Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Northwest Arkansas's go-to show for real estate agents, brokers, and investors looking to zoom in on the local market. Join us as we sit down with the leading voices in the area to hear how they're investing in NWA.
Hosted by (in order from left to right) Brian Wagers, Zach Stanley, and Brandon Still.
Zach Stanley: [00:00:00] Today we have Eric Hill with us. Eric is the founder of Fay Arc Lawnco, one of the fastest-growing landscape companies in Northwest Arkansas, working across residential, commercial, multifamily, and new development projects. His team is involved in everything from ongoing maintenance to full-scale landscaping installs, partnering with owners, developers, and operators across the region.
Eric, it's great to have you on with us. Super stoked to have you out here. We are at my house- Yep ... right now. So you did this job. Um, it was actually a really funny story. Uh, I was-- I got a couple bids for landscaping, and Eric came in higher than my other bid, and I was like, "Ah, you know, we're really tight on budget.
I gotta go with this other guy." And then, um, he just didn't respond. And then Eric sent me a really cool text. He was like, "Hey, I just wanna be transparent with you. I know we're the best fit for this job," which I thought was really cool from a business owner's perspective to, like, be bold enough to know, like, "Hey, this-- the caliber of house you're building, we know that we're the right fit."
And it was kind of at that point my mindset shifted. I was like, "It might be worth an [00:01:00] extra little bit to go with Eric because he's gonna do the job right." This episode is sponsored by TCS Management. Landlords, are you tired of late rent, surprise repair bills, and wasting hours on tenant calls? TCS Management is your full-service property management company here in Northwest Arkansas.
They solve the headaches. Professional leasing and tenant screening to reduce vacancy and risk, target marketing to fill units fast, twenty-four seven three sixty-five maintenance to stop small issues from becoming big bills, reliable rent collection and eviction coordination when needed, plus transparent financial reporting, vendor management, and capital projection oversight.
Protect your investment and reclaim your time. Visit tcsmgtar.com. That's
tcsmgtar.com, or call eight eight eight TCS MGT dash five
Eric Hill: I'm glad you went with us and- [00:02:00] Yeah. Yeah, I mean, we're a value-based company. Yeah. Like, their price comes in, um, to a point- Yes ... but it's understand the scope and-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: I, I know. And that's the thing is just understanding what jobs we're good at-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: and ex- just explaining the value- Yeah ... we bring behind it.
Zach Stanley: I just love the transparency and how, knowing how good of a job you guys did, and your social media presence is really good. And who's, who's the guy that's been helping you out with that?
Eric Hill: Reed.
Zach Stanley: Reed, uh, what's his last name?
Eric Hill: Turner.
Zach Stanley: Reed Turner. Yeah, he's been helping. You guys have just really taken off with that.
So we're gonna jump right in here. When you look at most property owners, where do you think they misunderstand landscaping the most?
Eric Hill: I think the biggest thing is the value behind it. Mm-hmm. Um, I mean, commercially Yeah, they wanna stay on budget, but it's what's gonna make your place look the best.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, and br- again, bring the most value to your, to your property, whether that's your house, what you wanna enjoy, or hey, my business, to bring more people in the door. Yeah. Or ke- have your occupancy higher.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, ev- a lot of people are like, "Oh, it's budget, like, lowest, lowest, [00:03:00] lowest man wins," and it's just getting the, the decision-maker to realize, like, that's not the case.
Like-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: if you slack on your maintenance, you're going to have, and we'll probably get into this later, like, you're gonna have CAPEX ex- ex- expenses later.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. '
Eric Hill: Cause hey, when we mulch trees wrong, we're gonna kill trees and have to replace them- Mm-hmm ... 'cause of the city, so.
Zach Stanley: Do you feel that since landscaping is, like, towards the end of projects, people are squeezing their pennies at the end and going cheap?
Do, do you see that often?
Eric Hill: Commercial, not as much- Okay ... 'cause it's not, like, not as many changes. Mm-hmm. Um, residentially, yeah. Yeah. Like, it's- We- we've got one, thought they were good to go, and they're like, "Hey, our budget's, like, I don't know if we can do this right now"-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: just, just 'cause of their budget, so.
Zach Stanley: Right. Yeah.
Eric Hill: Last, last thing on the, on the, on the project list, so-
Zach Stanley: Yeah, I bet you run into that- Normally. Mm-hmm ... those obligations all the time. You're h- constantly having to block those exits, and probably have a lot of very similar conversations like you had with me. Yep. Like, getting me on board to, to do something like that.
So- Yep ... I am speaking from firsthand experience of using Eric, they did an incredible [00:04:00] job, so.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Brian Wagers: That's, that's such a business le- lesson too, like, on both sides of it, like, knowing it, it's not always going with the cheapest option. Like, know- knowing the scope, especially in construction, whether that's landscaping or not, it's knowing the scope and, uh, having that confidence of, like, you reached out to him, like, "Hey, I know I'm the best fit."
So sometimes- Mm ... the best fit isn't gonna be the cheapest, so.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Brian Wagers: I think, one, on that side, if you are selling something, like, having that confidence and having the ability to execute is super important- Mm-hmm ... and valuing yourself over just being the cheapest price. W- what would, uh, that kind of leads us up to the next question, was what's a moment in building your business that really forced you to level up as an entrepreneur?
Eric Hill: Um, I'd, there've been a few, 'cause we've grown, grown super quick. Mm-hmm. They're just, it's, I think we've grown so quick, it's just I've had to let go.
Brian Wagers: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, but being able to tr- give the structure and frame for them to work within, but giving just the trust to let them, like, "Hey, you're good at this. Go do it."
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, so that's, I am just the people [00:05:00] side, it's-
Zach Stanley: So delegating, you're saying?
Eric Hill: Yeah, just delegating- Okay ... uh, training, and, and growing people.
Zach Stanley: When, when were you guys found, when were you guys founded?
Eric Hill: 2018, so-
Zach Stanley: 2018, so- Yep, start-
Eric Hill: started my junior year in high school, so-
Zach Stanley: Wow.
Eric Hill: Yeah.
Zach Stanley: That's great. Where'd you graduate from?
Eric Hill: Farmington.
Zach Stanley: Oh,
Eric Hill: sweet.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. That's awesome. Yep. Uh, Brandon and I were at Harbor High School. You were Cincinnati... That's right. Yeah. Cincinnati,
Brandon Still: Madeira High School. Yeah. We had a Farmington alum on the, on the podcast, Jared Martin. I don't know if that sounds familiar. Yep.
Eric Hill: Mm-hmm.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. There
Brandon Still: you go.
Zach Stanley: Love Jared.
Yep. Love Jared.
Brandon Still: So w- what are you guys at employ- employee count now?
Eric Hill: We're 43.
