How to Hire Ex-Convicts or Employees Going Through Drug Rehab (Untapped Opportunity)

Hey everyone, it's Mike Andes for another roundup episode today, and it's going to be a great one. We're actually going to be talking to someone that was an employee. They became an owner, they got 50% of the business and they turned it around and started to scale up the.

Company that transformed into a 30, 33% partnership. It's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that normal employees don't know about because, you know, they don't have to do all the minutiae.

It's a great episode to share with your employees that are go getters and potentially might actually become a partner or a manager for you one day. What's really cool though, I want to hear about today from Brandon is the program he's using to give addicts a second chance.

Because at the end of the day I'm just hurting you. Like if I keep letting you do this stuff, you're going to think it's normal. If I tolerate it, it keeps going.

So this could be for an addict like he uses or potentially even ex convicts people that potentially have a very difficult time finding a job because of their past. How do you deal with those individuals? How can actually be a great opportunity to find these people that otherwise can't get jobs, but then make them successful and hopefully give them a second chance at building their career to be a great episode. Here we go.

Let's go.

Let us know kind of how you got started with lawn care. And I want to dive into some of the things that you're doing now with your crew, some of the things you stand for also in your business. But start off with how you got started in lawn care and landscaping.

Okay. So the way I got started was I had a friend that started a business and they started and they didn't have, have. They weren't doing anything, they weren't marketing, they weren't networking. And so I was like, okay, I'll come on and help you guys. Like, I'll handle the networking and the marketing. And so I came onto the business that transformed into a 30, 33% partnership between the three of us. And then now I'm 50% owner.

How long has that been? Over the course of several years or how long did it take you to kind of get 33% and then now 50, 50 of the ownership.

So it took about two months once we started getting Facebook growing and stuff me to get to 33%. And then a year later a partner dropped out which gave me the rest leading up to 50.

And. And can you Kind of speak to someone that might be listening, that is an employee currently or would love to have ownership in their current operation or whoever they're working with. But potentially there's not that opportunity or there someone isn't dropping out. What did you do to kind of make yourself available or be capable of taking ownership when that opportunity came? Were you doing certain roles in the business or what did you do to kind of set yourself up for success there?

Oh, it's really, for me, it was always about education, like, kind of focusing on market trends and looking at myself like, is there some areas I can be better in? Like, if I want to be the owner, do I have an understanding of how the business operates? Like, do I know, like how to figure out times it's going to take on a job? Do I understand like profit and loss? Am I taking all the things into consideration and really just showing up on time, putting extra effort in and, you know, just making sure that people know that I'm willing to learn.

What do you think kind of separates someone apart from the crowd? In a company that has a whole bunch of employees, lots of them show up, work hard, etc. But someone that wants to get ahead, wants to have equity in the company, what steps would you tell them to take now in terms of getting close to the owner or even potentially having ownership in the business like you've now done?

The first thing I would say is make sure that they have an understanding of what that entails. Like, because there's a lot of hard workers, there's a lot of good workers, but the thing that really separates the hard workers and the good workers from the good leaders is like the education thing. So like, if they have an interest in being an owner, they need to be looking at articles about taking responsibility. How can I take more leadership? Going to the Boston saying, hey, I'd like to have a chance to run this project. I can have an opportunity to show you what I can do. And then from that point it's just following that up with, like I said, continued research and kind of understanding that it's hard. It's not easy to get into an ownership role. It takes a lot of work. It's a lot of dedication. It's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that normal employees don't know about. You know, they don't have to do all the minutiae.

And then from, from the owner's perspective, why did they bring you in as an owner or have giving you equity instead of just saying, hey, we, you know, someone else Dropped out and we're going to have more equity ourselves. Why did they bring you. Was it. Did you have capital you brought to the table or management or what were you. Was kind of the reason that they actually gave you the equity?

It's really about the way that I believe in marketing and technology. And so, like, I was coming to the table, like, hey, I think these are some areas we can target that other people aren't using in this area. Like, for, you know, like, people aren't really using Facebook in my area that much. Like, they're doing it minimally, but they weren't, they weren't thinking about, like, logos and the importance of branding and the importance of. Importance of a universal, like, distinguishable logo across everything. Like, and so, and, and also I brought in some, some money. You know, I was like, I'll take on all these marketing costs. I'll pay for the materials. And then from that, that point on, it kind of snowballed. Like, okay, we see this guy, serious, he wants to be involved. And then, you know, the rest is kind of history.

And what would you say to someone that might be thinking about trying to do that either? You know, kind of. I see you almost as being somewhat of an intrapreneur at the beginning, proving that, hey, I have the skills, and then leading to the fruition of actually owning the business. And I, I kind of remember like, when I was a personal trainer at the gym way back when, and I remember thinking, like, when I would go into the club being like, hey, what would I want to treat this like my own? And little did I know, down the road I would actually own the place. But for you, what would you say to someone that is, you know, trying to do that, but their owner doesn't necessarily see, see their value? Is it a matter of actually proving yourself, you know, being willing to stay longer, not get paid for or bring capital forward or proving parts of the business that need improvement. Like, what would you say to the person that their owner isn't looking to give away money or give away, sorry, equity in the business and they really need to prove themselves.

