Confidential Report – for lawn business owners thinking about 2026 plans
THE SQUEEZE IN THE MIDDLE: A LOVE LETTER TO THE $1–$5 MILLION LANDSCAPER
(From a Fella Who Has Walked in Your Muddy Boots)
Y’all, I’ve been watching two powerful currents sweep across the green industry—one crashing down from the top, the other rising up from the bottom. And caught right between these two forces is one group of business owners who rarely get a headline, a pat on the back, or even a simple “attaboy.”
I’m talkin’ about you—the owner of a lawn or landscape business doing $1 million to $5 million a year.
Not big enough for the private-equity boys to wine and dine you (just yet).
Not small enough to be glorified by the podcasters with a GoPro and a ring light.
But big enough to feel the pressure from both sides.
Big enough to feel the weight of responsibility—crews to lead, customers to serve, equipment to maintain, and Fedzilla’s hand reaching deep into your pocket every April…with OSHA ready to pounce!
And if nobody else is gonna tell your story, well, I will.
🟩 THE PRESSURE FROM ABOVE
The top end of the industry is consolidating faster than a thunderstorm in July.
The magazines are celebrating mergers like they’re miracles from heaven. But let me remind you what they really are: ownership transfers, not necessarily success stories.
As I wrote in Stop Celebrating the Sellout!
10-24-25 Damn the Magazine, every time a family business sells out to MegaCorp Capital Partners, a little piece of the industry’s soul fades away. The $10 million dollar boys are selling out. Sometimes owners stick around, sometimes they go…but count on the changes!
You see the changes:
- Conglomerates standardize everything.
- They flood your market with branded trucks and sharp-dressed sales guys dropping in on your accounts..
- They poach employees with sign-on bonuses and promises for advancement you can’t match.
- They make professionalism look corporate—cold, polished, and impersonal. Heck, many of their employees don’t even live where they work. Outsiders!
And the editors of the industry magazines clap like seals, while you grind harder than ever to keep margins intact and crews stable.
🟩 THE PRESSURE FROM BELOW
But flip the coin and you’ve got the rise of the podcasters, the young guns with an iPhone, a gimbal, a ring light, a mower, and a big personality. Apparently…they got a lot of time to record, edit and post. Or they figured out how to get AI to do those jobs within a few winks and key strokes. Damn…who has the time?
As I said in The Rise of the Podcaster 10-31-25-Stop Celebrating the S…, these fellas have taken over the storytelling of this industry.
Their raw honesty is refreshing.
Their passion is contagious.
Their reach? WAAAAAAY bigger than any magazine or the big associations ever dreamed of.
But they’re talking to a different crowd—the start-ups, the newbies, the hungry hustlers – heck even teenagers who have said “don’t need any” to the expensive university – looking for inspiration and entertainment, not strategy and systemization. How do we make clean money with dirty hands? Oh… the guy with the video and podcast will tell you!
But…They’re not speakin’ to you—the middle-tier owner carrying the weight of 20+ employees, 6+ trucks, a commercial property, a yard full of equipment, and a list of responsibilities longer than a church prayer list at Christmas.
Many of these podcasters, YouTubers and social media mavericks don’t even have a full-time business…so they can’t tell you a thing about hiring account managers or estimators or building a benefits package into an hourly rate.
Yep, I’ve been sayin’ – before you follow their advice, ask for their personal financial statement!
🟩 THE RESULT?
The $1–$5M lawn and landscape company is getting squeezed.
Hard.
You’re expected to:
- Look polished like the conglomerates…
- Stay scrappy like the solo-operator influencers…
- Operate with systems…
- Market like a media company…
- Hire like a recruiter…
- Train like a corporate university…
- Carry more and more insurance…
- And still run profitable routes every day.
Brother… sister… That’s a tall order.
And here’s the truth many of y’all haven’t said out loud yet:
You feel the pressure.
You feel the isolation.
You feel the squeeze.
You’re too big to be small, too small to be big.
But you are not alone. Stick with me…I’ll show you.
🟩 THE GOOD NEWS: YOU STILL CONTROL THE MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLE
Let me lean in and say this slowly:
You control how your company looks.
You control how your company operates.
You control the efficiency of your fleet—your profit center.
Not the magazines.
Not the podcasters.
Not the conglomerates.
Not even Fedzilla.
YOU.
