Elephant Hunting: How to Land and Keep Big Clients w/ Steve Wheatcroft
You don’t scale a landscape company past $30M without learning how to hunt elephants and survive the feast. In this episode, we sit down with Steve Wheatcroft, founder of ULS and now a LeanScaper advisor, to unpack the high-stakes game of enterprise sales in landscaping. From university project to $100M powerhouse, Steve built ULS by mastering the art of landing massive municipal, institutional, and retail contracts and living to tell the tale. We dig deep into: • What it really takes to win big clients (and why most landscapers screw it up) • How elephant hunting nearly killed his business and what systems saved it • The three core risks that come with big revenue jumps (cash, complexity, talent) • How to know if you’re ready or if that elephant will eat you alive • His step-by-step sales strategy and what most entrepreneurs get wrong in the bid cycle This one’s not theory. It’s hard-earned wisdom from a guy who’s done it, exited, and is now helping the next generation do it smarter. If you’re serious about scaling this is your roadmap. 🤝 To learn more about Steve's advising click here
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Your Business Is a Waste Factory, Lean Fixes That w/ Tom Hughes
What does “Lean” really mean - and why should every landscaper care? In this episode, Benji sits down with Tom Hughes to unpack the origins of Lean thinking, straight from Toyota’s post-WWII survival mode to today’s jobsite inefficiencies. You’ll learn:-Why Lean was born from desperation, not inspiration-The 7+2 types of waste every business leader should be targeting-How landscapers lose time (and money) without realizing it-Why focusing on the 98% of waste - not the 2% of value - is the secret to scaleFrom hanging a picture to running a multi-million dollar crew, this episode shows why most of what you think is productive… isn’t.Favourite moment: “Comfort is the enemy of innovation.”You don’t need to make your good stuff better - you need to kill your waste. Period.👇 SUBSCRIBE for more episodes on building lean, profitable companies in the trades.
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Landscaping Needs More Female Leaders. Here’s How. w/ Ellen Rohr
Ellen Rohr is one of the most respected women in the trades. As President of Zoom Drain and author of multiple best-selling books, she’s coached thousands of business owners toward profitability, purpose, and personal growth. In this episode, Ellen opens up about: • How she overcame her fear of numbers, mastered financial literacy, and used bookkeeping to transform her life • The hard truth about trying to “change” your partner in business and the lesson that growth starts on the inside • Why tradeswomen are still underrepresented on the frontlines and what needs to happen at the small business level to rewrite that storyThis episode is a must-listen for any woman building a business in landscaping - raw, tactical, and full of heart.
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Unlock Endless Customers With These 4 Shifts w/ Marcus Sheridan
Best-selling author and marketing powerhouse Marcus Sheridan joins Benji to reveal why trust - not tactics - is the real secret to sales growth. From breaking down the “trust deficit” to why most landscapers lose the sale before the call, this episode is a roadmap to building a brand buyers believe in. Learn how to: • Win the 80% of the sales journey that happens before the first contact • Future proof your sales process for the age of AI • Be bold enough to say what other brands won’t and show what others won’t show (people buy transparency) If you’re ready to grow your business and dominate your market - this is your blueprint.
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What is LeanScaper? w/ Mark Bradley
After selling LMN for over $250 million, Mark Bradley could’ve walked away. But instead, he launched LeanScaper - with a mission to build a better future for every tradesperson in the green industry. In this powerful debut episode, Mark gets brutally honest about burnout, the mistakes that nearly cost him everything, and why the trades deserve more than low wages and broken systems. 🔍 Highlights: • Why most landscapers are sabotaging themselves without realizing it • The 4 pillars of the LeanScaperOS - and how they transform team culture, profitability, and operations • What Mark wishes every small business owner knew before scaling This is more than a business episode. It’s a call to arms for the trades to demand better - and build it.
The LeanScaper Podcast is where serious landscape leaders go to grow.
If you want new school systems for an old school industry, expertly crafted interviews with world class experts, endless inspiration you’ve come to the right place.
Hosted by Benji Carlson and Mark Bradley. New Episodes release every Monday, on every platform.
Canada - english