Brad 0:00

I just love seeing people grow and finding their full potential. And I have a my goal is to change 100,000 lives, right? And I'm at 116 right now on my phone. But the goal isn't the number. The goal is just to be a giver. And a lot of times, you know, we run our lives as takers. We're out to take everything. When you switch your mindset and you're just giving, you're trying to help people. A lot of people don't like unsolicited coaching, so be careful with that. But you know, if you're always a giver and you're always to try to, you're always trying to impact somebody, change somebody, help somebody, the more you give, the more you receive.

Karen 0:40

Today's guest is a friend and fellow CEO whose story of overcoming setbacks is inspiring. He's built a thriving business and a culture people love being a part of. Brad Stevenson is the co-owner and CEO of Newcastle Lawn and Landscape, a 30-year-old landscaping company in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. He's built his leadership philosophy around growing the person, not just the bottom line. And he now coaches business owners nationwide through Brad Stevenson, LLC Dream Hire. Brad, I'm so glad you're here. Change is the only constant you must disrupt or be disrupted. A lot of leaders think is they have to have every answer. They have to have the good questions. I don't think people understand it. It's not work. It just happens to be it's therapy. Yes.

Speaker 1:28

I think we're going to walk into a world of endless possibility that is both exhilarating and terrifying. I think the universe has a way of taking us to exactly where we need to be. Risk. Risk taking. Just you can't be afraid.

Karen 1:42

People are the most important part of our businesses, and it's our job to take care of them and to let them set them up so awesome people can be awesome in an environment that they can try. Exactly. I'm Karen Norheim, and this is Always Lifting. Brad. I'm so excited that you're here with me today.

Brad 2:03

Thank you, Karen. I appreciate the invite. So I'm super super excited, and hopefully I don't move my hands around too much.

Karen 2:09

You'll be all good. And if you do, that's okay. I'm excited to kind of share your story with everybody. And I think if I think of where to kind of kick us off, I'd like to start with your journey into landscaping.

Brad 2:23

Yeah. So 14 years old, uh, we'll start there as far as my landscape journey. And I just wanted a summer job, right? I wasn't uh not getting much allowance, not much getting much money. I'm like, I want to do some things. You know, I grew up, parents didn't have a whole lot of money, so you know, I did some chores and that sort of thing, but I wanted to make some real money. I think I was making four bucks an hour or something like that. Um but a local tree farm uh started there, it started uh just basically pruning Christmas trees. And, you know, it was it was an awful job because it's hot, there's bees all the time, and you know, we would run out of the fields, and they say if you run and duck, the bees fly over you. Okay. But that never worked for me. So yeah, and we used to have patch matches too, which is basically at lunch we would they would pick two people that need to fight and wrestle, uh, which is kind of just weird. But my ex-girlfriend's boyfriend was on my crew and I had to I had to wrestle with him uh at lunch. And I was, you know, I was just a skinny little kid, like I put on some weight over the years. Um but I was just a skinny little kid, but I handled myself pretty well. He was like two years older than me. Um but that was like my first experience in landscaping, and I didn't like I didn't like the job, and you know, I didn't know what else to do, right? I worked at the roller skating rink as well and I liked that, but uh the landscaping side of things, um, you know, I knew that I liked being outside. I knew what I didn't like to do, which is trimming Christmas trees and running for bees and fighting people.

Karen 3:56

And sap too, right?

Brad 3:57

When I think of Christmas trees, I think of like sticky, sappy it it was it was all weeds up to your up to your waist, like it was bad. Um But you know, I I I wanted to leave that job and I just didn't know how to do it. So I ended up telling the owner that I was moving to California and I couldn't work anywhere because nobody ever taught me how to how to quit a job. So I let them know I was moving to California and then I just left. And but I worked you know through other landscape companies. Um one landscape company in in Denver that I worked for, I was 15 years old working for them, driving their vehicles to jobs uh without a license. And you know, my parents didn't know a lot of the stuff that was happening there. But um that was kind of my first experience with like true landscaping, like planting, patios, that sort of thing. Um really enjoyed it there, even though like I was running crews of people you know 45, 50 years old that were under me.

Karen 4:54

You were young, right? You said 15 years old. And you're leading and having to organize people who are significantly older than the that must have been quite a learning opportunity. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Brad 5:04

It was a learning opportunity, and I didn't I don't know if I did really well at it, but it it helped me, you know, understand, hey, I like what I do. I might not necessarily like the people I was working with at that point, even though they were okay, but they weren't like the at the level that I really wanted to be around. So then, you know, just keep moving my way in through landscape companies and you know, I I started off at at Newcastle uh years later, so it was about 20 years ago. I started off at Newcastle as a laborer. Um that's how I was brought in. They told me I was a supervisor, but I had nobody to supervise. So it was just myself.

Karen 5:39

How many employees at that time?

Brad 5:40

Uh we had about seven employees at that point. We're about 600,000 in revenue. And you know, we just we've grown the company over the years, but it was always around people, like bringing really, really good people in, building them up, stepping back, bringing more people in, building them up. So we've built we've built a company with just great people. We have 85 great people, just people, not just employees. I mean, they're they're they're people, right? They're all people. And I think just following our core values, care, improve attitude, like that's how we hire, that's how we fire, that's how we promote, and just getting the right people, man, when you can get the mix of the right people around, it's uh it's tremendous. And that's a lot to unpack. So good luck with that one.

