Ep 331. Why You Need to Be in the Room: Live Events That Can Change Your Business!

Summary

Side Hustle Squad, Ep 331

"Why You Need to Be in the Room: Live Events That Can Change Your Business!"
Host: Mike Garvey
Date: May 5, 2026

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Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on the transformative power of attending industry events and being present—both physically in customers’ neighborhoods and within the broader lawn care community. Host Mike Garvey shares personal marketing discoveries, highlights upcoming live events, and underscores the importance of in-person networking to grow your lawn care side hustle.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leveraging Face-time with Customers

[00:52 - 05:40]

• Mike’s Weekend Experiment: Mike recounts how working on weekends, when customers are at their summer homes, led to direct new business opportunities.
  • He placed simple “We Spray Weeds” signs on his truck. This clear, straightforward messaging caught attention and resulted in immediate customer engagement.
  • Within one Sunday, he picked up four new clients just by being present in the neighborhood.
• Takeaway: Identify when your target customers are physically present and maximize your visibility during these times.
• Balance Consideration: Mike doesn’t advocate working every weekend—just a few targeted days for maximum impact.
• Quote:

  “Not that you should be going out every weekend—again, work-life balance. But just one thing I wanted to share, that's how I'm going to get to these customers, is getting around them when they are at these houses.” (Mike Garvey, 05:15)

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2. The Value of Live Industry Events

[05:40 - 12:05]

• Upcoming Relco Guinness World Record Attempt
  [05:45 - 08:00]

  • Mike previews Relco’s (formerly Kohler Engines) Guinness Record attempt: Cutting an American football field the fastest, powered by the Command Pro 41 hp engine.
  • Features green industry influencers and podcasts providing coverage.
  • Mike invites listeners near Louisville to attend and network.
  • Notable Moment: Mike’s excitement about witnessing a unique, historic industry event.

• Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference
  [09:16 - 11:20]

  • Event held July 22-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
  • Features Pod Row—a gathering space for green industry podcasters (including Mike, John Pajac, Eric Triplett, Naylor Taliaferro, Cornell Mack).
  • Emphasis on education, networking, and technology in the green industry. Even small, newer businesses can benefit from interacting with top earners and peers.
  • Quote:

    “Some of the best information I’ve gotten is from others just hanging out, having a beer, having a drink and just talking about something that I’m going through.” (Mike Garvey, 10:30)

  • Key Insight: Valuable lessons come not just from formal sessions but also from informal, peer-to-peer conversations.

• General Perspective on Industry Events

  • Mike stresses that attending every event is unrealistic but urges listeners to prioritize at least one event a year for education and networking.
  • Quote:

    “Collaboration is what this is all about... Dedicate some time to furthering your education.” (Mike Garvey, 11:05)

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3. Simple, Actionable Marketing – “Be Where the Customers Are”

[11:21 - 12:10]

• Mike reiterates that visible presence and involvement are central to growing a lawn care business.
• Direct, concise advertising beats over-complicated branding when it comes to connecting with homeowners.
• He muses about creating signs encouraging passersby to “flag me down and get it done today.”
• Quote:

  “They didn’t need to really necessarily dive into the wrap and the different services... He sprays weeds. Got me thinking to make another sign—like, flag me down and get it done today. Just very simple.” (Mike Garvey, 11:55)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I picked up four new customers just in one area on a weekend... People grab you in the moment. And it was kind of eye-opening.” (Mike Garvey, 04:32)
• “It’s not necessarily... the equipment or all the shiny bells and whistles. It’s just about having a conversation with someone that can help you.” (Mike Garvey, 10:51)
• “Don’t necessarily write off weekends or Saturdays—being in the neighborhood when people can come up to you might lead to a big job.” (Mike Garvey, 12:05)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:52 – Mike’s customer-marketing breakthrough via weekend presence
• 05:45 – Relco Record Attempt announcement
• 09:16 – Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference preview
• 10:30 – Value of informal networking at events
• 11:55 – Marketing simplicity: “flag me down” sign idea

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Tone & Language

• Mike is conversational, practical, and authentic. He shares candid stories from his business journey and practical strategies without sugarcoating challenges or overselling solutions.
• His tone is encouraging, approachable, and focused on actionable advice.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode highlights the business-changing benefits of getting “in the room”—whether that means showing up at live industry events or simply being present in your service area when customers are home. Networking, practical marketing, and hands-on learning outside your comfort zone can unlock surprising opportunities in your side business. As Mike reminds listeners, sometimes it’s about being present, keeping it simple, and seizing the moment.

Transcript

[A]

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]

