Ep 330. When Everything Breaks: How to Stay Productive in the Field Without Going Back to the Shop! - Side Hustle Squad

Side Hustle Squad Podcast: Ep 330
When Everything Breaks: How to Stay Productive in the Field Without Going Back to the Shop!
Host: Mike Garvey
Release Date: April 30, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Mike Garvey addresses a common yet critical challenge in the lawn care and green industry: how to stay productive and profitable when things inevitably break down in the field. Drawing from recent real-world experiences, Mike shares actionable strategies for minimizing lost time, building contingency plans, and harnessing both preparedness and a local support network. Whether you’re new to the business or a seasoned side-hustler, this episode offers tactical advice to help you recover quickly from setbacks—and keep your operation running smoothly.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Reality of In-Field Breakdowns

[00:52 - 03:40]

Mike emphasizes the inevitability of breakdowns, bad weather, or unexpected shortages—no matter your level of experience:

“You can hope that nothing breaks. You can say that as much as you want, but I guarantee stuff will break, you know.” – Mike Garvey, [02:17]
Shares personal story: running out of water in a 200-gallon tank while 40 minutes from the shop, and how he mitigated downtime by collaborating with a nearby coworker/customer for a refill.
Highlights how downtime for refilling or equipment repair can cost the business multiple jobs:

“Every trip that you go back to your shop is a profit killer.” – Mike Garvey, [03:37]

Planning Versus Reacting

[03:40 - 06:00]

The most successful operators don’t just react when something fails; they assume something will go wrong and prepare accordingly.
Mike lays out a checklist of backup and essential items to keep on trucks:
- Spare toolkits and fuses
- Backup PPE (gloves, goggles, masks)
- Extra hoses, nozzles, and batteries (especially for Crest equipment)
- Secondary tanks or backpack sprayers
- Different-sized spreaders for tight gates
- Extra product, signage, and parts
Mindset shift:

“There is a real difference between being reacting to problems or planning for problems. So I think the best in the game… they assume things will go wrong.” – Mike Garvey, [04:04]

Real-Life “Mobile Substations”

[02:36 - 04:30]

Mike innovatively uses customers’ or friends’ locations as “substations” to refill water or supplies when in their area, saving time and gas.
Example: Arranging with Eric, a local customer/coworker, to use his hose for water refills, turning a potential hour-long setback into a minor speed bump.

The Cost of Poor Planning

[04:30 - 06:30]

Running back to the shop isn’t just lost time—it’s lost money: more fuel, labor, and stress. Recommends being as self-sufficient as possible and treating your truck as a mobile shop.
Preemptively carrying extra supplies or backup equipment can avert catastrophe and lost routes.

Building a Support Network

[09:14 - 10:10]

Success hinges not only on hardware but relationships. Mike urges listeners to build a help network:
- Family and friends willing to assist or lend gear
- Developing friendships within the industry rather than viewing all as competitors
- Knowing who can swap equipment, bring products, or help with repairs nearby
“That guy is not your competition. Not everyone looks at each other as competition. There’s other people that are looking to help you.” – Mike Garvey, [09:35]

Route Planning & Optimization

[10:10 - 11:40]

Efficient route planning reduces the impact of breakdowns and maximizes daily productivity.
Suggests using route optimization software (like Jobber) to save time:

“We use Jobber… that is a huge game changer. We used to just plug in an address and then try to figure it out…” – Mike Garvey, [11:02]
Decide whether to start routes farthest from the shop and work closer, or vice versa, based on typical refill or repair needs.
Recommends prepping the day or night before and routinely re-evaluating your approach as you gain experience.

Final Challenge and Takeaway

[11:41 - 12:52]

Mike wraps up by challenging listeners to create or improve one backup or contingency plan in their business over the coming week:

“If something breaks right now, what’s your plan? If your truck breaks down, how are you towing it? …I challenge you to build one backup system to something this week.” – Mike Garvey, [12:27]
Reminds listeners that perfection isn’t the goal—recovering lost time and learning from mishaps is how the best keep getting better.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Every trip that you go back to your shop is a profit killer.”
— Mike Garvey, [03:37]
“There is a real difference between being reacting to problems or planning for problems. So I think the best in the game… they assume things will go wrong.”
— Mike Garvey, [04:04]
“That guy is not your competition. Not everyone looks at each other as competition. There’s other people that are looking to help you.”
— Mike Garvey, [09:35]
“We use Jobber… that is a huge game changer. We used to just plug in an address and then try to figure it out…”
— Mike Garvey, [11:02]
“If something breaks right now, what’s your plan? If your truck breaks down, how are you towing it? …I challenge you to build one backup system to something this week.”
— Mike Garvey, [12:27]

Summary Table of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 00:52-03:40| Out in the Field: Real-World Setbacks | Running out of water, breakdowns, lost time | | 03:40-06:00| Preparation vs. Reaction | Essential back-ups, planning mindset | | 02:36-04:30| Creative Solutions: Mobile Substations | Using network for local refills | | 09:14-10:10| Building a Network | Allies & support in the industry | | 10:10-11:40| Route Planning and Tech Tools | Route optimization & logistics | | 11:41-12:52| Call to Action | Building a backup system |

Conclusion

This episode is a practical masterclass on not just surviving—but thriving—when the unexpected hits your lawn care or landscaping business. Mike’s direct tone, lived experience, and actionable advice empower listeners to rethink their preparation routines, build contingency plans, and lean into the local community for support.
If you’re in the green industry, following these strategies can make the difference between a day lost to breakdowns and a day where you adapt, improvise, and keep hustling.

