Podcast Summary: The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Deep Dives with Chris Koerner

Episode #237: He Listened to This Podcast and Made $32K in His First 2 Months
Date: October 22, 2025
Guests: Tyler Mumford and Nick
Host: Chris Koerner

Overview

This episode spotlights Tyler Mumford, who, after being inspired by a previous podcast episode about the stump grinding business, executed the idea and made $32,000 in his first two months—$9,000 while still working full-time and $23,000 upon going full-time. Chris, Nick, and Tyler dive deep into Tyler’s journey, actionable steps to replicate his results, real-world business hacks for local home services, and the PRA framework for acquiring customers. The episode is packed with honest insights, tactical advice, and practical breakdowns of the risks, rewards, and common pitfalls.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Inspiration to Execution

• Tyler listened to Chris and Nick discuss stump grinding (from Ep. #37), replayed the segment repeatedly, and quickly moved to test his market after hearing the idea.

  • “I listened to it a hundred times. Two months later, quit my job and made $26,000 net profit.” (Chris, 00:52)
  • Timeline:
    • July 11: Hears podcast episode.
    • July 12: Begins market testing.
    • August 3: Runs first stump job.

• Motivation for the leap:

  • “There is a business model that fits everyone out there, but you have to have a box around it. Once you find it, you can’t be afraid to actually go and pursue it.” (Tyler, 20:11)
  • “Everyone thinks I’m like this go-getter … there was years before that that I felt like the guy that would never do anything about it.” (Tyler, 20:39)

2. The Stump Grinding Business Model

Startup Lean and Test Fast

• Tyler kept risk low by renting equipment and testing as a side hustle.

  • “Kept it low … did everything myself. I wasn’t scared to go do the work … So I don’t have that cost yet.” (Tyler, 15:01)

• Transitioned from renting to ownership only after proving the model.

Unit Economics and Pricing

• $200 minimum per job; $7/inch pricing in Utah County (down to $3/inch in other markets).

  • “Here where I live, I charge about seven bucks an inch.” (Tyler, 05:10)

• Average job: $300.

  • Can do 5-6 jobs/day at ~$300/job.
  • “Usually in week one of the month … I pay off my monthly expenses.” (Tyler, 28:10)

• Overhead: $4–5K/month, largely from truck/lease, storage, fuel, and insurance (about $400/mo).

• “The unit economics honestly aren’t great if you’re renting. But that gets you learning, it gets you traction, it gets you some good reviews.” (Chris, 26:55)

3. Customer Acquisition: The PRA Framework (Piggyback, Reviews, Answer the Phone)

Piggyback (B2B Subcontracting is the Entry Point)

• Initial customers came from sub-contracting for tree companies: “Probably my first $50K of revenue was just from subs.” (Tyler, 02:53)
• Other sources: Landscapers, fence installers, concrete companies.
  • “You scrape big lists through Outscraper … just cold text in bunches, so 20 to 30.” (Tyler, 30:19, 30:30)

Reviews

• Leveraged being the last on the job site to “backdoor” reviews from homeowners, even when subbing for other companies.
  • “I walked up to the homeowner and was like, hey, if you felt like I did a good job today … could you give me a review?” (Tyler, 03:47)
• Fast review accumulation skyrocketed his Google ranking:
  • “That’s how I got my first 70, 75 reviews.” (Tyler, 03:47)
  • “The day that I started my GMB, I think I got like 15 reviews that day.” (Tyler, 35:04)

Answer the Phone

• Responsiveness is the “number one differentiator”, especially for contractors needing quick turnaround.
  • “You won’t call my phone if it’s my business line and get a missed call.” (Tyler, 36:02)

4. Avoiding Major Pitfalls and De-Risking

• Recommends starting part-time and renting gear to keep overhead and risk down.
• Seasonality and savings: Entered winter with ~$20K in savings; winter work is still available if you hustle.
• Lower cost structure (leasing, no employees, minimal initial marketing).
• “I was going to do it anyway if it didn’t work out: truck and trailer are still useful. Worst case scenario, grinders and trailers don’t really lose value.” (Tyler, 11:50, 13:21)

5. Overcoming Fear and Action Bias

• Jump in: Both Tyler and Chris advocate for “just doing it” rather than being paralyzed by over-preparing.

  • “Listen—practice is unnecessary friction to just launching. Don’t practice, just do it.” (Chris, 08:31)

• Tyler basically learned with minimal prep, watched a few YouTube videos, and “ripped it on a job.”

  • “I drove it around my parking lot … actual cutting part, I figured out on the job.” (Tyler, 08:40)

6. Business Growth and Freedom

• Reached income parity with former B2B sales job ($175K/year) by month two.