I would say if the owner's not giving away equity and that's something that they're interested in doing, you know, I would just go and talk directly to owner and be like, hey, these are the things I'm interested in. I understand if this is never going to be a possibility here, but I just wanted to talk to you a little bit about it. And that way they can kind of gauge what they need to do next. Because if that's a dream of theirs and they can't get in their current position, I think that's something they need to find a place where they can grow and flourish at.

So it sounds like you kind of had the skills of marketing, the technology side. What was it for them that they saw like in early indications that this was a good move for the business and for them to get you on board equity? What did you first start doing? Did you run some ads? Did you get a few customers? What did you do to prove yourself at the very beginning?

So for me it's, I mean, what it was in the beginning was my work ethic because I'm a person that doesn't need much sleep. And so, you know, I can go. I was working a full time 12 hour day job and going out and helping with the yard still. So I'd work 12 hours, get off, pick up the trailer, go work. And then from that point, it was really because I trained also. I had a little personal training thing. So I had a little bit of experience about branding and I know how important it is when people see that. So, like, I just started running ads. I was like, hey, we were Ben and Bubbies. Then we went through a name change when we lost a partner, but I was like, hey, Ben and Bubbies wants to do this. I started organizing things in the community, like a clothing drive for the homeless. I started talking to people, I got a logo made, I got a business card made and I just started blasting the Internet with it. And so from that, you know, we started. I mean, it was still slow the first year, don't get me wrong, we didn't do hardly anything, but they saw like, okay, this is what it can be.

And what's the results been the past couple years now that you've been on board and making those changes in terms of more customers, you led to higher revenues, more employees. What's kind of been the result now that you've had the equity and been part of the, of the ownership since.

Our first year, I think we did $600 our first year. Maybe, you know, I came on in August and then the next year we did 72,000. This year that we just closed, we did 120,000. So we've continuously grown revenue wise and it's opened up opportunities like, because people know who we are now. So, I mean, we had our biggest month last month that we've ever had and that's in January. So.

Hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying the podcast. If you haven't Already go to mikeannies.com vote and submit your bracket for Mo Madness. It works just like March Madness with NCAA basketball league. And you can submit all the people you think are going to win the tournament. So we're looking for the YouTuber of the year. Submit your bracket for a chance to win $2,000 or an entire day with our media team to come shoot videos and pictures for your business. Let's go back to the podcast and hear how Brandon is giving people in his community a second chance.

Epic fail. And I know part of what you were doing, you sort of have a mission with the local community and the employees. Can you talk a little bit about that? I know you mentioned about having a second chance for some of the employees that you have at the business. Talk to me a little bit about that and why that's so important to you.

For me personally, like, a little bit of my story is like, I'm a recovering addict, right? And so, like, I remember how it was when I first got clean. And like, when you first get clean, you really want to work hard and prove yourself, but a lot of people aren't going to give you a chance. And so, like, one of my goals is like to give a person opportunity to prove themselves, you know, like, I'm not going to judge you on your past. Like, if you show up and you work hard, my goal is to help you better yourself and move you on to something better. Like, and same thing with the community. Like, I just think it's important to give back, you know, and so if we could do like a little clothing drive or something like that, I mean, I won't say that it's all like the goodness of my heart. Like, I also, I mean, obviously I also identified that, you know, I'm helping somebody and helping myself, so it's a win, win. But, you know, like, those things I think that are, are just important, you know, because like, I, I live in this community, I work in this community. So it's important for the community to know that I'm invested in them and not just making money and leaving, you know.

You know, I know a lot of owners that especially in this industry, we have the opportunity to kind of give a starting leg to a new career second chance for, you know, addicts or even I was even like ex convicts, for example. And a lot of times there's a lot of the ideology, hey, like, I don't want to risk it, right? I don't want to risk someone coming on and messing things up or doing something crazy with a customer or hurting somebody else. What would you say to someone that wants to potentially give people second chances, but they also maybe aren't keenly aware of what to look out for as warning signals that potentially could mean it being bad for the business? Have you had those, those, those situations happen? And how would you kind of educate or coach someone that is looking to give those same opportunities to someone else?

So I have had those situations where we brought somebody out that didn't work out. And so the thing about it is, is obviously it's a case by case basis. Like you talk to the person. Because I think it's important as an owner to know your employees. Like, I don't believe in just hiring somebody and sending them out without kind of knowing them, talking to them. And so you kind of get a feel like, you know, if you have a guy that you've hired and he's always been on time and all of a sudden, you know, he's, he's coming to work late or he's acting strange. You know, he used to be talkative and he's getting quiet. Like there's little warning signs, like if you're familiar with your employees, you can kind of tell. And the thing is, like, for me, I had a conversation with the person, I was like, how, you know, I like you as a person, I think you're a great worker. But there's some things that I'm noticing that aren't fantastic. And honestly, like, you don't get to catch it every time. You know, we've had experiences where we thought the guy was doing good. It turns out he wasn't and we had to let him go. You know, we. And we've lost some people too. So, you know, it's, I mean, it's a case by case, but there's no perfect scenario to figure out who's going to work and who isn't.

