Epic Entrepreneurs
Welcome to Epic Entrepreneurs! What does it take to build a real and thriving business in today’s world? As entrepreneurs and business owners, we went into business to have more freedom of time and money. Yet, the path of growing a business isn’t always filled with sunshine and rainbows. In this chart-topping show, host Bill Gilliland; author of the best-selling book “The Coach Approach” leverages his decades of experience coaching proven entrepreneurs to make more money, grow the right teams, and find the freedom of EPIC Entrepreneurship.
Epic Entrepreneurs
From Landscaping to Construction: One Entrepreneur's Journey to Debt-Free Success
Serial entrepreneur Tanner opens up about the remarkable journey of building two thriving, debt-free businesses from the ground up. Starting as a private gardener before founding Magnolia Landscape Group eight years ago, Tanner shares how he strategically expanded into construction during the pandemic, creating Noah's Ark Construction to ensure year-round work for his team.
What makes Tanner's story particularly compelling is his refreshingly honest perspective on entrepreneurship. He shatters the common misconception that business owners are instantly wealthy, revealing how he invested everything he had when starting out and still works alongside his employees digging ditches. This hands-on leadership approach has earned him tremendous respect and fostered a positive work culture that drives his success.
Rather than pursuing aggressive marketing strategies, Tanner has built his businesses through consistency, specialization, and genuine relationship-building. By focusing on specific niches where he excels—like outdoor patios and living spaces—and prioritizing quality and reliability, he's developed a network of repeat customers who eagerly refer him to others. His commitment to showing up when promised and immediately responding to inquiries has allowed him to secure jobs simply because competitors failed to return calls.
The conversation takes a thoughtful turn as Tanner discusses how he balances entrepreneurship with personal life. As a married man and foster parent, he's established clear boundaries, setting aside dedicated time for family, monthly vacations with his wife, and honoring Sundays for church. His wisdom on knowing when to say "no" professionally to protect personal priorities offers valuable guidance for entrepreneurs struggling with work-life balance.
Tanner's parting advice resonates with authenticity: "Don't be scared, just go for it." He acknowledges the inevitable challenges and slow periods but emphasizes that persistence and quality work will ultimately lead to success. For anyone dreaming of starting their own business or seeking to grow an existing one, this conversation provides practical wisdom from someone who's built two successful companies through dedication, integrity, and genuine relationships.
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Bill
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Bill
Hey there and welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. Man, I am excited. Today We've got a serial entrepreneur with us. He's got a couple of companies. It's Tanner from Noah's Ark Construction and Magnolia Landscape Group. Hey, welcome to the podcast. So, tanner, tell us a little bit about your businesses.
Speaker 2:Yes, we own Magnolia Landscape Group and Noah's Ark Construction. I started Magnolia Landscape group back about eight years ago. I worked for someone else as a private gardener and then I just uh, seen the correct time to jump out and take the leap of faith and go out on my own. And then we started doing a lot of decks and outdoor living patio areas for customers. So I was like, why don't we get into the remodeling side of the business and start another company? So during COVID I decided to open up a construction company and go with there and it's turned out great and it gives us winter work for the winter and gives us summer work for the summer and we get to work year round.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I like that. That's one of the challenges in landscaping. Right, the seasonality of it Correct. So yeah, how'd you come up with the name Noah's Art for your construction company?
Speaker 2:My first name is Noah. Oh got it, and so it speaks about our faith, and just speaks about whom, what my name is, and so, uh, we wanted to name our little boy whenever we have a kid, I mean my wife, noah, and so then he can maybe get that business one day and pass it down generational I like it.
Speaker 1:I like it. It's got the faith thing and I was wondering about that, as well as the uh, as well as the name. It's kind of a play on words. I love that. So if you had to start over from square one in business, what would you do differently?
Speaker 2:For either company. I'm assuming it doesn't matter which company.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just in business in general.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, I would. Probably I might've would've went out working for myself a little sooner than than I did, uh, but I was able to learn a lot and I knew the right time was when the right time was. Uh, it just worked out. But, uh, I like being my own boss and being able to manage my schedule with my employees and my companies and what I have going on. But there's not much I would change. I would maybe change some, maybe save a little more money or try to do a little things differently financially, but it's all worked out and my businesses are debt free and we don't owe the bank or anyone any money, and so it's worked out very nicely that we're able to operate that way.