Karen 6:22

Well, yeah, okay. So I I'm gonna take us back to just the remarkable growth from of yourself from coming in as a laborer, and now you are a co-owner and the CEO of the company, and then the company's growth from seven employees to 85. I mean, that's quite a journey.

Brad 6:39

Yeah, yeah. It wasn't an easy journey. Uh, but a lot of mentorships, you know, people coming in and helping me and coaching me, kind of seeing something in me that maybe I didn't see in myself. And I knew starting with Newcastle, like the CFO for Newcastle hired me. And I knew like there was discussion about future ownership. And before I made the jump, I wanted to make sure there was an opportunity for ownership. And here's another little tidbit of information. My ninth grade class, we had a project that we wrote ourselves letters that would get sent to us by the time we're 40 years old. And in that letter, I forgot what the heck I thought.

Karen 7:16

Oh my gosh, this is amazing.

Brad 7:18

So it it got sent to me when I was 40. It was right after I became partner with Newcastle. And in that letter, it said, I wanted to own my uh my business at 40 years old. So you think about manifesting and everything else, like that was written, and it looks like I was it looks like I was thinking through it, and it was written, and then I I was the my 40th birthday is when is when we we kind of signed up. That's incredible. Yeah.

Karen 7:42

I love I do you still do that practice at all of writing your letter?

Brad 7:46

I do a lot of journaling, especially my phone, because I can look back at my what I was thinking, what my fears were, where I where I was at mentally, and then there's a date to it. So then I can look back on it and say, Yeah, man, I was worried about that. It that wasn't that big of a deal. And it gives you some confidence, right? It's my confidence protector.

Karen 8:06

I I uh every year I write a letter to my future self at the time. I'm not always very consistent. Sometimes I write it in December, sometimes it's November, sometimes it's it's it doesn't depend, but I always write um a letter to my future self um saying I'm so you know, like as if whatever I was manifesting happens. I've only ever done that on just on and I didn't learn about that until maybe in my my 30s or uh early 40s. So I think it's incredible that you did that at 15. That must have been quite a thing to open that letter.

Brad 8:35

And I forgot about it. Yeah, right.

Karen 8:36

So it was like Oh, that's so amazing.

Brad 8:38

Like my handwriting is so horrible. It actually like it wasn't even that great back then, and I thought mine got worse over the years, but actually it looked a little worse back then. Um yeah, I think um, you know, it was it was uh it was a cool thing to have and a cool journey through New Newcastle, just through all the people uh that we helped.

Karen 8:56

Yeah, and it sounds like, you know, uh well, and I know this from knowing you well, that, you know, i in in your business, and I believe in the same philosophy, that people are the most important part of the business. Yeah right. And and they they are the the superheroes of whatever it is that you're doing.

Speaker 2 9:13

Yeah.

Karen 9:13

Um, you know. Any do you have any insights? I mean, I I I consider you the ultimate gardener. I always like to talk about being a gardener and that our job is to grow people, um, and then thus that will grow our business or keep our business in a great place. Um do you have any like advice or thoughts or things that have stuck with you over the years on your growing and your gardenering, gardening of Newcastle?

Brad 9:34

Yeah, I think some of this starts back to when I was younger with my with my mom. You know, growing up with my mom's bipolar, manic depressive, you know, and I remember moments where cops were at our house and my mom's just running around the house just you know, just just totally out of her mind. But I was the only one that could really kind of talk her out of some of those manic episodes through humor and through empathy. And I learned a lot of those skills at a really early age, and I thank my mom to today, I thank her all the time, as far as like, hey, I'm glad that you know things were a little bit of a mess. And I find out later, a lot of her manic episodes, she was holding a secret that we only found out about seven years ago. And she thought that if we knew what had happened, we would disown her. So her holding on to that kind of created all this. Now, after she let us know, we're like, yeah, so what? Great. This is awesome.

Karen 10:29

Um Wow, that was probably a very liberating changed everything.

Brad 10:34

No more manic episodes, no more depression. She was just holding on to something for so long. So great story, right? There's more to that, but I don't want to get it.

Karen 10:44

I don't know if we're if we can ask you what that secret was, but I uh we can maybe come back to that if you're willing to at some point.

Brad 10:49

But yeah, and but you look at like that, and then you know, as far as people first. So just trying to get my mom out of those manic episodes, like you know, first off, I would I s saw who she was, right? She's my mom. So I need I need her to be my mom. I can see that she she's a caring person. So how can I get her back to being my mom? It's the same with people and growing people in a company, is you find their gifts and you find out what what they are gifted at, because everybody has a gift. It's our job as leaders to find out people's gifts and then put them in the positions that they can excel and really create something for themselves. And for us, just growing people and everything else, it's it's not just catering to everything, it's challenging people to want more for themselves and maybe more than what they even thought they were capable of. And that's like I think that's my gift is seeing people for what they could be, not what they are. And man, when you see people like that, and sometimes they're not the right people, right? And you do need to move on. It's a great book called Necessary Endings, but sometimes you have to let somebody go. But that's being kind because just letting somebody not be successful in the company and not grow, you're not doing them any favors. You're actually delaying you know their life and where they should be. So free of their future um with the right with the right way of doing it. But sometimes you have to let people go. It's okay.

