Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast #956

Episode Title: Our Big Decision That Changed Our Mulch Install Strategy Overnight
Host: Brian Fullerton
Date: April 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brian Fullerton dives deep into a pivotal change in his landscaping business’s mulch installation strategy—“subbing out” mulch to a specialized partner, Superior Ground Cover, to dramatically increase efficiency and profitability. He explores the thought process, math, practical benefits, and the cultural impact on his team. The episode is aimed at landscaping and lawn care professionals considering how to handle growth bottlenecks, seasonal labor, and staying competitive in mulch installation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Mulch Bottleneck Problem

• Spring Rush Pressure: Spring cleanup and mulch installs create a bottleneck every year, leading to stressful weeks with overworked teams.
• Scaling Issues: As the mulch workload grew from 10 to over 300 yards per season, the old model—dump trailers, wheelbarrows, and manual labor—became unsustainable.
  • Quote: “You start looking at things of production—you’re like, dude, this work has to get done.” (11:20)
• Labor Challenges: Large jobs require multiple dump trailer runs and workhours, leading to exhaustion and team burnout.
  • Quote: “If you do a great job, everybody’s dead the next day because you just moved 40 freaking yards of mulch.” (12:50)

2. The Evolution of Mulch Install Strategy

• Confronting Capacity: Increasingly complex scheduling forced Brian to reflect on business priorities—do everything yourself, or focus on profitability by leveraging partnerships?
• Past Approach: Buying equipment (Bobcat L28) helped reduce time but didn’t solve the underlying bottleneck.
  • Quote: “What used to take us two, three weeks or weekends... we chomped that down to two weeks, or even a week.” (21:22)
• The Pain of Growth: Seasonal spikes in labor needs and off-season underutilization (e.g., landscape crew work drying up after July) forced a reevaluation of division-of-labor and company direction.
  • “Now you’ve got this two or three man landscape team... sitting around in the dog days of summer… hard to sell work… your business is a clusterfuck.” (15:23)

3. The Breakthrough—Partnering with Superior Ground Cover

• How the Connection Happened: Evan from Superior reached out, pitching their bark-blowing service, which sparked a quick decision.
  • Quote: “Sometimes you get green lights. Sometimes you find people that are actually ready to buy… I don’t take long to decide. That’s a good move.” (24:13)
• Buying Criteria: Price per yard installed was 20–25% cheaper than self-performing, while maintaining 20% profit margins.
  • “He was able to get my price down per yard installed about 20 to 25% cheaper than what I could already install it at, and I’m making 20 on that number. So let’s go.” (29:08)
• Implementation:
  • Provided route list to Evan.
  • Prepared beds in advance.
  • Coordinated by sending screenshots, site maps, and instructions for each job.

4. Results of Subbing Out Mulch Installs

• Enormous Increase in Efficiency:
  • 150–160 yards installed in a single day.
  • Labor and time savings: what would’ve taken a week was done in hours.
    • Quote: “All the mulch is installed. Our first big round… is all installed in one freaking day. They did 150 yards in a day. That would likely take us all week.” (31:08)
  • Example: a 35-yard job done in just over an hour by Superior’s team.
    • “That job didn’t even take their team a little over an hour… how crazy is that!” (33:13)
• Improvements in Quality and Consistency:
  • Sourcing from one supplier led to more consistent and appealing finished product.
  • Less wear and tear on the team and more positive team culture.
    • “All of my guys are very, very excited to not have to do 150 to 200 yards of mulch while stressing out about cleanups and mowing.” (32:11)
• Profitability and Ethics:
  • Brian chose to pass on the cost-savings to existing clients by reducing their mulch pricing, building loyalty and goodwill.
    • “All my clients that have mulch previously part of their core annual contract—we adjusted all their mulch prices down by about 20 to 25%… call it good faith, goodwill, good gesture, good ethics, good karma, good sewing.” (30:45)

5. Lessons on Business Model Flexibility

• Evaluate “Pride vs. Profit”:
  • Brian challenges the notion of self-performing everything, hinting that scalable profit can come from subbing work out.
    • “Is the goal to have a landscape division or to just make the 20–25% on the work you’re doing? …I guess make the money, right?” (22:19)
• Continual Re-Evaluation:
  • Encourages listeners not to get stuck in one approach.
    • “Why do we do what we do? …It’s all subject to change.” (34:21)
  • His company will still do smaller mulch jobs; the new model is about strategic use of resources and time.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You might go figure, right? Learn something along the way. I know I am and I have lately, and it could be super transformative for your business.” (03:26)
• “If the goal is to make the money, do you have any pride or ego on if you self perform or not? Well, no, not really… I’m here to sell revenue and sell profit.” (22:40)
• “Stress last year up to my nose… today, the stress down to my ankles.” (32:44)
• “I just think this is a fun conversation. I think this was a simple conversation. I think this was a no brainer conversation… I like it when a plan comes together.” (35:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:17–04:00 | Introduction and Episode Setup: Brian teasers his transformative mulch install strategy and overview of recent business challenges.
• 09:09–17:00 | Mulch Install Bottleneck—Pain Points & Scaling Problems: The old way of mulching and its physical/logistical strain explained in detail.
• 21:20–23:00 | Pivoting and Re-Evaluating with Industry Peers: Coaching insights and why profitability, not ego, should drive decisions.
• 24:00–30:00 | The Decision to Sub Out & Execution: Meeting Evan from Superior, the decision-making process, and how the switch was implemented.
• 31:08–33:15 | Results—Efficiency, Team Culture, Profitability: Quantitative and qualitative benefits of the new approach.
• 34:20–36:00 | Adapting the Business Model, Future Opportunities: Staying flexible, doing what works, and putting pride aside for profits.

Tone, Style, and Takeaways

Brian speaks in his signature direct, no-nonsense, high-energy style, mixing humor, real-world anecdotes, and practical business advice. The tone is conversational and “unfiltered,” making the episode engaging and relatable for business owners of all sizes.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t let pride or tradition get in the way of more profitable, scalable business models.
• Subbing out high-volume, low-margin services can be a win-win for profitability, consistency, and team morale.
• Evaluate every aspect of your business—be willing to pivot and build strong partner relationships.
• Passing cost savings on to clients builds loyalty and long-term goodwill.
• Use technology (mapping, digital communication) to simplify complex logistics and facilitate partnerships.

This summary covers all content-rich sections of the episode, skipping ads and housekeeping, and provides a useful recap—complete with speaker-attributed quotes and timestamps—for both current listeners and newcomers.