Zach Stanley: Wow. That's gr- that's a
Eric Hill: lot of
Zach Stanley: growth.
Eric Hill: Yeah. And we, we... That 12 of those have been added in the past 30 days. So ramping up- Wow ... for, um, just for the growing season for the maintenance side. Did you
Zach Stanley: anticipate that it would grow this quick or you'd have something like this?
Eric Hill: Never. Yeah. Like I, I, I... So I got into it, was supposed to go work for my dad. He owns Hill Electric. Okay. Um, so he's like, "Hey," like after you kind of get done with school, I had a surgery. He's like, "All right, you're gonna get started with electrical school." Mm-hmm. Kind of start the journey there. I was like, [00:06:00] "I've got this at 50 yards," but my senior year I was like, "I'll t- I'll see where this goes."
Mm-hmm. I was like, "I want 10 guys," like I think 10 guys. I don't want to be big like my dad. Like that sounds awful.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, and I don't know when we'll get to the, his size, but it's sooner than later. Yeah. So didn't expect it to grow at all, but just finding, um, just finding the purpose God gave for me- Yeah
through that process- Mm-hmm ... because it was like, oh, it was to make money.
Brian Wagers: Yep.
Eric Hill: Like, I'll make a lot of money, like life will be good. Um, and it turned like 2023, 2024- Mm-hmm ... or we kind of started to grow pretty quick. It's like, "What? Why am I doing this?"
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, and it's, it's to help grow people, to help ser- serve people, serve our customers- Yeah
and our team.
Zach Stanley: Yep.
Eric Hill: And everything else will work itself out.
Zach Stanley: Yeah, the mindset shift around there, and that's kind of the foundation of your business at this point.
Brian Wagers: Yeah. Yeah. That's cool that your dad was also an entrepreneur. It sounds like a successful entrepreneur in this right.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Brian Wagers: It, it sound like the, the way you phrased that, it almost sound like it turned you off.
Like, so you didn't want any part of that, you know? Yeah. Tell us a little [00:07:00] bit more about that.
Eric Hill: I'm a lot like my dad, so very entrepreneurial minded. Um, I just knew like it was gonna be six to 10 years before I was in a spot of management, 'cause I was gonna start at the bottom, work my w- way up through- Right
electrical school, and I was like, "I'll... We'll see how this goes." Mm-hmm. And there wasn't really any other thought. But then I've got this going. If it fails, I can go work, go work for him. Yeah. Um, and I bet at some point I get back involved in it. I don't know-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: what timeline that is, but I know at some point it will.
Zach Stanley: So- That'll probably give you a lot of confidence to go forward with this company. I know my dad o- has owned a company here for 30 years, and to jump into real estate, I was like, "Well, hey, worst..." It is a blessing to be able to have that kind of backfall. Is like, I was like, "If I absolutely make no money, I can go sell copiers" That's right
with my, with my dad. And so I bet that did feel like you had sort of a safety net there as well. Yeah. To give you the... And it almost probably gives you the confidence to make these harder decisions quicker and faster and be more decisive on things.
Eric Hill: Yeah. I was like- And just to [00:08:00] have a mentor like, "Hey- Teaching me about, hey, how do you job cost a job?
Yeah. Uh, like just all those simple things. My mom working through QuickBooks with me- ... um, 'cause she's involved in the business as well. Yeah. Um, so just lear- learning all that from them, like I obv- I, I wouldn't be where I am today without just being, seeing them grow-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm ...
Eric Hill: how they've grown, and just all the things they've taught me just getting up to this point.
Zach Stanley: Well, when we talk about learning, this transitions into another part of our conversation, is like what did the early days of your company look like? Like, we're talking junior year in high school. Like what, what was that like? Um- And walk us through, like maybe a day in the life or something like that.
Eric Hill: It was, I needed to make money.
Uh, had football and baseball and didn't really have time to, and I didn't want a W-2 job. So grew up on a fa- my family's farm-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm ...
Eric Hill: which is where all of our, uh, where our shop runs out of now.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, so grew up there just working odds and ends things. I was like, "I'll start mowing, just try and get some more money."
Mm-hmm. And Reed, we created a logo. Yeah. Uh, Far- Fayark is from [00:09:00] my grandpa's... I'm the fifth generation. Fayark, it's called Fayark Farms. Okay. So that's where we got it from.
Zach Stanley: Oh, got
Eric Hill: it. And, um- Throw stuff on Facebook, make an Instagram, and then just start posting.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: And comment on Facebook groups. Like, I'll just get some yards to mow.
Mm-hmm. Kind of make it through, um, mowing Thursday after football walkthroughs or Saturday after football games, just kind of whenever I could- Yeah ... um, in the fall, and just kind of between practices and stuff, just if someone needed something done, I said yes to just about everything. Yeah. So that's what, what, what we went and did.
Zach Stanley: So it was just you for a while?
Eric Hill: Yep, so- And
Zach Stanley: then who was your first, who was your, who was your first hire?
Eric Hill: Well, I paid some buddies- Yeah ... every now and again to help on, like, days we had larger jobs or- Yeah ... I say larger jobs- Mm-hmm ... as big and at the time.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, hired my, I hired my first full-time guy early 2020.
Mm-hmm. So in 2019, um, had a couple just buddies from high, from football- Mm-hmm ... um, that would just work, work with me through the summer. Um, and then [00:10:00] 2020, got my first full-time guy on. Had three that year.
Zach Stanley: Okay. Yeah. So what, for you, you know, you're, you're starting off, you're mowing lawns. Maybe you get your first person who's like, "Can you do this landscaping job for me?"
And you probably just say, "Sure." And then you're, like, screaming inside at then went, you're like, "I gotta figure this out." Um, what did it, when do you think the mindset shift for you was from being just, like, a kid in high school making some money to, like, "Hey, we got a business here." Like, what are, I need to make some decisions that are, like, business owner oriented.
Like, when did that shift happen?
Eric Hill: Probably 2021. Okay. Um, so 2020 is me and a couple guys in a truck working five, six days a week, just getting as much work done as possible. Um, 2021 is like, okay, I gotta manage the guys. Like, kind of jumping to, all right, we've got three crews. Mm-hmm. Trying to manage them, make sure the work gets done, but also, hey, we need more work.
Yes. Um- Yeah ... so I'd say 2021 kind of started that, and then it just kind of, um, snowballed from [00:11:00] there.
Zach Stanley: Wow. That's amazing.
Eric Hill: Yeah.
Zach Stanley: That's amazing. Um- Brian.
Brian Wagers: Uh, you know, speaking of that, so 2018 you're in junior in high school, 2020 you graduated high school, went straight into business. You didn't, uh, go to college, just went straight, straight into work, which I always talk about, like, I have two s- a three-year-old and a one-year-old now, and, uh, when they turn 18, I think I, I will let them decide whether it's college or straight into the workforce.
