#581- Cornell Mack's Win in Life details...

Summary

Podcast Summary: LCR Media Podcast #581

Guest: Cornell Mack

Host: Naylor Taliaferro

Topic: Cornell Mack's “Win in Life” Story & the Evolution of Industry Meetups

Date: July 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Cornell Mack’s journey in the lawn care industry, focusing on how events and community meetups—particularly the “Win in Life” meetup—have shaped his business and personal growth. The host, Naylor Taliaferro, explores the importance of networking, mentorship, and fostering meaningful connections for small and large business owners alike. The conversation is rich with stories about the evolution of industry gatherings, practical advice for newcomers, and actionable insights about pursuing fulfillment in life and business.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Industry Conferences and Innovation

• Cornell’s Perspective on the Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference

  • Cornell highlights attending the conference even as a smaller operation:

    “I have one employee and I don't have a desire to have 30 employees. …But I still believe that we should be doing things like how these big companies are doing...If I can learn some of that, it doesn't mean I gotta take everything and put it into my business. But if I can be in the room to learn some of the nuance behind how people got to where they are, then I want to do that.” —Cornell [01:39]

  • Exposure to new tech, autonomy, and scalable practices shapes how even small businesses can adapt and avoid being “swallowed up” by bigger players.

• Naylor’s Take on Technology and Networking

  • Emphasizes the irreplaceable opportunity to connect with industry top performers, follow innovation, and future-proof one's business [00:41-01:22].

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2. The Shift from YouTube Rally to “Win in Life” Meetup

• Background and Passing the Torch

  • Naylor announces the YouTube Rally is retired after a 10-year run; “Win in Life” on Wednesday is the new must-attend event.

    “Wednesday nights, the new Thursday night. So take it over, Cornell. Tell us all about it.” —Naylor [04:55]

• Cornell’s Origin Story & Inspiration

  • Details how his first exposure to the industry (Equip Expo 2021) changed his mindset from “grass cutter” to true business owner:

    “When I went down in 2021...I was like, I'm not a grass cutter anymore. I own a landscaping company. And I stopped telling people I cut grass. I say, I have a landscaping company.” —Cornell [06:06]

• Evolution of Meetups: From Local to Industry-Wide

  • Starting small in Pittsburgh, events grew organically—first 25, then 40, then 60+—eventually inspiring larger meetups at national conferences [13:25–15:35].
  • “Win in Life” was born from the craving for ongoing community support and the desire for homegrown industry gatherings beyond national expos.

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3. What Makes “Win in Life” Unique?

• Creating a Welcoming, Interactive Atmosphere

  • Sports and competitions (like bowling alley meetups) break the ice and foster connection, making it easy for introverts and newcomers:

    “When you bring competition in, people are high five in. They're talking. No one's kind of by themselves, and if they are, someone will find them. And that's kind of what was happening at the Win in Life meetup that first year.” —Cornell [20:24]

• Explosive Growth and Testimonials

  • The event grew quickly (180 → 224 → 389 attendees in successive years), with meaningful engagement at its core:

    “I got there, like 15 minutes before the thing started and there was like a hundred people in line already. I couldn't believe... I literally. When you don't know what's going to happen, it can make you. It made me emotional when I seen all of those people coming to some event that I created.” —Cornell [18:34]

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4. The Heart of Community: Connection Over Competition

• Business Owners Supporting Each Other

  • Industry “celebrities” are approachable:

    “...all of the people that were on YouTube, y'all was almost like celebrities to me...But they're regular people, right? No one's a celebrity...And when I met these guys, it was like, cool. Everyone was, was, was dope. So I go in there and for the first time...if I asked a question to someone, it was met with an answer...” —Cornell [11:03–11:59]

  • The emphasis is on accessible mentorship, sharing SOPs, and demystifying industry success.

• Reviving Original Meetup “Vibe”

  • Naylor draws a parallel to the good old days:

    “At that pizza place, there was a whole outside, like, patio area...We were literally playing Cornhole, you know, so that's literally the original vibe. And I always wanted to bring that vibe back somehow, but I didn't think about a bowling alley. That was a great decision on your part.” —Naylor [22:40]

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5. Mindset, Fulfillment & Personal Well-Being

• Doing What You Love and Avoiding Burnout

  • Cornell emphasizes the importance of building a life and business aligned with personal joy:

    “I can only do stuff that I like or I'm not doing it. And if you make me do it, you'll see that I don't like doing it...Life is too short to not do the things that you don't want to do.” —Cornell [27:12]

• On Growth, Change, and Anxiety

  • Naylor discusses the difference between fear and anxiety, encouraging listeners to focus on positive outcomes:

    “...you can't have growth without change. And you feel anxious about, well, what does that look like? ...you're thinking about all the negative aspects instead of like, man, what if I find good employees? That's going to change the game. That's what you should be focusing on.” —Naylor [29:14]

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6. How to Join “Win in Life” — Practical Details

• Ticketing & Access

  • Tickets will be released in late August via a tiered system; first offered to Cornell’s “Winning Life” group on Thursdays, then the larger Facebook group, and finally to the public if available.