Karen 12:17

Um really great thoughts there. And if I pull back to Newcastle a little bit, I mean you've talked here about seeing seeing the potential in other people and then helping them see that for themselves or or as part of kind of your superpower with with your people. And that's kind of what happened with Newcastle, right? They saw something in you and gave you this amazing opportunity um that you have thrived at.

Brad 12:40

Yeah. But I had to take the opportunity too. That's true. So they gave me the opportunity, but if I would have just showed up and did nothing, but I work in there. I understood like what the two founders, what they hated to do, and I did all that stuff without them even knowing. I just took it. And all of a sudden they're like living this great life, and they don't really know why. I took on all the crap, like all the stuff they hated doing. And I I teach this to people. I'm like, if you're working under a supervisor and you want to grow, look at what that supervisor is doing, what they might not be good at, or where could you help that supervisor in what they're doing instead of complaining about what they what they're not doing well, how about you take that initiative and go help them with that? Help them grow. If you help somebody else grow, they're gonna bring you right up with them. So I think leaning into that.

Karen 13:29

We talked about this a little bit earlier before we got started on the podcast, and we were talking a little bit about my assistant who works for me and how we are the yin and the yang, and she loves to do the things that I don't like to do. And so often I think we get stuck in, I don't like to do this, so nobody likes to do it. Yes. But really, there are people who actually like to do the things that you don't like to do, and gosh, if we can marry those up, like it it it's everybody wins, right?

Brad 13:55

Yeah, I think it's so true that and we feel guilty by giving people things that we don't like. So what we do is we give things to people that we love. So then we're stuck with all the crap we hate doing because we don't want to do somebody a disservice.

Karen 14:09

Yeah.

Brad 14:10

But no, there's people out there that like our crap.

Karen 14:12

Like, that's so well said.

Brad 14:14

Like you just you just have to find out who those people are, understand them. You know, we do a lot with disc, and we talked a little bit about uh before about predictive index and some of the other stuff that you're using. But understanding how people operate and then how do they communicate because I think understanding how to speak to somebody is so important. It's just like talking to somebody that's Spanish and English, they can't understand you. So learn how your people receive who you are and how do you change the way you speak. I used to do these company meetings and I'd be like, rah, rah, rah, and just you know, get everybody excited, right? But then they leave and they're like, what are we doing? Um so now what I do is I have a script, which I hate scripts. I read a script because I know the majority, 90% of my company are detail-oriented and they need structure. So I have to change the way I communicate to them. They shouldn't change the way they do it.

Karen 15:05

Bridging to them to over that gap.

Brad 15:07

Yeah. And you just understand like what how they receive that information, and then you got to speak to them in that because I can drive people crazy. I mean, we talked a little bit before, like we can drive some people crazy. I've gone through some assistants that uh yeah. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Karen 15:21

Well, and that takes us to kind of another thread that you kind of uh talked about that I'll like to tease out a little bit more is this idea of what I'm gonna say knowing yourself, because you're talking about um you made the comment if you give away what what you love to do. I think sometimes we don't even know what we love to do. And I think being tuned in enough to be able to identify that, and then as you said, to be id able to identify how you're showing up to people and being okay with with that and changing so you can bridge bridge towards that. I mean, what are your thoughts on on that?

Brad 15:55

Yeah, I think, you know, again, like knowing who you are is is so important and then what you love. Like it takes some a lot of for me a lot of time with the car wash. I go almost every morning, um, which Mr. Car Watch is awesome, but I love that their computers were down today, but they still they still served everybody. Like I think it was a lot of free car watch, is what it was. But it was great. But no, I do a lot of like thinking time, especially early in the morning. That's when my brain's operating the most. So I do a lot of journaling. I think about the three wins from the day before as well to stay in a positive mindset, but really thinking about what do I love doing and why am I doing anything at where I'm at now that I don't love doing. And you know, sometimes like listen, we gotta do things we don't like. I have to do a lot of things I don't like, but not on a day-to-day basis. So, really, for me and anybody I'm working with, it's like put down it's activity inventory every 15-minute increments for a week or two. All the stuff you're doing, and you just pick out the stuff you hate, and like how can you delegate that to somebody else to free you up to be able to spend more time and where you're gifted.

Karen 17:02

Right.

Brad 17:02

And that's the goal is like to not weigh you down with things you hate, even though we have to do some of those things, but free that time up so you can be more creative. Yeah. Um, that's I'm just constantly you know going through that.

Karen 17:15

So to the love all of this. Totally agree. And then we go to this, let's go back to the car wash for a second. I mean, I feel like we live in a a society and a culture and a time where everything is hustle, hustle, hustle and it's attention, everything's grabbing your attention.

Brad 17:29

Yeah.

Karen 17:30

What is it about the car wash specifically? Is it just the quiet that you can't use your phone, that you're like you're like what is it about that gives you that sort of um that freedom to be able to contemplate?

