customer.
Huge!
Or leaving a mark on their on their
mind.
By the way that's what they remember.
Out of all the work you did, That's theonly thing they're going to remember.
It's human beings, and it'sall about relationships.
(16:33):
That's why I love doing this show isthe relationships that I'm building
Is my wealth because Yeah, justthink about it from every area in the
world, I'm getting to meet people.
How many of you these have you done?
How many of these have you done?
I think 420 tests.
Yeah.
I think it was like over 400.
That's, yeah.
So you've met 400 people that youwould've never have met before,
(16:56):
that you never would've met before.
No.
And that's why.
For me, even too, I waslike, why you do the podcast?
I like it.
From Toronto, I met a guy from Australia.
It's crazy, right?
Yeah, no, it's great.
These podcast listeners even right now,someone's listening, doing their dishes,
or moving the snow, if they're in Canada.
(17:18):
But they're literally havesomething in the year.
They're doing their regular chores.
They're getting consumption into theirworld, into their educated mind with ease,
they're hearing two people talkabout this stuff, and there's always
going to be something that hits them.
And then they realize, oh, wait a minute.
This is something I could do.
Those are the moments thatcan help them move forward.
(17:41):
And it's the law of cause and effect.
More you help others,the better it becomes for
you.
Yeah, it helps.
I'm sure when you do these,it helps you as well.
Same with me just by being on here.
It just helps just by talking about it.
Yeah.
It's not, they're not easy.
Like you have to editthis, go back and do this.
When I started doing this, itwas like, get a little nervous.
(18:02):
Now it's I literally just.
Got out of my truck, ran inside, puta shirt on, a jacket, and here it, it
becomes easier giving speeches in classic,the more you do it, the more it becomes
easier, that's all, like anything else.
And you hear a lot aboutlandscaping businesses when
they don't really sell, right?
But when they come on themarket, the prices are usually
(18:24):
in multi million dollars.
Do you know why?
What is this?
Is it the equipment?
Is it the property that'scoming with the business?
There's probably a lot of variables.
So there's a lot of variables.
So sometimes when they do thoseroll ups, companies buy small.
They like to buy, they like to buycompanies that have reoccurring revenue.
Yeah,
they like that.
(18:45):
Meaning if you have a lot of snow plowingaccounts, if you have a lot of maintenance
accounts, if you're a pool business andyou open and close a lot of swimming
pools, that's reoccurring revenue, right?
Equipment and all.
It counts, but if you have real estateand all the accounts, but the equipment,
the depreciations are right off.
So it's really, they really like that.
They really like that reoccurring revenue.
So basically the customer list, butalso the dynamics of the customer
(19:09):
list, because it's bringing inrevenues out amongst the business.
Yeah, they like that.
Not, don't just give them alist of potential clients.
They want.
Yeah no.
They want.
They want contracts.
I have a five year snow plowingcontract, that's worth money
with the city or
whatever.
Yeah, whatever.
Yeah That's worth a lotmore money than you're fancy
Yeah, getting that is difficult,
(19:30):
and that's why you buy a businessbecause they have already
gotten where you need to get
to see I'm in a differentsituation I don't really I'm only
as good as my last job, right?
That's why for me to keep buildingthe brand and the equity in the
brand, that's really all I have.
I don't have lawnmowers.
I don't have big trucks.
We basically I'm buildingmy brand for my name, right?
(19:52):
That's all I really got.
So what's that worth?
I don't know, but I'm banking on it again.
It's marketing.
It's marketing, right?
It's so the more I do, the more Ido marketing and the more I do all
this, it just raises the account andraises the credibility of my brand.
No, definitely.
The more people will see you, and thepodcasts are amazing because you're
(20:13):
getting into their ears, to their heart,
they never knew you before, like you said.
So it's wonderful that you'redoing these kind of podcast tours.
They will make an impact.
But what, from what I'm hearing,I do feel, I'm not sure if this is
true, but are you planning an exit?
I'm 65, right?
So I, no, I think for meit's like I don't play golf.
(20:40):
I really think so tryingto be great, right?
I want to be great at whatever that is.
So to me being great,you're always evolving.