Yeah. But obviously that turned out excellent for you. What, what system... You talked about hi- like, sounds like your mom works for you, your dad kind of helped you.
Eric Hill: She works for my dad, not for me. She works for your dad. Okay.
Brian Wagers: Yep. Yeah. But she gave you insight on QuickBooks, I guess. Yes. Uh, what, what systems and scalability, uh, or habits kind of made the difference as you grow?
Eric Hill: Just using software. Mm-hmm. So even 2019, got on with a entry-level landscape, so home service business software. Mm-hmm. And so I could jump in 2023 to, I don't know if y'all have heard of ServiceTitan?
Zach Stanley: Yeah. Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, so it's the [00:12:00] landscape version of that. Okay. So it's the best in the industry. Okay. Also, the most expensive, but it gives us every number we need to see.
Yeah. So just being able to have all the information f- just as a business owner, but also to empower our team. Like, "Hey, you killed it on this job. You were under hours. You were on budget with material." Um, just being able to give the transparency to the team for them to own it-
Brian Wagers: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: has probably been the biggest shift, is like, I don't
And I'll, I tell my team this, I'm like, "I'll tell, I tell y'all numbers." Yeah. Like, "You wanna see the P&L? Like, we can go through it." Right. "I want you to understand what the numbers are." Um, but I don't have anything to hide.
Zach Stanley: Like- Is that the same software you use when you send out quotes and, like, show the- Mm-hmm.
Because it was really cool the, like, he was a, he got aerial drone footage, right? Yep. Of the property, and then you, like, outlaid, "Here's the types of plants," and so you click on the type of plant, it shows you. We can switch it out. It was really cool. Uh, I mean, it made, it made the process really easy to envision, "Okay, like, I don't want this and this and this here.
Let's switch it out with all these," and you see it all on the computer, and you can click [00:13:00] everything. Mm-hmm. And I, I thought that was incredible.
Eric Hill: Yep. So and software's been a big part of just helping to simplify- Mm-hmm ... just everything that we do. Um, and then just, yeah, I, just gi- giving, giving the team ownership.
Yeah. Um, having a system for them to follow, and then giving them the ability to, like, learn. Like, "Hey, make this decision." Yeah. Like, you don't need to ask every single time. Like, just you figure out based off of our core values, based off what we want to do-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm ...
Eric Hill: provide a great customer experience, provide g- great quality, and we'd love to be on budget.
Zach Stanley: Yes.
Eric Hill: But if we're not on budget, but the other two follow through, we'll figure, we'll figure out the numbers.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. Um- So, so you have, like, when you send a crew out, do you have, like, a crew lead? Mm-hmm. Like, a head, like a crew lead? 'Cause, like, obviously you're answering, hopefully, s- just the higher, higher-level questions.
But, like, were, was there a part in the early stage when you're, like, you were answering every single question and fielding that? And how did you facilitate not having to field every single question that comes up?
Eric Hill: It was a crazy ... It's a wild jump. So, like, from 2023, we had, I think, [00:14:00] nine crews.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: Now 2024 we had nine.
So 2025 we have 15.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: So, like, last year we added an operations manager in March.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: He was overwhelmed, added a maintenance manager, added a project manager. Added all that in three months, 'cause we almost doubled last year and didn't plan on it. Yeah. So it's just a chaotic growth. Um-
Zach Stanley: Growth by fire.
For sure.
Eric Hill: Yeah, so it's just fi- at the, like, it's just figuring it out. So, like, this is our first year of like, oh, like, we have a system for everything to operate smoothly.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: But in 2023, 2024, even some last year, um, until we kind of got some sort of structure with just, like, all right, how do we manage all this?
Zach Stanley: Yes.
Eric Hill: We have a ton of work coming in. Now we just need the guys to do it, and hopefully we make money on it.
Zach Stanley: Yep.
Eric Hill: Um, and do it right the first time, which didn't always happen. So-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: it,
Zach Stanley: probably till last year, like, that was happening.
Eric Hill: So we set a clear structure, and that doesn't happen much at all anymore.
Zach Stanley: And are you feeling, like, a little bit [00:15:00] more relief going into 2026? Like, though obviously there's still growth, but, like, do you feel like, "All right, I'm a little bit more prepared for this year than last year"?
Eric Hill: Yeah, we have a plan for the entire year. Yeah. Like, I still think we might grow a little bit more than our target.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: But it's, we're focusing on, hey, who's our, what's the ideal project for us? Yes. Who's the ideal maintenance customer? Mm-hmm. Like, who, who do we want to work w- for, say no a little bit more, and just get good quality jobs?
Zach Stanley: I
Eric Hill: was just about
Zach Stanley: to ask that. So... Yeah. Wait, do you feel like in '25 you started saying no to some things that weren't really in your wheelhouse?
And what, what's not re- Like, if someone comes to you with something, what's, what's that thing that's not in your wheelhouse?
Eric Hill: Mortar work.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: So, like, we don't, we don't touch mortar. Like, we do flagstone, we do retaining walls, but, like, it's just, like, those p- pieced together jobs. Yeah. Like, there's one I'm supposed to go and quote tomorrow, and it's, like, repairing a bunch of mortar.
I was like, "We don't do that." Yeah. So, like, we got to refer, refer it out. It's just we're not good at it.
Zach Stanley: Yes.
Eric Hill: And we don't do it at all. So- Yeah ... um, just pre-qualifying and understanding, like, getting the customer to understand, like, "Hey, here's what we're really good at."
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, "We can sub out a deck guy, [00:16:00] we can sub out a concrete guy, but, like, here's what we're good at."
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: So...
Zach Stanley: That, that, I'm sure that helps a ton.
Brandon Still: Yeah, that's really good. I think something that is really hard for most business owners is, is kind of figuring out when you're putting your name on something, you know, how do you, how do you grow and scale and, and trust that work is getting done really well?
Brian Wagers: Mm-hmm.
Brandon Still: How do you feel like that's been for you? Like, letting go as the owner and letting the guys... I know, I know you mentioned, like, instilling those core values and getting those processes in place, but how do you feel like that's been for you? Is it, has it been hard kind of giving off the reins on some things?
'Cause you obviously, you know, you as a business owner, you want every customer to feel like they felt when you were the one doing the job, I'm sure so.
Eric Hill: Mm-hmm.
Brandon Still: What, what's that look like for you?
Eric Hill: Um, it's just, like, having the frame for them to work off of and having a great customer experience. So, like, for an example, we have a sign-off sheet.
So, like, they are signing they are 100% happy with this project before we send you an invoice.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Mm-hmm. Um, and that is the foremans walking through the project with [00:17:00] them, um- Just to, just to ensure everything is to the standard they want.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: And we've had people like, "Hey, I don't... It's dark, I can't, I don't wanna sign off on this right now."