Hey, what's going on guys? It's your host Mike Garvey with the side Hustle Squad podcast coming at you from the Branded Bull Studio. Another start of a great week. Got a lot, a lot of jobs completed. Cruising through Application 2. Looking forward to doing another mosquito application right around Memorial Day. Spring rush is here and I think I figured out a way to get more customers in an area that is not always it's secondary homes, it's summer homes and a lot of people there on the weekends and they have primary residents up north. And it got me thinking and it's not the most the best thing to do. It's not the fun, most fun thing to do. But I need to be there because I have a difficult time getting to these customers. They're not there during the week, they're not there in the winter, it's not their primary residence and I don't know how to market to them. Sometimes their mail gets forwarded, sometimes they don't get any mail at that residence. Not a lot of FaceTime. But what I found out this past weekend is that I went out on a Sunday morning to do a couple of weed control apps and I actually put some signs on my truck that says very simple, we spray weeds. And I did one application. I had three people come out to do their house. Also people are down getting their summer homes ready, kind of opening everything back up. And it got me thinking that maybe I should be doing these applications on Saturdays and Sundays and just be around on the weekends where I can pick up. I picked up four new customers just in one area on a weekend. And it kind of got me thinking that not or we're not always around doing our services when people are home. And I don't want to work every weekend, but to dedicate a couple of weekends to maybe do a couple jobs. When people are out doing their yard work, they're doing their opening their pools up. They're the sun is shining, it's getting warmer. People grab you in the moment. And it was kind of eye opening to now. I was like, you know what, I should go out next Saturday and run that route and let's see what else we can get. Can we get five more? So that's a little thing. Not that you should be going out every weekend again, work, life balance. But just one thing I wanted to share, that's how I'm going to get to these customers, is getting around them when they are at these houses. So a little marketing thing there. Also want to talk about some upcoming things going on. I am headed to the cutting history, a Guinness World Records attempt by Relco, formerly Kohler engines, now Relco. We've come across, got to know their team there and we're gonna head to Louisville May 16th. So what's going on is Relco's gonna be the power behind setting in a Guinness World Record attempt for the fastest time cutting an American football field with their Command Pro 41 horsepower engine that will be cutting 6 inches of grass down to game performance probably and it will be done under an hour. That Command Pro 41 horsepower is the most powerful engine in Relco's lineup and it is the foundation for the record attempt. It is, you know, it should be very interesting. Paul Jameson will be there, master of ceremonies, couple other people in the field in, you know, I hate to say influencers, people that have podcasts and other social media channels covering this attempt. It's just gonna really bring the, it's a cool event and something that like we've never really seen before that it should be a lot of fun, get us, get people together, be in Louisville. Not at a time during a quip, certainly a smaller event, but we will be covering it. If you are in the area or even close to Louisville at that time, love to see all of you, anyone that wants to come stop by, say hi, do something, you know, see, see a part of history. Another event we have coming up is the Lawn and Landscape Technology Conference. Bringing Pod Row back there. Courtesy of Naylor, the founder of Pod Row. Really looking forward to that. We went to it last year in Las Vegas and it's a really a good event. A lot of the top 100 people from the top 100 revenue earners in the lawn and landscape tech or in the lawn and landscape industry will be there. And this is a great networking event. Even if you're a smaller operation, you surround yourself with really good people. It's July 22nd and 24th in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. The it's really dedicated to technology, to the green industry. It's it's sixth year. It's a really just a great event and you can take some a few things away from it and really enhance your business. Let me take a quick break. We'll come right back. I'll talk more on the Lawn and Landscape Tech Conference on the other side.

[A]

I'm going to make this simple. If you run a landscape or outdoor power equipment business, Equip Exposition needs to be on your calendar October 20th through the 23rd in Louisville. This isn't a trade show where you walk around collecting pins. This is where you get hands on with equipment, find software that actually fits your operation, level up your cruise training and invest a few days in your own growth as a business owner. The contractors building real systems are the ones winning right now and Equip is where everything comes together. The super early rate is $25 before May 31st. Go to equip exposition.com today to register.

[B]

Register now at equip exposition.com or use the link in the podcast description. Save 50% off your registration when you apply the code.

[C]

Side Hustle at checkout hey guys, Adam Fullerton here with Branded Bull As a proud sponsor of the Side Hustle Squad podcast, we're all about helping lawn care and landscaping businesses make their mark and stand out from the competition. Visit [e-mail] to learn more about our professional branding website and graphic design services and how we can help your business look awesome and grow.

[B]

So talking about the Lawn and Landscape Technology conference again, Podro will be there. Myself, John Pajac, Eric Triplett, Naylor Taliafera, Cornell, Mack. We are looking at also bringing Pod House to there to generate even more conversations. And there's a lot of things at this conference if you can make it out to Scottsdale or you're out that way. There's a lot of speakers, there is a lot of education, a lot of networking people from all over the green industry. And again, I've talked about can I go to every live event? No. I would never be home and I would never be focused on my business but attending different events like the Relcos event in Louisville, Lawn and Landscape Equip, all sorts of live events. If you can make it to one or a different one every year. It's totally worth it to gain knowledge from one person that could have more experience than you or not necessarily. That person could be somebody just starting out that found a solution to a problem that you might have. Some of the most information, best information I've gotten is from others just hanging out, having a, having a beer, having a drink and just talking about something that I'm going through. And they said, oh, this is what I do for that. And it's not necessarily again, the equipment or all the shiny bells and whistles. It's just about having a conversation with someone that can help you and collaboration is what this is all about. So I encourage you to look at these live events and check them out and dedicate some time to furthering your education. So just a quick little episode. Wanted to touch on the upcoming Relco event. We'll be there in two weeks. Stay tuned for a lot of cool content that we'll be putting out. And also too something I solved my, I think my how to get more customers. It was very simple. Oh you know what, go to, go to that area when they are home in there in that area and people see you and they'll see the truck and they'll see the, the QR code and the branding and oh, what does he do? Oh, he sprays weeds. They didn't need to really necessarily dive into the wrap and the different services and the aeration fertilization overseas. He sprays weeds. You know, it got me thinking to make another sign. Be like flag me down and get it done today. Just very simple. And I'm like, how do I solve this problem? How do I solve this problem? Well, I think just by being around the homeowners when they're at home is a good thing. So don't necessarily write off weekends or Saturdays and being in the neighborhood when people can come up to you might lead to a big job. Something to think about. Catch you guys on the next one.

[A]

Thanks for tuning in to the side Hustle Squad Podcast with Mike Garvey. We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained valuable insights to help you succeed in your side Hustle journey. Connect with Mike using the links in the podcast description. If you love the show, please leave us a well worded five star review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback and support help us grow and continue to provide you with the best content. And don't forget to follow the show to be notified when the next edition of the side Hustle Squad Podcast is available. We have many exciting guests and topics lined up so you won't want to miss a single episode. Thanks again for listening and we'll catch you next time on the side Hustle Squad Podcast.