You already buy the right tools—zero-turns, stand-ons, mini-skids, compact excavators. Those machines are productivity powerhouses. You bought them because you’re smart… because you understand that the right tools multiply output without multiplying payroll.
But let me ask you…
Where do those tools live?
How fast can your crew get them in and out?
How many minutes slip away each morning?
How often does a job slow down because an important tool is buried, broken, or forgotten?
How long does it take to find a parking place for that long truck and trailer?
This is where the middle-tier owner silently loses money. You feel the pressure from above and below—but the leak is happening inside your own fleet or daily routines.
Buddy Bass used to say:
“When tools are a mess, profits regress.”
And Lord, was he right.
I’ve seen a misplaced loping sheer cost a company 6 man hours on a Monday, and the same damn problem happens again on Thursday. Bam – another 6 hours. The $50 forgotten tool cost $300 in lost production hours. It happens over and over…
Heck…the 10 minute fuel stop with a 3-man crew stopping 3 times a week ends up destroying $2500 in lost income every year. Supplies are like tools. They gotta be organized!
🟩 THE FLEET IS YOUR FOUNDATION
Your trucks are not just transportation.
They are mobile command centers.
They are brand billboards.
They are profit machines.
They should be your most organized warehouse on wheels you’ve ever created.
Or… they’re a rolling dumpster fire of inefficiency. Face this one fact. Trailers are a drag on productivity. They create endless maintenance issues. And then you gotta hope the new guy can really handle the obstacle course called “Route 6” dragging a trailer… without taking out another mailbox or much, much worse.
I’ve seen both.
When your fleet is organized, tool storage systemized, efficient, and safe:
- Crews work faster
- Mistakes decrease
- Callbacks disappear
- Morale improves
- Customers trust you more
- You separate yourself from the pack
And that’s the secret.
That’s the opportunity.
That’s the counterpunch to the squeeze.
You become unique.
You become unmistakable.
You are efficient and your customers know it.
You become the company people remember—and trust.
A well-positioned, well-organized fleet is the great equalizer.
It’s how a family business outshines a conglomerate squeezing you from the top.
It’s how a real, well-established player outplays those pesky social influencers coming up..
It’s how you reclaim control of your future — Systems will become your friend.
🟩 YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THE MAJORITY
Look around your market.
Most trucks in this industry are chaotic.
Most trailers are messy.
Most companies waste time.
The crew is stuck at the gas station again…picking up smokes, grabbing a cup of coffee, taking a crap in the john…tick-tock-tick-tock. Minute by minute…time’s a wastin’.
You know it.
I know it.
Everybody sees it.
But you?
You can choose a different path. It’s the path to follow for growth, control and wealth.
You can choose efficiency.
You can choose safety.
You can choose professionalism.
You can choose speed.
You can choose profit.
You can choose to be the company that looks like a $15 million business long before you ever hit it. Well organized trucks = well organized crews = exceptionally profitable companies.
🟩 A FINAL WORD, FROM ONE BUSINESS OWNER TO ANOTHER
I’ve been in your shoes.
I’ve sat in the truck at 6 AM wondering how I’d make payroll.
I’ve prayed for rain, cursed the rain, and begged for a break when the temp hits 100.
I’ve felt the pressure of competition, the loneliness of leadership, the exhaustion of growth, and the quiet fear that comes right before a breakthrough.
And brother, sister…
You are not forgotten.
You are not invisible.
You are not alone.
This industry needs you.
Your employees need you.
Your family needs you.
America needs you—because you are the ones the magazines (largely) ignore today and the podcasters can’t represent.
You are the backbone of the green industry.
So lift your head.
Tighten your grip.
Get your tools organized.
And choose efficiency as your path forward.
Now… before you go out there and try to reinvent the wheel like most fellas do, let me save you a few years of frustration and a whole lot of money.
Because efficiency—real, battle-tested, systemized efficiency—is not something you should have to figure out alone.
🟩 SUPER LAWN TRUCKS: THE “DONE-FOR-YOU” FLEET SYSTEM BUILT FOR SERIOUS LANDSCAPERS
You know the old saying:
“If the truck ain’t right, the day ain’t bright.” (Feel free to use this with your crew).
Well, at Super Lawn Trucks, we’ve spent decades perfecting the solution so your days get brighter, faster, and more profitable—without you lifting anything heavier than a pen.