Okay, great. Like, once you look at it- Mm-hmm ... let us know if there's anything we need to get finalized and touched up.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Like, we're, it's just getting in and out, but giving just quality care while we're here. Yeah. So just, it comes down to just having a good scope of work, having a good design to work off of, um, makes it more visual for the, for the foreman and crew to install, um, or maintain.
So just, I think it's just empowering them. Like, "Here's all the information. Here's everything we talked about. Here's what the customer cares about."
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Like, hey, like, th- she doesn't want her dog's feet to be super muddy. Yeah. All right, so let's try and get this portion done, and then hopefully get all the sod done in a day or two-
Zach Stanley: Yep
Eric Hill: and minimize the mess.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: So understanding what's im- what's important to the customer and just emphasizing that, and knowing, having the crew understand that as well. It's
Zach Stanley: like you're s- having to, like, scale quality, which is [00:18:00] probably, it, I know it's very hard. Like, you can scale, but, like, are we scaling right?
Like, is our foundation- Mm-hmm ... uh, shaky, or are we doing this, like, solidly? Which can be, is a very gray area for you to walk, is growing so quick, and also, it, like, I wanna make sure we're growing and it's quality and not crap.
Brian Wagers: Yep. '
Zach Stanley: Cause you can, I mean, you can maybe double business again in 2026, but maybe it's not the best for the company to double- Mm-hmm
again. It might be, uh, too much. Um, I, I know that during my project it was really cool, the, uh, the guy I was talking to most of the time, uh, Lucas, I believe. Yep. Um, he, we, we had big boulders. We're supposed to have big boulders in the front, and he was like, "Hey, Zach, I feel like these are too small. Would you like these to be pushed out?"
And I was like Well, now that you ask, like I would, and they, it just like made it happen. Like, it was like so simple, so easy, and it was nice, like kind of knowing who my like onsite... As like, yes, I'm the homeowner, but like I was the GC as well, and like having that sort of [00:19:00] relationship w- it was like one of the easier things that I did throughout my process, and the communication was good.
Do you, do you always have the communication with the GC, or is that you, or, or is there someone else taking over that role? Or
Eric Hill: So depends on who sells the job. So like we have another, we have a sales guy, so he does a lot of residential projects. Yeah. Like redoing your backyard, redo your front, front flower bed.
So we will, basically salesperson owns that communication.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: But once we're in the job and there's like, "Hey, got a question about this, got a change on this," they get the project manager's number.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: So like the larger stuff, um, obviously worked through this a lot with you. Like there's certain ones I'll still own.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: But it's just having him in the loop of like, "Hey, here's what, here's the changes, here's the things we need to do."
Zach Stanley: Yeah. I'm sure you struggle with like kind of being like Mr. Hybrid and doing a little bit of everything still. Like, I, I'm s- Yeah Do you struggle with that?
Eric Hill: Yeah. It's trying to figure out like, all right, like I know what I'm good at, know what I like to do, but like I also like need to [00:20:00] take care of these other things.
Yeah. Um, and haven't fully let go of them, so it's just as we grow, just trying to figure out what the next thing is- Yeah ... to create a full system around and get me out of it completely.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. I'm sure you've read some business books, but we were just talking about 10X is Easier than 2X, um, Who Not How.
Those are some books that if you haven't, you're, you're doing them with pro- if you haven't read them, then you're doing them without reading the books.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Zach Stanley: But those are two really quick reads I'll send your way after this that I think you'll 100% resonate with in, in what you're doing in your, in your business right now.
Um, skipping, going on to kind of our next part when we're talking about like vendors and partners and like what that, how that has an impact on deals. What's the difference between like a vendor and like a true partner for you in your business?
Eric Hill: When I think of vendors, only price-based-
Zach Stanley: Okay ...
Eric Hill: in my opinion.
Um, like we have certain suppliers that are like, okay, there's no difference. Um, we're gonna pick the cheapest one.
Brian Wagers: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Then there's ones like, okay, the relationship's there, the, the communication's there, [00:21:00] the timeliness of deliveries.
Brian Wagers: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Just all those things come into play. Also, just, hey, how quick can you send us a quote back on stuff- Yeah
if we don't have pricing on it?
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, which you'd be surprised, some people just don't do it.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Or they take forever on it. For sure. Just not communicating well.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um- And just for us, like, w- we know we're not the lowest priced. Yeah. We'll, we'll, we'll, we're competitive, but-
Zach Stanley: Yep ...
Eric Hill: we communicate the best.
Zach Stanley: I agree.
Eric Hill: We, um, everyone on our team owns the property like it would be theirs.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, every person that's selling, managing, we're trying to k- get that instilled even further down into the field team.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, just as we have new guys on and just getting them trained up to what our standard is. But also, like, you need to be aware.
Mm-hmm. Like, if you see anything wrong, not even landscape related, "Hey, there's a light out. Hey, there's water coming out of the asphalt." Like, "Hey- Yeah ... there's a giant pothole," or what- whatever the issue is, is, "Hey, we need to let them know that."
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: [00:22:00] It's just, like, being the eyes on the ground, like, for a property manager.
We want to make their, the whole, our whole job is to make their life easier.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Make the property look better, but really make their life easier.
Zach Stanley: Yes.
Eric Hill: And if we send them, "Hey, we're out doing a site check, saw these couple of things, just wanted to let you know."
Zach Stanley: At Advantage Title and Escrow, we don't just close deals.
We partner with realtors to protect their clients from contract to close. Because closing isn't just paperwork, it's people. We strive to educate, communicate, and safeguard every step of the process so your buyers and sellers feel confident, informed, and secure. Whether it's first home or forever one, we're with you every step of the way, doing our best to clear the path, catch the details,
Eric Hill: and keep the closing table as stress-free as possible.
Advantage Title and Escrow, because your clients deserve more than just a closing
Zach Stanley: Brandon, I think you can attest to this, and Brian, especially for commercial, when it comes to landscaping, it's one of the-- In my opinion, when I'm advising homeowners, it's one of the biggest things I will [00:23:00] advise for, "Hey, we wanna make this thing pop, and we wanna get great pictures, and we want to, when people walk up, for it to, like, feel like home," and, like, can you sell this thing?
Like, landscaping-- Like, paint on the outside and landscaping, that's your, like, your two biggest curb appeal things. Um, I think, and, like, even through the project, just going backwards just a little bit, like, you, you said you're, you kind of train your guys to, like, look for other things. Um, there was, uh, the water meter out front that needed to be...
There was, like, a-- I didn't even know this was a thing, but, like, you can put a box on top of it, so you don't have to reach down so far or something like that, that, like, protects it. And Lucas was like-- Which it might have been him that thought of it, might have been one of the other field guys, so if they're listening, sorry about that.