So I don't know.
Maybe if somebody came alongand said, Hey, I'll pay you
X, but I'll do something else.
Like I'm always trying to evolve.
And now we're looking into, Hey, howcan I take this Instagram and this
(21:03):
social media and how I'm workingon a couple of brand deals and more
collaborations, so it's pretty cool stuff.
Yeah, no, definitely.
It's definitely changing.
So do you have
a funnel in place?
Do you have a sales funnel in your system?
We get a lot of referrals.
Referrals.
We have the Instagram.
But you're not doing ads.
(21:25):
I've tried the ads.
It just seems to me, for me,I'm going to say, I'm going to
go all in on the podcasting.
I'm going to go on social media,because what's happened is just to
know, it's it went from, Hey, canyou come give me an estimate, right?
To, Hey, I've seen you on social.
I know your work.
(21:46):
I want to work with you.
Big difference.
I've seen that shiftin the last few years.
So instead of being the hunting.
And the hunter, I'm becomingthe hunted or whatever, right?
So it makes it easier.
And that's marketing, right?
That's marketing.
It's just marketing.
I agree.
Yeah.
You're building a
garden
instead of chasing butterflies.
(22:09):
Yeah.
So I've chased, I've, trust me,I've chased a lot of butterflies.
Yeah.
I wasted most of my life chasingand then it doesn't work quite.
Anyways, appreciate you, man.
It was great talking to you.
It sounds like we're doing great things.
No, keep up the goodwork with the podcast.
Again, like it's 400 episodes is hugebecause I know it's a lot of work.
(22:30):
It's just a lot of work being here.
And from your end of it, it'sa lot of work and you just,
from my two cents, I appreciate that.
Thank you so much for saying that Ihonestly don't look at it as work at all.
Yeah.
Effortless action . I don'tlook at it as anything.
I just go moment to moment,whatever comes in that experience.
(22:50):
I just go all in with it.
Just go all in, right?
Yeah, just giving my heart as much asI can and then see what happens, I
appreciate it.
Again, like once you get this episode,you'll send me the link, I'll share it on
my stuff, and that's how it just, you justkeep it rolling, slow and steady, right?
Slow and steady.
It's that snowball effect of this tourthat you're doing, you're not just
(23:12):
getting your message out to communities,you're at the same time, you're
building relationships, like for meand you, I feel good about what you're
doing, I already got to meet you.
Yeah, I understand what you'redoing, and you came to a referral,
so I know.
About you I've looked at yourstuff online, it's built some
kind of trust between us.
(23:32):
So now what happens is as we build thisrelationship, as we're collaborating,
helping promote this episode, there'sgoing to be situations where people,
a lot of people don't realize thisbecause putting this extra effort
in with the host is highly valuable.
They're just trying to get in as manyepisodes as they want, but they're
(23:53):
missing this crucial part because whenthey build this relationship with the
podcast host, now this podcast hostdoes have a lot of, power, you could
say, when it comes to lead gen. They'remeeting so many people, they can bring
up, hey, you got a fantastic house, theybecome a connector from their heart.
Wow.
Each other, right?
Sure.
Now the dynamics is shifting.
(24:15):
Now you're not just looking atit just by episodes going up.
Now you have this guy meeting these peoplethat's going to bring up Conversations
because you left an impression on them.
You
understand what I mean?
Yeah, no, that's because I don't evenknow what to do with these like we get
the recording we share But like I don'tknow like I'm probably not leveraging
(24:35):
it as much as I should but I don'tknow and I just do it You're right.
You make the connection.
We can talk about
that.
Yeah.
No, definitely.
Yeah.
So much.
I appreciate you.
Stay in touch.
You got it.
how are you able to stroke a checkfor a hundred thousand dollars?
(00:03):
Like it's nothing and it's fascinatingand how they live and how they
respect time and how they value time.
Over money almost
(00:33):
Welcome to super entrepreneurs podcast.
I'm your host.
Shahid Durrani.
Today we have with us, Steve Griggs.
Steve is a top luxury landscape designerwho's worked with high net worth clients
to create some of the most breathtakingoutdoor spaces that you can imagine.
