Well folks, the winds of change are blowin’ through the landscape industry — and they smell a lot like fresh-cut grass and iPhone microphones.
While the old guard of glossy magazines keeps drooling over mergers, acquisitions, and the almighty exit, there’s a new voice rising up from the trenches — the podcaster. And if you ain’t paying attention, you’d better turn up your volume, because these fellas are taking over the conversation one download at a time.
Here at the Equip Expo — the biggest, baddest trade show in our industry — something fascinating is happening. The trade show leadership has rolled out the red carpet for a new class of storytellers. They call it Podcast Row. These aren’t polished PR pros or advertising directors. Nope. These are boots-on-the-ground entrepreneurs talking shop, sharing war stories, and confessing their business sins right into a smartphone. And guess what? The lawn & landscape audience is eating it up.
These podcasters are covering the real stuff — the daily grind, the hiring headaches, the weather disasters, the clients from hell, and the sweet victories of a job well done. They’re giving voice to the men and women who actually run the mowers, pay the taxes, and build the American Dream with dirty hands and sore backs.
Meanwhile, the established magazines seem stuck in their corner offices, sipping their advertiser-funded lattes and telling us that another corporate buyout is the “story of the year.” Really? That’s not the story of the industry — that’s the story of ownership transfer. The story of entrepreneurship is alive and well, and you’ll find it in the earbuds of landscapers all across America.
Now, let’s get real.
The podcasters aren’t perfect. Some of these young bucks are full of passion but short on experience. They talk fast, publish faster, and sometimes get their facts a little fuzzy. Just because you’ve got a smartphone and a ring light doesn’t mean you’ve earned the right to teach others how to run a company. So yeah, a few of these folks need a dose of humility and a fact-check before they go preachin’ business gospel to the masses.
But let’s give credit where credit’s due — these podcasters are fearless. They’ve brought back something that our polished magazines lost years ago: authenticity. They say what they think. They share what they know. And they’re building massive followings by simply being themselves. They’ve turned the art of storytelling into a business model, racking up sponsorships from tool companies, software firms, and equipment dealers faster than you can say “ad placement.”
And here’s the kicker — while the magazines are cutting pages and begging advertisers to stick around, these podcasters are printing money with their voices. They’re turning passion into profit, influence into income, and in doing so, they’re breathing new life into the spirit of entrepreneurship.
So, to the editors of our beloved magazines — consider this your wake-up call. Your monopoly on the microphone is over. You don’t get to decide who tells the story anymore. The guys with grease under their fingernails and sweat on their foreheads are telling it for you — and the audience is listening.
But let’s be wise about this. As we cheer on the rise of this New Media, we must also protect the truth. Listeners, be discerning. Don’t confuse loud opinions with proven experience. Don’t trade wisdom for entertainment. And for heaven’s sake, don’t let the media — old or new — think for you.
It appears to me that some of these landscapers turned podcasters are simply trying to make a few extra dollars using new media tools and techno-know-how. In other words, a few of them don’t make enough money to feed their family with their lawn business.
I’m not going to hold that against them. Heck, they could be out driving for Uber instead of podcasting and YouTube publishing. But they aren’t. They are giving a shot at displacing (or crushing) the entrenched media and education pumping trade associations by producing content. I find this a bit of a giggle. It’s capitalism in its purest form.
See, at the end of the day, whether you’re a podcaster, a publisher, or a professional in the dirt business, we all share one mission — to grow this industry, honor the entrepreneurial spirit, and make landscaping a business that builds families, fortunes, and futures.
So yeah — stop celebrating the sellout (editorial to landscape magazine publishers found here). Start celebrating the storytellers. The torch is passing, and this time, it’s not made of ink and paper — it’s made of Wi-Fi and grit.
Now hit “record,” fellas. The world’s listening.
— Tony Bass, founder
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PS – Hit reply and share your thoughts. Do you have a “favorite lawn industry podcast”? If you do, please share the name and why you like ’em.
PPS – here’s a recent podcast I was a guest on right from the floor of the Florida Nursery and Landscape Association Trade Show with Green Side Up. Until next week….