Um, but he was like, "Hey, I think we need to do this. It's, like, maybe 50 bucks." And, like, most likely another landscaping company would've just put the sod down, it would've just been a low spot. Yeah. But they put dirt around it, elevated it to make it an easier accessible thing, which is, like, something that was not in the job bid for y'all to do.
[00:24:00] It was really cool to see that, and it's just-- I think that, you know, that little thing, like, literally just that and the boulder thing, like, of course the job's great, but those two things, like- I mean, I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I could do a lot of business here locally, and like, you're like my only landscaper I'll refer now to people.
Yeah. And so, like, I, I think... Did you just come from- I just
Eric Hill: came from one.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. Just came from- Yeah ... just came from one. She texted me and she's like, "Hey, I just had Eric over here." He's like, "Oh, he's coming up for a podcast." 'Cause like, it's like those really, really small things that might get you, like, a huge job, and like, of course you understand that.
Would you, would you concur with that?
Eric Hill: Yeah. It- I- It's all relationships- Yeah ... but it's like, what, and just as we're trying to build a sales team, just talking with, like, understanding what value, what each person values. 'Cause again, if there's someone that like, "Hey, we're going off the cheapest number"-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm
Eric Hill: okay, that's, that's totally cool.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: But like, if this is not done, and it's not in the scope currently, like, you're gonna have to replace shrubs in [00:25:00] five years 'cause they're only trimming them once a year.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: they're mulching the trees wrong. That's $1,000 a tree once it dies.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, just a lot of those simple things that people don't understand- Yeah
so it's just educating, like, hey, this is a big decision on just long-term of, like, the care of your property.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: It's the difference in just being able to maintain and maybe just replace a couple shrubs versus- Mm-hmm ... oh, hey, we need to replace everything- Yeah ... or rip it out.
Zach Stanley: Like, what are some early red flags you see?
Like, we're talking kind of in that vein of, like, just some red flags you see there. Like, what would you, what would you say are some, like, early red flags for hiring landscapers? I mean, you touched on some- Mm-hmm ... but, like, let's bring us into a few of those other things that, like, and you s- you, you hear your competition all the time- Yeah
most likely, so what are some of those things?
Eric Hill: Them explaining their solut- their plan that it's going to solve the problem at hand. Drainage is a big one.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: Um, we just came from one. This other guy quoted a [00:26:00] French drain around the perimeter of his yard 'cause that's where it's wet-
Zach Stanley: Yep ...
Eric Hill: and it doesn't pop out anywhere.
Okay. It just, it's just a pipe in the ground. So it's like, okay, like, how does the water escape? Like, we see a lot with drainage. Landscapers don't, most landscapers don't understand how water works.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, you say you need a French drain, I bet you $100 90% of the time you don't need a French drain- Yeah
because a French drain's groundwater. Um-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm ...
Eric Hill: so it's, it's just informing the customer of like, "Hey, your goal is to get water from A to B as quick as possible."
Zach Stanley: Yeah. "
Eric Hill: This is the solution for it." So it's just, with drainage especially, it's like, do not pick the s- cheapest person. Oh, yeah. I promise you. Um- It's gonna-
and even if they sell it to you like they're gonna handle everything, I bet you they won't.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: I bet you they're, if something goes wrong, they're not gonna come back and fix it within a week as soon as it dries out.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, we had one couple weeks ago. It was a complex job. Um, and we, it took us three, four extra days 'cause [00:27:00] some, couple, couple things we had to tweak and get fixed.
Yeah. But it extended and made it work the right way.
Zach Stanley: Right. Right.
Eric Hill: Um-
Zach Stanley: Water can absolutely just destroy a house.
Eric Hill: Yeah, and just anything, like-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: just m- water mana- water management, um- understanding the scope, um, 'cause again, people just say, "Yeah, we'll take care..." Like, they'll meet with the customer, "Yeah, we'll take care of all this stuff."
And it's like, all right, what's the scope?
Zach Stanley: Yeah. '
Eric Hill: Cause again, like I could quote something at 20K and the other person come in at 8,000, but it's like, okay, what's he actually doing?
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Like, kind of what we talked about with yours, like how mu- how many yards of, like, how many loads of dirt is he bringing?
Zach Stanley: Right. '
Eric Hill: Cause again- Mm-hmm ... like here's what you need. If you quoted this, like we can go off of that and see how it works. It's like apples to apples. Yeah. Yeah. So not trying to just price comparative to them- Yeah ... but just getting the customer to understand, like we're not cutting corners on what we're thinking about for you.
Even if we are more expensive, there's a reason for it. It's not 'cause we're just trying to take more money from you.
Brandon Still: 100%. Sure. You know, property owners, investors, you know, apartment owners, like some of that, some [00:28:00] of those little things are gonna make a big difference long-term, uh, like you said, with water management or, or any, any other items.
Even, like one thing that comes to mind, this is probably part of what, what y'all think about, but, uh, whoever put sod down at our, our house, we've got an older house, but whoever put sod down there, like we can't find our sewer clean out. And so now we gotta pull the toilet off inside, and that causes, that could cause some issues with the fla- you know, all that good stuff.
And so, uh, so those little things matter, and they add up, especially when you're talking about an investor, apartment owner, something like that, and, uh, you know, trying to maximize value there and potentially maximize a future sale. So Ryan- Mm-hmm ... you'd probably say the same.
Brian Wagers: Yeah, I think, uh, you know, on the other side, a green flag is a detailed scope.
Someone not only get, like a super detailed scope is super important for any contractor, especially landscaping, um, but also someone who challenges the scope that you're assuming. Like y- yeah, I see this kind of curi- it's almost like a, a curiosity slash [00:29:00] challenging just normal assumptions. You're g- not just going in there with a blanket assumption, "Oh, they want me to put some grass in.
That's all I'm gonna look at." And it, it's like super narrow focus, but you're like thinking big picture. I think that's, those are green flags with any contractor.
Zach Stanley: Mm.
Brian Wagers: You brought up the boulder thing. "Hey, I know you said small boulders, but, um, you know, instead of just slapping the small ones in," you're like, "Okay, well, actually the b- the, the nice ones might look good here."
Yeah. So you're going back. You have that back and forth with a good contractor, I think is, is a green flag for me. Uh- For sure. Yeah ... for sure on that. So I think scope, uh, like detailed scope where it's not just a, a blanket price, and then- Mm ... kind of challenging the assumptions, and, uh, the back and forth are- Yeah
are super important.
Zach Stanley: I've done enough con- I've done enough construction now. I'm not like a seasoned veteran by any means, but when I, we started having our conversation and it got further and further, it just gave me more confidence. I was like, "Okay, this guy knows what he's talking about." You were suggesting things that when you suggested them, I was like, "Oh, that is actually a good idea."
