Million Dollar Landscaper Podcast
Listen on:
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
If you have fewer than 20 Google reviews, you are invisible to the best customers in your town — and your competitors are getting the calls that should be yours.
In this episode, Scott breaks down exactly why most landscapers are leaving their best reviews on the table, and what to do about it. You'll learn the perfect moment to ask for a review, the exact script to use during your final walkthrough, and why manual follow-up almost never works. Scott also shares how to automate the entire review request and response process so your reputation keeps growing even when you're knee-deep in a job.
Whether you're just getting started with Google reviews or you've been meaning to fix your system for years, this episode gives you a clear, simple plan to act on today.
In this episode:
•Why your competitor with 85 reviews is stealing your jobs — even if your work is better
•The two reasons most landscapers fail to get reviews
•The exact script to use at the end of every job
•Why chasing customers manually never works long-term
•How to automate your review requests and responses so nothing falls through the cracks
Links mentioned:
•Automate your reviews with LeadSpeed → https://leadspeed.io/automated-review
•AI for Contractors Community → https://t2m.io/aiforcontractors
•Million Dollar Landscaper Website → milliondollarlandscaper.com
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday May 15, 2026
Friday May 15, 2026
Your phone is ringing again. You're in the middle of an estimate with a great client, building rapport, about to close — and your crew leader is calling because the mower won't start. Or they ran out of mulch. Or a customer asked about one extra shrub.
If this is your day, this episode is for you.
Scott Molchan walks through exactly how to get your crews running jobs without you — not by hiring better people, but by giving the people you have the right tools and information.
In this episode, Scott covers:
Why your crew keeps calling — and why training them to stop starts with you changing your behavior, not theirs.
How to use estimated hours on every work order — sharing that number changes the psychology of the job. It gives your crew a target. It turns work into a game. And it starts protecting your profits.
What detailed job instructions actually look like — vague work orders create phone calls. Photos, videos, notes, and specific scope attached to every job means your crew can do 90% of that work before you even show up.
The Three Before Me rule — before any crew leader is allowed to call you with a problem, they have to check three things first: the work order, your SOPs, and one other person. Only then do they call you. This one shift quietly changes how your whole team operates.
How to actually enforce it — because the rule only works if you hold the line. Scott talks through what that looks and feels like in the first few weeks.
If you're stuck answering field questions all day while trying to run the business side, this episode gives you a real path out.
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday May 08, 2026
Friday May 08, 2026
Your phone is ringing again. You're in the middle of an estimate with a great client, building rapport, about to close — and your crew leader is calling because the mower won't start. Or they ran out of mulch. Or a customer asked about one extra shrub.
If this is your day, this episode is for you.
Scott Molchan walks through exactly how to get your crews running jobs without you — not by hiring better people, but by giving the people you have the right tools and information.
In this episode, Scott covers:
Why your crew keeps calling — and why training them to stop starts with you changing your behavior, not theirs.
How to use estimated hours on every work order — sharing that number changes the psychology of the job. It gives your crew a target. It turns work into a game. And it starts protecting your profits.
What detailed job instructions actually look like — vague work orders create phone calls. Photos, videos, notes, and specific scope attached to every job means your crew can do 90% of that work before you even show up.
The Three Before Me rule — before any crew leader is allowed to call you with a problem, they have to check three things first: the work order, your SOPs, and one other person. Only then do they call you. This one shift quietly changes how your whole team operates.
How to actually enforce it — because the rule only works if you hold the line. Scott talks through what that looks and feels like in the first few weeks.
If you're stuck answering field questions all day while trying to run the business side, this episode gives you a real path out.
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday May 01, 2026
Friday May 01, 2026
You drove out. You walked the property. You spent hours putting together a quote.
And then they told you it was way out of their budget.
That's not a closing problem. That's a qualification problem — and it's costing you more time than you realize.
In this episode, Scott sits down with Neal Glatt, sales coach and industry veteran, to talk about the one conversation most landscapers avoid: money. Neal breaks down why talking about budget early isn't pushy — it's respectful. And he shares practical ways to uncover what a customer can actually spend before you ever pick up a pencil.
You'll hear:
Why "what's your budget?" is the wrong question — and what to ask instead
How to use price ranges to guide the conversation without scaring anyone off
The three things you need to qualify before you ever write a proposal
A simple scoring system to know which jobs are worth your time
How to get comfortable talking about money even if it feels awkward
If you're tired of writing quotes for people who were never going to say yes, this one's for you.
Connect with Neal Glatt:
LinkedIn: Neal Glatt
Website: nealglatt.com
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Apr 24, 2026
Friday Apr 24, 2026
You can have a packed schedule, a hard-working crew, and great equipment — and still have nothing left at the end of the month.
The problem usually isn't the work. It's that you're guessing instead of knowing.
In this episode, Scott breaks down the five numbers every landscaping business owner needs to track — no accounting degree required. These aren't complicated formulas. They're simple checkpoints that tell you if you're actually making money, if your crew is working efficiently, if your pricing is costing you jobs, and if your customers are sticking around.
You'll learn:
How to calculate your job profitability rate (and what it means if you're under 40%)
What your revenue per labor hour is telling you about your crew's efficiency
Why winning 80% of your bids is actually a red flag
How to measure customer retention — and what to do if people aren't coming back
How to speed up getting paid so you're not floating your own jobs
Scott also put together a free cheat sheet — The 5 Essential Numbers Every Landscaper Needs to Know — linked in the show notes. No sign-up. Just grab it and use it.
