Welcome back to The Beer Garden, the only podcast where landscaping pros talk KPIs over IPAs.

This week, we’re turning data into dollars with a deep dive into Production KPIs, the numbers that show you where you’re winning, where you’re bleeding, and what success actually looks like on the jobsite.

Whether you’re running the company, managing crews, or out in the field, this one’s for you. Because:

"You can’t fix what you don’t measure. And you definitely can’t scale chaos."

🧭 What We Cover:

• Why Production KPIs Matter
• Total Revenue Produced (per crew/ per day)
• Revenue Per Man Hour
• Gross Profit Per Man Hour
• Utilization Rate
• Budget Variance
• Quality Score
• Labor Cost % of Revenue
• Deficiency Visits Caused
• Planned Production Rate vs Actual
• Staff Projection

🍻 Beers of the Episode:

•Michelob Ultra

•Outer Range Brewing – Paint Like a Boss

Whether you're chasing better margins, stronger crews, or a smoother operation—KPIs are your compass. This episode will help you put numbers to what matters and build a culture that performs.

📩 Got questions or want help implementing? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

This week, we’re talking about one of the biggest game-changers for growing businesses: outsourcing your customer service. If you’ve ever wondered how to get yourself out of the phone-and-email whirlwind without sacrificing customer satisfaction, this episode is for you.

Whether you’re curious about virtual reps, tired of being the complaint department, or ready to reclaim your day — we break down the pros, cons, and must-knows of two popular outsourcing models. Plus, you’ll hear how Brandon and Jason have personally structured, trained, and scaled their customer service teams (with a few war stories along the way).

🧩 What We Covered:

• Overview of The Two Main Outsourcing Models
• Call Center Model
• Dedicated Outsourced Representatives
• Training & Onboarding
• Role & Responsibilities
• Cost Comparisons
• Where to Find Representatives

🍻 Featured Beers:

•Michelob Ultra

•Knotted Root Brewing: Moist Green Organic

https://www.knottedrootbrewing.com/contact

📚 Resources Mentioned:

Loom – For screen-recorded training

Trainual – For building onboarding systems

OnlineJobs.ph – Trusted Freelance Classified

Go2 - Outsourced CSR Agency

Market Hill - Executive Assistant Agency

📩 Got questions or want help implementing? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

🎙️ Episode Description:

Let’s face it, great workmanship alone won’t win you lifelong customers anymore. In this episode of The Beer Garden, Jason and Brandon crack open a couple of cold ones and dive deep into the art (and science) of creating an exceptional customer experience. From Disney’s trash can placements to crafting a landscaping version of a blockbuster movie plot, this episode is all about going beyond good service, and into the territory of unforgettable, loyalty-building experiences.

We explore what makes for exceptional vs expected, how to create systems and culture around wow-worthy moments, and how small tweaks in personalization, communication, and staff training can make a massive difference in customer retention, referrals, and your reputation.

So pour yourself something cold, and let’s talk about trash cans & renewal rates.

⏱️ What We Covered:

•The Power of Exceptional Customer Experience

•Attention to Detail

•Personalization

•Continuous Improvement

•Create an Effortless Experience

•Build Your StoryBrand

•Training for Consistency and Excellence

•Strategies to Elevate Customer Satisfaction

•Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

•Last Call: Speed Round

🍺 Beers of the Week:

•Half Hitch Brewing – Papa Bear Prairie Ale

•Emporium Brewing – Dope IPA

📚 Resources Mentioned:

•Be Our Guest – Disney Institute

•Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller

•The Effortless Experience – Matthew Dixon

•DisneyU – Doug Lipp

•Breakthrough Academy (BTA) – https://www.btacademy.com/

💬 Connect & Share:

If you found this episode valuable, share it with your team or tag a fellow pro in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebeergardenlandscape

And if you want to keep turning jobs into long-term relationships, don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen.

📩 Got questions or want help implementing? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

Most of us have been guilty of it—handing a new hire a shovel and saying, “Follow this guy.” That might get the job done (barely), but it won’t build a high-performing team. In this episode of The Beer Garden, we dive deep into how to build a real-deal training program that actually develops your people—and your business.

We’re breaking down how to create a scalable, repeatable system that trains new hires, grows future leaders, and builds a strong culture of excellence. From onboarding to ongoing skill development to performance-based certifications, we lay out the full blueprint. Whether you're building a training program from scratch or upgrading your current system, this one's packed with practical strategies.

What We Cover:

• Why throwing new hires to the wolves isn’t a strategy

• What to include in your first 30–90 days of training

• How to build ongoing training that keeps your team engaged

• Designing a skill progression system with certifications and raises

• The DORAGI method for hands-on learning

• How to track training progress and ensure real results

• Why training is just as important for managers as it is for technicians

🎧 Whether you're a growing landscape business or a snow removal crew looking to level up, this episode will give you the tools to go from chaotic onboarding to a well-oiled training machine.