Speaker 1:No, that's fantastic. How about when you went into the second business? Would you do anything differently there?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would try to advertise maybe a little more for it. To start it off it was kind of hush-hush, it wasn't really like, hey, we're starting up this, another brand, or this is a brand of ours. Local people knew, I mean, where I live, that hey, this is owned by the same company called the trailer that we pulled around with all our equipment and it has both logos on it. But it's not like it's got a Facebook page but it's not heavily advertised or branded or really spoken about. I would maybe try to brand it a little more and get it out there to do other work. But I mean, we've stayed steadily busy with both companies to have constant work to give me and my family, my employees, something to do and be able to be profitable with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's important. It's important. That's cool. So what have been your biggest learnings as an owner and employer since you started your business?
Speaker 2:Probably managing money and keeping everything lined up, making sure you pay all your subs or pay all, pay all your different people that you have contracts with to buy materials, with making sure everything, making sure all your customers are getting answers back in timely manners to um to receive estimates or to receive invoices or just to collect payment. As far as collecting money, I mean that's a big one for a lot of people and starting businesses, making sure you're going to collect the money that you're sending out invoices for. But it all works out and you can get it taken care of as far as that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it seems like communication was a big thing that you had to like how to get the communication systems in place to make all that happen the job site, making sure the materials on the job site, making sure everybody's where they are and all the vehicles are running and all the equipment's going smoothly, and there's a breakdown, you got to take care of that and. But over time you learn different things to learn different ways of how what works best for you. And uh, I hang out with a lot of different small business owners that uh have built large companies and uh, so I was able to with a lot of different small business owners that have built large companies, and so I was able to ask a lot of questions and pick their brains and then see what worked for them and implement that, but or change it and be like, hey, well, that worked a little bit from this one, this worked a little bit from this guy, and take those to take those two things together and combine them into one practice and make something that works for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I love that. So what are some common misconceptions about running a business and how do you address?
Speaker 2:them A big one. A lot of my friends think hey, you're self-employed, you're making tons of money.
Speaker 1:That's so true, right? Yeah, I remember getting into my first business. All my employees thought I was rich, right, you know? I just, I took I took every dime I had. We didn't we put all kind of money in that, but everything we had we borrowed money, we.
Speaker 2:You know it was yeah, it was funny yeah yeah, I spent like five hundred thousand dollars in one week, down to 50, 50 bucks, yeah. And people were like, oh, you're stupid, you'll never make it, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, oh, look back now. But they always think you got tons of money and they think that you're just the owner, that you're not out in the field working every day. And my philosophy is if I'm going to ask one of my guys to do something, I'm going to do the same exact thing. And, for instance, last week I asked one of my guys to dig some ditches and I left for a little bit to go handle some stuff. But then I came back and I got a shovel and a mattock and went right beside him. And they appreciate that more if you work beside them, hand in hand, and they appreciate you as a boss and respect you you.
Speaker 2:But a lot of people think that sometimes we just have a lot of time on our hands and we're just driving around and goofing off and can do what we want to do when we want to do it.
Speaker 2:I mean there's some luxuries of owning your own business. I mean I can go get my hair cut when I want to, or something like that, for instance, or grab lunch where I want to grab lunch, but that doesn't mean the phone doesn't stop ringing or or emails don't stop coming, or customers or employees don't stop calling, so you're always constantly working, like I told another guy actually earlier today I ate lunch with. He just started a small business and I told him I says, when you start your small business, you're going to have to live, breathe and eat that business. If you pour your heart, heart into it, if you're willing to make it something big and to make it work. I said because if you're not, it's going to fail and you're going to have to be willing to sacrifice some things with you and your wife, or financial. You're not going to always get what you want for yourself and it's not always easy, but it will come out in the end and it will all work out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, if you persist. There's one thing you got to learn and persist. So what do you attribute your growth to?
Speaker 2:Uh, I've been consistent. I stick with a couple little niches that I know I'm good at and that work well for me. Like, for example, I do a lot of outdoor patios, a lot of heavy equipment operator work. I'm not like your typical landscaper that just mows, blows and goes, as my famous saying I'm not here to cut your grass and trim your shrubs. That's not my niche. I can do it, but that's not my niche. There's other people that can do that.
Speaker 2:I'm going to come in and draw a design or build a relationship with that customer and continue to do work and work and work and work for that customer. I mean, we do no advertising. As far as my business, everything is word of mouth. Just people see my trucks around town, or just people I go to church with, or just friends.