(00:55):
But beyond the design, he actuallyunderstands something that we talk
about a lot on the show, right?
Something much deeper, howyour environment shapes.
Your mindset, your energy,and even your success.
So welcome to our show, Steve.
(01:15):
Glad to be here.
I guess you're up in Toronto.
I can tell by the accent.
I guess you're a hockey fan.
I guess you're a hockey fan.
Not really.
No, I never got into anykind of sports growing up.
But glad to be here.
Yeah, I was complaining
about that.
I was complaining about thecold in New York, but you told
me you got seven feet of snow.
So
yeah, it's all good.
(01:37):
We have, we had multiple andFor me, it's just each of these
experiences enjoyable, right?
Because I, people that when it'stoo hot, their complaint is too hot.
So you just go with the flow,whatever comes your way.
Just go with the flow.
So it's cool to be here.
Looking forward.
I like what you're doing.
You've been doing this a while.
I see a lot of episodes, a lotof episodes under your belt.
(01:57):
That's good.
It's a big commitment on your part.
I know it's a lot of work.
Yeah no.
It's my pleasure.
It's great to meet with people like you.
To share, the story and what you havedone from the inner world to the outer
strategies and see if we can help peoplethat are out there trying to do the same.
(02:18):
But the tendency for people thatgo into business that is not that.
Creative and experience for most, right?
And the major component that I'm verypassionate about is the inner world,
because when we have the inner world inalignment, then the outer has no chance
to bring you down, so that's why I getto get a chance to meet with wonderful,
(02:41):
successful people like yourself.
You have been designing these outdoorspaces, which was very intriguing, very
unique niche for many successful people.
Now, What do you think theirapproach is to design look at
success and wealth accumulation.
(03:03):
That's an interesting question.
Cause I, I was broughtup blue collar, right?
My father was a construction worker.
We lived okay, but notlike I see people live.
And I was always amazed that.
How these people are able tostroke a check, like they're
paying an electric bill.
It always fascinated me.
I always learned a lot.
What do they do for a living?
(03:24):
Like, how did you know?
Cause that's how we learn.
Like how are you able to stroke acheck for a hundred thousand dollars?
Like it's nothing and it's fascinatingand how they live and how they
respect time and how they value time.
Over money almost, youknow what I'm saying?
Like they'd rather pay, they'd ratherpay a premium to get the job done,
(03:46):
so they can focus on other things.
And I noticed that between the goodclients and the bad clients, the good
clients always, they demand a lot, butthey always, they always wanted that
extra, they didn't want to be bogged downwith details of that was your business.
They trusted the professionaland they let me do my job.
And I was always fascinated about in thatworld and how their mind thinks at all.
(04:08):
And I really, I try to learn fromevery one of my clients as well.
Yeah.
And you'll notice there's anature of abundance underneath.
Engagement,
right?
Yeah.
They were never really, theywere, but they're not, they're
always frugal, they're frugal.
Everybody misunderstandsthat they just waste money.
No, they always watch every dollar.
(04:29):
That's how they got, that'show they got to be successful.
But they always
places.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They valued like their homes and theyvalued the homes and how the home
How's the sound the auto good, right?
And they always valuelike a nice living space.
That's their sanctuary and theyalways take care of their family and
that's the protected environment.
So that's what I got out
of it.
(04:50):
As they say, as you do one thing,you do everything . The same way
as these outdoor environmentsthat they create, specifically.
It has a direct link to how they lookat, life and success and business.
Correct.
Yes.
They're bringing that landscape,the quality that they're
(05:12):
seeing in their environment.
They're actually puttinginto their business as well.
They're smart people, right?
They said, yeah, I don'twant to cut corners.
Yes.
I want to do the job one time anddo it right, so I don't have to fix
it every time I have to come back.
So they understand, thevalue of quality, right?
Not saying, just paying outrageous prices.
They want to pay a little, they wantto pay to have the job done right.
(05:33):
Have it supervised properly, use materialsthat are going to last, make sure the
contractors aren't cutting corners,because they know what's going to happen.
If you beat the contractors up too much,you use not quality materials, you're
going to be back fixing it, and theydon't want to be dealing with that.
