The GROW! Show

Marty Grunder
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The GROW! Show is a show that highlights Marty Grunder's annual conference, GROW!. The GROW! show will showcase how anyone in the green industry can grow themselves, their team, and their business.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Interview Series: Building a Sales Team That Performs with Dawn Arnold

    The best salespeople are not just lucky. They are diligent, organized, and manage their time well. In this episode, Marty is joined by Dawn Arnold, Director of Sales at Grunder Landscaping Company, to talk about what separates top performers from everyone else. Dawn shares how she coaches salespeople to boss their calendars, focus on leading indicators, and develop the habits that drive consistent results. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings People First, Then Process: You can have all the processes in the world, but if you do not have the right people and someone leading them, the processes will not be followed. One-on-Ones Save Time: If you do not give your team a dedicated weekly time with you, they have free reign to interrupt you whenever they want. A one-on-one creates a safe space and actually reduces the constant interruptions. If You Cannot Sell Yourself in the Interview, You Cannot Sell to Strangers: Energy, connection, and the ability to build rapport in a short window are non-negotiables for sales hires. The interview is when they are at their best. Top Performers Know What Needs Attention and When: The best salespeople understand low-hanging fruit, stay connected with clients, and have a sense of urgency. They do not wait for things to happen. They make them happen. Leading Indicators Over Lagging Indicators: Sales numbers are lagging indicators. You cannot change a report. Focus on the activities that drive sales: proposals out, presentations delivered, pipeline managed. Boss Your Calendar: If you do not have time blocked for proposals, client meetings, and follow-up, you are most likely not going to do it. Top performers are regimented with their calendars. Do Not Hire Before You Are Ready to Lead: If you do not have processes, structure, and clear goals in place, a good salesperson will get frustrated and leave. Good salespeople want a system they can plug into. Development Must Be Intentional: Do not assume everyone knows how to network. Teach them how to dress, how to start conversations, how to follow up. Pair newer people with stronger ones. Family Members Do Not Get Special Treatment: If you let family get away with something, everyone will see it. Clear expectations, accountability, and no gray areas protect the culture. Discipline Equals Freedom: Spring is intense. Leaning on good habits and structure all year means you do not have to turn it on during the busy season. You cannot build habits in a crisis. Reflection Questions: Are you tracking leading indicators like proposals and presentations, or just looking at lagging sales numbers? If you hired a great salesperson tomorrow, do you have the structure in place to develop them, or would you be figuring it out as you go? Resources: BOBYARD  Proven Winners: Allium Serendipity Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Intro(00:00:39) - Thank you to Bobyard(00:02:03) - Meet Dawn Arnold(00:03:32) - Building a Sales Team(00:04:33) - Grunder: Collaboration Culture(00:06:04) - One on Ones That Work(00:09:55) - Quoting Clinics for Your Team(00:12:22) - Dawn’s Initial Challenges(00:16:28) - Hiring Good Sales People(00:20:41) - Habits of Top Performers(00:22:09) - Activity Based Accountability(00:24:08) - Visibility and Competition(00:26:03) - To Grow, You Need Processes(00:29:15) - Home Shows & Sales Pairing(00:30:31) - Family Members in the Business(00:37:22) - Bobyard Free Trial(00:40:42) - Behaviors in Weekly Sales Meetings(00:43:00) - Building Trust on Your Team(00:45:23) - Sign Up for Virtual Sales Bootcamp!

