In this episode of the Kid Contractor Podcast, Brittany Auman sits down with Trey Chilcoat of From the Ground Up to explore the journey of starting a landscape design-build business during one of the most unpredictable times in recent history — the pandemic year of 2020.

Trey shares how he transitioned from working in commercial construction to taking a leap of faith and launching his own landscaping company full-time. From purchasing the company name in high school to managing large-scale apartment builds, Trey’s path wasn't linear, but it was deeply instructive.

He talks about the first-year challenges of equipment failures, financial sacrifice, and having to do any kind of work that came his way — from fences to grading — just to keep things moving. He also explains the shift from hiring friends to building a reliable crew of dedicated professionals.

A major theme of the episode is smart investment in equipment. Trey discusses the importance of mechanization, even at an early s...

 I'm always eager to learn from the top professionals in our industry. In our latest episode, I had the chance to dive into my notes and share some invaluable insights and advice that I've gathered over the years. This episode was a bit different - instead of interviewing a guest, I took the opportunity to reflect on the wealth of knowledge I've accumulated from past podcast guests, industry events, and my own entrepreneurial journey. I wanted to distill some of the key lessons and actionable tips that have really resonated with me and shaped the way I approach running my own landscaping business. One of the big themes that emerged was the importance of financial discipline and understanding your numbers. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and lose sight of the financial realities of your business. As one guest pointed out, every dollar you pay in cash labor is coming directly out of your profits. You have to be vigilant about tracking expenses, invoicing properly, ...