Speaker 2:Or like I needed a piece of equipment worked on last week and my wife said, hey, this girl that works with me, her husband's a diesel mechanic, he's trying to start up something on the side. Why don't we give him a chance? And and I said, okay, sounds great. And I gave him a chance, he was able to fix the equipment and that helps me. And then I'm like, hey, dude, I got a ton of equipment. We got six vehicles in my fleet. I said, hey, we've got tons of vehicles and equipment. Would you be interested in like just staying on, kind of not part-time, but if I need you you're here? And he said, oh yeah, that'd be great for me and that's good business for him. It helps me, it helps him and then I can tell other friends about him and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Right. So niche and consistency seem to be your.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I like to repeat, you know, work with repeat customers. I mean a lot of. I mean, for example, last year I I did a, I did a big outdoor living space for a woman. That was upwards of seventy thousand dollars and and then I kept maintaining it. After that, you know, would come replace shrubs if they died, or fix a nightlight if her dog ran over a nightlight, or I. Then I got their turf, their turf to maintain their turf for their yard. And then, uh, I ended up doing some remodeling inside of a bathroom for them and I'm actually talking to them now about doing a full kitchen and whole downstairs remodel. So one patio turned into a bunch of work and then it was able to get. I got more work next door and so, hey, a neighbor came by and said, hey, can you come look at this for me? And I'm like, yeah, I can come look at that for you. And then it's just, it just goes down the ladder and you just continue to grow.
Speaker 2:You treat one person well, and then it just falls back in for you.
Speaker 1:By the way, you actually do have advertising. If you have signs on your truck, those are advertisements.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you do yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm playing with you, I'm just messing with you, we're not spending thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2:No, no, you're not spending.
Speaker 1:You're not doing a lot of billboards or anything like that. I get it.
Speaker 2:No, I did a TV commercial a couple years back for like five grand and the woman was like oh, you're going to get all these calls, we're going to get all these calls and it's going to be great and we can track it all. And that was like one call and I'm like, oh, that was great, $5,000 down the drain. But some things work for some people and some things don't.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, all marketing works. It just doesn't work for everybody in the right time. And the other thing is, I mean you had a valuable lesson. It didn't work for you.
Speaker 2:That was an investment in your education, so yeah, so how do you balance personal life and the demands of running a business? At first it wasn't very easy, you know, trying to build my business. At the time when I started my business I wasn't married, I was just dating, and then we got married later on. But I know at certain times, like in the evenings, that this is our time, or on the weekends I'll try to set aside. I say, hey, every other weekend we can work on. We just bought a house last year, we completely gutted it and we've been remodeling it and we can work on our house or we can go out on vacation.
Speaker 2:My wife likes to vacation, so, uh, we try to vacation like once a month together, uh, and go somewhere and do something, just us. And we try to set aside one night a week for each family. And I just know that during my week that, hey, I've got to quit at six o'clock or I need to be home for family dinner at seven or or whatever, and I just make it happen that I can be there. And now, of course, sometimes things come up. But, um, I try to balance, I try to make everybody happy and balance it and, uh, you just learn over time what works and sometimes you have to tell people no. You just learn over time what works. And sometimes you have to tell people no, and then you have to learn to tell people no. And because you can't always tell people yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and then you end up getting bit on the back end of it that then you over promised and under delivered.
Speaker 2:But it's better just to try to balance all life. And I know Sundays I'm not going to work, I'm going to go to church on Sunday morning, sunday night, and then I know if I'm on vacation, I can. I can still answer the phone, but I'm, I'm on vacation and I'll leave that on my voicemail and it is what it is. If you need something emergency, I'll send one of my employees, or you can talk to my secretary that answers the phone, uh, and she can try to handle it. If not, I've got some other people that I can try to send to handle it, but if not, it's going to have to wait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, most people are what they can perceive as an emergency. It's not actually an emergency, because they just thought about it on Sunday and they want to call you on Monday morning and you know I can't 10 o'clock on Sunday night, but hey, I was thinking about this for my yard.
Speaker 2:can we get?
Speaker 1:this done next week.