Like, there's a rock [00:30:00] retaining wall under us- It was very much needed, uh, that bigger boulder. And it looks good, and it was cheaper than a normal retaining wall. Yep. And so that, that's just like... And then that we did another smaller retaining wall up there by the, like, you know, it was like two rocks high or something like that.
But there are things that you were saying throughout the process that If you know anything about construction or any- anything in general, like, it was like, "Okay, this guy definitely knows what he's talking about," and I, I love that about the process.
Brandon Still: For sure. No, I think, and again, I think that's... I think it's important and, and it's the way, it's the way that you differentiate yourself as a business owner as, and especially in your space on, uh, being able to help clients understand the value, understand your knowledge of the product because you're, you are the expert in the space.
Um, and I think that's, you know- Mm-hmm ... goes without saying for other businesses as well. So- Yep ... it's good. Yeah.
Zach Stanley: Yeah, when we move, uh, what we're transitioning into, like, ownership mindset, like, when do you feel like a homeowner or a commercial owner should invest versus [00:31:00] just maintain? Like, I feel like there's a, there's a line there.
Eric Hill: Like, as a homeowner, kinda depends on, like, hey, are you gonna live here for forever?
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: You gonna live here for five years and sell it?
Zach Stanley: Yep.
Eric Hill: Um, or 10 years and sell it? Like, there's kind of a d- like- Or are
Zach Stanley: you trying to flip it?
Eric Hill: Yes. What- Yeah. What, what's gonna bring you the most bang for your buck? Yeah.
But still get you the things that you want.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Again, you don't have to have a gas fireplace and, um, a paver patio that costs $20,000 or $30,000. You could do a flagstone patio- Yeah ... um, have a solo stove, and you make it work for the couple years and then till you move again. Mm-hmm. Like, it's... All right, you're getting the same thing, it's just here's a- Yeah
here's a value engineered, um, project, but it still- Yeah ... gets you what you want. What
Brian Wagers: are- So
Eric Hill: you- Yeah ...
Brian Wagers: what are some of those bes- better investments that you... You talked a little bit about drainage. Is there any other kinda high ROI investments on the landscaping front that you see?
Eric Hill: Uh, it's gonna be drainage, it's gonna be your f- like, your flower beds.
It's gonna be, like, [00:32:00] getting rid of the overgrown stuff. Mm-hmm. Getting rid of just the crap. Um, just make your house look bigger. Like- Mulch
Zach Stanley: versus, mulch versus stone- ... like, what, how do you feel there?
Eric Hill: Um, if you're trying to sell a house, if you're trying to flip a house, mulch it.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: If you're tr- wanting to live there for 10 years, you're money ahead after year two and a half with your rock.
So-
Zach Stanley: Okay ...
Eric Hill: uh, versus- Well, I made the right choice ... replacing mulch every year. I
Zach Stanley: made the right choice.
Eric Hill: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Zach Stanley: Yeah, I think, I think that's really cool to differentiate, like, hey, um, because I'm sure you have flippers come to you, people just, "Hey, I wanna," you know, "flip this home. Needs to look pretty real quick.
Boom, give me a quote," sort of thing. I'm sure you have people that are like, "Yeah, this is like a five-year home transition," and people like, "Hey, this is my dream home." And, you know, with ours- ... we did spend a... Even before you, like, I d- I, you know, this, this lot was basically like this. It was worse than a Bella Vista lot, basically.
Eric Hill: Yeah.
Zach Stanley: And so I had to spend a lot of time with thinking about retaining walls, where's water going, and is it gonna rush up to the house every day, weatherproofing this big back wall. Which, like, a lot of that for me on my end was, like, [00:33:00] the concrete side of things and foundation, like- How do we do f- underground French drains and making sure that this is waterproofed and sealed and, you know, digging dirt.
Uh, I mean, I had a guy come in with a tractor even before you and just like, "This water from this side of this house needs to go this way." So I, I, I do think it's good to have kinda tiers in there of, like, what you're looking to do.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Zach Stanley: Um, and I'm sure you get met with everybody, correct? All sorts of facets of people.
Eric Hill: Yeah. And I always tell them, "Fix the water first." Yeah. Like, if you don't fix your drainage issues, like you- You're just gonna have more issues.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um- Mm-hmm ... and getting people to see that on, like, new construction houses, especially with, like, everything going up so quick, mainly on spec stuff. Like, hey, just if there's issues you see, like, get it, get it warranted, get it fixed.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um- Mm-hmm ... there's the people who buy a house in November-
Brian Wagers: Mm ...
Eric Hill: and then it's May, and they have a monsoon that flows through their backyard, and it's like, "Look, there's no way to fix this. It's the developer."
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: So it's [00:34:00] getting... Like, sometimes it's like, hey, we don't have a solution that's actually gonna help you do anything with your yard that you're wanting done.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Like, we could do all this stuff, but it's not gonna change the fact that you have, on a 20-acre field slope this way towards your house, and all the water from a storm drain comes through your backyard.
Zach Stanley: Yeah, yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, so
Zach Stanley: like- That's a cool part of potentially, potentially underwriting is, is landscaping and, and knowing, like, where water goes and being able to, on the underwriting part of things, on the realtor or developer side of things, knowing, hey, we need to be looking out for this, this, and this, because, like, this could be something where numbers work out, and then year one, we have a huge CapEx expense because, uh, our, our retaining wall just blew out or th- you know, this or this happened from water.
One, uh, one of the common themes I'm hearing you say is, like, water, water, water. Because I'm sure you see all the negative impacts, and you have people come... I mean, do you have people come to you and they're like, "Crap, like, this water just ha-," like, and then you come in and fix the problem from a past people, correct?
Yeah. [00:35:00] Yeah. '
Eric Hill: Cause again, everyone's like, "Hey, I would- I need a French drain." They throw a pipe in the ground. They don't shoot elevation. Yeah.
Brian Wagers: Um- I literally asked Eric before, before we got on, I was like, "You do French drains?" 'Cause I'm, uh... 'Cause I was thinking my backyard has some spots to it. Like, it, our backyard's kind of on a hill.
Yeah. So-
Brandon Still: Yeah. Yeah ... it's- I think you'd be surprised though, how many, I think builders would be surprised how many buyers care about drainage when, like, they're walking a property. I feel like I'm having that conversation, I mean, probably over 60% of the time, so-
Brian Wagers: Yep ...
Brandon Still: showing a house, which I think is interesting.
So yeah, I think that's good. Yeah. A lot of big Besides
Brian Wagers: water, where do you think people under- under-invest or under-spend?
Eric Hill: Outdoor living, like just having space to host in your backyard.
Zach Stanley: Mm.