    “You can follow my eventbrite page and set your notifications to on so that when it does get released...And then the other ways that I mentioned earlier.” —Cornell [33:24]

• Where to Stay Updated

  • Follow Mac Landscaping on YouTube, Instagram, podcast, or the Road to Equip Facebook group for the latest on ticket drops and event news.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Learning from Top Companies:

  “Just because I don't want to have a big lawn care business doesn't mean I don't want to have a big business. Right? And business is universal.” —Cornell [01:39]

• On Community and Collaboration:

  “For the first time, if I asked a question to someone, it was met with an answer. Not with a mean look, not with someone not wanting to tell me something.” —Cornell [11:44]

• On Creating Welcoming Spaces:

  “Sports, when you bring competition in, people are high five in. They're talking. No one's kind of by themselves, and if they are, someone will find them.” —Cornell [20:24]

• On Purpose and Fulfillment:

  “If you do things that you enjoy more than you do things that you don't enjoy, I think your life will be better. And you will be better for everyone else and the world because you're doing what you feel called to do.” —Cornell [28:00]

• On Navigating Anxiety and Change:

  “You can't have growth without change. And you feel anxious about, well, what does that look like? …But what if something happened different happened? What if a good, you know, outcome…” —Naylor [29:14]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Conference and Networking Value: [00:41–03:36]
• Birth of “Win in Life” and Reminiscing on Meetups: [05:01–13:25]
• Local Meetup Growth and First Louisville Gathering: [13:25–18:34]
• Atmosphere and the Secret to a Great Event: [20:21–22:40]
• Lessons from Past Industry Events: [22:40–26:55]
• Mindset and Doing Work You Love: [27:07–29:14]
• Growth, Anxiety, and Taking Risks: [29:14–31:51]
• How to Join “Win in Life” Meetup Logistics: [31:51–34:27]

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Summary Wrap-Up

This episode offers an honest, inspiring look at why community, innovation, and authentic connection are crucial for growth in the lawn care and landscaping industry. Cornell’s story illustrates how anyone—regardless of business size—can find meaning, mentorship, and success through industry events and collective empowerment. If you want to be part of a welcoming, growth-driven community, the Win in Life Meetup is the new centerpiece event, and following Mac Landscaping and the Equip Facebook communities will keep you plugged in.

Transcript

[Naylor]

If you haven't heard, the LCR summit's back this October in Louisville, Kentucky, October 19th and 20th. And for the month of July, use promo code July and get 50% off your single ticket. That's right. It's called First Movers Advantage. Just click the link or go to my bio or lcr summit.com. see you there.

[Mr. Producer]

Here we go.

[Naylor]

Welcome back to the show. Cornell, how's it going?

[Cornell]

Awesome, bro. I can't complain. I got coffee, you know, I got coffee.

[Naylor]

A little less discombobulation, as you're saying, off air yesterday. So this is. This is technically day two at the Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference here again. But we're. This last year was Phoenix. I mean, last year is Vegas. This year is Phoenix or technically Scottsdale, Arizona. We flew in Phoenix, but we're here with Pod Row, representing again. So thank you to the Lawn Landscape Technology Conference for giving us the space. It's really. There's no other place that we can go to get this kind of NETworking with top 100 lawn care companies in the industry and the innovation.

[Mr. Producer]

Right.

[Naylor]

It's a technology conference, so it's all about the future and innovation, how you can grow your business through all that. So I wanted to just touch base on that real quick. What do you have to say about that? And this is your second time coming to this show and being at Pod Row, at the show, what has it meant to you?

[Cornell]

It's been dope, man. To get to talk, I have to always say this. I have one employee and I don't have a desire to have 30 employees. So I got to just preface that off the cuff before we even get started, so people understand where I'm coming from. But I still believe that we should be doing things like how these big companies are doing. We can emulate these things and put them in our own business. And so when I come to stuff like this, it's because I want to touch and talk to the people who have these extraordinary businesses and find out how they got to that. What was the thought process for them to do that? Because just because I don't want to have a big lawn care business doesn't mean I don't want to have a big business. Right? And business is universal. People have principles and SOPs and ways they do things. And if I can learn some of that, it doesn't mean I gotta take everything and put it into my business. But if I can be in the room to learn some of the nuance behind how people got to where they are, then I Want to do that. And so it's been super valuable to me. I got to see things that I've never even seen before. You know, I talked to my man Todd Reinhart with Reinhardt Landscaping. He's one of the tech bros. They were on the magazine. He was showing me all about autonomous mowers and things like that. That opened my eyes up to something new. We go down to Equip Expo and it's cool. I'm a Neanderthal, all right. I ain't calling nobody else that. But I just want to see the shiny, cool things. And when you come here, it's like, you can't be like that. You got to be thinking about the future because that's what these people are doing. And believe it or not, a small people could get swallowed up by these bigger companies because they're bringing new innovation to the game and it's going to change the game as a whole. So I want to be here so that I can learn what's coming, so that I can adjust before it happens or make a pivot and go somewhere else.