What are some misunderstandings when itcomes to these luxury landscape designs?
(05:56):
It depends.
Luxury what is luxury?
To, what is luxury, right?
To each person, you want to try to developa space that's comfortable with you.
That's luxury.
That's luxury.
When you walk into a backyard.
That's luxury.
When I walk into my backyard andI'm like, I feel like I'm vacation,
that's luxury, whether it's a littletiny swimming pool or it's whatever.
(06:18):
To me, that's luxury, right?
Yeah.
It's the, to the person, what's intheir heart, just like in success, one
person could feel completely successfulwhen they have brought peace in the
world, that they're completely fulfilledand they're just having our earth.
That's their biggest accomplishment thatmost people struggle to never achieve so
(06:41):
for them, that success for someone else isa Lamborghini, yeah, so it's all relative.
Yeah.
Obviously you must have competitors,what makes you different when it comes
to attracting these high end clients?
What makes me different?
They can pick up the phoneand they can call me.
My, they have my cell phone, like I'm nothiding behind a secretary, I'm available.
(07:06):
And I think that really sets meapart because they can reach me.
Busy people don't want tobe waste time going around.
If they want to get ahold of me, they pickup the phone and they can get ahold of me.
That's very, me and my project managers.
So they're busy people.
Like they don't want to be, they'renot leaving a phone message.
They're not going toleave you a phone message.
(07:26):
They just want instant.
I'm in New York.
Very tough market.
Very tough market.
They're not waiting around.
This is not out West and, orthey're not, they're busy people.
Yeah.
They don't, it's veryaggressive here, as right?
It's
So
Steve,
is there anybody that we would knowin the audience of anyone that you
(07:51):
could share that you have done thiskind of project for anybody famous?
The problem with working for those typeof people is they want to remain private.
That's the downside.
That's the downside.
That's yeah, I respect their privacy.
Yeah.
And that's just the way that comes withthe turf and you cannot break that.
(08:12):
And very importantly, youdon't break that trust.
It's just a matter of, hey,it's, that's my public life.
That's my public, but this is my homeand my family is, and I keep private.
I wanna keep it private.
I'm totally, I was, I said, no problem.
I totally respect that.
So what is the biggest risk youhave taken in your business?
(08:32):
That was something that felt like a gambleat the time, but actually changed it.
Every
day I wake up, it's a gamble.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Something big.
That I took a risk building, doingsomething that building a garden.
34, build, trying to build a garden34 stories up on a building in
(08:53):
Manhattan in a skyscraper, right?
Big risk, big risk, sometimes you win,sometimes you lose, you gotta take,
you can't be afraid if in business,you can't be afraid to take risk.
Every day is risk.
Yeah, okay.
Was there any moment that youfelt that you actually hit rock
bottom and you brought yourself up?
(09:15):
Yeah, 2008.
I've been doing this for 40 years, right?
2008 in the States, it was avery, the banking crisis hit.
It was bad.
I had a wife, two babies, mortgage.
And you just, I guess if you're, youjust cannot quit, like they, you, you
hear it, it sounds very cliche, whatam I going to, what are the options?
(09:38):
That's really, that was one thatreally stuck out of my head.
And I, you just, you, by doinggood jobs for other clients, all
those years, you can go back tothem, and you can get a little job
from them and get you through it.
You want to constantly nurtureand nurture the old clients.
And not just do a one hitwonder and leave, right?
(09:59):
So you keep that relationship going soyou can always go back to the Rolodex
and get some more work from them.
That's really has sustained methrough the low times as well.
So
if woke up, just imagine that youwoke up with absolutely no memory.
Of this business and what you weredoing, and you got this inspiration to
(10:19):
do this landscaping business in today'sday and age, what is that one step you
would take, the first step you wouldtake to get cash flowing immediately?
Sell, market marketingprecedes sales, right?
So for me, it's getting my name out there.
Call calling.
(10:40):
Call calling, knocking on doors.
Okay.
Just reaching out, stoppingby new construction.
Just getting, just puttingit out there, right?
By doing a good job in the marketing.
You sales is easier, right?
You don't wanna be out thereselling when you, you haven't
been doing marketing, right?