Eric Hill: Um, 'cause again, it's an ex- especially if you have, if you have family events over, uh, at your house, have, host parties or different things, like extending your house out, especially spring, summer, fall-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm
Eric Hill: um, just to, just to enjoy, have more space-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: be outside.
Zach Stanley: I see that here locally. Brandon, I think you could speak to it as well. It's [00:36:00] like, especially when these builders are building homes, like, there's, like, very little thought into, like, the back area And like, uh, 'cause like I spent a lot of time thinking about this place we're sitting in right now, 'cause like I, personally, I like being outside as much as I can, and so like, but like of course this isn't necessarily landscaping, but like for the most part, people are gonna be on a flat lot, and I d- I don't see a lot of great entertaining space for, on a lot of these homes.
I mean, would, would you say the same?
Brandon Still: Yeah, I would agree. I mean, I mean, just again,
Zach Stanley: it's- Like a baby covered patio and like-
Brandon Still: Mm-hmm. Yeah ...
Zach Stanley: just this much space, I mean.
Brandon Still: Yep, which I get for a lot of the, you know, if you're under the median home price of the area, like I get not maximizing there. But for a lot of folks, it's kind of starting, it's the expectation over a certain price point to have some sort of place.
And, and a lot of times it's when you're looking apples to apples, one house to another, or one property to another, that kinda outdoor living space is, you know, s- usually sets the property apart, so
Zach Stanley: it's good. Dude, [00:37:00] I, I can't tell you how many decisions have been made on my buyer's side when it's like someone took the time to like call you before listing, someone, you or someone like you, and go, "Hey, let's do this.
Let's extend it. Let's do this. Let's do some landscaping in the back. Let's make it fe-" Because then that, that buyer, and especially, you know, the husbands do think about that. They're gonna be out there a lot. It's not just the wife. But then you put that there, and you make, you make it so much easier for their, for their imagination to run.
Mm-hmm. I'm like, "Oh, I can see myself smoking some meats back here, and then having the kids run around," and it makes it, as opposed to like when you have to get h- buyers to think through like what is this going to be like, as opposed to just putting it there and it's a blank. Now they have a canvas to envision stuff.
Eric Hill: Mm-hmm.
Zach Stanley: It sells a, I mean, like we're talking a very high ROI on landscaping and thinking about that sort of thing, and I, I think that's a, an intangible thing that I don't think we could necessarily like find data to [00:38:00] back up. Like, it'd be hard to dig into like, okay, because this person did this, we got a blank return on our home.
But it is something that super affects properties. Would, would you say the same?
Eric Hill: Yeah.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: And even, even if you don't have a massive budget, it's like, here's the dream. Let's design the dream.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: And let's phase it out.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Most of the time, especially as long as your yard's flat, you can phase it out no problem.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: You got a sloped yard, you're gonna have to spend a lot more upfront. Again, just retaining walls, water- Yeah ... um, just to make sure that's handled before you make it look pretty.
Zach Stanley: Yep.
Eric Hill: So.
Zach Stanley: 100%.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Zach Stanley: What, um, at what stage should... I, I guess I'm gonna go a little bit more commercial on this. What, what stage should developers be thinking about landscaping?
Like, I, I mean, do you, do you see developers in the commercial space like thinking that towards the end, or are they s- are they thinking about the beginning? Like, where do, where do you-
Eric Hill: It's designed, like on new builds, it's designed on the front end.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: But it's even just the fact of like we've got a parking lot we're gonna do for a church, um- ear- early summer
Zach Stanley: Yeah
Eric Hill: We moved the beds [00:39:00] around just a little bit.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, we saved them $3,000 in metal edging.
Zach Stanley: Wow.
Eric Hill: Like, just in edging because they had just these tiny beds in the middle of the grass around- Mm-hmm ... and for maintenance purposes, too. Yeah. Like, more obstacles you have, the higher your price is gonna be.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, so talking with the general contractor, and most the general contractors we work with we have relationships with.
Yeah. It's not just, "Hey, we're low bid. We want the job." Uh, it's people we've worked with repeatedly. Um, it's just like, "Hey," at, at this point they trust us. Like, "Hey, you know how we want it. Make it easy to maintain-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: and make it look good," based off of, on the number that we quoted. Yeah. Um, so economical, but also just ma- maximize their, the money being spent on it.
Zach Stanley: Totally. Mm. Totally.
Brian Wagers: I see that. On the, on the buy side, like, existing deals is, is- Where I see it the most, like for multifamily and commercial, it, it's, you can take a look at a property and say, "Okay, I can, I can spruce up the exterior pretty nicely with, uh, a nice landscaping upgrade." [00:40:00] And then also, as a seller too, it's not a bad idea to re- revamp your landscaping if you're about to have a bunch of people come through, if you're gonna have a bunch of pictures being taken, because that's some of the first things they see.
So I see it almost as right when you're buying and also, you know, w- before you sell- Mm-hmm ... uh, when you're getting eyes on that. When you're, when you're going into a project, do you give customers upkeep bu- Like, "Okay, hey, we're putting together this nice landscaping plan"? Are you giving them a budget for, uh, ongoing maintenance?
Eric Hill: Yep. So any... Again, depends on the size of the projects. We're not, we're not taking every residential maintenance thing at this time. But it's like, "Hey, you're dropping 30K on your landscape where we're doing all the beds. Here's the price to maintain it." Mm-hmm. So part of that is we don't warranty your plants unless we maintain your irrigation-
Zach Stanley: Mm
Eric Hill: and maintain the landscape.
Zach Stanley: Okay.
Eric Hill: Because it's our eyes on the property. If there's plants in distress, okay, there's only three that died. There's an irrigation head not working-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: versus, "All of our plants are dead." [00:41:00] "Okay, why didn't you tell us?"
Zach Stanley: Right.
Eric Hill: Um, so we, we want to own, like what I tell customers is like, "I want to own every mistake possible.
If it is anyone's fault, I want it to be mine-" Mm "... 'cause I know w- we will fix it."
Zach Stanley: Right.
Eric Hill: When it's like you're using different irrigation company, you got a guy maintaining your beds who's trimmed your shrubs for a while, um, and it's like we come in and install it, it's like I can't guarantee anything.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: 'Cause- Mm ... they're not gonna say anything if they see anything. They're not, if, even if they see anything wrong.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, but we, we always send maintenance, uh, quotes on the front end- Yeah ... because we want to protect the investment they made.
Zach Stanley: 100%.
Brian Wagers: Made me think, do I need to tell my guy to turn the sprinklers on?
I guess it's been raining, so. Yeah. When, when do you recommend people to start s- sprinkling?
Eric Hill: Um, we're gonna start next week, uh, mainly 'cause we have just so many to do. So late March. Yeah. And late March, normally it's like by April 15th-
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm ...