[Naylor]

Well said. Well said. So I also wanted to get you on this episode to. It's been a little while, I think, since you've actually been on. On the podcast. I know we just streamed or. No, no, actually we. That's right. We went live, YouTube live, not too long ago, so. But we didn't talk about. I don't even remember what we talked. Oh, we talked about quality life, work life, balance and all that. That was a great episode. If you guys haven't heard there, watch that one. Check that out on my YouTube channel or on this podcast. Go back maybe, I don't know, five, six, seven episodes ago, but this specific episode is all about you. And I want to talk about the Win in Life meetup coming up in Equip and what, how that was created, what that means to you and all the details about it. Because I announced on multiple podcasts now, including your live stream, and then it will come out on your podcast later on, that the YouTube rally has been retired this year, so there will be no YouTube rally on Thursday night. After 10 years, I think we ended on a high note last year with Geek to Free coming back and just having a good old time. And I have been saying that the Win in Life meetup on Wednesday night is the new YouTube rally. And I. I just. I want to pass the torch to you. I believe you are going to help continue the growth of this community in the right direction. Of course, I am too. I'm not going anywhere. But, I mean, as far as community meetup events that week, Wednesday nights, the new Thursday night. So take it over, Cornell. Tell us all about it.

[Cornell]

Well, I mean, it was inspired by you, Naylor. When my first year going to Equip Expo was 2021, and I didn't even know anything about Equip at all. Like, I didn't know there were things that you did after the show was over. I didn't know anything about the show itself.

[Naylor]

How did you even hear about it?

[Cornell]

Just from Equip Expo was YouTube. I just heard about it on YouTube. And then eventually I migrated from YouTube and my second platform was like, Instagram, where I would watch stuff on there, and it would always be, you know, you, Fullerton, Blake Albertson. Blake Albertson is actually the first person I ever heard talk about it. I didn't know what it was. It was Gie Rally or Gie then.

[Naylor]

Yeah.

[Cornell]

And I was like, what the hell is this? You know?

[Naylor]

Right.

[Cornell]

But so he was the first person I heard talk about it. But then over the years, I started in 2016, my business, Middle of summer to end of June after Father's Day, and I had been hearing about it since then. And then I was like, I want to go, I want to go, I want to go. Then 2020, I was gonna go and covet habit. So they canceled it.

[Naylor]

So 2021 was your first year?

[Cornell]

2021 was my first year ever going. And my. My business had progressed from, you know, chucking the truck to a legit company. But I still felt like a grass cutter because I'd never seen that the industry was big. I only had my own bubble that me and Captain Jack was living in. So when I went down in 2021, like, literally equip put it up on their thing. It's like, when I walked through the doors, it was. My mind was blown. I could not believe that the industry was as big. I mean, that inside, before you even get outside to the demo area, the inside is just jam packed and this even bigger than it was then. So I say all that to say, when I went down there, it was like, I'm not a grass cutter anymore. I own a landscaping company. And I stopped telling people I cut grass. I say, I have a landscaping company. Would you like a quote? Like, I changed. It changed everything about how I operated. So I didn't know, though, my first year that there was extracurricular activities besides that. And then someone texted me and was like, hey, you should come to this. Gie rally. And I was like, well, what is that? I don't know. It's a meetup. I'm like, what is a meetup? I didn't know any of this stuff, so I said, all right, cool. Dude sent me a link. I signed up, we went. When I got there, there was a crazy line like, it was at this place called Copper and Kings. I'm saying this for the people I know. If you watch Naylor, you listen to Naylor, you've been known. You probably already know this stuff. But that's besides the point. We got new people too, right?

[Mr. Producer]

Yeah.

[Naylor]

We can't ever say it more than enough. What the problem? Most of the time, we assume that people know what we're talking about and we leave people out, and then they feel left out. So let's just keep. Yeah, so let's just keep. Just keep it rolling. And if you've heard it two, three, four times, are you hearing it again?