Is there something in the interview process, though, that you are specifically like, like it, like a red flag, like draw the line. And this is not, we're not going to go forward with it because I know, like someone like myself, for example, that hasn't gone through that sort of past background. I'm so naive to a lot of that world that I almost feel like I don't know what questions to ask or even if I would want to give someone a second chance. Like, I don't know what the warning signals are in an interview. Are there specific ones that you look out for that for someone potentially, if they're wanting to give back or Give someone a second chance, they should kind of be like, hey, this is where we. You kind of want to draw the line.

So there's always a warning signal. Like, for me, I. I believe in direct eye contact. Some people don't like to do that, but. So I'm going to look at you, I'm going to talk to you, and then you can kind of tell, like, based on whether or not the person has maintained a job. You know, like, if they tell you, if they're open with like, okay, this is what happened, that's a pretty clear indicator that they're probably trying to do something different. But if they come to you with a lot of excuses by why this didn't work out and how it was other person's fault, that might be one. Something you want to steer away from. Just for the simple fact that if it's always somebody else's fault and they're not taking responsibility, there's an issue. So kind of, I mean, like I said, it's kind of. You play it by ear, but you can kind of tell, like, you can get a feel for a person. Like, if they're serious about it, they'll tell you, like, I've had these struggles. I'm trying to do something now. If they're not that serious about it, they won't let you know. They'll kind of try to gloss over it. And so, you know, where do you.

Kind of draw the line when you're trying to work with someone that might be recovering from multiple different potential past situations? And you know that there's obviously baggage that sometimes comes along with that, and you want to help, help them through that. But when do you kind of draw the line as a business owner? Like, look, this is business. I can't keep putting up with either being late or them having potentially detrimental consequences for other employees or customers. Where do you draw that line? And have you had to have some hard conversations with them? Employees being like, hey, if you don't make these certain changes, I'm sorry, but like, we can't keep working with you and trying to make this work.

If there's an instance that arises with something like that, I have a conversation with them and I say, hey, this can't happen again. I'm giving you fair warning, like, I'll do what I can to help you. If you need some time off to sort it out, or you, you know, you think this isn't going to work out, let me know. But I'm letting you know this is an issue now because the Thing about it, with the disease of addiction and even employees that may or not be up to task, like, I can't let you hurt yourself. Like, I'm not going to give you the rope to hurt yourself. So it's kind of like you have a decision to make. And so for us, it's usually like, I'm going to give you a chance. Like, if something happens, I'm going to give you one more chance. But if something happens again, I'm going to let you go. Because at the end of the day, I'm just hurting you. Like, if I keep letting you do this stuff, you're going to think it's normal and you're going to continue like it, whether it be breaking equipment or, you know, using or any of those things. Like, if you have an argument with the customer, I really, I don't like to tolerate that just because, like, if I tolerate it, it keeps going.

What's kind of the goal and the plan for the business now? As you've, you know, you've kind of got off the ground now you're doing 300,000 revenue in annual revenue and really starting to scale the business. What's the goal now? As the business has got to a little bit more of an established point going forward in 2022, our goal is to streamline.

My goal is to get the numbers better and continue to help my employees better themselves. So, like, my target goal is for 500,000. Like, that's what I want to hit. I think in my area it's very possible. And so it's really about getting the systems and getting a culture established. Because up until this point, you know, like, I've. I've made forays into the culture deal, but it's. So now it's more of. We're actually doing our payroll for the first time now. Like, we started the payroll, which is terrifying. I'm terrified of that. And so it's really just getting the company where it's running on all gears because I'd like to expand. Like, my goal's always to been regional, to be regional. And so it's adding products and services to add value to the customers we already have in perspective. Networking more, just getting more engaged in the community, really.

Well, I really appreciate you coming on. If there's anyone that wants to reach out to you, is there a way to do that? Like, especially maybe potential employees that are trying to kind of move up in their company or get ownership, become owners or also people that are considering trying to create a program where they can take some of these individuals and give them a second chance, and they might need a hand with that. Is there a way to reach out to you somehow?

Yeah. Brandonblownscapes.net Right. There's the. Well, you get it. There's my opposite side. You can reach me at brandonbblandscapes.net or on Facebook. I respond within five or 10 minutes to pretty much everybody. So I'm always available.

Awesome. Thank you, Brandon. Thanks for everything you're doing. Your community as well.

Thanks, Mike.

I hope you enjoyed the episode of Roundup. If you didn't catch last week's video, check it out over here where we talked about going from residential mowing into commercial, as well as hardscaping that transition point. We're just going from mowing lawns, actually doing projects. Check it out and we'll see you on the next episode of Roundup.