Summary5 min read

Side Hustle Squad Podcast – Ep. 342: The Spring Slowdown: Why This Might Be the Most Important Time of the Year!

Host: Mike Garvey
Date: June 11, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike Garvey addresses an often-overlooked stage of the lawn care business cycle: the period immediately following the hectic “spring rush.” As the phones quiet down and the initial panic of the busy season subsides, Mike shares why this “spring slowdown” is actually one of the most crucial times for entrepreneurs—especially those running their business as a side hustle. He offers practical advice for using this downshift to build momentum, deepen customer relationships, improve business systems, and lay the groundwork for future growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Transition from Spring Rush to Slowdown

Reflection and Evaluation
Mike describes the feeling as the spring rush ends: “The panic is kind of ‘how am I going to do all of this?’ But there’s also other panic of when the phone stops ringing.” (01:22)
This slowdown should not spark anxiety, but rather be seen as a chance to:
- Review business performance from spring
- Identify what went well and what didn’t
- Analyze which marketing and customer strategies produced results
Quote Highlight:

“Now that the adrenaline rush is kind of gone, the phones aren’t ringing as much. This can make you nervous. But also I think you can also look inward and start being proactive and being productive.”
— Mike Garvey [02:22]

2. Planning and Preparing for Peak Seasons

Early Preparation for Fall (the “Super Bowl”)
Mike uses his own business, Coastal, as an example:
- Fall services like aeration and overseeding are the highest-margin and most profitable.
- They begin reaching out to customers in early July, pre-booking slots before competitors.
- Tactics include personalized communication (“emailing, texting our customers, booking limited slots available”) and showcasing expertise (“We mark the sprinklers, we pull a deep plug and that’s what we need to be focusing on down the road to our Super Bowl.” [03:40])
Quote Highlight:

“We’re gonna start prepping for it now... showing them that we are better at aeration overseeding than anybody out there.”
— Mike Garvey [03:24]

3. Operational Improvements & Team Development

System and Process Review
- Use the slower period to clean up CRM data, update systems and processes, and assess finances.
- Identify team members who can be trained or groomed for increased responsibilities as fall approaches.
- Take care of equipment maintenance and ensure everything is ready for the next busy stretch.
Client Follow-Up
- Reach out to existing customers with genuine check-ins, offering availability for extra projects.
- Build authentic relationships rather than simply seeking sales.
Quote Highlight:

“Now’s the time to attend, you know, reach out to customer base that you already have, see if there’s any work that can be done, try to attend networking events.”
— Mike Garvey [05:16]

4. Networking & Opportunity Generation

Seizing New Business
- Proactively identify and approach commercial properties whose current services are lacking.
- Attend local networking events, such as Chamber of Commerce gatherings.
- Mike shares a real-life example:
  
  “I sold a guy and set one up on his property this week just based off a conversation I had at my neighbor’s barbecue. Just getting face to face with people...build partnerships that create future opportunity.”
  — Mike Garvey [05:35]

5. Shifting Perspective on Industry Cycles

Understanding Natural Business Fluctuations
- The host reassures side hustlers: the post-spring slowdown is not a sign of failure, but a normal, cyclical pattern.
- Use this time to pivot focus—such as building up the robotic mowing business, rebranding, or working on the business’s marketing.
Quote Highlight:

“What if really just this is the cycle of business and that it’s not a problem that you can solve. It’s just a time that you can utilize to grow your business.”
— Mike Garvey [07:06]

6. Personal Growth & Balance

Invest in Yourself
- Suggestions for self-improvement during the lull: attend conferences, read books, listen to other entrepreneurial podcasts.
- Don’t overlook health and family. Mike encourages listeners to get physical checkups, take family time, and “take your wife out on a date” if you can.
- Building yourself up personally aids in professional growth.
Quote Highlight:

“Sometimes the best investment during a slowdown is just to invest in yourself. And becoming a better business owner is going to create a better business, but it’s also going to help you become a better person.”
— Mike Garvey [08:54]