Transcript

A (0:01)

Are you ready to kick back and get inspired? Grab your favorite drink, pop the top and join the side Hustle Squad with Mike Garvey. This podcast is the perfect resource for anyone who's already started their side Hustle or is just considering taking the lead. With in depth interviews featuring guests from the green industry and beyond, you'll gain valuable insights and learn what it takes to succeed in running a business while juggling a full time career. From personal stories to practical tips, the Soc side Hustle Squad podcast has everything you need to turn your passion into a thriving business. Now, here's your side Hustle Squad host, Mike Garvey.

B (0:52)

Hey, what's going on guys? It's your host Mike Garvey with the side Hustle Squad podcast coming at you from the Brandon Bull Studio here on a Thursday. Getting through the did some more weed controls, got that all done. We're finally through it. It's again, like I said, great being back out in the field. It's where I love to be just so peaceful, just no one bothering me, doing my thing, doing my lawns, doing the weed controls and really just getting it done. Helping out the company to get everybody up, to get everyone caught up. Got a little bit of rain in the forecast, stuff like that. So it was kind of a lot, it was a lot of fun. I mean really just getting back out there, talking with customers. Had a guy, met him at his house, open, unlocked the gate for me and just told me, hey, you guys do a great job. You know, I value you guys. I appreciate the work you do. You may not have the big name of the big brands, the big companies, but that's not always, that doesn't always necessarily mean that you're better just because you have a bigger name or you've been around the longest. Things can fall off, things can happen. And it's really good to know that, that you're growing and that people do value what you do. Ran into a couple issues while I was out in the field. Wanted to talk about what you guys do and think about what are you going to do when you do have a breakdown in field. A machine, hey, something you've run out of product, different. You know, jobs run long. My, my water tank was empty and you know, you're 30 to an hour, 30 minutes to an hour away from the shop. So once I just spark the to get you thinking about what are these some real world, real world issues and then also how, you know, developing strategies that we can talk about to stay productive when things go sideways, you know from. Let's talk about, you know, having backup equipment and trucks that are ready to go or calling in favors from family, friends, really helping out to get things flowing and get things back on track. And you know, you can hope that nothing breaks. You can say that as much as you want, but I guarantee stuff will break, you know, so let's, let's jump in, let's talk about it. Let's see. We've run into a couple different issues. When we first started out, we had one truck, we had a pickup truck. And then we went through a pickup truck and trailer. And you know, if that truck goes down, do you have a second truck that you could use or do you have a rental truck that you could be able to pick up or a rental trailer to be able to pick up? There's some, some, a lot of different things. So I was over the. Where I ran into two issues. When I was out, I was about 40 minutes from the shop. And we have a 200 gallon water tank. And it goes pretty quick on some of these jobs, especially the bigger ones. We do a lot of stone, some commercial stone, stone, st. Spraying for weeds, some like yacht clubs and boat clubs and stuff like that. And then, you know, goes pretty quickly. And else the, the, the other option is to, you know, drive all the way back to the shop to get more. Another 200 gallons of water. But that's gonna kill me. Probably, you know, 40 minutes back to the shop, another half hour to fill another 40 minutes, you know, that you could get eight houses done in that time. What I did was I had a co worker who's also a customer at, who lives over there. And I said, hey Eric, can I just grab some water from your hose to fill my truck up, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, no problem. And almost treated it as like a little substation really to, you know, okay, if I'm out this way, I could fill up here. If I'm over there, I can fill up here. If I'm over there, this is where I'm gonna go. I could shoot back or am I carry another tank of water to be able to do like backpack sprays and stuff like that. But it's stuff that you got to think about another issue. I had my air conditioning went in the truck. I had my dog with me. And I know it was a fuse. I had to go get some fuses for the truck. You know, where are you going over there? There's not a Home Depot, so you got to know your surroundings, equipment breakdowns, like, what are you guys carrying on your trucks that. Do you have a tool, a whole, you know, toolbox filled with everything that you're neat, you're going to need? Do you have other things that you know? Do you have everything that you, you think that you'll need in case something goes sideways? Because going back to the shop is going to kill your, kill your production. You're going to lose production hours, you're going to throw off the route, you're going to lose money on fuel, drive time, labor, and the stress just keeps stacking up. So every, every trip that you go back to your shop is a profit, a profit killer. So there is a real difference that between being reacting to problems or planning for problems. So I think the best in the game, the people that have been around and thrive and are most profitable, that they assume things will go wrong. And what are we going to do to keep everything ready to go? Do you have extra product? Do you have for weed control or mosquito or lawn fertilization? Do you have everything stocked? Do you have all your signage? Do you have your toolkit? Do you have ppe gloves, masks, goggles, safety glasses, backup nozzles for backup hoses, backup parts for your permagreen, for your tank sprayer? Do you have extra product on hand? Fertilizer, herbicide? Do you carry other herbicides on the truck? What if someone asks, hey, can I add this to this service right now? Can I add weed control today? Are you able to do it? Are you able to do it right there or is it just gonna, oh, but I'll come back out on another day and do it, and then you're wasting a whole nother trip there. Do you have everything on board? Do you have a smaller spreader, not just a permagreen, because in case something happens to the permagreen, or is there a gate that's too small that you need to fit through? Do you have extra batteries for your crest stuff? Do you have secondary tanks or a backpack sprayer in case your main, your main tank goes down? And also having backup vehicles and trailers or at least a backup plan. So let's take a quick break. On the other side of the break, we'll talk about networking, route planning and some other helpful tips that we can discuss. Hey, what's going on, guys? With Jobber, you can easily manage jobs, track your team, get paid faster, all from one simple app. Join thousands of satisfied lawn care professionals who trust Shopper to keep their business growing strong. Visit the link in the bio today and start your free trial. Hey, guys.