Brad 17:42

Sure. Well, I think it it's a lot of time at the vacuum. So I'm not so I'm sitting at a vacuum. Okay. It used to be number three, but now they got rid of the vacuums or new vacuums. But you think about it, like I'm dirty and you go through a car wash and you it's a reset and you're clean. It's like it's just a mind reset. Like let's wash away, you know, the troubles and everything else, let's come out. And I don't know if I was thinking about that when I was going. I just like I like having a clean car. I just really do. But it helps you think. And I think, and this is funny, I want to dive into this a little bit. If you go into somebody's car that's just trash everywhere, that's a reflection of how their brain is and what they're thinking about and what they're stuck in. So you can tell a lot about somebody in just where they're how their car looks. Because you're in it, in it so much. And if you have trash just piled up, that means you probably don't feel really good about yourself. And how do you how do you help somebody like that if I'm working with somebody? Um But I have to I have to have it clean. Like that's my biggest thing.

Karen 18:42

It's like you have your own decluttering practice, which literally is cleaning the car. And you know, there's a lot of research I've seen on if you are feeling stuck or or if you need to clean your space, I do it at home. Like I like everything to kind of be put away in its spot, and this sort of act of decluttering does something to you, your mental clutter as well. So I can totally appreciate that.

Brad 19:03

And doing something quick too, that from start to finish, it's a good reset for any leader, especially if you're on an island and you feel like you have no control of anything, right? Because we all feel like that sometimes. Go out and do something small from start to finish, and you can look, look at it and say, I did that. Like even the little home projects, planning a plan or just something to reset your brain. I have to do that a lot because you know my team runs the company, right? I'm the CEO, but we've built people, a leadership team, they run Newcastle. I don't get those dopamine hits anymore of fixing everything. I go in and fix stuff, I actually cause more problems. So now I have to I have to be more controlled and I have to figure out what are some things that I can control that gives me that that dopamine hit really is is in the grand scheme of things. And then just on the coaching side, you know, helping other people get through some of that, that gives me that gives me that happiness too.

Karen 19:57

I wanted to get to that too, that you actually so you're you're leading your people, you're growing your people at Newcastle, and then also you've also um are doing coaching yourself as well for others. And tell tell me a little bit. I mean, I can tell what drew you to being a coach because of what you we've just been talking on, but tell me a little bit about how that unfolded for you.

Brad 20:15

Yeah, you know, I um I feel like I've always been a coach. I just didn't get paid for it.

Karen 20:20

Um it's part of our jobs as leaders.

Brad 20:22

So but you know, working through the companies I work through, you know, level of employee and how much I needed to invest in the employees, like I got joy out of it. So seeing people grow, the right people, right? And then just um just putting myself out there. I've had a lot of people that told me they would pay me $100,000 not to coach because they thought I was a waste of time. They didn't know who I was. This is a group I was in. It's a great group. And it kind of pushed me to actually want to want to be a coach because tell me I can't do something, and I will.

Karen 20:53

Amazing how that works to our advantage. I I I'm with you on that. If someone tells me I can't do it, that kind of makes me want to do it.

Brad 21:00

Yeah, yeah, which can be damaging depending on what it is. But you know, just helping people just on a pro bono basis. I um I started working with Mo Calon Landscape in Virginia, and this is probably about six or seven years ago, and he had a medical crisis where he couldn't run his company. I said, Rick, I'm just coming down. I'm gonna I'm gonna help you run your company. So I just inserted myself and just started like working with people. I'm like, I kind of like this. And it just it started evolving from there, and now he's paying me to come down. I've been working with him for six or seven years, and they're turning things around. But I just love seeing people grow and finding their full potential. And I have a my goal is to change a hundred thousand lives, right? And I'm at 116 right now on my phone, but the goal isn't the number, the goal is just to be a giver. And a lot of times, you know, we run our lives as takers. You know, we're just we're out to take everything. When you Switch your mindset and you're just giving, you're trying to help people. A lot of people don't like unsolicited coaching, so be careful with that. But you know, if you're always a giver and you're always to try to, you're always trying to impact somebody, change somebody, help somebody, the more you give, the more you receive. Being an advisor, being a coach, me coaching somebody, I'm teaching myself again, as I'm coaching somebody. And it's true, the teacher learns a lot more than the actual student does. And I'm learning so much, also getting paid for, but also helping those companies reach goals that they never thought was possible. So yeah, it's been great.

Karen 22:37

Before we jump back in, if you're new here, I'm Karen Norheim, and this is Always Lifting. If you're enjoying the conversation, hit follow. And if you have a minute, leave a quick rating. It really helps more people find the show. Now, let's get back to it. Let's go to this mission again. So I mean you talked about it there of your missional mission is to change 100,000 lives. And you know, tell me a little bit about where that number came from, and I know how it's it was lower and you hit you hit it, and now you have to have to raise it higher. So tell me a little bit about how um what I I love this creation of your own ripple effect. Tell me about this.

Brad 23:18

Well, you know, it's funny because I'm the visionary for my company, and we were trying to come up with vision as a leadership team, and it wasn't working. So we actually had a consultant in and he said, All right, everybody shut up. Who's the visionary in the room? And they're like, Brad, okay, give Brad a half hour just to talk, because I'm an outward processor. So I just start just outward processing, and with the help of the consultant, it it came out to 20,000 lives. And it's about making an impact in people's lives. That's that's what I want. That's what I want for the company, that's what I want for my life. I just did the thing on the microphone.

Karen 23:57

Um adding extra oomph.

