21 YEARS OLD: From Ski Lift Attendant, to Lawn Care Franchisee

Hey, everyone, it's Mike Andes. Welcome to Landscape Business course. Today's a different episode. I'm actually going to show you or actually let you listen to a team part of a team meeting that we had this past week. And we weren't planning to record this or show it to you all, so it's literally just the audio that we had from a phone sitting on a counter. So we record audio all our team meetings via just someone's cell phone sitting on a counter next to the team meeting. So that's what you're gonna hear. And then we'll overlay it with some cool B roll so you can just kind of stay entertain.

This young man's name is Nick, Nick Reed. And he came and started working for us about a year and a bit ago, I think. Yeah, about 15 months ago. And he came from Mount Baker Snow Resort, and he used to be a ski lift liftee, they call them, where they get the ski lift ready for people to get on and off. And so he came from there. Perfectly honest, I didn't know if it was gonna work out very well because we do have a no drug policy. And a lot of the people coming down from Mount Baker, their workers, that's the environment they live in. A lot of pot, obviously, in Washington state, so it's legal. So a lot of that's going on. And so just not knowing if he was going to actually work out. Turns out he just has really turned his life around in terms of trying to improve himself, trying to make himself a better person, learning a lot about business. And he's actually decided to start an Augusta Lawn Care franchise. He's going to be starting one probably about an hour and a half or two away from our current location next year. His own franchise franchise from Augusta Lawn Care. And so really, really looking forward to that. And hopefully that can be kind of our constant theme. One or two of our employees every year can start one of those. We do give them a discount. I pay for the initial fee, so that way they can get started if they worked with us at the local shop. So really what I want you to kind of get out of this is the fact that investing back in your employees and giving them education beyond just how to mow lawns and do landscaping does pay benefits, and maybe not to you and directly your pocketbook, but to their livelihood, to their future career and what they can do down the road for themselves. And I think that's very rewarding as part of something that doesn't show up on a profit and loss statement or a balance sheet, but is absolutely very fulfilling and really awesome to be able to provide jobs and places of work where it's not a dead end job. It actually has potential to go somewhere. And that all really revolves around the ability for someone like Nick to come into a system and realize that he can learn, make himself better by audiobooks and podcasts and all the resources we offer. We do offer Audible account where they can listen throughout the day while they're working, so hopefully you enjoy this. Again, it's just audio from a phone, not great audio. We're gonna try to boost it up though, so you can hear and hopefully that's something you can learn from and hopefully encourage you to also invest back in your team and help them learn about business and about leadership, about teamwork and grow themselves as human beings and business people. I wanted to go, I want to actually have Nick talk for a couple minutes here just about kind of the improvement aspect in general. Like when he first came here, how he felt about podcasts, books, et cetera, and then kind of how his mindset has changed about that sort of stuff. So I'll let you talk for yourself.

All right. Yeah. So essentially just not going into specifics. When I first started working here, I just wanted to work hard and make money. I had no direction or idea as to what I wanted to do, but I was determined to work hard. Right. And that's part of why I didn't go to college either. I just wanted to work hard and make a living that way.

So, yeah, after working here for a little bit, like, I.

I was 20. No, I was 19 when I started working here.

Was I.

No, I was 20.

And so I had a ton of, like, experience in the real world.

So just working in this environment, like surrounded by these people, like everyone being a high achiever, like, it just shattered any of my expectations as to what a normal work environment would be like for people.

And so Liz was always talking about, like, audiobooks and podcasts and Mike has a podcast. I'm like, what's all this about? Like, and it took me a long time to actually, like, immerse myself in it because I. So this. There's a book, I kind of forget the name, but it's about the concept of the growth versus fixed mindset. If you remember the name. Mindset, it's called. Is it called Mindset? Okay, yeah. I think that's a great book for anybody to listen to just because it's so polar. Like you're either in a fixed mindset or a Growth mindset. And essentially, people in a fixed mindset believe that things are the way they are because that's the circumstance that they were born into or that was the skill set that they were given.

Which is not true at all. So I really think it's important for everyone every day to practice a growth mindset. There's no reason why everybody in this room can't do whatever they want. And that was something I realized for myself. The way I grew up, I was very oppressed, not really ideal at all, and I was just happy to get out there and work. But as I've, like, immersed myself back into learning, I personally think I've learned more than I would have going to college so far in terms of experience and, like, specific material related to a subject.

But.

I really think, like, every day that we come in here, like, we just have an awesome opportunity. Like, I understand that we're just landscaping, and that's just the product of what we do. But I like to look at this place like a generator to kind of cultivate people that want to succeed but don't necessarily have a path or a means of how in life.

So most of you know, I'm going to franchise starting next year. I'm going to have my commitments in two weeks, September 6th, I will commit on a location.

But I just think it's really important to share because a year ago, I would have never considered myself fit or able to manage a group of people or know anything about business. Right. I kind of went through a period where I was stuck in a fixed mindset. And I thought that because I didn't go to college and get educated in business, that I was kind of stuck doing labor jobs my whole life. But then I started learning, and. Yeah, I just don't see why anybody in this room can't do that same thing.

I'm the same as everybody else, and I would just love to look at Augusta here as just kind of a generator, like, just to put everyone on a great path in life so you don't have to just, like, work super hard and not be able to walk when you're, like, 50. I think everyone should be able to be successful and, yeah, just work down a productive path. So instead of working for people your whole life. Oh, listen to the book called unscripted by MJ DeMarco.

Really good book. It's just a really blunt critique of society and the script, what they call it is essentially just like the funnel that you're put into from birth. So going to school, like, the first 12 years of your life living off the same schedule doing things that other people tell you. And, yeah, it's basically just a critique on how nobody teaches you to be empowered and choose your own path in life. And I think more than we care to recognize, our lives are kind of steered in a direction for us. Not by us. I don't know. Just a quick 2 cents. Just every day you come into work, it's just an awesome opportunity. The skills, the physical skills of doing the job, it's just a byproduct. Right. That's just something you can become good at. But the real skills that you should be cultivating here are your people skills and the way you think about things in life. And, like, we just have so much time to think, right?

Yeah. So just the power of this job should not be understated. It's changed my life, and that's part of my mission going forward for the franchise, is I want to be able to give people the same opportunity that I was given and a direction in life. So, yeah, Just wasn't expecting that.

Thank you. That was amazing.

Quick, quick two cents.

You. Awesome. I think that's all I got.