Yeah.
So the marketing is aconstant gardening effort.
(11:01):
So when the sales part comes,it's just easier sales, right?
Yeah.
That's how what I, if you'rejust starting out, you just,
you gotta to sell something.
Don't sit there on theinternet and Google.
You got to go out there and work.
Find something to do.
Okay.
Do you actually createunique type of environments?
(11:25):
Someone that comes to you andbrings a wish, a dream, of something
that is very unique in the space.
Maybe it's their children'sidea of some kind of
Every day.
Every day.
Oh, that's
cool.
Yeah, but then we have to havea come to Jesus moment, right?
Which is, this is beautiful, I getit, but before we waste each other's
(11:47):
time, something like this is going tocost in the range of X and Y, right?
That usually, oh, that'sa good barometer, right?
So that's a starting point.
Hey.
This is going to cost X and Y.And if they're okay with that,
then we proceed to the next step.
We start designing it.
But yeah, whatever.
(12:08):
Building a swimming pool off of a cliff.
Man, it just, yeah, every day.
And it's not just thechallenge of the client.
It's a challenge of theenvironment, the site location.
Is it doable?
Can it be permitted?
It's a whole other bag oftricks that comes along with,
can I get this project right?
. You have to do, deal with thecity and the authorities and
(12:29):
getting it all approved first.
. Yeah.
No, I agree.
But yeah.
We'll, I'll take on, I'llgive, I'll go anything.
Yeah.
You will, you'll with aslong as it's possible.
Yeah.
You, as long as it's possiblekind of gives you a little
bit of a challenge, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Challenges are amazing.
Okay, good.
Now, obviously, great design, greatlook but if you step back and look
(12:52):
at what that design is really doing,even colors that we look at what
they're doing, they're enticingfeelings that we get from what we see.
The image goes in our brain, wecalculate it, figure out, oh, a
baby to see if it feels really good.
There's this deep intuitivenesswhen it comes to your environment.
(13:18):
How do you exactly tap into knowingWhat the vision of the client has when
it comes to their space, when it comesto that creativity, intuitiveness
that is coming from them, they'retransferring that vision to you.
How do you go about that?
Just through, again, I've beendoing this very long time.
(13:38):
And it comes down to listening, right?
You really just want to get a senseof how they're going to use the space.
How do they want to feel whenthey come into the space?
I've had people say, I want to feellike I'm at a five star resort, right?
I've had other clients say, I want tofeel like I'm on a retreat in the jungle.
You know what I'm saying?
They got certain buzzwords to get thefeeling what they want it to feel like.
(14:02):
You take that, those words that theysay, and that's what you run with.
And if they say they want it to feela certain way, relaxing, calm, then
I know what kind of plants to use.
I know what kind offragrant flowers to use.
I know what kind ofwater features they need.
You know what I'm saying?
So it triggers all that.
You try to hit all the sensoryemotions of somebody's, of somebody.
Yeah,
(14:23):
definitely.
No, definitely.
You've been in business for along time, as you mentioned.
Yeah, a long time.
Yeah.
And that experience.
Is there something that you sharewith someone in the audience that's
starting out or someone that'spretty much in business for a bit,
they're running their day to day?
Some kind of advice you can give tothem of how they can look at their
(14:46):
business and then how they could scale.
When I started there was no internet.
There was none of this.
So now you go on you get bombardedwith Wow, how to scale, how to do this.
It's crazy.
If you're new and you'rejust starting out.
From your experience.
My experience would be for someone toMy advice would be to just say what
(15:09):
you're gonna Say what you're gonna,do what you say you're gonna do.
When you say you're gonna do it.
I like that.
Don't give them excuses.
Nobody wants to hear your story.
Honor your price, even ifyou have to take a beating.
Just, and then if a plant dies, andyou're supposed to replace that plant,
you go back and replace that plant.
(15:29):
I've seen too many guys lose,you do a beautiful job and they
don't, and they don't go backand they don't do a little, why?
Oh, it's in the contract.
It's not that's free advertising.
You go back and you say, and you dosomething that's not even in car.
I just call that marketing.