Brad 23:58

Yeah, but that's what I want. That's what I want. So that it helped me just get that out, which then changed to 100,000 lives, but it's about impact. You know, you you get to a point in your life where you think, is this it? You know, and I was on a couple other podcasts talking about the second mountain and and the meaning of life and and giving back and and that sort of thing, and really leaning into that, that end of my life. And when you lean into that, there's so much that comes out of that. Instead of chasing dollars, you're chasing impact. And it's changed my whole life. I mean, it's my kids with my wife, like just across the board, it's it's helped everything. And then seeing people grow, and then it's a ripple effect, right? I think we're probably at 100,000 already, but I'm not going to count that. The only time I count if somebody says, hey, Brad, you changed my life, and then I put them on my list. So at least I have something there. It's amazing. But it's not the number to hit 100,000, it's really the act of just being a giver.

Karen 24:57

Well, this is really interesting. And and this idea of chasing impact, right? Like is really special. Um and I you talked a little bit about the meaning of life and what's going on. And I uh I know that again, we had a little pre-pre-show conversation about our age and how uh I am approaching 50 just over a year from now, and how big of an impact that had when you had turned 50. Was this a part of this sort of moment? Or maybe you were on it before it was before that. Contemplating getting exactly where I am at right now.

Brad 25:29

Yeah, yeah. I I think it was just like a there was something missing in my life. Like I just felt like you know, growing a business, you know, great, but like okay, what else? Like just searching. And actually, John Gowan, which is a local business owner, he's the one that got me hooked up with the book. And just like, yeah, I've been there too, like read this book. And it was a game changer because I think that's a second mountain book that you're talking about?

Karen 25:53

Second mountain. Okay.

Brad 25:54

Yeah. So I thought I was I was weird. I thought like my thoughts were just not right. But listening to the book, I'm like, oh yeah, well, this is me. Like, yeah, okay, this is okay. Because you know, as a visionary, it's there's not a whole lot of them out there, right? So you always you're around people, I call them dream killers, that are constantly cutting you down. And you're like, oh, I guess maybe I shouldn't be going after this, right? And even back in the day, you know, just alcohol, I would try to drown away all the thoughts because I had too many ideas. I had to numb myself because it was driving everybody nuts. I didn't realize there was really that's my gift, and that's where I should lean into and be okay with it. So I think um yeah, I don't know where that where the question is. No, I think it's fantastic. It's it's just leaning into it.

Karen 26:39

I mean, I think it's what I love is on all of the things you talked about, it's really healthy to contemplate um what you love in life, what you what you love to do in your job, the meaning of your life, and what derives energy from. And you obviously derive energy from having this viewpoint and um certainly is a great example for others. Um how do you it in this whole context too, you know, because I interesting, we were talking to another guest a little bit about this. I'm a huge believer in self-care and making sure that your cup is full so that you can then have the energy to be able to help others um or or enjoy that process. And, you know, I found that if I align myself up with what gives me energy and what brings me joy, the cup stays filled longer and it sort of has a an effect. How do you protect your energy and then also keep that cup really full so you can do all this amazing work that you're doing?

Brad 27:34

Yeah, I think it's a it's definitely a dance and you know, like this sort of thing. I'll be buzzing probably for another eight hours after because I love this stuff. Like I could meet, I could do all this stuff for eight hours a day, and I'd be happy helping people. But there's there's also you have to have space to do some of the things you might not like to do. So just with my calendar and what I do, and I have some messages on my wall that I can remember, hey, what are you what are your gifts? Make sure you're leaning. Does this give you this? Does it give you that? Does it give you that? And if not, don't do it. Um, but just filling my calendar with things that that I love to do, and then also recharge time. Um, even during the week, a lot of people are feel guilty with taking some time off the week. Man, like on Fridays, I haven't done it in a while, but Fridays I used to take a half day to sit in a restaurant and just vision, all vision, just thoughts. What are big issues? Just dump it out and just kind of like chill out and not be accountable to anybody, right? And I think just making sure you know yourself and then what are the signs that you might be you might be falling off, right? Um burnout, right?

Karen 28:42

Like starting to hit that burnout point. Yeah. It's never good for anybody or outcomes, right?

Brad 28:47

But if you think about, like go back to like if you are burnout, think about the things you love to do. My guess is that you're doing a a ton of things you hate doing. And then you start thinking, well, because burnout, like if you do the things you love, you you you really can't get burnt out. I mean, it's giving you the energy to keep going. So like just really the focus on like what are you doing that you hate, or just don't it doesn't give you energy, and then how can you delegate that um or have somebody else do it?

Karen 29:13

Trevor Burrus No, it's really really, really good advice. And I know we you you'd mentioned too this really cool calendar that you have. Big ass calendar. Yeah, I think I want to investigate having a big ass calendar. Tell me a little bit about how that helps you.

Brad 29:27

Yeah, so I'm a visual person. I mean, I I I think in pictures, I don't think in words, right? It's all pictures. So I need I told my wife, I was like, man, I wish I just had a big ass calendar. Well, I didn't even realize they there was a company called Big Ass Calendar. And it's a it's a huge calendar that's on my wall, it's probably like six by four, and it's plastered on my wall, it's the whole year. And then I color code you know what I'm doing on each day so then I can look at it as a whole and say, hey, where am I at? And it really like just the energy side of things, making sure that I'm doing things that I love, which are the green things of my calendar, and the things I don't like are the black, but like just being able to see that whole visual and then understanding where I'm gonna be at. Like I never like to be surprised. I mean, it's okay to be surprised with stuff, but not my calendar. I don't like being surprised. So seeing things ahead and then mapping out what I'm saying yes to by seeing the whole picture, it's it's been a game changer.