[Cornell]

Yeah, we love you, man. We appreciate you being here. But anyway, so I come to the first ever. My first time going to the GIE rally then. And when I got there, there was a line that was already crazy. I seen your truck that had the ramp rack on it. Then Mitchell Gordy's big white truck that I had seen in YouTube videos was there. And I was like, wow, I'm getting to see all this. Cool. Those are the days.

[Naylor]

We were parked next to each other, just chilling right there in the front.

[Cornell]

For sure. Yeah. And. And you and Mitchell were out there giving people T shirts. So I was like, these were the spring. This was the first time that I had ever.

[Naylor]

That was our comeback. That was the COVID That was the year after Covet. And it was bananas. Mitchell's like, what can I do to help? And he. He, like, showed up.

[Mr. Producer]

He.

[Naylor]

He went and checked it out before, like, we. The day early, we talked on your show how all the. The whole. My whole week is consumed by it. But, yeah, I remember Mitchell came with me and he was like, dude, Mega Caverns.

[Mr. Producer]

What?

[Naylor]

I don't know. We remember that place now.

[Cornell]

So that was the first year it

[Naylor]

was ever first at Copper and Kings.

[Cornell]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Naylor]

That's why we had to. Because Covid shut down the Mega caverns and everything else. The whole staff didn't exist anymore. All the emails kept bouncing back and all these things. And I'm like. I kept calling. The phones would ring. No one would answer the phone. I'm like, what in the world? Yeah, otherwise we probably would have been at the Meg Caverns. All this time, because they were growing with us, they kept giving us more rooms. You didn't even experience that. You may.

[Cornell]

I heard about it, but I don't know what it is. I've never seen it before. I don't.

[Naylor]

It was a very interesting way to continue the growth of the YouTube rally to go from the pizza place to the Mega Caverns. Kind of kept it, like, its own unique, organic feel. Right. And then I was really didn't know what to do because of COVID But then. So Copper and Kings is primarily an outdoor space. So I'm like, all right, this is pretty dope. Like, Louisville tourism equip. Like, they helped me give me a list of venues when I thought maybe they were going to do something for Covid. But then they decided not to do anything with COVID But then I'm like, well, maybe these venue. I had no choice because the main Caverns was out. So anyway, that's why we were at Copper and Kings. And that was an amazing venue as well, and had its own unique personality as well. Completely different than the Mega Caverns, but still like, that. That. The vibe, you know, versus being just like, in a conference room or something. That's why these are the things that I try to really think about as we continue to evolve. But, yeah, I remember that you're bringing back all these memories.

[Cornell]

That was.

[Naylor]

That was an epic.

[Cornell]

I remember everything because as soon as I start talking about something. So ADHD allows me to have super vivid memories when something triggers. Triggers the memory.

[Naylor]

Yeah.

[Cornell]

Then I can remember everything. I can remember the smells and how I felt and everything. So that's why, I guess people say you're a good storyteller.

[Naylor]

The line was, like, around the block.

[Cornell]

It was crazy. So as we're walking up. As we're walking up, I see there's, like, 40 people in line. They all got. They're all dressed the same, and it's Chance Daily Hustle. Oh.

[Naylor]

I was like, there's more than 40 people in that line. But you're talking about that specific group. Yeah.

[Cornell]

So there was all these people all together, and they all had on these, like, windbreaker hoodie type things.

[Naylor]

Yeah.

[Cornell]

And they all had these bags. And so I walk up and I said, you're Chaunce Daily Hustle. Like. Cause I was. What I was gonna say before we start talking about the Mega Caverns was, to me, all of the people that were on YouTube, y' all was almost like celebrities to me because I was just starting out. And I believe that when you first start Your business, it starts a new chapter in life. You become like an infant, so to speak. And then the people that you see, who inspired you, like for me, when I was younger, is Michael Jordan. You know, it was Larry Bird, it was Barry Bonds, it was Barry Sanders, it was the athletes. When I. Because that's what I wanted to do. Now when I seen people and I got into the lawn care stuff, I was like, oh, I want to do what Naylor's doing. I want to do what Brian's doing. Like, so you guys were almost like celebrities. So when I got there, I was excited to meet you all, you know, and. But they're regular people, right? No one's a celebrity. I don't care even if they are athletes. Right? Everyone's a regular person. And when I met these guys, it was like, cool. Everyone was, was, was dope. So I go in there and for the first time, Naylor, if I asked a question to someone, it was met with an answer. Not with a. A mean look, not with someone not wanting to tell me something or whatever. It was literally, oh, you wanted to know about this. Here's how I do it. And it happened throughout the whole entire event for, I think it was like three or four hours back then. I'm not sure. So that happened. That night was, like, crazy. I left with so much energy from.