  • “It was right away, basically that first month when you were full time, you made more than if you had not quit.” (Chris & Tyler, 12:36)

• Now averages $15-25K/month revenue, with $15-20K/month profit during peak season.

  • “Second month … I probably like 15 to 20, maybe 25, depending on the month.” (Tyler, 27:31)

• Mix of B2B and direct-to-consumer jobs (now about 60/40 or 70/30).

• Sets up for scalability, potential to outsource and “autopilot” operations while pursuing other ventures.

7. Memorable Quotes & Tactical Takeaways

• On Reviews:
  “If you didn’t document, if you didn’t get the review, it didn’t happen.” (Nick, 34:20)

• On Action:
  “Your shoes, your Timberlands in the background and the grass or the shavings in the background of the picture of you holding the business card, it’s not AI generated, it’s real.” (Chris, 32:28)

• On Differentiation:
  “Responsiveness is number one with contractors because they’re just like me, they want to get paid.” (Tyler, 29:01)

• On Freedom:
  “The freedom that I have now is unmatched compared to when I was in a W2 job.” (Tyler, 38:25)

8. Horror Stories & Reality Checks

• Not passive income—requires hard work.

• Accidents: Hit sprinkler and private electric lines (and paid for repairs).

  • “Hitting sprinkler lines, hitting electric lines … Water just started spraying through their window.” (Tyler, 21:59)
  • “I thought sparks flying is just an expression. No, it was horrifying.” (Chris & Tyler, 23:29)

• Insurance: Essential, about $400/month.

  • “Buy insurance. You just buy insurance. … and you pay it with a few jobs.” (Chris & Tyler, 22:49)

9. Scaling & Community

• Tyler created a playbook/community for new stump grinders; claims more than a dozen have started successful businesses.
  • “10-12 guys are full stump grinders across the country from a little thing I typed up.” (Tyler, 24:56)
  • “We don’t sell to another person in the same town … we want [our members] to thrive.” (Tyler, 40:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:30 – Setting the scene: Tyler’s early results and income before quitting his job.
• 03:00–05:00 – Subcontracting to tree companies, “backdooring” reviews.
• 06:00–08:00 – Pricing, minimums, and job differentiation.
• 10:30–12:15 – Transition from side hustle to full-time; quitting the job.
• 13:00–15:00 – De-risking with savings, overcoming winter, cost breakdown.
• 18:30–20:40 – Mindset shifts, why test and iterate.
• 24:40–27:10 – Full PRA framework; text outreach, reviews strategy.
• 35:00–36:10 – Review “text blast” for fast GMB growth.
• 37:00–39:10 – Scaling, autopilot potential, freedom to pursue new ventures.
• 39:45–40:20 – Playbook/community and market protections.

Notable Quotes (with Speaker Attribution)

• Chris Koerner [00:52]: “Whoever said that money doesn’t grow on trees never thought to check in the stump.”
• Tyler Mumford [20:11]: “There is a business model that fits everyone out there … But you have to have, like, a box around it, and once you find it, you can’t be afraid to actually go and pursue it.”
• Chris Koerner [08:31]: “Listen, practice is unnecessary friction to just launching. Don’t practice, just do it.”
• Tyler Mumford [28:10]: “Usually in week one of the month is how I think about it. I pay off my monthly expenses.”
• Nick [34:20]: “If you didn’t document it, it didn’t happen. … Yes, you got paid that one time for service, but it doesn’t actually translate to broader brand-building.”
• Tyler Mumford [38:25]: “The freedom that I have now is, like, unmatched compared to when I was in a W2 job.”
• Chris Koerner [32:28]: “Your shoes, your Timberlands in the background ... it’s not AI generated, it’s real.”
• Tyler Mumford [15:01]: “We kept it low. … I did everything myself.”
• Nick [29:01]: “Responsiveness is number one with contractors because they’re just like me, they want to get paid.”

Action Steps for Listeners

• Start small: Rent equipment, test the market, do jobs on the side.
• Leverage B2B relationships: Cold text tree and landscaping companies offering to handle their stump work.
• Accumulate reviews relentlessly: Approach homeowners after jobs and wait for them to pull out their phone.
• Be hyper-responsive: Always answer your phone to win contractor and homeowner jobs.
• Use profits to transition full-time once the business supports your lifestyle.
• Continue to diversify leads between contractor referrals and Google ranking.

Final Takeaways

Tyler’s story exemplifies the payoff of taking direct action, minimizing risk, leveraging business relationships, and executing consistently. The stump grinding model isn’t glamorous, but it’s lucrative, proves that blue-collar businesses offer a viable entrepreneurial path, and can quickly create both income and freedom. The PRA framework is applicable across many home-service niches. For anyone looking to build a side hustle or escape their current job, this episode is both a paint-by-numbers guide and a jolt of actionable inspiration.