Karen 30:25

It's another great way to just be honest with yourself and be like, hey, oh, I yeah, that's uh or to be honest that you can't do everything and you have to pick and choose. Um no, I think that's really awesome. Is there any other like common block that you see when you're coaching people that is you know worthy of talking a little bit about?

Brad 30:44

And yeah, well, I think you know a lot of times we're comparing ourselves to somebody else. It's almost all the time.

Karen 30:52

Yeah.

Brad 30:52

Oh, they have it all figured out. Well, guess what? They don't.

Karen 30:54

Well, in the social media world, we do this on a personal level and a professional level.

Brad 30:59

Comparing gross profit across companies, you you can't. You can't comp you can't compare numbers because you don't know what the expenses are. So I it's a lot of that self-limiting beliefs, upper limit, whatever you want to call it, of like, well, this person's better than me. So a lot of times it's founders, I find it a lot with founders, and they hold it, they hold the company so close to themselves, they're not willing to let go of anything because it's not gonna be perfect. Well, the perfection is the problem. Like you've got to be okay with 80% or even even less, but like you have to let go or else you will be the bottleneck of the company. And if you would ever want to sell, again, I'm whatever, you have to have a leadership team, and it can't be all through you. And if it is, then you know you're you're done.

Karen 31:46

Well, and I think even if you want to hold on to your business and you want to get it to, like in our case, we like to go to third gen of our family. Like you still need all those things. Like in order to exist and play the long game, the infinite game instead of the short-term game, right? You've got to have that stuff in place.

Brad 32:02

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah, and that's one thing. Like, we're not we wouldn't I don't think I would ever sell. Like it's all about growing our team up and how do you how do you just keep growing it, getting, you know, making sure you're lean enough to get the profit. But you can't you can't compare to other people. You don't know. Everybody measures their numbers differently. Aaron Powell Yeah.

Karen 32:20

And I mean, who knows, yes. And and you most most of us are always trying to give the sunny perspective on the exterior, right? Like it's few areas where you can get the truth of what's really happening, or which I think is, you know, we've met because of being members of a peer-to-peer group. Um, in this case it was Vistage. I think that being able to have spaces where you can be vulnerable and you can learn stuff are so important in that case, but that's not the norm.

Brad 32:45

No, no. And I think, you know, for me, and and maybe that's another gift I say, which nobody likes to be saying I say flop the turds on the table. You just say it how it is. Like just be truthful because nobody's gonna listen to you if you're just blowing them up with how great you are. They want to know your struggles, get your struggles out. In order to connect with people, they need to know how you struggled and how you got through it. They're not like there's just so many vanity things out there. It drives me nuts. But that's how I've been able to connect.

Karen 33:14

I love that.

Brad 33:15

As an advisor, as a consultant, as a coach, as an owner, just be real. Yeah. You know, I'm very open. There's not much stuff that people don't know about me. I could be mayor and there's not going to be any skeletons in any closet.

Karen 33:27

So it's you know, being authentic and then being truthful and being vulnerable and truthful with others, but also even more so, just telling yourself the truth. You know what I mean? And uh it's it's hard. I mean, I've had this struggles in my life. Truth will set you free for sure. You had uh mentioned to me that there are a couple of questions that you like to ask yourself every day. And one of them was who do you want to help? I think. But can you just run through those for everybody listening on just kind of your setup of these qu contemplative questions? Because I really thought that was special.

Brad 33:59

Aaron Powell Yeah, I think you know, and I've I'm sure I've learned this through the years, but who do I want to be the hero to? And really understand like who do I want to help? And you know, where are my gifts at? Like where am I gifted, and how can I help somebody else? But like understanding who you want to help. And I mean you're basically you're figuring out your ICP, your ideal client profile, right? You're looking for who you want to be the hero to. And I asked you, you know, who do you want to be the hero?

Karen 34:26

And now I was like, oh, I'm not sure.

Brad 34:27

But you know, it's something I asked myself and making sure that you're helping the right people. And and for me, like again, like I I try to help as many people as I can, but I don't help everybody. It's they have to be growth mindset. And if they're not growth mindset, if they're not willing to be challenged and willing to change, I can't work with them. It just doesn't. It's not gonna happen. Because I'm I'm wasting time with somebody that's not willing to change. But like, who do I want to be the hero to? For me, it's it's a lot of landscape, it's really the landscape industry or small business service businesses that have founders that just feel stuck. They don't know how what to do. And and what happens, and this isn't just when these companies get bought out, they get they get kind of rolled over, right? They just they give them this big price, and at the very end they say, well, this isn't right, so we're gonna give you this. And those founders are so through the process, they're already on to the next chapter. They take less for their company, now they're working at a grocery store somewhere else and they can't make a living, you know, because they're used to making this. Now they they just got their company stolen from them. And my goal and and LeanScaper as well, that's a part of the advisory group, it's like, how do you build companies that don't have to sell, that the founders that put all the sweat equity in can create these great businesses that just thrive on their own. I mean, that's that's the goal.