[Naylor]

Was that the same night that you came up to me and said that? The podcast and like, yes, yes. It sound. It felt like I was speaking to you.

[Cornell]

Yep, you was giving it.

[Naylor]

And was that also the same year that you saw me in the Torah booth?

[Cornell]

Yeah, my first year.

[Naylor]

Just all that happened. That's crazy.

[Cornell]

Yeah, yeah. You was the second person that I met from YouTube. First was this dude named Troy. TJ Lorna Lansky.

[Naylor]

Was your wife with you at Copper and Kings?

[Cornell]

It was, yeah. But it was before I had like, now if you see me, you're gonna see me like this. You, if you're watching this, I wear all black, black and red Jordans, black hat. If you.

[Naylor]

With the red logos.

[Cornell]

With the red logos, this is where. Now that's all you'll ever see me in.

[Naylor]

I love that branding. You see me? Yeah, I got the green for sure.

[Cornell]

That's all. That's what you're gonna see me in. But that first year, I had on, like a white flannel shirt and blue jeans and stuff, you know, because I didn't even know. Also the first day the show opened, I had on like a cut off shirt from one of my flag football tournaments. I was just walking around with a cut off shirt. Like.

[Naylor]

Because you thought you were a grass cutting guy.

[Cornell]

Yeah. And that's what I thought I was going to see. And I seen all these. But that's besides the point. We're losing the, the momentum here. So I see, I see all of that. Right. And after that, I went to a retreat for my church and it was like back to back, like, boom. Then I went to this church retreat and it was like fire there. Then right after that, I went to Lal, to Brian's LAL thing. Because once I felt what I felt at Equip Expo, I wanted to keep feeling that. So I went from that to basically a live event for my church and then from that to another live event up in Michigan. And then after that there was nothing. I was just like, oh, it was like a depression set in. Like, I don't get to be around the people who re energize me because they are helping and I'm helping them and it's like, whatever. So I decided I want to have this same thing back in Pittsburgh, where I'm from. And so I have a Facebook group that had at the time like 400 people in it. And I was like, yo, I'm going to do a meetup at such and such location. And to my surprise, 25 people came to that. And that's when the people in my area, I just stood up, did a little toast, hit the glass with the, with the butter knife, and like, yo, just want y' all to know my minimum price is $50. If you have anything lower than that, you should be raising it to that minimum. $50. This is five years, four or five years ago. And so I don't know if what people thought when I did that, but that meetup turned out to be great. The next one I did had like 40 something people. This is in Pittsburgh. The next one I did after that had like 60 people. And that's when I birthed the trailer setup showcase. But it still wasn't winning life. It was just a trailer setup showcase. And then 2022, I was like, yeah, I want to do something. I had like, I don't know, 500 subscribers on YouTube or 400 something on Instagram. And I was like, ah, we should do something. So two days before he quip Expo, the dude, Troy, he just posted something. I mentioned it to him and then he just posted something on, on his story. Again, I didn't know.

[Naylor]

That's just wild.

[Cornell]

Yeah, that is why. Sorry, I didn't know.

[Naylor]

Sorry, guys. That was really distracting. I've never seen that, like that cell

[Cornell]

phone thing wrapped around his head. So it's like this in front of him and he's eating while he. I don't know what the hell he's doing. Anyway, so. So Troy put something up on, on the thing. We were going to go to Guy Fieri Smokehouse and we went there and 25 people came to that. And Blake Albertson and Keith Kalfitz both came. So I was like, oh, it was dope. Troy ended up giving away a thousand dollars. We did a little raffle and that was the beginning of it. But it was just a meetup. Then it was 4th Street Live meetup, I think is what we called it. And after that I went back to Pittsburgh and I had already been growing my meetups in Pittsburgh. And then that one happened. I was like, I want to do an official. Something official. Now you have the third. You had Thursday. Mitchell Gordy had Tuesday and there was nothing really on Wednesday. So Troy was like, you know, we should do the thing on Wednesday. But I was like, I kind of already had my own idea.

[Naylor]

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[Mr. Producer]