While most folks try to patch together trucks, trailers, boxes, racks, and tool bins from whoever has the lowest price on Tuesday…YOU don’t have to.
Not anymore.
Because SLT has done the hard part.
We engineered the systems.
We tested every storage layout.
We broke ramps so you don’t.
We perfected fueling systems so you never spill, slip, or wait.
We designed load paths that reduce injuries and speed up production.
We created the organized, professional, money-making truck system you’ve always needed
And now?
It’s delivered to your door. All decked out and ready to load.
🟩 HERE’S ALL WE NEED FROM YOU:
Check off the tools you carry.
That’s it.
We’ll design your truck.
We’ll configure your storage.
We’ll engineer your ramp system.
We’ll integrate onboard fueling.
We’ll outfit your crew for speed and safety.
We’ll help secure financing.
We’ll even help with your marketing message—because when your truck looks professional, your company looks irresistible.
You focus on running your lawn or landscape business.
We’ll focus on building the truck that supports your success.
🟩 AN 11-ACRE OPERATION BUILT FOR ONE PURPOSE: YOUR SUCCESS
We’re not dabbling in trucks.Our family lives lawn and landscape trucks every single day!
We’re not experimenting. That happened over a quarter of a century ago so YOU don’t have to.
We’re not guessing…
That’s why we can offer the ONLY 5-Year Buy-Back Guarantee available in the commercial work truck industry. That’s right! We added that powerful written promise for our clients back in 2011…and every single buyer knows that if they decide our trucks aren’t right for them…or if they lose a contract…or if they retire…you can count on Super Lawn Trucks to buy your truck back!
We’ve been focused on building commercial-duty work trucks for lawn and landscape contractors headed toward a bigger and brighter future since 1998. Every single day we’re working to get better – faster – more creative – to help you succeed.
We operate out of a rural area where our overhead costs are far lower than most of the country. We have over 11 acres of commercial property. We’ve dedicated nearly two acres under roof—fully staffed, fully tooled, fully engineered—for one purpose and one purpose only:
Helping lawn and landscape pros succeed through efficiency.
No fluff.
No distractions.
No excuses.
Just proven systems, delivered turnkey, ready to work the moment they hit your yard.
🟩 THE PERFECT BALANCE: NO WASTED MONEY — NOTHING LEFT OFF
When you choose an SLT, you leverage:
- Our fleet purchasing power
- Our decades of workflow design
- Our industry-leading safety engineering
- Our deep understanding of what landscapers REALLY need
We build every truck around your tools, your workflow, your team, and your goals.
No wasted money.
No missing features.
No productivity killers.
We want to become one of your most trusted suppliers—the partner who helps you win more bids, complete more work, and deliver more profit with the same number of people.
🟩 A LITTLE SOUTHERN TRUTH TO CLOSE THIS OUT
Let me put this in a rhyme you can carry with you:
Stand tall, stand proud, let your fleet draw a crowd.
Success rolls in fast when your systems are built to last.
And brother… sister…
A Super Lawn Truck system is built to last longer than the pick-up trucks and trailers!.
🟩 YOUR CALL TO ACTION
Before another season slips away… before another dollar drifts out the window… before another crew spends another minute hunting for tools instead of producing billable work…
👉 Browse inventory. Www.usedsuperlawntrucks.com/buy
👉 Schedule your build with a small deposit. https://superlawntrucks.com/truckdeposit/
👉 Or have us custom-design your truck from the ground up. Call 866.923.0027
You don’t need to follow the crowd.
You were born to lead it.
And your fleet should show it.
When you’re ready, SLT will be here—welders in hand, rugged truck bodies, ramps ready, fuel systems primed, and engineering dialed in—to build the most productive truck your company has ever owned.
Just say the word. We are ready.
One last poetic moment here together:
Because when tools are a mess, profits regress.
When tools are in order and your plan is growth,
Success speeds your way—you can count on ’em both.
And that, my friend, is how you stay strong in a world pulling from both sides.
Tony Bass, founder
www.superlawntrucks.com
866-923-0027
PS – Please hit me back with your thoughts. Do you feel like you are being squeezed from the top and the bottom of industry? Are the roll-ups and venture capital guys attacking you on your biggest accounts? Are the start-ups nipping away at other buyers? Do you agree with my essay on industry trends? Or…do you think Tony Bass is missing something with this story? Either way – share your feedback. Tony@SuperLawnTechnologies.com I’d really like to hear from you.