Karen 35:54

It's wonderful. And helping small businesses like that, I mean, that's like the backbone of the US. And and it's just good for good for so many things. Yeah. Um We together have been through some interesting times since I've known you for a pretty long time, from you know, not just it's been so long I shouldn't even say it, but the COVID times and the pandemic times, and you know, um this the one thing that has, you know, I think struck me out of that lesson, and I'd love to know your opinion on this, is when you are able to turn failure into fuel, right? Like what does that look like to you, or what big crisis did you overcome, or advoc um uh I'm using adversary, that's not the right word. Like the a moment where you just had to kind of like overcome a huge crisis that and turn it into something that's positive?

Brad 36:40

Aaron Ross Powell Well, I mean, there's a lot of things that have happened, but I mean one that's definitely stands out is 2018. We work with H2B migrant workforce, legal migrant workforce through the government. It's a lottery, so you have a 25% chance you're gonna get your guys every year. At that point, our company structure was our entire mowing division was H2B employees. Well, two weeks before the mowing season started, we were told we weren't getting our guys. There's 25 guys we didn't have, and we have all these contracts we got to fulfill. I mean, it was it was awful. I cried, I think, like every other day. Um it was bad. But through that, so we we had a massive hiring campaign. I think I hired 80 people that year. And I had a picture above my computer of like the training day of all the people. And as we they quit, or as I fired them, I just blacked them out. So it was like one of those like, I don't know, well, overseas things where people are being held hostage. But I just black them out. And before it was all done through a 2018, we were left with two people at the end out of 80. So, but what we learned through that this the same year, we're like, man, if we're gonna go through this pain, let's get it all out of the way. So we started implementing the EOS system, changed our entire company, built a leadership team, and and if we wouldn't have gone through that crisis, it wouldn't have opened our eyes to be like, man, we can't run like on a 25% chance you're gonna get your workforce. A lot of risk. You have to you have to supplement, and we had to do different things to get people in. But those two people, they brought in the rest of our almost the rest of our mowing department. Good people, you know, great people. We still use the H2B program, but it's only like eight or nine people, and then we help them get the green cards and then they stay here. Um, but we do it the right way. But again, that that was our worst year. We lost 350,000 that year, but it was our best year as well. Um, and it was through those struggles and meeting as a leadership team and coming up with ideas and issues and and trying to fix the company for the future. I mean, I'm glad it happened. Like all the stuff, I'm glad for the most part, I'm glad it happened.

Karen 38:46

No, it's amazing to that's Yeah, those moments where I I don't even know if failure is the right word in that moment, like but you hit a crisis and it and it really sucks. But sometimes those bring about the most amazing transformations and are the opportunities for when you can set things in a totally different direction, which is more positive than where you were.

Brad 39:06

Well, it's time to step up or step out, right? So I think for me, like crisis, I'm good in crisis, like it is and you are too, right? So it's not that you want crisis, but you know you the adrenaline starts rolling and you just start making decisions and then guiding the ship. Like so it's it's kind of fun. But uh yeah, it's it it it's it's a lot though.

Karen 39:29

And we are you spend so much time on your culture and your people, I'm sure that must have a really positive effect on retention. And I would think that in the landscaping world, that's probably retention is probably really hard.

Brad 39:40

Yeah. Yeah. 35 percent, I think the average is 35 percent, and we're three to five percent in the last seven years. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Karen 39:46

That's amazing.

Brad 39:47

So the turnover we don't have, we do let people go. Like, listen, we've got free people's futures, but like we get the right people in, train them up, and if even if they do leave and they want to go fulfill another passion they have, I I remember this. I did a Facebook video years ago on our mic, we had a mechanic, he was awesome. But I did a Facebook uh video about how you should explore like your opportunities and what your what you have passion. The next day he put his two-week notice in because of my video. I'm like, oh my gosh, I should. But it was great because it freed his future. He's at a a better place with what he loved. We have awesome mechanics now, or fleet service people, I can't call them mechanics, but it it opened doors, right? So it's okay. And even people we let go that we had to let go for like not so good reasons. I still have breakfast with them and and hang out with them once in a while, just because I truly care about the people, but you gotta perform as well. Like you gotta have measurables, you gotta care enough. Like I'm a people per first person, but you have to be profitable as a company to keep growing people.

Karen 40:56

Well, and it's it's also, you know, um uh so often sometimes we use words in our businesses like that we're a family or or or whatnot. And I don't love to use that word because we are more than. We are we are a group of individuals that are held to a much higher standard than a family is, where we come together. Um it's more more like a team or a tribe or a you know, because what we're trying to accomplish has to happen. And it's really important that everybody, you know, um is kind of rowing in the right direction. And it and uh it's hard. Yeah. It's hard. You gotta have both of those.

Brad 41:31

I think that's there's dysfunctional families, I don't know. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So don't be a dysfunctional family. Tell the truth. Don't tell Uncle Johnny he's great if he's not. Like just tell him the truth.

Karen 41:42

Well, you know, a lot of what you're talking we've talked about today is really good for personal life too, right? It's it all ties together. It all ties together. Um we're one we're one human versus all these different parts. Well, I'd like to just kind of wrap us up here a little bit today with um two questions. One, you know, I feel like you are the example of someone who is always lifting, okay? Like that you are have this idea of giving and doing these pieces. So in that vein, what do you think is one way or a way to look at this to be the best way to lift other people?