Speaker 2:I'm like uh, no, but no, but we can talk about it. Yeah, we will talk about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so what I'm hearing is like priorities you got you prioritize church, family, and you got clear boundaries and you're willing to tell some people hey, hey, I can't get it right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I had to tell a guy this morning. He's like, hey, can you help me this weekend on a barn that I've been building for a fella? And I said look, dude, I've been helping you for a year and haven't been charging anything. I said I've got to finish my house. I'm on a timetable, I'm on a time crunch. I need to finish my house. I need to work on my house. Uh, I said it's hard to work for during the week. I'm getting able to work on it today because it's pouring down rain outside. I said, but I need to get it done and get moved in here.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we can live here and we're not living in with my mom and dad. It's not a problem. But I mean it's not. You know it's not home, it's not ideal. Yeah, it's not ideal, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's not ideal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got married in the middle of COVID and it was unplanned, and I mean, we gave our parents nine days to get married. Hey, we're getting married in nine days and we had nowhere to live, no, nothing. And so we've kind of we lived in the camper for a while, we lived with my in-laws, we lived with my parents, and then we rented a house for a little bit, while we were going to try to build a house, and then covid came along and said boom, knocked that out of the water, and then I was able to buy a house last year and and so I bought this house and completely gutted it and been working on it ever since yeah, one of the hazards of actually being in the building business is you know how to do stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:All your friends all the time. Like the guy we lunched with earlier. He's like hey, you think you could help me insulate my new metal building? I got. I'm like no. I mean, I can. I mean are you going to pay me? Or you just want me to come over and show you how to get started? Can I mean are you going to pay me or just, or, you just want me to come over and show you how to get started? What, what's the?
Speaker 1:deal here. I can help you. I know an insulation guy uh, yeah that's yeah, they're all looking for the deal. It's funny, so, um, you know, be epic is an acronym, so it's a just just some quick fire, maybe a sentence or two about each one. So the B stands for bring the energy. What are your thoughts around that?
Speaker 2:I need to be positive, and positive every morning when your guys get here, I always tell them good morning and we're going to have a great day, and be positive to them and affirmation for a lot of people is great, because then that continues them to work hard and tell them when they do wrong, but also give them praise when they do right so that they know they're doing well.
Speaker 1:I love that because you don't know what happened at their house last night or in that morning and you know they need to be positive when they hit the job site.
Speaker 2:That's correct. Me and my wife are foster parents. Me and my wife are foster parents, and so we've had some kids that we don't know what they've came from, their backgrounds have came from, that they're coming into our house, and so I don't want to try to compare them or anything. I worked in the funeral home for two years, while I still had my company, to help a friend and all the time people would say well, I know how you feel, or I'm like no, you don't know how they feel. You might know what they're going through at death, but everybody takes death separately and everybody comprehends and takes things separately. So you can help them, but you don't know how they feel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no way, because no one's been where they are at the exact time they've been there. That's correct. That's what I always say about growing a business too like no one's actually been where you are in your business at this time in history. That's right, so it's it.
Speaker 2:there's, yeah, so all right, the e is education. What are your thoughts on education? Uh, education is a great thing. I have a two-year ground enemy degree and a two-year horticulture degree. Uh, I encourage people to. I try to go to a lot of classes you, you know and educate myself on new plants or new ideas or new new night lighting or different stuff, and try to go to events and I think it's great, but it doesn't always work for everyone. But try to learn as much as you can, even if it's just hands-on knowledge in the field, just to gain knowledge, to become better every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I love that. Yeah, I think. Yeah, it'd be better every day. How about planning? P is planning.
Speaker 2:Planning you need to like. I like to plan my schedules on Sundays for the whole week or like right now. I'm planning months in advance. I'm already talking to a customer now for a project for December, january, february, march of 2026. So I like to plan months in advance and stay booked out in advance. Some people don't want to wait, but they'll learn to wait if they want what they want and they'll want quality. And so just plan everything and set a schedule and try to stick to that schedule. I mean, there's weather, accidents happen, but if you can stick to that schedule, the best you can, that's the best way to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a hundred percent. How about I inspir?
Speaker 2:I mean, try to talk to other fellow business people or back to the being positive kind of goes together. If you're positive with your employees, they'll inspire you to do better, or you can inspire them to do better things. And I have a young boy I just hired a couple weeks ago and I'm all the time telling him hey, you did a great job, or hey, work on this. And he's all the time like, hey, I want to be. He told me yesterday he's like hey, you did a great job or hey, work on this, and he's all the time like, hey, I want to be. He told me yesterday he's like hey, I'd like to be like you when I get older.
Speaker 1:And I'm like I'm not that old I'm, I'm only 29.
Speaker 2:Uh, I said, and you're 18. I said but I mean, that's a good, that's a good feeling to know that someone's hey wants to be like you, or are inspiring to be like you, to try to get better every day. Yeah, I mean when you're that age 11 years is a lot, I guess. Yeah, I guess.
Speaker 1:It's over half his life, so yeah. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. It's an interesting one, right? The C stands for commitment. What are your thoughts around commitment?