Like it's just, so it costs mea few hundred bucks to replace a
plant that I didn't have to replace.
(15:50):
It just helps with your credibility.
That would be the biggest tip I cansay to scaling, besides all the other
stuff you read on the internet andyou hear, but that's the best way.
And do it slowly.
Everybody wants to go fromzero to ten million in a year.
I haven't figured that out.
It's been long, slow, steady climb.
(16:10):
Yeah, definitely.
No, that's great advice.
Just doing that small extra servicethat you provide your customer.
Huge!
Or leaving a mark on their on their
mind.
By the way that's what they remember.
Out of all the work you did, That's theonly thing they're going to remember.
It's human beings, and it'sall about relationships.
(16:33):
That's why I love doing this show isthe relationships that I'm building
Is my wealth because Yeah, justthink about it from every area in the
world, I'm getting to meet people.
How many of you these have you done?
How many of these have you done?
I think 420 tests.
Yeah.
I think it was like over 400.
That's, yeah.
So you've met 400 people that youwould've never have met before,
(16:56):
that you never would've met before.
No.
And that's why.
For me, even too, I waslike, why you do the podcast?
I like it.
From Toronto, I met a guy from Australia.
It's crazy, right?
Yeah, no, it's great.
These podcast listeners even right now,someone's listening, doing their dishes,
or moving the snow, if they're in Canada.
(17:18):
But they're literally havesomething in the year.
They're doing their regular chores.
They're getting consumption into theirworld, into their educated mind with ease,
they're hearing two people talkabout this stuff, and there's always
going to be something that hits them.
And then they realize, oh, wait a minute.
This is something I could do.
Those are the moments thatcan help them move forward.
(17:41):
And it's the law of cause and effect.
More you help others,the better it becomes for
you.
Yeah, it helps.
I'm sure when you do these,it helps you as well.
Same with me just by being on here.
It just helps just by talking about it.
Yeah.
It's not, they're not easy.
Like you have to editthis, go back and do this.
When I started doing this, itwas like, get a little nervous.
(18:02):
Now it's I literally just.
Got out of my truck, ran inside, puta shirt on, a jacket, and here it, it
becomes easier giving speeches in classic,the more you do it, the more it becomes
easier, that's all, like anything else.
And you hear a lot aboutlandscaping businesses when
they don't really sell, right?
But when they come on themarket, the prices are usually
(18:24):
in multi million dollars.
Do you know why?
What is this?
Is it the equipment?
Is it the property that'scoming with the business?
There's probably a lot of variables.
So there's a lot of variables.
So sometimes when they do thoseroll ups, companies buy small.
They like to buy, they like to buycompanies that have reoccurring revenue.
Yeah,
they like that.
(18:45):
Meaning if you have a lot of snow plowingaccounts, if you have a lot of maintenance
accounts, if you're a pool business andyou open and close a lot of swimming
pools, that's reoccurring revenue, right?
Equipment and all.
It counts, but if you have real estateand all the accounts, but the equipment,
the depreciations are right off.
So it's really, they really like that.
They really like that reoccurring revenue.
So basically the customer list, butalso the dynamics of the customer
(19:09):
list, because it's bringing inrevenues out amongst the business.
Yeah, they like that.
Not, don't just give them alist of potential clients.
They want.
Yeah no.
They want.
They want contracts.
I have a five year snow plowingcontract, that's worth money
with the city or
whatever.
Yeah, whatever.
Yeah That's worth a lotmore money than you're fancy
Yeah, getting that is difficult,
(19:30):
and that's why you buy a businessbecause they have already
gotten where you need to get
to see I'm in a differentsituation I don't really I'm only
as good as my last job, right?
That's why for me to keep buildingthe brand and the equity in the
brand, that's really all I have.
I don't have lawnmowers.
I don't have big trucks.
We basically I'm buildingmy brand for my name, right?
(19:52):
That's all I really got.
So what's that worth?
I don't know, but I'm banking on it again.
It's marketing.
It's marketing, right?
It's so the more I do, the more Ido marketing and the more I do all
this, it just raises the account andraises the credibility of my brand.
No, definitely.