7. Seasonal Business Philosophy

Mike distills the rhythm of the year into a memorable summary:

“Every season I learn something new about business; spring is execution, summer is downshifting, preparation, fall is moving forward and maximizing these opportunities that we had, and then winter we can plan, but I feel like we’re in a little bit of downshift where we can… embrace this time.”
— Mike Garvey [09:43]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

On Opportunity-Seeking:
“You start to see some of these commercial properties that aren’t looking so hot… pop in there, just stick your head in there, go talk to somebody and introduce yourself.” [01:36]
On Ditching the Panic:
“Just because the phone is stopped, let’s not panic. Let’s focus on what’s ahead.” [10:25]
On Building For the Future:
“Now let’s start focusing on the fall and what we’re going to be doing. So I encourage you to do the same. Think about your business, think about your life.” [10:14]

Important Segment Timestamps

00:53 — Mike sets the theme: transitioning from spring rush, planning ahead
01:36 — How to prospect for new commercial clients in summer
03:24 — Prepping now for profitable fall services (aeration, overseeding)
05:16 — Leveraging current clients, building customer relationships, networking events
05:35 — Mike’s story: gaining business from a chance barbecue meeting
07:06 — Embracing the business cycle, shifting business focus
08:54 — The value of personal investment during downtime
09:43 — Mike’s entrepreneurial “seasonal philosophy”
10:14 — Encouragement: focus on what’s ahead, avoid panic

Takeaways & Action Items

Use slow periods for review, planning, and strategic business-building
Reach out actively to both current and potential clients
Prepare early for the high-margin fall season—get bookings before competitors
Clean up systems and refine internal processes
Invest time in networking and community events for future business
Prioritize personal development and family during downshifts
See business cycles as natural—plan with confidence, not anxiety

