Transcript
John Pajak (0:00)
Three years ago, I hit record without knowing if anyone would listen. I had no idea if this would last more than a handful of episodes. But here we are. It's March of 2026 and three years ago we published the first episodes of Profits with Paycheck. So I'm not here, this episode is not here to do a victory lap, but this is a, you know, basically a milestone. And we're going to take a minute to kind of look back, see what's happened, how far we've come, and then we're also going to look into the future.
Yardbook Sponsor/Announcer (0:35)
Today's episode is brought to you by Yardbook, the all in one CRM for your lawn care business. And as an exclusive partner of this podcast, you can get started today and begin simplifying your business and maximizing your profits. Sign up now@yardbook.com the link is in. The show notes Time now for Profits with Paycheck, an essential podcast for you in the green industry who are looking to unlock the full potential of your business. Hosted by John Pajac, your certified financial coach, the show features in depth discussions with successful entrepreneurs, thought leaders and industry experts. Providing practical advice and proven strategies on financial planning, operations, marketing and sales. Profits with Paycheck has valuable insights and action steps that you can implement today for creating long term success. Now, here's John Pajak.
John Pajak (1:32)
Welcome to Profits with Pajak the podcast. We talk about business strategies and financial insights for the green industry. I'm your host, John Pajak and it's hard to believe three years ago we recorded the first episodes of Profits with Paycheck and published them in March of 2023. It's 2026 and at the time, you know, I wasn't trying to build a media company or anything like that. I was basically trying to create a place where green industry business owners could hear honest conversations about money and pricing and systems and leadership without a bunch of hype. And the only reason the show is still here today is because of people. So first, let me, Let me mention Mr. Producer. I need to talk about him and all the contributions he's made. You know, when people hear that a podcast releases three times a week, they just assume that that's easy. It's automated. Let me tell you. It's not. I'll tell you, consistency at this level does not happen just because someone feels motivated. Motivation fades. It happens because someone protects that standard. They are accountable and they hold people to their accountability. And from day one, Mr. Producer has done that. He didn't just publish episodes, he's helped shape the rhythm of the show, and he really has kept the train on the tracks. When life has gotten busy and family and friends, business and all the other things start piling up, when travel, you know, gets in the way, all the times when it really would have been easy to skip a week, you know, Mr. Producer has kept me accountable, and it's been the backbone of the production of this podcast. And, you know, there's a lot of times when I just show up and talk, but, you know, there's structure and there's pacing and then the release schedule. You know, that is not accidental. That's someone treating this podcast like it matters. And trust me, Mr. Producer believes that this show matters, and you don't get to three years on accident. So he didn't just help build the podcast, he helped build a discipline. And that discipline is why we're still here. So I want to give my thanks to Mr. Producer who just without him, this would not. The consistency of this show would not be where it is today. The next people I'd like to thank, I want to specifically talk about Yardbook. And I just want to say this is not just a surface level sponsorship. I started using Yardbook in 2015 for my own lawn care business. And I was trying to get organized and trying to price properly, trying to get build something stable. And I was communicating with Yardbook pretty much, you know, shortly after, you know, hitting up their support desk and, you know, eventually starting to talk to people. In 2017, I inherited the Yardbook user Facebook group and. Which is crazy. That has hit 11 years. It's 11 years old now. But over the years, I've helped thousands of operators navigate Yardbook system, implement better workflows, and use their platform more effectively. And behind the scenes, I've worked with the Yardbook team on features and improvements that are now being used by thousands of business owners every day. And that's. That's a partnership. So when I reached out in late 2022 with the idea of. Of launching this podcast, they didn't hesitate. You know, they. They stood behind me, you know, and they didn't. They believed in the mission that I was, you know, going on. And they, they didn't just buy, like, ad space. They supported the vision of building something that would serve this industry long term. And this is one of the many reasons why I stand behind Yardbook. Not only because I use it, I've built with it. I've helped shape, you know, I've actually helped shape parts of it, and I've watched it bring Clarity to operators who desperately needed structure and, again, their com. You know, YardBook's commitment didn't just sponsor this podcast. It enabled it to flourish. And I'm deeply grateful for that. And then there's you, the listener. Some of you have been here since March of 2023. You've heard the early episodes when I was still finding my rhythm and my voice. Some of you found the show somewhere in the middle. Some of you are brand new. But you chose to listen. And in an industry that is loud and constantly chasing the next tactic, you know, you chose to think about margins, systems, discipline, leadership. And I've heard from owners who've raised their prices for the first time after listening to an episode. I've heard from owners that stopped guessing and started running their business based on their numbers and not their gut feeling. And there are many of you who have never emailed. You've never commented, you've never introduced yourself, but you listen every week. You take notes, you apply quietly. And this show is not built on applause. It's built on action. So if you've taken one idea from this podcast and used it to strengthen your business, then all this work that I've done over the many years, it's been worth it. So I want to thank you for trusting me with your time. I don't take that lightly.