The GROW! Show Marty Grunder

Get to know JT Price, the CEO of Landscape Workshop. In this interview, JT shares stories with Marty from the early days of taking over the company, talks about what he's learned from acquisitions he's done, shares mistakes he's made along the way, and talks about why the company culture at Landscape Workshop is what it is. The conversation explores JT's path to scaling the business, the importance of internal culture shifts, and how to effectively track customer focus. 
JT also discusses valuable leadership tips, including his morning routines, handling low performers, and avoiding the pitfalls of unintentionally rewarding poor performance. He emphasizes the importance of granular data collection through strong systems and processes.  The episode concludes with a look towards the future of Landscape Workshop and a reminder to register for the NALP Field Trip in June!
In This Episode:

Introduction to JT, the joys of family, dogs, and grandchildren
Current status of Landscape Workshop and looking forward
JT’s career journey to scaling Landscape Workshop
Implementing culture changes internally
Tracking customer attention
Mistakes and corrections
Morning rituals, leadership tips
Morale and low performers
‘Accidentally’ incentivizing poor performance, getting granular
Systems and processes to collect the right data
Looking to the future of Landscape Workshop
Register for the NALP Field Trip in June!

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
NALP Field Trip at Landscape Workshop
June 11-12, 2024
Birmingham, Alabama

Running effective sales meetings helps your entire team maximize their day and their time together, and is one of the hallmarks of a well-run sales team. In this episode, Marty Grunder speaks with Grunder’s Director of Sales Operations Chris Maloney, on how he approaches sales. Chris also shares details about a typical day on his sales team, including the Tuesday sales meeting structure, fun team activities, and sales techniques for different customer types. 
In This Episode:

Chris’ career path before joining Grunder Landscaping
Different products, but sales methods remain similar
Transferable skills from retail
“A day in the life” on Chris’ sales team
Tuesday sales meeting - how is it structured?
Fun and social activities that build camaraderie
Sales techniques, different types of customers
Words of wisdom from Chris - keep it simple, be consistent 
Share this episode with someone who might benefit!

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
Chris Maloney LinkedIn  
GROW! 2025 Feb 25-27, Columbus OH  
The Grow Group  
Grunder Landscaping  
Marty Grunder LinkedIn  
Stihl  

As schedules get busier, it's easy to get frustrated. With your team, with your clients, or just with the general public. In a continuation of "Nice People Don't Finish Last", Marty Grunder shares how leaders at every level of the organization can be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Marty urges people to stay calm and collected under pressure, especially leaders. The challenges of managing stress and avoiding outbursts, using techniques like "Notice, pause, allow" are explored to help control reactions and improve communication. By taking responsibility for their emotions and remaining composed, leaders can gain respect and contribute to a more positive work environment.
In This Episode:

The book, Winning With Accountability
Stress and losing your cool
The wrong way to handle issues
Seeing a therapist to improve your reactions
Reacting without escalating to anger
Using “Notice, pause, allow”
Controlling your reactions if you want to succeed in your organization
Clarifying intentions
Keeping your cool increases respect
Taking responsibility
Share this episode with someone who might benefit!

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
Book: Winning With Accountability  
Book: You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader   
GROW! 2025 Feb 25-27, Columbus OH  
The Grow Group  
Grunder Landscaping  
Marty Grunder LinkedIn  
Stihl  

Marty Grunder kicked off GROW! 2024 in Des Moines, IA with a talk entitled "Nice People Don't Finish Last: How Kindness Fuels Success," This week's episode is a replay of that session. It's April and as we're in the thick of busy season kick-off, let's remember the little things we do make an impact on the people around us.
In This Episode:

Kicking it off with a little AC/DC “Grunder Struck”
Des Moines vs. Dayton, dining out, and touring RJ Lawn & Landscaping
An unusual experience with United Airlines
Being kind, Marty’s loss of his mom and dad
Giving the benefit of the doubt, asking questions
Notice, pause, allow
If you’re angry, people won’t get your message
Admitting you’re wrong, apologizing, being grateful

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
GROW! 2025 Feb 25-27, Columbus OH  
The Grow Group  
Grunder Landscaping  
Marty Grunder LinkedIn 
Stihl  

Do you know where you should be in your annual planning right now? Spring is in full force, and there are things that every landscape pro should be doing and have in place at this time of the year. Tune in to hear Marty Grunder share three things he does to keep control of his life and his roles at The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co. even when it gets a little hectic. From staying on track with your annual plan and prioritizing ruthlessly Marty highlights the importance of weekly calendar reviews and strong leadership qualities like empathy and recognition.  Remember, as a leader, you're held to a higher standard.
Discussion Points:

A traffic stop and a cop’s kindness
Where you should be in your annual plan
Becoming laser-focused and letting go of certain business aspects
Setting time for calendar review each week
Leaders are held to a higher standard
Finding positives to compliment, rewarding with praise and recognition
Empathy- is your team stressed out?
Review and key takeaways

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful landscaping companies in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
The Grow Group  
Grunder Landscaping  
Marty Grunder LinkedIn Stihl  

Fellow Daytonian, family man and podcaster Ryan Hawk, host of The Learning Leader Show, joins Marty to talk about the interviews he's done on his podcast and what he's learned from talking with some of the brightest business minds. Ryan muses on the value of capturing your parents’ life stories and wisdom, dives into leadership advice, and lets us in on how he was inspired to write his first book, "Welcome to Management". You’ll hear practical tips for immediate improvement and long-term strategies for building leaders. Marty and Ryan reminisce about Clay Mathile’s appearance on Ryan’s podcast, and remind listeners to check out his new book, "The Score That Matters," on March 24th.
Discussion Points:

Ryan’s path to podcast greatness
A little about Ryan, his kids, and his high-profile family
Have you ever recorded a conversation of your parent(s) talking about their lives?
Wisdom from the book “Welcome to Management”
Practical takeaways to put into practice as a manager
Long-term strategies - Creating a culture of building leaders
“The Pursuit of Excellence” - showcasing how other leaders lead - a way of life
What you can do right now, today to improve 
What can you do to “win your morning”?
Ryan highlights some of his most interesting guests
Marty’s favorite Learning Leader episode - Clay Mathile
The new book, “The Score That Matters” drops March 24th

The Grow Show podcast is sponsored by STIHL and brought to you by The Grow Group - a leading coaching and education firm for landscape professionals. Your host is Marty Grunder, president and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co., one of the most successful design-build operations of its kind in the Midwest. The Grow Show shares ideas, tips, tactics, and insights that will help you grow your landscaping business.
Resources:
The Learning Leader   
Book - The Score That Matters    
Ryan Hawk LinkedIn   
The Grow Group  
Grunder Landscaping