Brad 42:20

It's a good question. Um, you know, I I think I go back to always be a giver. And if you're always trying to be kind, and kindness can look like hurt, right? But always trying to be kind, and I I think I told you, I don't hold grudges, no grudges. Because everybody has their own story. Everybody shows up with their story. Don't hold them, hold a grudge against them because of what they've been through. How do you pick them up and see people for who they are and what the gifts are that they have inside of them and how do you get them out? And it doesn't always work. I mean, it just doesn't, right? And how do you make it work and how do you be such a servant leader? You're there. It's not just the job, it's you're building them your people to have better lives, you know, better financial, like you just teaching people financial literacy. You know, oh my gosh, like or even cyber.

Karen 43:16

I don't know about you, the cyber stuff that's going on. I'm hoping that we yeah, we have some I have some thoughts on helping to make sure everybody in the family understands the cyber risks that individuals are at this time.

Brad 43:28

So it's all about like how do you make somebody better? Like how can you leave them better than what they were when they came in? If you're always focused on improvement and for yourself as well. Like I'm a constant learner. I will never stop learning. How do you stay? Because you it's not a set it, forget it. It's not the rom papil. No. It's a rotisserie oven and he has spray on hair too, which is Rom Papeel chicken oven where you just set it.

Karen 43:55

I mean I love rotisserie oven.

Brad 43:56

You set it and forget it, and you just let it cook. You don't have to worry about it.

Karen 44:01

Is that where that phrase comes from?

Brad 44:02

I don't know if it's worth it.

Karen 44:05

I mean I love that phrase, so it's good to know.

Brad 44:07

The spray on hair. I am. I'm gonna put like I'm gonna put a piece of I tell my wife this all the time, I never do it. But put like a piece of paper and spray on bags.

Karen 44:13

I would like to see that one. Yeah. That'd be fair. So you got into that a little bit, but I want to I want to continue you on your thread. We're talking a little bit of the best way to lift others. But then what is your advice for the best way to lift yourself?

Brad 44:27

Well, I think knowing yourself and what how do you get re-energized, like what like could be nature. Nature's a big thing. Like just getting out into nature. I used to live in a in a house that was so chaotic as far as like we had a fire company next to our house, and it wasn't a fire. I built my own house. It took me seven years. My father-in-law and my my family helped me, but when I started building the house, it was a park. I'm like, this is a great place to r raise a family. Well, the park left, and now it was a fire company as I was building this. So I didn't go to the township, whatever. Like I didn't see what was coming down the pike. But you know, I it was pure chaos. Well, now I I moved, I got woods, I got nature, just sit outside and watch the birds. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Karen 45:13

I feel like that's a universal everybody, right? We're we're we are of the earth. We are nature, not necessarily separated from it. I just don't think we realize that. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Brad 45:25

No. But I'm a bird watcher too. I have I have bird cameras that I watch hummingbirds. It's I'm getting old. Even the call, the uh I forget what it's like.

Karen 45:33

It's an app, right? We can get I think I think we have an eagle at our house and we've been we've been arguing over is it an eagle, is it the hawk? But I think we need the app. The app has come up.

Brad 45:42

Yeah, yeah.

Karen 45:42

Love all that. Well my last question to you today is you know, what do you what is something that your story gives permission to others to do?

Brad 45:52

Aaron Powell To be themselves, to be authentic. And no matter where I'm at, I am who I am here. And when wherever I go, there's no there's no I hate fake people. And I underst I don't hate them, I dislike them, I don't hang out with them. But just be real with your experiences. And again, I have a lot of experience, drug addiction, alcohol, all that stuff. Like I have, and I tell those stories in order to open up people to feel okay to tell me whatever. I mean, it just at Newcastle, I mean, I can't tell you how many times people have come to me with the struggles that they are going through because of the story they heard from me. Because I was brave enough, I just didn't give a shot. That's okay. Yeah, go for it. I just didn't give a sh and just be who you are, be authentic. Because I can tell you the majority everybody wants authentic people. They don't want fake people. And I always thought that, you know, there's a lot of hot I mean, even you, like for sure. But like higher level people in my mind, I was like, I can't just be yourself. Like people want who you are, just be yourself, be okay with it. Now, that doesn't mean just stay with who you are, like try to improve yourself and learn, but like being authentic and real, like there's nothing like it, right?

Karen 47:09

Such such good words. I love it. So I thank you so much, Brad, uh for coming on today. This is awesome. Yeah, so fun. Your story from building a business to all of your incredible advice for all of us in leadership and in life. Um and I have no doubt this new revised goal, since you already got to your goal before of a hundred thousand lives making an impact. I I know that's gonna happen. I really appreciate you being here.

Brad 47:35

I appreciate you having me, and this is awesome. And I know I'm the first one in this studio. So it is. So I loved it.

Karen 47:41

Brad shows us that real leadership means being authentically yourself, growing your people right alongside your business, owning the good and the bad, and staying honest enough to lift others by lifting yourself first. For more information about Brad, see the show notes below. If you haven't already, give us a subscribe and don't forget to always lift.