📚 Resources Mentioned:

•Quality Driven Software - https://www.qualitydrivensoftware.com/

•Trainual - https://trainual.com/

•Greenius - https://gogreenius.com/

•The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin

•Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

🍺 The Beverages:

•Banded Peak Brewing - Mount Crushmore

•Ommegang Brewing - Cooper's Hop

If your idea of a financial system is just “hoping there’s money left after payroll,” this one’s for you.

In this episode of The Beer Garden, we’re joined by Michelle Ennis, Chartered Accountant, co-founder of Landscapers By Nature, and Head of Finance at Hypha Dynamics, to talk about transforming your company’s financials from a black box into a leadership tool.

Michelle shares how she went from being the only person reviewing financials to building a system that involved the entire leadership team, and how that shift led to faster decisions, more accountability, and major wins for the business.

We cover:

• Why Financial Structure Matters
• Setting Up Your Chart of Accounts
• Monthly Financial Review Meetings
• The Monthly Financial Cadence
• Tips for Involving Your Management Team
• Action Steps

🍺 The Beverages:

• Loveland Aleworks - Haze Bros of the Galaxy
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse - Pacific Pineapple Cider
• Knotted Root Brewing - One Million Dollars

📩 Got questions or want help implementing? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

Ever feel like your crews spend more time in traffic than on turf? Then this episode is for you.

In this week’s episode of The Beer Garden, we’re breaking down one of the most overlooked levers of profitability in landscaping and snow: route density. That’s right, how close your job sites are to one another can make or break your bottom line.

We’ll crack open a cold one and dive into:

• Why route density is your best friend when it comes to labor efficiency, fuel costs, and scheduling sanity

• The hidden (and expensive) costs of poor route planning

• How to build tighter routes using tech, service zones, and territory-based marketing

• The micro-shop strategy: how satellite yards can transform your ops and hiring

• Metrics that matter: How to actually measure your route efficiency

• Real-world tips to avoid common route planning mistakes

We also chat through examples, tactics, and some near-disasters from our own businesses.

If you’re looking to grow smarter, not just bigger, this one’s a must-listen.

Remember, tighter routes = fatter margins!

The Beverages:

•Wild Rose Brewery - Big Hoodoo Lager

•TRVE Brewing Co. - Tunnel of Trees

📩 Got questions or want help implementing? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

In this episode of The Beer Garden, we’re tackling one of the most chaotic (and costly) problems in many landscape and snow companies: inconsistent, unstructured pay.

If your crew members are randomly asking for raises… if your hiring conversations feel like a poker game… or if payroll feels more like a monthly gamble than a strategy—this episode is for you.

We break down exactly how to build and implement a standardized pay structure that improves morale, simplifies hiring, and ensures your payroll actually makes sense for your margins.

You’ll learn:

• Why standardized pay reduces drama and turnover

• How to build role-based compensation with clear skill expectations

• How to handle top performers and low performers within the system

• How to roll out your new system (without blowing up your team)

• How to make it part of your hiring, training, and performance management

We even share a real-world example wage sheet and give actionable steps you can take this week to start building or refining your own system.

✅ Download the Sample Wage Sheet ✅ Book: Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits by Greg Crabtree ✅ Book: The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack

The Beverages:

Banded Peak Brewing - Mount Crushmore

New Image Brewing - Quad Dub

📩 Got questions or want help implementing your own system? Hit us up:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io

In this episode of The Beer Garden, we’re digging into one of the most misunderstood—but most impactful—tools in your estimating arsenal: production rates. Whether you're still eyeballing bids or operating off tiered pricing, understanding production rates can help you price more consistently, boost profitability, and simplify performance conversations with your team.

What we cover:

• What are production rates
• Why production rates matter
• Sales & production team tensions
• How to determine your production rates
• Why being too specific with your production rates can cause trouble
• How production rates differ based on average job size (AJS)

📈 Whether you're just starting to formalize your estimating process or ready to fine-tune your numbers like a pro, this episode has something for every landscape or snow removal contractor.

🎧 Tune in, take notes, and let’s finally stop guessing our way through job pricing.

The Beverages:

Crooked Stave - Nightmare on Brett

Jasper Brewing Co. - Crispy Tall Bois

Get in touch:

Facebook Group: The Beer Garden: Landscape Leaders Roudtable

Facebook Page: IssueID

Youtube: The Beer Garden

Instagram: IssueID

Website: IssueID.io

Email: thebeergarden@issueid.io