Where Operators Talk Shop

When Jake and I started, we had 5 neighbors who said yes out of pity. Here's what actually worked to grow: 1. We did the corner house on every street for FREE. Highest visibility. Everyone drives by it. We put a yard sign out with our number. 2. Jake made a simple flyer on Canva and we hit 200 doors on Saturday mornings. Not selling — just introducing ourselves. 3. Every single customer, I ask: "Do you know two other people who could use this?" That's it. No pushy sales. Just a question. 4. We show up EARLY, do GREAT work, and clean up after ourselves. Sounds basic but most lawn guys can't manage it. The first 10 took us 3 months. The next 25 took 5 months. Referrals compound. Happy to share our actual numbers if people want to see the P&L.

Started doing the Sunday Review from the EBITDADS playbook about 6 weeks ago. Game changer. Every Sunday morning, Liam and I sit at the kitchen table for 30 minutes with coffee (his is hot chocolate) and go through: 1. What came in this week? 2. What went out? 3. What's booked next week? 4. What went well? 5. What do we fix? The first few weeks it was awkward — Liam didn't really engage. But by week 3, he started pointing things out I missed. "Dad, we spent $180 on that sealant but we quoted $120 for materials on that job." He's 14. He caught a pricing error I would've missed. The Sunday Review isn't just about numbers. It's 30 minutes of focused father-son time talking about building something together. Can't put a price on that.

Hey everyone! Just joined EBITDADS and wanted to introduce our team. I'm Marcus — been doing landscaping for 8 years. My daughter Aaliyah (16) joined the business last year and it's been a game-changer. Here's our setup: - I handle all the physical installation (plants, hardscape, irrigation) - Aaliyah does the design work on her iPad using SketchUp - She also manages our Instagram (@greenandclean_htx) and handles client communication What makes our combo work: clients LOVE getting a professional design presentation from a teenager. It's memorable. They tell everyone about us. We just landed our first $15k hardscape project — a full backyard patio with outdoor kitchen area. Aaliyah designed the whole thing. Excited to be here and learn from all of you.

I'm not going to lie — I got a little emotional writing this. Tyler started helping me on the roof when he was 13. By 15 he could do a basic shingle repair faster than most of my employees. Last summer (2025), I let him take small repair jobs on his own. He hired two of his friends. I provided the truck and tools. His numbers: - 47 repair jobs - Average job: $350 - Total revenue: $16,450 - He paid his crew: $5,200 - Materials: $2,800 - Gas: $450 - His take-home: $8,000 The kid learned scheduling, customer service, hiring, inventory management, and money management. All in one summer. College is great. But this? This is irreplaceable.

Kofi and I are about to launch our HVAC service company. He's 16 and obviously can't be a legal owner yet. How have you all structured your businesses? Options I'm considering: 1. Sole prop in my name, pay Kofi as an employee 2. LLC in my name, add Kofi when he turns 18 3. LLC with Kofi as a minor member (apparently this is possible in some states?) What did you do? Any regrets? Any accountant recommendations for dad-teen businesses specifically? Also — do any of you pay your teens hourly or give them a percentage of jobs?

Sharing our actual numbers because I wish someone had shown me this when I started. Q4 2025 (Oct-Dec): - Total Revenue: $47,200 - Materials: $8,900 - Fuel/Transport: $1,800 - Insurance: $900 - Tools/Equipment: $2,100 - Marketing (Nextdoor ads): $300 - Total Expenses: $14,000 - Net Profit: $33,200 - Profit Margin: 70.3% Biggest jobs: - Kitchen remodel: $12,000 - Deck build: $8,500 - Bathroom renovation: $7,200 Emma does all the bookkeeping in a Google Sheet. She tracks every receipt. Every. Single. One. Ask me anything about the numbers.

Diego wanted to quote a 2,400 sqft interior paint job on his own. I let him. He forgot to account for: - The 12-foot ceilings in the living room (more paint, more time, need scaffolding) - Prep work on the old trim (3x longer than he estimated) - The fact that we'd need a primer coat on the dark accent walls His quote: $3,200 What it should have been: $5,400 We honored his quote because your word is your word. We lost about $2,000 on that job when you factor in our time. BUT — Diego will never make that mistake again. He now has a checklist he goes through for every estimate. And he learned that underpricing hurts worse than losing the job. Best $2k I ever spent on education.