    47 min

  2. 8 APR

    Good Shortcuts and Bad Shortcuts: How to Save Time Without Sacrificing Quality

    Taking shortcuts is a good thing when it saves you time without sacrificing the experience your clients, team members, or the community has with your business. In this episode, Marty Grunder shares the shortcuts he takes to work more efficiently so he can get more done in a day. As AI is becoming more available, there are so many ways to save yourself time. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Key Learnings The Shortcut Filter: Before implementing any shortcut, ask three questions: Does it maintain or improve quality? Does it actually make us more efficient or just faster in the moment? Does it make our team better or just busier? Good Shortcuts vs. Bad Shortcuts: A good shortcut saves you time and nobody notices. A bad shortcut saves you time, but your customer feels it, your team feels it, and you feel it in the wallet later. If your shortcut creates rework, it was not a shortcut. Truck Positioning and Work Sequencing: Where you park the truck can cut walking distance in half. Every extra step gets multiplied hundreds of times a day. Installing trees before final grade or mulch before grading means reworking your work. Boss Your Calendar: If your sales team is zigzagging across town, the day is gone. Group appointments geographically. Plan your day the night before. Drive the conversation and let clients accommodate you. Prequalify Your Leads: If you screen your calls right, you can close most of them. A few simple questions upfront saves a lot of wasted trips. AI Helps You Prepare, It Does Not Replace the Relationship: Use AI for drafting emails, organizing proposals, and researching prospects. But if your sales process starts to feel robotic, you have gone too far. AI should enable you to spend more time with clients and team, not run your whole life. Visibility Reduces Phone Calls: Pictures on work orders, videos attached to tickets. The more visibility your team has, the fewer calls, emails, and site visits you need. Prepare every work ticket as if you are going on a cruise without cell service. Reflection Questions: What shortcut are you taking right now that is quietly costing you time, money, or quality later? Are you bossing your calendar or is your calendar bossing you? If you were unreachable on a cruise for a week, would your work tickets have enough detail for your team to execute without calling you? Resources: BOBYARD  Chapters (00:02:20) - The Shortcut Filter: Three Questions to Ask(00:03:34) - Production Shortcuts: Truck Positioning, Sequencing, and Routing(00:06:58) - Sales Shortcuts: Bossing Your Calendar and Prequalifying Leads(00:09:14) - Using AI Without Losing the Relationship(00:10:48) - Administrative Shortcuts: Templates, Checklists, and Automation(00:12:37) - Visibility Systems and When Shortcuts Go Wrong(00:13:45) - Shortcuts Aren’t the Problem(00:14:34) - Please Like, Share and Subscribe!

    15 min

  3. 1 APR

    How to Keep Your Cool in a Crisis as the Leader with Marty Grunder

    In this solo episode, Marty Grunder shares his five-step crisis framework for handling angry clients, crew mistakes, and the constant firefighting that comes with spring. The real issue is never the crisis itself. It is your reaction to it. Marty walks through how to pause before responding, separate emotion from facts, own the outcome, solve in layers, and build systems that prevent repeat fires. Leadership is not about reacting better. It is about building a business that does not need constant reacting. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:30 - Welcome to the Grow Show 01:43 - Spring Pressure and Crises 02:53 - Why Leaders Lose Their Cool 03:43 - 1: Pause First 04:18 - 2: Get the Facts 05:16 - 3: Own the Resolution 06:07 - Handling Customer Complaints 06:54 - A Lesson from The Beginning 09:30 - 4: Solve in Layers 10:26 - Correct Mistakes WIthout Fear 11:43 - Systems Prevent Firefighting 13:15 - Marty’s Challenge Key Learnings It Is Not the Problem, It Is Your Reaction: Most of the time, the damage comes from how we respond, not from what happened. Action: Pause before you lead. Count to four. Lower your voice. Ask what actually happened. Separate Emotion from Facts: When a client says you destroyed their yard, that is emotion. Your job is to get the facts. Action: Ask for a picture. Ask what assumptions you are making. Facts make it manageable. Own the Outcome, Not the Blame: You do not have to admit fault immediately, but you do have to own the resolution. Action: Say: "I am never going to let this get in the way of our relationship. I am going to make it right." Ask What They Want: The most powerful question you can ask an upset client is: What would you like for us to do? Action: Let them vent. Accept responsibility. Ask what they want. Respond with a clear plan. Solve in Layers: Every issue has four layers: containment, client reassurance, internal correction, and process prevention. Action: If you skip the prevention step, you guarantee repeat fires. Correct the Behavior, Protect the Dignity: When a crew messes up, do not explode and do not ignore it. Both are leadership mistakes. Action: Pull them aside privately. Ask what happened, what should have happened, and what we do differently next time. Constant Firefighting Is a Systems Issue: If you feel like you are always in crisis mode, that is usually a sign your systems are weak. Action: Install one prevention system this week. Strong systems reduce emotional leadership moments. The Five-Step Crisis Framework Pause before you lead  Separate emotion from facts  Own the outcome  Solve in layers (containment, reassurance, correction, prevention) Build systems that prevent repeat fires  Reflection Questions

    15 min

  4. 25 MAR

    The Consistency Framework: Culture, Quality, and Client Experience with Marty Grunder

