Bill and Carole Ticer built B&C Landscaping in McKinney, Texas from the ground up. Bill started in 2001 with a mower and a pickup truck, and for nearly two decades they ran a tight, intentional operation under 1.2 million dollars in revenue. They were raising their kids, caring for aging parents, and choosing family over growth on purpose. In 2021, everything shifted.

In this episode, host Ron McCabe sits down with Bill and Carole to talk about what actually changed and what it cost them to change it. They get into the Nashville conference that lit the fire, joining Mark Bradley's Landscaper program, building out SOPs with AI, going from 15 commercial properties to 150, losing 12 long-tenured employees in a cultural reset, bringing their daughter Kimberly in to run marketing, and walking away from a 23-year client worth half a million dollars a year.

This is one of the most honest conversations on the show about what it looks like to grow a landscaping business the right way, not the fast way.

[0:00] Bill and Carol Ticer of B&C Landscaping

[2:13] Bill started in 1984 at Chem Lawn

[4:49] Why they stayed under 1.2M for years

[6:28] Nashville event changes their outlook

[13:37] Joining Landscaper with Mark Bradley

[17:06] Losing 12 employees in a culture reset

[25:11] AI-powered huddles and SOP systems

[41:02] Daughter Kimberly leads marketing growth

COMPANIES MENTIONED

B&C Landscaping, McKinney, Texas

Everbearing Services

Chem Lawn

Weather Matic

Landscaper (founded by Mark Bradley)

Harvest Group (Ed Laflamme)

Fox (Bill Bennett)

Disruptors (Justin White)

ChatGPT

WEBSITES MENTIONED

Landscape Business Growth Lab: landscapebusinessgrowth.com

Everbearing Services: mentioned as the host company

GUEST INFORMATION

Bill Ticer

Co-owner and operator of B&C Landscaping in McKinney, Texas. Bill began his career in the green industry in 1984 with Chem Lawn, spent roughly 12 years in the automotive industry, and returned to landscaping in 2001. He built the company from a single mower in the back of a pickup to a multi-million dollar operation serving residential and commercial clients across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Carol Ticer

Co-owner of B&C Landscaping. Carol came from a corporate IT background and joined the business full-time in 2011. She brought a process-driven mindset to a company that had operated largely on informal systems, and she has led the operational and cultural changes including the introduction of SOPs, crew huddles, and accountability standards the business runs on today.

The first $50,000 is the hardest! Mike Rhine grows the TurfGuy from zero to $250,000.

Learn about Mike Rhine's journey building The TurfGuy from scratch in 2019. Six years in, Mike is positioned to grow to $400–500K in 2026. This is after starting with a nearly paid-off Camaro and no clients in 2019. The first $50K–60K was the hardest part. Once he figured out his process and marketing, the business accelerated to $250K.

This episode is for the landscaper just starting out. Mike talks about how he got going, what steps he took to increase his growth, and how he achieved over 40% revenue growth last year. He also gives direction on where to focus and what to avoid when you're starting out. Mike breaks down real overhead numbers, how he priced his way out of undercharging, why he had to let go of the field work, and how he thinks about business risk through the lens of poker.

TIMESTAMPS

00:01:44 – Mike Rhine intro and background

00:02:27 – Golf course roots and turf school

00:08:00 – Launching the business during COVID

00:11:33 – Danielle's role from day one

00:16:23 – Pricing and real overhead breakdown

00:24:39 – Early marketing: Nextdoor, newspaper, Facebook

00:38:28 – Choosing LMN over WorkWave

00:46:21 – Poker parallels to running a business

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mike Rhine is the owner of The TurfGuy in Kokomo, Indiana. He spent a decade as a golf course superintendent before starting his landscaping company at the beginning of COVID. In five years he grew the business to $250K in revenue and is targeting $400–500K in his sixth season.

Website: https://www.the-turfguy.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Price your jobs to cover real overhead, not just your labor rate.

Start with landscape maintenance tasks like bush trimming before buying heavy equipment.

Use low-cost marketing like Nextdoor and local newspapers when starting out.

Invest in scalable software early so it grows with the business.

Focus on process. The results follow when the process is solid.

Know when to walk away from a risky job or client.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

landscapebusinessgrowthlab.com

https://nextdoor.com

https://golmn.com

Ron McCabe sits down with Todd Blossom, owner of Blossom in Portland, Oregon, to talk about how a values driven landscape company takes shape over time. Ron walks through Todd's early years in the field, what pulled him toward permaculture, and how caring for land, people, and city infrastructure came together in one business. Todd talks about right livelihood, what it means to build a company that matches his life, and how he keeps work grounded in observation instead of trends.

Ron also talks with Todd about the stormwater retrofit work he led with the City of Portland, his move into electric maintenance equipment, and how native plants and lawn conversions support birds, soil, and long term garden health. Todd shares how contracts with the city helped him ride out market swings, why his team now leans on clear systems and SOPs, and what it takes to grow at a steady pace without losing the heart of the company.

Chapters:

• 00:07 - Learning Through Mistakes in Permaculture
• 03:38 - The Journey of Growth and Self-Discovery in Landscaping
• 12:20 - Embracing Permaculture Philosophy
• 15:08 - The Role of Stormwater Management in Urban Planning
• 24:14 - Transitioning to Electric Equipment in Landscaping
• 29:01 - The Importance of Team Dynamics in Business Growth
• 38:17 - Navigating Business Growth: The Conductor's Role
• 44:09 - The Importance of Nature in Our Lives
• 46:07 - Building an Ecological Mindset

• Blossom (Blossom PDX)
• City of Portland
• Greenworks (equipment partner)
• Bird Alliance (Backyard Habitat Certification Program)

• Blossom PDX: https://www.blossompdx.com
• Landscape Business Growth Lab: https://landscapebusinessgrowthlab.com
• Overbearing Services: https://overbearingservices.com
• Bird Alliance Backyard Habitat Program: https://birdallianceoregon.org/backyard-habitat-certification-program

Todd Blossom owns and leads Blossom, a Portland based company that focuses on ecologically sound residential and commercial landscapes. His work blends permaculture thinking, stormwater management, native plants, and electric maintenance services. Todd brings decades in the green industry and a strong focus on right livelihood, team culture, and projects that support both people and local environments.