Eric Hill: you need to be starting. But- Next day ... so like last year we started like March 1st.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Because it was so [00:42:00] dry in February, and then March was super dry.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: People are like, "I need to water my plants." I'm like, "I, I agree. We just need to get started." Right,
Zach Stanley: right.
Eric Hill: But normally it's, like, April through October.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Um, but again, it's weather dependent.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Brian Wagers: Doing that correctly saves you on landscape.
Like- ... if you're letting your stuff die, then you're having to res- Suppose, yeah ... re-pay for that too. Mm-hmm. So-
Eric Hill: And, and something we do, I know no one else in Northwest Arkansas does it, but if we get a commercial contract with you, say, you have an irrigation system, we install a s- irrigation controller for free to manage the controller.
Mm-hmm. We can manage it from our phone. So it has- Mm ... cellular connection, so we're able to adjust and change things, again, to maximize your water.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Um, it's something new we started with last spring. Um, I don't know how much water we'll save people. That's what we're really gonna dig into this year. But like- Yeah
there's companies in Texas who save POAs, like, tens of thousands of dollars in water- Wow ... like, every year.
Zach Stanley: That's crazy.
Eric Hill: So just because it's just touch point, like, hey, all right, weather's not super hot this week, let's just only water two days-
Zach Stanley: Yeah ...
Eric Hill: versus everyone be like, "I wanna water four to five times a [00:43:00] week."
It's like, well, you're not helping your, you're, you're not helping your plants live longer.
Zach Stanley: Right.
Eric Hill: They're just, the roots grow shallower instead of deeper.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: Mm. So. Yeah.
Brian Wagers: I love that. From, from running around f- after football practice to managing people's landscaping from your phone, like- ... crazy. Are you, are you guys doing, uh, us- utilizing AI at all in your business?
Eric Hill: Yeah, we're getting there and w- use a lot of it for process, a lot of it- Mm ... for, um, just data stuff right now. Don't really use it for... I'll use it to kind of like, hey, here's why we're different. Does this marketing match that?
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: So kind of just use it as a reference tool, like, hey, does this actually match what we're saying?
Yeah.
Brian Wagers: I feel like I've seen it, like, just conceptualizing, like, la- It's pretty good at, like, you know, I could take a picture of Zach's back porch here and say, "Hey, give me some ideas for, uh, like, different landscaping layouts."
Zach Stanley: Yeah,
Eric Hill: for sure. Yeah. We've had, we've had a lot of residential people like, "Hey, here's a rough picture of what we, what we want."
Mm. Again, AI made it, so obviously change it how we, how we [00:44:00] need to, but- Right ... like, here's, here's the idea. Gives us a frame to work off of.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. That's
Eric Hill: great. So there's a lot of residential people starting to, starting to be like, "Hey, here's the picture of what we, what we came up with." Yeah. 'Cause, like, again, it helps us understand their vision-
Zach Stanley: Yeah
better. I'm sure, I'm sure that helps a absolute ton. We're gonna kind of transition into a fire round here.
Eric Hill: Yep.
Zach Stanley: Um, you've answered this before, but, you know, if someone's tuning in at this part. Biggest mistake you see property owners make, I guess when it comes to landscaping.
Eric Hill: Making assumptions based off of every landscape company doing the same scope.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Brandon Still: Most overrated way to save money on a property?
Eric Hill: understand the scope that actually you need to maintain it.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Mm.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Like, I keep coming back to scope and beating a dead horse with it, but like- Yeah ... it is a big thing. Mm-hmm. For sure.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Brian Wagers: Best decision you've made in your business?
Eric Hill: Invest in people.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm.
Eric Hill: And probably paint our trucks black. That's, that's been a big thing.
Zach Stanley: What, what, what, that, what- The- ... is a little bit into the trucks [00:45:00] black thing.
Eric Hill: Um, we're different.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: Uh, the amount of times it's like, man, I see y'all's trucks everywhere.
Zach Stanley: Yes.
Eric Hill: Um- Oh, for sure ... I'll, I'll ask people sometimes if I'm getting lunch with them or something, they're like, "Man, I..."
Just n- newer people, I've talked with some, they're like-
Zach Stanley: Mm.
Eric Hill: Like, "How many trucks do you think we have?" "50." It's like, "No, we have 25." But it's just like- Yeah ... it's the brand, it's the... And the... We did the marketing well. Like, I know we did from the start, but it's just b- being a brand of being different.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. I, I was driving to my house at Lake Sequoyah, and I saw one of your guys fishing in the truck, and I was like, "Are you fishing at Lake Sequoyah?"
Eric Hill: You're
Zach Stanley: like, "No, that's just probably one of my gu- one of my guys." That's
Eric Hill: awesome.
Zach Stanley: Um, what still excites you about building a business in Northwest Arkansas?
Eric Hill: Just helping our people grow.
Zach Stanley: Mm.
Eric Hill: Um, again, it's the purpose God put me on this earf- earth to do, and it's just investing and helping them grow.
Zach Stanley: Personally, I, I love when I can personally speak to the person that comes on the podcast and talks about their, the product and s- You know, sometimes it's like, I don't really know if it, if it was good or not.
Eric Hill: Yeah.
Zach Stanley: Um, but for [00:46:00] this, like, I, I just moved into this neighborhood, everyone comments on my landscaping.
You guys did a great job. Um, obviously, very fast-growing company. Um, I would highly recommend our listeners to, um, talk to you, give you a call. What's one of the best ways people can reach out to you?
Eric Hill: Um, probably, I mean, I'm link- on LinkedIn, um, or our website. Just, just tell, tell us what you're needing or even just like, "Hey, this is who maintains my property currently."
Like, we'll come audit it.
Zach Stanley: Mm-hmm. '
Eric Hill: Cause again, like, how are they communicating with you? Um-
Zach Stanley: Mm ...
Eric Hill: people are like, "Oh, I'm stuck in a contract." Like, no, every contract has a 30-day notice.
Zach Stanley: Yeah.
Eric Hill: And people are like, "No, I'm stuck to it." I'm like, "I promise you, you're not." Promise
Zach Stanley: you.
Eric Hill: If you're frustrated enough, you'll cancel it.
Zach Stanley: Yeah. Yeah.
Eric Hill: It's getting them to understand like, oh, landscaping, like dealing with a landscaper shouldn't be this way.
Zach Stanley: That, that question I asked you was a test to make sure you weren't going to give out your cell phone number- Yeah ... as a business owner. No.
Eric Hill: No. No. Not doing that.
Zach Stanley: Past those days. Not doing that.
Brandon Still: Past those days.
Zach Stanley: Eric, we appreciate you, hav- having you on. Loved your, loved our time together.
Eric Hill: Yep. Thank you guys. Appreciate
Zach Stanley: it. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks,
Brandon Still: [00:47:00] sir