    In this solo episode, Marty Grunder breaks down why growing companies struggle to stay consistent and what to do about it. Growth exposes every crack in your operation. Customers do not see departments or branches. They see one company. Marty walks through his consistency framework: clear standards plus trained leaders plus enforced systems. He covers the three areas where most companies break down: culture, quality, and client experience. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:30 - Welcome & Please Subscribe! 01:06 - Inspiration From Dan Pink 01:57 - Why Consistency Matters 03:51 - Three Consistency Pillars 06:08 - Non Negotiables at Grunder 06:45 - Leaders Model Culture 09:36 - Quality Standards System 10:28 - Visuals & Scorecards for Your Team 12:15 - Inspect and Coach Fast 13:26 - Client Journey Mapping 14:04 - One Voice Messaging 14:59 - Feedback and Snow Lessons 16:44 - Consistency Framework Recap 17:54 - Action Steps 18:39 - Please Subscribe and Share! Key Learnings Growth Exposes Inconsistency: What works at one crew breaks at five or ten. Customers see one company and expect consistent delivery. Action: Identify where your span of control has broken down. Fix the handoffs. Culture Is Behavior, Not Posters: You can post values on the wall, but culture is what your people actually do on job sites. Action: Define what doing it your way looks like in observable terms. Role play it. Show real examples. How You Treat Leaders Is How They Treat Clients: What goes downhill flows all the way to the customer. Action: Ask yourself how problems get handled. Do you correct with respect or frustration? Standardize the Non-Negotiables: Core behaviors should never change regardless of crew or location. Action: Document one standard this week. Train to it. Inspect it. Quality Requires Documentation: You cannot inspect what you have not defined. Photos of good, better, and best give your team a target. Action: Build visual standards. Use photos. Make quality observable. Inconsistency Lives in the Handoffs: Map the client journey from first call to final invoice. Transitions are where consistency breaks. Action: Identify who touches the client and where the handoffs occur. Tighten those gaps. Feedback Is a Control System: Reviews, surveys, and follow-ups catch patterns before they become problems. Action: Secret shop your own company. Ask clients over lunch what they would do differently. The Consistency Framework Clear Standards + Trained Leaders + Enforced Systems = Consistency Culture: Defined behaviors. It starts with you. Quality: Documented processes. Pictures of good, better, best. Experience: Standardized communication. Eliminate "that's not my job." Reflection Questions Where are you inconsistent right now? If you hired your own company, where woul...

    19 min

  5. 18 MAR

    Interview Series: Bob Marks on Scaling Snow Operations and Managing Zero-Downtime Facilities

    In this episode, Marty is joined by Bob Marks, owner of EMI Landscape in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Bob grew the company from $700K to over $13 million in revenue and has built one of the most impressive snow operations in the industry. A former Audi mechanic who returned to his family's business when his stepfather was injured, Bob shares the details of their fleet, how they manage large zero-downtime facilities, and how they keep 150+ employees motivated through long storm events. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 01:35 - Meet Bob Marks 02:23 - From DC to EMI 04:35 - Scaling EMI 06:21 - Working with Mack Trucks 07:45 - EMI’s Fleet 09:38 - Plows and Efficiency 11:04 - Snowfall and Forecasting 13:03 - Buy vs Leasing Strategy 16:09 - Maintenance and Options 20:08 - Zero Tolerance Clients 21:45 - Saying No to Grow 26:47 - Selling Snow Work 28:04 - Subcontractor Labor 29:24 - Fair Subcontractor Partnerships 30:51 - Accountability With Brokers 32:31 - Year Round Snow Planning 33:43 - Equipment Ordering Strategy 35:36 - Staffing & Training Bootcamp 38:07 - Projector Based Site Training 38:40 - Truck Brush Safety Costs 40:43 - The Storm Communication Playbook 43:35 - Motivation, Culture, and Bonus System 46:31 - Biggest Snow Challenges 50:09 - Pride in People First 52:49 - Please Like, Share and Subscribe! Key Learnings Make Sure the Client Wants What You Are Offering: If they do not want it, you will not make them happy. Getting expectations clear upfront saves everyone. Action: Be clear on who you are, where you are going, and who you want to work for. Say no to work that does not fit. Partner with Your Dealer: The biggest equipment mistake was not building a relationship with a local dealer who could advise on specs, options, and configurations. Action: Go to lunch. Talk regularly. Learn what you do not know about quick couplers, transmissions, and winter packages before you buy. The Implement Matters as Much as the Machine: A small plow on a $200,000 loader means you are not getting the efficiency out of that machine. Action: Invest in hydraulic wing plows and proper attachments. EMI reduced their fleet by 15% and did the same amount of work. Snow Never Turns Off: Planning is year-round. Equipment orders happen now. The SIMA Symposium in June kicks off the next winter season. Action: Finalize equipment and personnel by September or October. Train regional managers before training everyone else. The 48-24-12 Rule: Give your team 48 hours notice when snow is in the forecast, 24 hours to confirm availability and send referrals, and 6-12 hours for the final call. Action: Communicate early so people show up prepared. No sneakers, no excuses, no last-minute surprises. Treat Subcontractors Like Partners: Pay them faster than you get paid. Give them all the work on their site, not just the big storms. Treat them like human beings. Action: Be picky...

    55 min

  6. 11 MAR

    Metrics: The Early Indicators You Should Watch in Spring with Marty Grunder

    In this solo episode, Marty Grunder explains why spring success is not decided in May. It is decided by what you notice or miss in March and April. Most owners look at lagging indicators like revenue, profit, and backlog. Those tell you how you did. This episode is about leading indicators: the signals that tell you early whether spring is going well or quietly slipping away. BOBYARD is an AI-powered takeoff and estimating platform that automates the most time-consuming parts of bidding work. Contractors report up to 65% reduction in takeoff time and 3-5x more bids submitted per estimator. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 00:28 - Welcome & Thanks to our sponsor BOBYARD 01:10 - People First Leadership 01:50 - Spring Leading Indicators 02:34 - Production Efficiency Signals 05:38 - Morning Rollout Speed 08:26 - Sales Op Handoff 10:50 - Weekly Metrics Matter 13:07 - BobYard Ad Read 16:12 - Training During the Peak Season 19:06 - Eliminate Fires with Client Communication 20:53 - Early Season Challenges 23:17 - Wrap Up - Please Share & Subscribe! Key Learnings Production Efficiency Shows Up First: Crews running long on jobs they have done a hundred times before is not bad luck. That is inefficiency leaking out. Action: Watch weekly revenue per labor hour, job duration versus estimate, and efficiency ratings. If you are not watching hours, spring will decide for you. Morning Rollout Tells the Truth: A smooth morning rollout is indicative of a very well run company. Daily mobilization speed matters. Action: Are work tickets decided the night before? Are trucks set up so crews are not sharing equipment? Watch how fast crews leave and return. Sales to Production Alignment: If sales and operations drift right now, the gap only widens as volume increases. Action: Do not let jobs get sold and posted on the schedule that are not set up correctly. A sold job means nothing if it costs more than you bid. Fewer Metrics, More Frequently: Spring does not require more metrics. It requires fewer metrics reviewed more frequently. Action: Focus on weekly labor efficiency, billed versus produced revenue, missed production days, equipment breakdowns, and staffing gaps. Train for Consistency, Not Excellence: Spring is not your training season, but some training is non-negotiable. Rework during peak season is margin poison. Action: Avoid long classroom sessions and new system rollouts. Focus on job setup and team leader communication. Get them doing most of it right. Client Communication Prevents Fires: Most spring client issues are not operational problems. They are informational problems. Action: Go to clients and tell them things before they start wondering. Promise a week or a window, not a day. Clients tolerate delays far better than silence. Small Misses Compound Into Big Problems: If 30% of your crews are not following the process, that is not a coaching issue. That is company-wide. Action: Do not assume volume will fix efficiency. The earlier you correct what is off track, the cheaper it is to fix. The Core Message The hardest part of spring is not the work. It is thinking clearly under p...

    25 min

  7. 4 MAR

    Five Things Leaders Do (and Don't Do) That Undermine Their Respect

    In this episode, Marty shares 5 things he sees people doing as leaders that undermines their credibility or relationships with team members. He gives common mistakes that can hold you back in your career or limit the growth of your direct reports to help you notice if you're doing these things and course correct while there's time. ACE Peer Groups Register for ACE Discovery - March 25-27th ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Chapters 01:27 - Why Respect Erodes 02:20 - Apologies That Disappear 03:31 - Actions Over Words 04:46 - Stop Cancelling Meetings 06:07 - Regulated Leadership Wins 07:49 - Think Through Optics 10:11 - One Change This Week 10:42 - Please Like, Share & Subscribe! Key Learnings  "Leadership isn't what you intend. It's what people experience." - Marty Grunder The Apology That Disappears: The moment you say "but," you erase the apology. No one remembers what came before it. Action: If you are going to apologize, let it stand alone. Say "I was wrong, I own it, I will handle it differently next time." Then stop talking. What You Do Matters More Than What You Say: Your team does not follow your declarations. They follow your patterns. Action: Your calendar reveals your priorities. Your reactions reveal your standards. Your tolerance defines your culture. Your behavior is the real policy. Canceling Meetings: When you cancel, your team learns that commitments are flexible and that your time matters more than theirs. Action: If you schedule it, honor it. If you must cancel, do it early, give a real reason, and go to great lengths to reschedule. Spend time Sunday planning your week. Do Not Let Them See You Sweat: Your team reads your nervous system. If you look rattled, they feel rattled. Your nervous system is contagious. Action: Vent up, not down. Problem solve across. Reassure down the org chart. Find a spouse, mentor, or peer group member to process with. Think Through the Optics: People do not judge your intent. They judge what they see. Optics are the receipts of trust. Action: Before you make a decision, ask yourself: if I were them, what story would I tell about this? Does this match the sacrifice I am asking others to make? The Core Message Trust is not rebuilt with speeches. It is rebuilt with consistent behavior that people can see. Do not try to fix all five. Pick one behavior you are going to tighten up this week. Reflection Questions When was the last time you apologized and then added "but"? What would it look like to let the apology stand alone? If your team only watched your behavior and ignored your words, what would they say your real values are? What decision have you made recently that might look different to your team than it felt to you? Resources: ACE Peer Groups Virtual Sales Bootcamp   Grunder Landscaping Fi...

    12 min

  8. 25 FEB

    What Owners Should Be Thinking About This Spring - Marty Grunder

    In this solo episode, Marty Grunder delivers a direct message for landscape business owners heading into the busy season: Spring does not forgive. It does not slow down, and it does not wait for you to feel ready. This is not a tactical checklist. It is a mindset reset for leaders who want to enter the season decided rather than hoping things work out. Event Home: GROW! 2027 2026 Discovery - NOLA | ACE Peer Groups ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a Review for the Grow Show! ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel! Episode Timestamps 00:56 - Grow 2026 Recap & Announcing Grow 2027 02:15 - Spring 2026 Mindset: Why Spring is Dangerous 03:37 - Execute the Plan: Focus Over New Initiatives 06:00 - Leader Energy Sets the Tone 07:27 - Build Processes, Not Heroes: Clarity Beats Complexity 08:44 - Set Client Expectations Early to Avoid Surprises 09:52 - Owner Stamina: Be Intentional Through Peak Season 12:42 - Don’t Do Spring Alone: ACE Peer Groups 15:24 - Please Share & Subscribe! "Spring doesn't create problems. It reveals them."— Marty Grunder Key Learnings Spring Is Not a Surprise: Anything you avoid addressing, spring will expose. Strong companies enter spring decided, not hoping.  Action: Identify the decision you have been kicking down the road. Make it now. Now Is the Time to Execute, Not Innovate: Spring is for selling work and doing work. New software, demos, and initiatives can wait. Action: Say no to distractions. Execution beats innovation in the spring. As You Go, So Goes Your Team: Your team mirrors you. If you are stressed and reactive, expect the same from them. Action: Be present. Spring leadership is about presence, not perfection. Process Over Heroics: If your best people save the day every day, they are not heroes. They are hostages. Action: Build simple, repeatable processes. Spring rewards clarity, not complexity. Set Client Expectations Early: Most spring problems are expectation problems. Silence creates assumptions. Action: Communicate early. If someone is sick at 7 AM, call the client at 7, not noon. Protect Your Energy: Spring is when owners burn out. Your energy matters because your team is watching. Action: Sleep seven hours. Eat right. Move daily. Skip the gas station lunch. Do Not Isolate Yourself: The difference between owners who handle spring well and those who do not is whether they go it alone. Action: Sharpen your thinking with peers. The best leaders do not prepare alone. Reflection Questions What decision have you been avoiding that spring is about to make for you? Where is your business relying on heroics instead of process? Who are your hostages? What does your team see when they look at you right now: calm and focused, or stressed and reactive? Resources: ACE Peer Groups

    16 min
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About

The GROW! Show is a show that highlights Marty Grunder's annual conference, GROW!. The GROW! show will showcase how anyone in the green industry can grow themselves, their team, and their business.

Information

  • Creator
    Marty Grunder
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    The GROW! Show

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