In this episode, Keith opens up about the rollercoaster ride of building and running his own landscaping business. You’ll hear about why he now schedules all his landscaping quotes for Mondays. It's part of a strategy to bring more sanity into his hectic schedule and ensure that he’s not just drowning in work but enjoying life.

Keith dives into those early days of hardcore hustle when he was grinding seven days a week to keep things afloat. Whether you’re in the landscaping business or any other venture, you probably know the strain it can put on your personal life — missing dinners with family and events with friends. That's where his newfound love for batching tasks comes in. By tackling quotes all in one day, he's improved efficiency and reclaimed some downtime.

He also doesn’t shy away from the challenges—like managing employees, dealing with unexpected problems, and the nerve-wracking task of raising prices. These are real-talk moments that many small business owners face, and Keith shares his journey with humor and honesty.

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or starting, Keith’s stories about figuring out how to make better money in less time and dealing with the daily chaos of running a business will resonate. He wraps it all up with a reminder to be grateful, stay committed, and always keep pushing forward. So, grab your headphones, get comfy, and enjoy this episode full of real-life insights and inspiration!

 

 

Check out these episode highlights:

00:00 - Adopting Batching for Efficiency and Balance

03:24 - Monday Quote-Only System Success

06:28 - "Struggles in Legalizing Small Businesses"

13:14 - "Seeking Rock Star Employees"

14:55 - Launching New Crew: Monday Rollout Plan

20:55 - Newlywed Arguments and Hurt Feelings

24:41- Prioritize Selfishness for Business Success

28:05 - Weekend Motivation and Mike Andes Recognition

  

Key Takeaways: 

Efficient Batching: Discover how dedicating a single day to client quotes can enhance your time management, allowing for deeper focus and increased productivity throughout the week.

Work-Life Balance: Transitioning quotes to a fixed schedule has helped reclaim personal time without sacrificing business success, marking a significant shift towards a healthier work-life balance.

Growth through Challenges: Hear stories on navigating the complexities of scaling a business, from handling employee challenges to making tough pricing decisions while maintaining a committed and grateful mindset.

 

Resources and Websites: 

Unstrapped Alliance -  https://www.keithkalfas.com/alliance

🙋♂️Get My Free Landscaping Business Startup Video Series Here👇

Here https://www.keithkalfas.com/Landscaping-Series

Landscaping Course https://keith-kalfas.mykajabi.com/store/8bFERMcs

LANDSCAPING BUSINESS

How to Guide: https://www.keithkalfas.com/16

Get Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs

Easy Budgeting Blueprint: keithkalfas.com/budget

Smartphone Video Creation Guide: Keithkalfas.com/smartphone

Identifying Your Superpower: Keithkalfas.com/superpower

Become An influencer And Monetize Your Expertise: https://www.keithkalfas.com/influence

Multiple Ways to Monetize: https://www.keithkalfas.com/multipleways

LevelUp Your  Landscaping Business to $100K and beyond: https://www.keithkalfas.com/LEVELUP

 

Transcript

(Note: this was transcribed using transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

 

Keith Kalfas [00:00:07]:

We're live. What's up? This is Keith Kalfus with the Unstrapped podcast. Hope you guys are doing awesome. In this video, I wanna talk about why I'm only doing landscaping quotes on Mondays now in my business. And I hope you're doing well. I hope you're enjoying your week. This is that time of year where you're over the hump, over the hundred days of hell, they call it, from the break of the spring in, like, April 1 all the way to July 4 where you're running nonstop to just book out as many clients as you can and get the business to a just a good positive cash flow. If you notice that in the first few months of the season in your business, you're not really clearing much of a profit because if your business is anything like mine, you've got year-end taxes, then first quarter taxes, all your insurance policies are renewing.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:00:58]:

And the next thing you know, you have a ton of expense. Then coming into, like, late June and then in July, that's when you break into the profit. And then just that you gotta hustle. It's like getting a plane off the ground. But, nonetheless, I was always doing quotes on Saturdays and Saturdays only, working six, seven days a week in my landscape business, seven days a week for sure, the first three years just to get the business off the ground, then five years always constantly working. And I know you guys know what that's like. You're hustling. And let me know if you can hear me clear.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:01:28]:

I got this new studio environment set up. I'm testing some stuff. So I apologize if the sound is a little bit off, but I'll be fixing it as time goes. But I was out late at night and in the evenings doing quotes every single day after work, destroying my personal life, destroying my family life, basically never being at the dinner table with my wife and, missing family events, and things like that. So I said, it is impossible to only do quotes once a week. How is this gonna work? Then I started learning about batching and listening to audiobooks about getting things done and being efficient and time management. And I learned that if you let things pile up and then batch them into one or two days a week, then you get on a specific train of thought or cord a cord, and then you can bang stuff out with a lot of proficiency and efficiency. I started doing that with Saturday quotes.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:02:14]:

I said there's no way customers are gonna wait all the way till Saturday. It worked. It actually worked. And so I'd run the business all week, and then I go out on myself, or there might be some guys finishing something up. But I usually I'd be out by myself on Saturday doing quotes. What's up, guys? I see all your comments coming in here. And I would go bang out, you know, anywhere from 10 to 15 quotes on a Saturday, sell a bunch of work, and book us out. Well, after a few years of doing this and being totally burned out and not even experiencing what it's like to have a weekend to myself, I wasn't complaining because I was happy, and I'm still happy and super grateful just like you guys are to have your own business.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:02:52]:

I mean, be your own boss, make your own hours, and you can make as much money as you want in your own service business as much as you're willing to take on. Right? But it started to take its toll to the point where I was like, the saying, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. It's very true, and I got really frustrated. And my friend, William, the tree service guy, you see him in my videos, a guy with the big beard. He's a maniac with the chainsaw. He was talking about how he only does quotes on Mondays. I'm like, how do you do that? That's impossible. What do you mean? Mondays.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:03:24]:

He's like, well, we work four days a week hard, but then on Mondays I do quotes. So I'm like, well, I can have the guys go out and work Mondays without me, and then I'll sell and run the business all week. But Mondays specifically, I'll do quotes. I was afraid to do it. And then I started doing it, and I exclusively only do quotes on Mondays now, and it actually works. Let me know in the comments below, when do you do quotes? Do you do them after work? Do you do them on the weekends? Do you pick a specific time? Do you do them all virtually on Google Earth? Do you have a system of square footage? I sell landscaping projects, installs and ripouts and maintenance projects. So for the most part, I have to see what's going on. I have to lift things up and look underneath and find out.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:04:10]:

Right? I gotta be there. And, you know, when you're not there, it doesn't work. So it's been great, and nothing has changed. And now we're booked out for two months, and I can't take on any more work. So I went back, and now I'm working Mondays too, because we were so booked out and it's interesting. But nonetheless, I really wanted to test out this new studio environment. I've been working on this for a long time, kind of getting this all set up here. And I hope you're enjoying your Saturday.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:04:40]:

Let me get to some of the comments here. What's up? Launch Gates of America. Can you guys hear me clear? Give me a thumbs up. Tap the like button if you can hear me clear. Everything's looking good on my end. Let me check out my phone here. What's up, Taylor man? Zib boss. I just noticed I can look on my phone here at the comments.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:05:01]:

Yeah, dog. Alright. Sweet, sweet. But all this I'm saying not to be confused if you are new in your business or just getting started. Man, I suggest working seven days a week if you can to get as much momentum going in the business as you can. Keep throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks. Your attrition rate is normal, which means things are gonna fall off. You gotta keep throwing mud at that wall nonstop, nonstop until some good stuff starts sticking, which are good clients who don't complain about the price.

 

Keith Kalfas [00:05:31]:

They like you. They appreciate you. Are they willing to pay what you need to make? They support your business. 80% of the clients don't even care. It's just a transaction to them. But 20 of them, you gotta dig through that 80% to get to the 20% of clients that'll actually kinda make sense for the level you're at in your bus

Id. d’épisode : 1000689734507

GUID : ebba035f-74aa-4394-bdf2-fa2e1b071d30

Date de publication : 6/2/2025 à 20:56:00