
The LeanScaper Podcast The 5 Stages of Scaling Your Landscaping Business w/ Mark Bradley
Oct 28, 2025
01:13:57
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In this episode of the LeanScaper Podcast, Benji Carlson sits down with Mark Bradley to break down the five stages of scaling a landscaping business—from startup hustle to legacy enterprise. Mark shares raw stories, painful lessons, and powerful frameworks that every entrepreneur needs to hear.
Whether you’re stuck at $500K, fighting to get past $3M, or steering a $20M company, this roadmap will help you scale with clarity, systems, and sanity.
Timestamps:
- 00:45 – Why scaling is harder than people think
- 02:00 – Entrepreneurship = personal development
- 04:03 – The fear of not knowing what’s next
- 08:10 – The Starter Zone ($0–500K): hustle & accidental profit
- 12:36 – Mark’s story: hiring at Home Depot & early struggle
- 22:23 – The Grow Zone ($500K–$3M): the hardest stage
- 30:21 – When your business feels like a plane going down
- 38:56 – Scaling ($3M–$10M): grit stops working
- 46:10 – Hire your mentors & specialists
- 56:54 – Dreamer vs. visionary: the CEO shift
- 1:02:53 – Enterprise & legacy: culture, coaching, and succession
- 1:12:31 – Final advice to Mark’s younger self