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[Cornell]

doing meetups, so I had already had this whole thing planned in my head and to move forward going into Wednesday. So I created Winning Life, came up with the logo and all of that and announced it in like July that we were going to do something. And it started out a little bit slow, but by the time we got to equip expo, 180 tickets were claimed. So you still don't know though. You know there's going to be a. They might have just claimed them and they ain't even coming to equip at all. Right. So I didn't know what was going on. I don't put it out that early now. You know, it's not going to go out to like September or something because we don't want that to happen. But 180 people there. I got there a little bit late because it was my first time ever really running a, an event where we had prizes, I had games, I had an agenda, we had a sponsor, a couple sponsors, and it was my first time doing that. So I got there a little bit. I got there like 15 minutes before the thing started and there was like a hundred people in line already. And I was like, what is going on? I couldn't believe. I literally. When you don't know what's going to happen, it can make you. It made me emotional when I seen all of those people coming to some event that I created. It was like, I can't believe they came. And then I stand at the thing and all these people come in. I'm shaking every person's hand as they walk in. Hey, I'm Cornell. Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming. You know, there's food over here, there's the bars here. Get your bowling shoes. Like, I'm trying to make sure everyone feels a part of it. And eventually I didn't have to do anything. They, the, the people, they want to be around each other. They're looking for some way that they could get around a group of people who feel like them. And the Win in Life meetup did that and it gave them. People were high fiving each other.

[Naylor]

It wasn't just this community and connection.

[Cornell]

Right. And you know, a lot of the meetups, it's people standing around and you see the person that you seen from last year and then maybe they brought A person. So now your group grows a little bit bigger. But a lot of times it's like there might be 30 people here, 20 people here, four people over here, one person by herself. And if they don't know anybody and they're not an extrovert, you know, then they're not going to have that. But sports, when you bring competition in, people are high five in. They're talking. No one's kind of by themselves, and if they are, someone will find them. And that's kind of what was happening at. At the Win in Life meetup that first year. Then the second year, we went from 180 to 224. And then last year, there was 389 people that came. And this year we have a. A cap at 425. But the event has been growing crazy. The. The people seem to love it, and I like. I like to put it on. And it all started because I came to your YouTube rally or GIU rally.

[Naylor]

So. Yeah. Yeah, that's an amazing story. And you've gotten better as well. You know, like, I had to. I had. I learned a lot along the way, you know, over. Over nine years, technically, of doing it because Covid can't, you know, canceled out one of those 10 years. But it has been. It was a journey, and you've been learning, going through that process as well. Like you said, you showed up 15 minutes, you know, ahead of time. Now it's like I have a whole team.

[Cornell]

Yeah, we got a Winning Life staff. The place that we do it, Vernon Lanes, is the oldest bowling alley in all of Kentucky. But it is absolutely spectacular inside. This place is amazing. And we have a, like I said, a Winning Life staff. Their staff, they're at. The actual venue is dope. And it. You're gonna learn lessons, but I got to learn lessons from seeing other people already doing it. Right. So you were doing it already. I got to see. Brian was doing stuff too. I got to see. Now, I didn't want to come in and be the same or a lesser version of what you guys were already doing successfully. So I was like, how can I fill the gap and change this whole thing? So my meetup is completely different than everybody else's. It's more of a. Like a. It's a vibe. It's like an atmosphere.

[Naylor]

So. And without you even knowing. Knowing it, though, you essentially created what the original rally was. It was like, literally, we were playing cornhole, you know, in the. In the outside area of the pizza place. It's not even the Same name of the pizza place anymore. Like, it used to be called Pleasure Ridge Pizza that some people would joke on. It sounds like an interesting pizza name, but it was called Pleasure Ridge Pizza, and they had two locations downtown and right across the street from the Expo. And that's actually one of the reasons why I created the Road to the GIE at the time. Now it's Road to Equip Facebook group was because, you know, Blake would post something on YouTube, Brian would post something, I would post something, Paul would say something on a podcast or. I don't even think, actually. But when I created this group, Paul was. Was not even really doing much on social media yet. But my point is, everybody, Keith, like, everybody had, like, their different avenues, you know, different social media platforms, and they would say, I'm gonna be here, there, and everywhere, you know, throughout. Throughout the week. And people would get lost. The information would get lost, you know, and. And people would just during that week not know who was going to be where. And it was a lot of confusion. So I wanted to create, like, a hub of communication. That was the whole point of creating the group. And to also put the information for the Pleasure Ridge Pizza location, because people were going to the downtown one, because nobody was specifying. This is before I even really got involved. Like, the second year, which was my first year, going to Equip and I met Geek to Freak and everybody for the first time. That was in 2015. And that year, people were going because they were just saying Pleasure Ridge. They didn't realize there was multiple locations. So people were going downtown when we were across the street from the Expo. So it was just kind of crazy. And I was like, so in 2016, I created the group so that I could put the address there. Like, it's this one. It's a location across the street and everything, and kind of got a little more organized. And, you know, Greg and some are other people took a break from YouTube at that point anyway. But, like, I contacted Blake and Stan and Keith and they're like, yeah, we're still going. I'm like, all right, well, we should probably keep this going and organize. I call Pleasure Ridge and told them, oh, yeah, it's fine, and probably gonna have more people because I have a Facebook group now. So we're kind of like, streamlining the process and communicating better. And that's how that whole process started growing. But at that pizza place, there was a whole outside, like, patio area, and then they had, like, a small, little indoor area. So people were in both spots. And we we were literally playing Cornhole, you know, so that's literally the original vibe. And I always wanted to bring that vibe back somehow, but I'm like, how. Like I, I didn't think about a bowling alley. That, that was a great, A great, great decision on your point, on your part. I was just like, how do we grow this? Because we outgrew the pizza place. So to go somewhere bigger, I didn't want to go to like some conference center and be all sterile and boring. Like, I wanted to keep that same vibe. So that's why I looked at interesting things like the mega caverns and so on and, and they. Lines. You don't even know any of that stuff. They had all they had. They had a ropes course, they had a rope course, they had zip lines. But in the room that we had, they had ropes course and a zip line at the end to finish it. So like part of the us renting that room, they got to use that. So that was like some crazy vibe that people were just having a good old time doing that towards the end of the day after they ate, you know, and they're not. The end of the end of the. The night and they're just going through there and ziplining back. So that was, that was a fun vibe that people were enjoy because it was like, still had that feeling. But then as that got bigger and then Covid canceled it and then it's like, okay, well, Copper and Kings. Well, there's that huge fire pit area, which is dope. All those steps and everybody would just gather around the fire pit and hang out. So they had that kind of a vibe, but it still wasn't. We were slowly getting away from the original vibe by sheer size and running out of venues that could hold us anymore. So that was the, the never ending challenge. So without you even realizing it, because you were never at the original meetup where we were playing Cornhole. That's, that's what it all. Where it all started. Community and connection. Just having fun, buying each other a beer and pizza and just having a