This episode delivers timely insights for lawn care side hustlers and entrepreneurs at all stages, emphasizing how “spring slowdown” is not a setback, but a launching pad for strong seasons ahead.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:01]
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 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.
[00:53]
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 here on a Thursday. We are in June. We are at the end of the spring rush. Let's catch our breath a little bit. We're settled in, we know kind of this is the work that we're going to be doing and I wanted to, you know, expand on what, what we're doing. Now that the spring rush is over, let's start working on our business. It's behind us. The panic is kind of how am I going to do all of this? But there's also other panic of when the phone stops ringing. But let's talk about now that the spring rush is over, let's start planning, let's start looking ahead, planning our growth, planning our marketing. And what, what is, why is it now it's a good time to be focusing on some things like maintenance on equipment, developing some things with your team, networking, looking at, creating new revenue. And you know, I talked about this last summer too. We're starting to, you start to see some of these commercial properties that aren't looking so hot. Someone might not be showing up, pop in there, just stick your head in there, go, go talk to somebody and introduce yourself and say, hey, if not now, you know, I'd love to have the opportunity to bid for this. You know, see, I see you got your grass is a foot high. You know, what are we doing here? And start generating some revenue, revenue that way. But I think now that the adrenaline rush is kind of gone, the phones aren't ringing as much. This can make you nervous. But also I think you can also look inward and start being proactive and being productive, looking forward and looking behind on really taking a look at for this spring, what went well, what things could have been improved, what marketing strategies work, what customers, what's your ideal customer what are you looking at? What do you, you know, who is your ideal customer and what can you take from this spring and duplicate it next spring? At Coastal, we're going, you know, we're looking for, towards the fall. We're looking towards what strategies we're going to be doing for aeration overseeding. That is our super bowl. That is our money maker. That is our highest profit margin service. And we're gonna start prepping for it now and start planning and you know, we start reaching out in July, early July, and start emailing, texting our customers, booking limited slots available, pre booking customers before anyone else does and showing them that we are better at aeration overseeding than anybody out there. We mark the sprinklers, we pull a deep plug and that's what we need to be focusing on down the road to our Super Bowl. Also, we want to look at some other things. We're looking back into our business. Where are we at the this year from compared to last year? What can we clean up in in our CRM? What can we do to, you know, that was a good time to possibly train somebody else and start grooming that person to be helping us in the fall. Is there some, is there equipment that needs to be worked on? Is there systems and processes that need to be updated? Can we improve on following up with our quotes? You know, what's working, what's not working. So I think too, if things are now slowing down and you can further relationships with your customers, reach out to your customers, see if they have any pro, you know, hey, you know, I have some time in my schedule. If there's any projects that you were thinking about working on. If not, no, we're good. All right. And move on to the next one. And I think now's the time to attend, you know, reach out to customer base that you already have, see if there's any work that can be done, try to attend networking events. There's some things that I'm looking at with the chamber of commerce here locally, some networking events and kind of just talking with people with the robotics. I sold a guy and set one up on his property this week just based off of a. Just based off of a conversation I had at my neighbor's barbecue. And that's like just getting face to face with people. Oh, what do you do? And attend these networking events, build partnerships that create future opportunity and that's what we're going to be doing now that we have some downtime and we can attend some different things, talk about the robotic stuff. Talk about they might have a business that they need lawn care at and just really, you know, thinking about what we can get done now and set up things in the fall. Set up things and push the ball forward. So let's take a quick break. We'll hear from the show sponsors, and we'll come right back.
[06:16]
C
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 us@brandable.com to learn more about our professional branding website and graphic design services and how we can help your business look awesome and grow.
[06:39]
B
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 Jobber to keep their business growing strong. Visit the link in the bio today and start your free trial. All right, we're back talking about the spring rush, and now we're in June. The phone is dying down, and. And you kind of feel like something is wrong. But what if nothing's wrong? What if really just this is the cycle of business and that it's not a problem that you can solve. It's just a time that you can utilize to grow your business to. And, and, you know, I think that we're, week to week, we shift and now we're all caught up. Everything's going well with Coastal. We can shift gears a little bit, focus more on the robotic side and roped and really, we're building out that trailer. We're getting it wrapped. We're. We invested some time in that because it didn't. It wasn't happening in, in, in the spring. Now we're kind of moving into the summer, and we can shift gears. So I think looking at things that we can work on in our business, we can, you know, sit back, sit, take a step back, start building partnerships, creating systems, planning our marketing strategies for the fall. Let's take a look at some finances and look at new opportunities and grow the business. Because looking ahead and taking this time, you know, what does fall 2026 look like? What is spring of 2027 going to look like? Now it's time to sit back and work on that stuff. And let's look at some things. And that's what we're doing with roped is that we're reaching out to potential leads from municipalities, universities, county colleges, golf courses, school districts, and homeowners. And we're kind of planting seeds and one thing might lead to another and another and another. So really it's time to utilize this time and attend a conference, read a business book, listen to a podcast that's not necessarily lawn care related or it is lawn care related. Take this time. Can you improve on your health? Did you get a physical? Can you take some time with your family? Can you take your wife out on a date? And sometimes the best investment during a slowdown is just to invest in yourself. And becoming a better business owner is going to create a better business, but it's also going to help you become a better person. Right? And I think, you know, I'm sitting back talking on this episode thinking about myself, is that, oh, you know, when is the last time I did this? When can I get some stuff, take some days off and get some stuff done around the house, do some regular things that I feel I'm accomplishing at home. So every season I learn something new about business and that spring is execution, summer is downshifting, preparation, fall is moving forward and maximizing these opportunities that we had. And then winter we can plan, but I feel like we're in a little bit of downshift where we can let's look at the next season and let's embrace this time that everything's all set up. People are set up with who they're using. Now let's start focusing on the fall and what we're going to be doing. So I encourage you to do the same. Think about your business, think about your life. You know, just because the phone is stopped, let's not panic. Let's focus on what's ahead. We'll leave it right there and we'll kick it back to Mr. Producer.
[10:52]
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.