The more people will see you, and thepodcasts are amazing because you're
(20:13):
getting into their ears, to their heart,
they never knew you before, like you said.
So it's wonderful that you'redoing these kind of podcast tours.
They will make an impact.
But what, from what I'm hearing,I do feel, I'm not sure if this is
true, but are you planning an exit?
I'm 65, right?
So I, no, I think for meit's like I don't play golf.
(20:40):
I really think so tryingto be great, right?
I want to be great at whatever that is.
So to me being great,you're always evolving.
So I don't know.
Maybe if somebody came alongand said, Hey, I'll pay you
X, but I'll do something else.
Like I'm always trying to evolve.
And now we're looking into, Hey, howcan I take this Instagram and this
(21:03):
social media and how I'm workingon a couple of brand deals and more
collaborations, so it's pretty cool stuff.
Yeah, no, definitely.
It's definitely changing.
So do you have
a funnel in place?
Do you have a sales funnel in your system?
We get a lot of referrals.
Referrals.
We have the Instagram.
But you're not doing ads.
(21:25):
I've tried the ads.
It just seems to me, for me,I'm going to say, I'm going to
go all in on the podcasting.
I'm going to go on social media,because what's happened is just to
know, it's it went from, Hey, canyou come give me an estimate, right?
To, Hey, I've seen you on social.
I know your work.
(21:46):
I want to work with you.
Big difference.
I've seen that shiftin the last few years.
So instead of being the hunting.
And the hunter, I'm becomingthe hunted or whatever, right?
So it makes it easier.
And that's marketing, right?
That's marketing.
It's just marketing.
I agree.
Yeah.
You're building a
garden
instead of chasing butterflies.
(22:09):
Yeah.
So I've chased, I've, trust me,I've chased a lot of butterflies.
Yeah.
I wasted most of my life chasingand then it doesn't work quite.
Anyways, appreciate you, man.
It was great talking to you.
It sounds like we're doing great things.
No, keep up the goodwork with the podcast.
Again, like it's 400 episodes is hugebecause I know it's a lot of work.
(22:30):
It's just a lot of work being here.
And from your end of it, it'sa lot of work and you just,
from my two cents, I appreciate that.
Thank you so much for saying that Ihonestly don't look at it as work at all.
Yeah.
Effortless action . I don'tlook at it as anything.
I just go moment to moment,whatever comes in that experience.
(22:50):
I just go all in with it.
Just go all in, right?
Yeah, just giving my heart as much asI can and then see what happens, I
appreciate it.
Again, like once you get this episode,you'll send me the link, I'll share it on
my stuff, and that's how it just, you justkeep it rolling, slow and steady, right?
Slow and steady.
It's that snowball effect of this tourthat you're doing, you're not just
(23:12):
getting your message out to communities,you're at the same time, you're
building relationships, like for meand you, I feel good about what you're
doing, I already got to meet you.
Yeah, I understand what you'redoing, and you came to a referral,
so I know.
About you I've looked at yourstuff online, it's built some
kind of trust between us.
(23:32):
So now what happens is as we build thisrelationship, as we're collaborating,
helping promote this episode, there'sgoing to be situations where people,
a lot of people don't realize thisbecause putting this extra effort
in with the host is highly valuable.
They're just trying to get in as manyepisodes as they want, but they're
(23:53):
missing this crucial part because whenthey build this relationship with the
podcast host, now this podcast hostdoes have a lot of, power, you could
say, when it comes to lead gen. They'remeeting so many people, they can bring
up, hey, you got a fantastic house, theybecome a connector from their heart.
Wow.
Each other, right?
Sure.
Now the dynamics is shifting.
(24:15):
Now you're not just looking atit just by episodes going up.
Now you have this guy meeting these peoplethat's going to bring up Conversations
because you left an impression on them.
You
understand what I mean?
Yeah, no, that's because I don't evenknow what to do with these like we get
the recording we share But like I don'tknow like I'm probably not leveraging
(24:35):
it as much as I should but I don'tknow and I just do it You're right.
You make the connection.
We can talk about
that.
Yeah.
No, definitely.
Yeah.
So much.
I appreciate you.
Stay in touch.
You got it.
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