[Cornell]

good time, you know, that's all it is, man.

[Naylor]

Of course there's business talk along the way, but it's, it's. Just, it's. It's just fellowship really. Because you feel all alone a lot of times out there. Unless you have employees, even still you have employees. It's not the same connection as business owner to business owner.

[Cornell]

Right.

[Naylor]

You know, so you're. You really feel like you're all alone out there a lot of times just stuck in Your own bubble.

[Cornell]

And that's why I needed to create the things that I created, because it's. If I. If I ain't talking about stuff or doing things that I enjoy is a miserable life. I. I don't know if that's how it is for everybody, but I can only do stuff that I like or I'm not doing it. And if you make me do it, you'll see that I don't like doing it. I don't care. I just don't. Life is too short to not do the things that you don't want to do. Now, I don't mean you can't. You don't have to make sacrifices. Right. Do I want to get up and go out and work 16 hours? No. But I do want to provide for my daughters and my son and my wife. I do want to have a nice life. Right? So I'm okay with doing things that I don't like necessarily, because if they serve a purpose. But there's a lot of people who are doing things they absolutely hate for people that they don't like and don't care about them. I don't do any of that, and I won't do it. And my wife will tell you. She'll be like, hey, we're gonna go to X. I'm like, you're gonna go. You know? And she. Now she don't even bother me with the stuff because she's like, I don't want to put my husband in a position where someone does something, and I ain't the kind of person that holds my tongue. I will light you up right there on the spot in front of everybody. And she's like, rather than even have that risk, we'll just let him do the things that he enjoys doing. You know what I mean? I'm not saying I'm some superhero. Yeah, it's my way or the highway. No, I will go do things. I'm just using that as an example. But if you do things that you enjoy more than you do things that you don't enjoy, I think your life will be better. And you will be better for everyone else and the world because you're doing what you feel called to do. If it's a positive thing, we always got to make that caveat. God ain't telling you to do nothing negative.

[Naylor]

No, but sometimes you feel like something's negative, but it's really a positive.

[Cornell]

Yeah.

[Naylor]