If you're tired of being busy and still feeling broke, this one's for you.
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Apr 17, 2026
Friday Apr 17, 2026
If your mornings look like guys standing around, someone scrambling for trimmer line, and trucks leaving the yard 45 minutes late — this episode is for you.
Scott breaks down why the morning rollout is one of the biggest profit leaks in landscaping businesses, and exactly how to fix it without you being the one holding everything together.
You'll hear the real math on what a disorganized morning actually costs — per crew, per week, per season. You'll learn what a real crew leader is supposed to own in the morning (and why most owners have accidentally trained their crew to be helpless). And you'll get a simple 4-week plan to hand off the morning completely so you can stop showing up at 5am to load the truck and start actually running your business.
This isn't about working harder. It's about building the system so things work without you.
In this episode:
Why the first 30–60 minutes of your day decides how profitable the whole day is
The real cost of a chaotic morning (the math will hurt a little)
What goes on a morning rollout checklist — and why nothing moves until it's signed
Why a quick morning actually starts the night before
The 4-week transition plan to hand this off to your crew leaders for good
Free Download: The 5 Essential Numbers Every Landscaper Needs to Know https://mdl.coach/kpiguide — No sign-up. Just grab it.
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Apr 10, 2026
Friday Apr 10, 2026
Finding good workers feels impossible right now. But the problem usually isn't the labor market — it's the hiring process.
In this episode, Scott breaks down exactly where to find reliable workers right now, how to write a job post that actually gets people to apply, and what to do so they stop ghosting you before the interview even happens.
He also gets into what the first day on the job should look like — and why most landscaping companies are losing good people in the first 30 days without even realizing it.
If you're tired of the revolving door, this one's for you.
In this episode:
Where to actually find good workers (it's not Indeed)
Why you need to stop requiring landscaping experience
How to write a job post that sells the job — not demands a perfect candidate
The simple text message trick that cuts interview no-shows
What a real onboarding process looks like
Why pay is the last piece — and why it still matters
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Apr 03, 2026
Friday Apr 03, 2026
Most landscapers using AI are only scratching the surface — writing emails, posting on Facebook, maybe a caption here and there. But that's a fraction of what AI can actually do for your business.
In this episode, Scott sits down with Erik Madsen — entrepreneur, business coach, and founder of Crescita Innovations — to talk about how landscapers can use AI as a real strategic tool. Not just for content. For running the business.
Erik shares his 30-40-30 formula for getting quality output from AI, the five foundation files that train AI to actually know your business, and why treating AI like an advisory board changes the way you make decisions.
You'll also hear real examples — from landscapers using GPS satellite measurements to build instant on-site estimates, to snow companies using cameras and AI to automatically dispatch drivers when conditions hit.
If you've ever felt like you're behind on AI or not using it right, this episode will clear that up.
What you'll learn:
Why most landscapers are thinking too small with AI
The 30-40-30 formula and why input quality matters
What the five foundation files are and how to build them
How to use AI as a strategic advisor for your business decisions
Real examples of AI being used in landscaping operations right now
Guest: Erik Madsen — Founder, Crescita Innovations | Business Coach
https://www.crescitainnovations.com/
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Mar 27, 2026
Friday Mar 27, 2026
You install the plant. A few months later, it's struggling. Maybe it dies.
Most landscapers blame the watering. Or the homeowner. Or the weather.
But what if the problem started at the nursery — before you ever touched it?
In this episode, Scott talks with Eric Olson from RediRoot about something most landscapers never think about: root development. Specifically, how plants are grown, what root circling actually does to a tree over time, and why the plant you buy from the nursery might already be set up to fail.
This one's a little different from our usual business and pricing topics — but it's just as much about protecting your money. Because every plant that dies after you install it is a callback. And every callback is work you're doing for free.
Here's what you'll take away from this episode:
The difference between solid-wall plastic pots and air pruning containers — and why it matters for your installs. What root circling actually does to a tree over time (the race car analogy is worth hearing). What to look for — and ask — when you're buying plants from a nursery. Whether you really need to remove burlap on B&B plants. How soil type and hole size affect whether a plant survives long-term. And why fabric bag-grown plants could save you real time and money on the job site.
This isn't plant science for its own sake. It's about protecting your reputation and your bottom line — because those roots you're putting in the ground are the last thing standing between you and a warranty call.
Connect with Eric Olson and Rediroot: Website: https://rediroot.com/
LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook: search Rediroot
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Friday Mar 20, 2026
Friday Mar 20, 2026
If your schedule is packed but your bank account doesn't show it, this episode is for you.
Scott breaks down the real reason most landscaping business owners haven't raised their prices — and it's not laziness. It's fear. Fear of losing accounts. Fear of the phone going quiet. Fear of that awkward conversation.
But here's the truth: that fear is costing you more than a price increase ever would.
In this episode, Scott walks through:
5 signs your prices are already too low
How to actually calculate what you need to charge based on your real costs
A simple framework for telling your customers about the change — without making it weird
Why raising prices gradually protects your business more than holding steady ever will
What to do right now, this week, before the season gets any deeper
This isn't about charging more just because you can. It's about making sure the work you're doing is actually worth doing.
If you've been putting this off, this episode is the push you needed.
Follow Million Dollar Landscaper:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube