What does it take to succeed in the landscaping business? We wanted to share the experience and wisdom of one of the best in the business, Richey Plemons of Georgia-based Plemons Lawn Care. Not only is he a fabulous landscaper—Richey has mastered the art of growing and marketing his business with business management automation and social media.
Richey has built a popular YouTube channel for his lawn care business, with over 7,000 subscribers and several videos with over 25,000 views. He recently “took over” our LMN Instagram to talk about how he does onsite estimates, even for full-service lawn maintenance, right on his mobile phone. We managed to pin him down long enough to answer a few questions about how he operates his businesses, connects with customers, and stays up to date on the latest landscaping industry trends, and more. Check it out.
Q: How long ago did you get into the lawn care/landscape business?
Plemons: “I worked in lawn care through college with a large company. I enjoyed it so much that after a few years in my chosen professional field, I decided to go back into it. In 2016, I went into landscaping full-time on my own after a couple of years doing it part-time, off and on.”
To learn more about Richey’s journey to starting his lawn care business, check out this video:
Q: Who has been the biggest influence in your life and career?
Plemons: “My grandfather. He taught me hard work and the love of working outside.”
Q. What are some of the biggest business lessons you’ve learned along the way and why?
Plemons: “Numbers—just know your numbers and it will make you more profitable and successful.”
Q: What is your “go-to” social media platform? How do you best reach your audience and potential customers?
Plemons: “For helping others, YouTube is my top channel. That’s where we post a lot of how-to videos, talk about our equipment, and share landscaping techniques. Facebook is best for reaching and engaging customers. And if you join us on Instagram, you can learn more about what we’re doing and how we do it.”
Q: What is your process for hiring superstar employees?
Plemons: “We do our best to hire guys who actually enjoy working on the lawns. We have learned over the years that this kind of work isn’t for everyone. But we try our best to take care of them, treat them with respect, and let them know they are a part of our team.”
Q: How do you keep yourself and your team motivated?
Plemons: “Fortunately, our business doesn’t slow down much living in the south. We do catch a short break in January, but we always have something we can be doing.”
Q: What areas do you outsource for your business? Why?
Plemons: “Lawn chemical treatments. We aren’t licensed yet, so at this time we still sub that work out. However, we are working to get our license to begin that work, as well. We also automate a lot of our business processes with LMN.”
Q: What is one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in growing your business and what did you learn from it?
Plemons: “Growing too fast. I learned to slow down and not to be afraid to say no when stretched too thin, or if you realize the job really isn’t that profitable and could put you behind.”
Q: Do you have a favorite podcast?
Plemons: “It would be the Green Industry podcast by Paul Jamison. He shares great advice and also has interesting guests and interviews—a lot of landscaping pros with real insight to share.”
Q: How has LMN helped you in your business so far? What is your biggest takeaway?
Plemons: “They have taught me a better way to budget and shown me the true potential our company really has.”
Q: What is the biggest misconception about the landscape/lawn care industry?
Plemons: “That it’s easy to cut grass for a living. People may not even realize that there is a right way and a wrong way. Proper maintenance can really make a lawn stand out from the others.”
Richey is growing his business and freeing up the time he used to spend on job costing, budgeting, scheduling, and more with LMN Business Management Software. Get a free demo and see how it could transform your business!
Follow LMNVIP – Richey Plemons, of Plemons Lawn Care