Speaker 2:If you're going to tell somebody. My biggest thing is like with estimates. All the time I hear in my field hey, someone said they're going to be here but they never showed up and I'm all about if I'm going to say I'm going to be there at three o'clock, I'm going to be there at three o'clock and I'm all about if I'm going to commit to doing it. It might not be the funnest thing to do, it might not be the easiest thing to do, but we're going to make it happen and we're going to try to commit to whatever you say you do and if you do that, your business will succeed and people will be happy and they'll tell other people that, hey, this guy did it and it looks great yeah, I worked with a plumbing company and his whole thing was we show up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was it. It said it right on the side of his trucks. He had 50 trucks and he all said we show up. I mean, it was, you know, that was what they were known for. They told. When they told people they were going to be there, they were there.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I mean I sold two jobs last week just because she, the two customers, their daughter and mom, they live side by side and they called the same two companies I've done work for them in the past and neither one would come out to give an estimate. And I mean, they're literally in my front yard, in front of my past, here at my house, and I walked and they called me. I walked up there, I sold the job and it's done. All you had to do was show up to give the person an estimate. And if you give the person an estimate and they're happy, then we can continue from there.
Speaker 1:It's a pretty shocking reality that, if you can, how, how easy it is to get business when all you really have to do is be the one who calls people back.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I mean yeah, and then if and if you screw up on a job, I mean call them back and just continue to fix it fix what fix whatever need the problem needs to be to to make the problem right, and so everybody's happy what do you wish you had known or that somebody had told you before you went into business?
Speaker 2:oh, that's a hard one. Uh, I don't know. Uh, I mean I knew it wasn't always going to be easy. Uh, I mean I knew it wasn't always going to be easy. Uh, which may be, uh, financially a little bit, maybe on the finances side, that kind of when, when you start working for contractors and doing bigger projects I mean some projects we do are north of a hundred thousand dollars Um, you've got to be able to budget your money to be able to still pay payroll and pay for your expenses and continue to do business and and learn how to have a good capital. I've learned now the hard way, but, uh, but, but learning kind of how to have a good capital set back to to be able to do jobs and float money and be able to continue to live and not have to suffer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the financial side. That makes sense. What words of advice would you give other business owners who are looking to grow?
Speaker 2:Don't be scared, just go for it. It's not always easy, it's not going to always fall in your lap and I mean, for example, my phone has a ring in a month for work, besides my neighbors. But I know I have work lined up. I mean I've got work lined up into next year, but right now it's a slow. Right now is slow for me. I know that because people are on vacation and they're coming back. They haven't had any time to sit in their yard, but come fall time people will start calling.
Speaker 2:And just just don't give up. Just know that there's always going to be people to advertise for you. There's always going to be someone out there talking about you, good or bad. But make sure it's good. But just just keep your head up and do better and just always, always, treat each customer like it's your job and that you do it the way you want it done and that if you do it correctly and they're happy, then you will continue to succeed. And don't tell people, hey, this person did a great job for and then you'll just continue to get more work and more work and more work and you can grow your business just by word of mouth, like that's example how I grow my business.
Speaker 1:And I like it. I like it so, and lastly, what's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:Uh, they can message us on Facebook or they can call my number directly. I'm always constantly on my phone, uh, constantly checking emails or text. Calls or text work the best because I can hear a ring or hear it go dean or something and then I can respond back and then we can respond back and then normally I can get to an estimate within the next day or two. I'll make it happen carve time out in my days that I know that around free time, or I'll do it in the evenings on my way back to the shop.
Speaker 2:But I try to get out there pretty, pretty close and then, like for example the other day, a lady called and said hey, can you come look at this? And I said where are you located? I said, oh, I'm only working like five minutes away from there. The gps says I said I can come this afternoon if you want. She said, oh, that would be great. So I went there this afternoon, that that afternoon, and sealed the job. Well, but that's the best way to get a hold of us show up, show up early, that works, works, that's right that's, that's a, that's a good philosophy.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is me when I was in high school, my band teacher used to say say if you're early, you're on time, if you're on time, you're late. And that stuck with me for a long time.
Speaker 1:That's good. It's a good mantra, and if you're late, you're rude. That's what I always added. That's the one I add on there.
Speaker 2:If you're actually late, it's rude. Like the people coming to the church five minutes late. It's rude. Like the people coming to the church five minutes late and everybody's like where have you been? That's funny.
Speaker 1:This has been great. Thanks for being part of the community and thanks for doing this. I think this is fantastic. Appreciate it. Thank you Until next time. All the best.