Because you. You. All things that seem bad aren't bad, and all things that seem good aren't good. Right. So you just have to be able to decipher the path, know, know what your goals are, what's. What feels right, you know, and, and I mean just try or you know, make an attempt to, to do whatever it is. And a lot of times you'll figure that out. Like if it's, if it just feels wrong, then that's probably not right, you know, but our minds can really play tricks on us, that's for sure. We have to really focus, clear, clear ourselves. Anxiety plays a big part in that. I talk about that a lot. You know, anxiety feels like fear, but it's really not. It's. You're perceiving a non desirable outcome, future outcome. And then you feel all anxious and nervous and fearful about it. But fear is just like actual danger immediately in front of your face. Like, I could get hit by a car right now if I'm not careful. Like, that's fear. That feeling is fear protecting your life. But anxiety makes, it feels the exact same way. And it's supposed to protect you from making bad decisions in the future. But we're not cavemen anymore. So we need to think higher level than that and realize, okay, you know, we can change that thought process. Like, you know what, yeah, this would be a bad outcome in the future, or this would feel bad. This would not feel good if this happened in the future. But what if it, what if it happened? What if something happened, different happened? What if a good, you know, outcome, you know, let's focus on that. And then you change that anxiety and then you feel better. Like that's why a lot of people struggle. I say all this because that's why so many of us struggle growing our business or changing things in our business because of anxiety. Because we were like, we think we're afraid of hiring employees or getting another truck or what is our wife going to say? And that's not fear, that's anxiety. You're thinking about the negative aspect of the fact that growth requires change. Everything in nature changes when it grows. Right? Every plant life, it changes every, every aspect of it is different throughout the growing process. So you, you can't have growth without change. And you feel anxious about, well, what does that look like? I don't know. That that might be terrible. It might, might be hard to find employees or, you know, but that you're thinking about all the negative aspects instead of like, man, what if I find good employees? That's going to change the game. Yeah, that's what you should be focusing on. You have less anxiety. So. All right, well, with that? No. Cornell went off on my little tangent there. So this year the Winning Life meetup Wednesday night, what do they need to do? Where do they need to go to sign up?

[Cornell]

Well, it's gonna. The tickets will be released.

[Naylor]

It's not officially released.

[Cornell]

Yeah, on a tier system they won't be released probably till somewhere late August. Excuse me. Just because I don't want tickets to go be claimed and the people aren't actually going to be there.

[Naylor]

Right.

[Cornell]

I, I just. That wouldn't be fair to the people who are actually there in Louisville. So we'll go out on a tier system. The people who are in my group, my Winning Life team meetings group that we meet every other Thursday night at 8pm Eastern. They'll have first shot at it. So if you want to be one of the first people, go get in that group. There's links to it on all of my content at Mac Underscore Landscaping or Mac Landscaping Along Care on YouTube and then it will go to my Winning Life family Facebook group. And so people can get in there. It honestly might not make it out of there if the tickets get claimed in there because people get the link and then they send it to their friend. Because it's gonna be one email, one ticket to make it fair for everyone. You know, it used to be one email. I think it might have been 10 tickets, you know what I mean? And now we can't do that anymore. Yeah, we gotta make sure it's fair for everyone because I know the event's gonna sell out. I know it's anticipated by people. And then from there it'll go from the that to the road to equip Facebook page. I highly doubt it makes it out of there if it makes it out of the winning Life family thing. And then I will, I will put a link out to the world, you know.

[Naylor]

Yeah.

[Cornell]

Down there. But that's how it's gonna. It has to be that way because the people who have been there, they know, they know what it's gonna be. So they're already expect they want to be there. So I know they're about to claim their tickets quickly. So you can follow my eventbrite page and set your notifications to on so that when it does get released, if you decide you don't wanna join the team meetings group where we're sharing our life with each other, sharing what we do, how we do with each other to make everyone better. Everyone in there is a six figure business now. Even if they didn't start that way, they've gotten there, being in the group and then. And then the other ways that I mentioned earlier.

[Naylor]

So essentially, follow. Follow Mac Landscaping anywhere that you are comfortable following him. YouTube, podcast, Instagram, just any. Anywhere that you. That you are comfortable so that you can stay in the know. And obviously road to equip Facebook group. If you're not a part of that, definitely go ahead and. And that in Facebook, it'll only take you, like, one word and it'll pop up, you know, like road two. And it should pop up.

[Cornell]

It'll be the first.

[Naylor]

Yeah. There's over 3,000, close to 4,000 people in there now, only for Equip. Everyone's just obsessed about learning all the information and knowing what's going on. Even equip is in my equip group, you know, and they're answering questions. So it's a great community group so that we can stay in the know and have that one hub of communication for that week leading up to and during the week. And then after the week, people like, oh, well, this is amazing, or look at my stash that I got all my giveaway, you know, all my hats and this and that. People are still just having a good old time afterwards, so definitely check that out. And check out Mac Landscaping. And thank you for being on the show, Cornell.

[Cornell]

No doubt, bro.

[Naylor]

We're gonna get back to it. All kinds of stuff going on in the background here, as, as usual, when we're at these live conferences, it's like multiple conferences, people coming in from who knows where with luggage. And I feel like Paul now. And you remember back in the day listening to this podcast, he'd get all distracted, people walking around and all. All the comments. But anyway, so that's. That's where we're at there. Thank you guys for listening and watching. Thank you to Toro company for sponsoring the LCR Media podcast. And once again, thank you to the Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference for allowing Pod Row to be here for the second year in a row to network and create content for everyone listening, watching in the industry. So thank you. And until the next episode, this is Cornell and Naylor signing off.

[Mr. Producer]

This has been an lcr media and Mr. Producer production.