We recently connected with Bryan Clayton and have shared our conversation below.

Bryan, appreciate you joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Hi, I’m Bryan Clayton, the CEO and cofounder of GreenPal, a platform that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. I started GreenPal in 2013 with two of my friends after selling my previous lawn care business for $10 million. Today, GreenPal has 47 employees and $30 million a year in sales. But it was not an overnight success. It took us years of hard work, trial and error, and learning from our mistakes to scale up our business. Here’s the real story behind how we made it happen.

• Finding product-market fit: The first challenge we faced was finding product-market fit. We had a vision of creating an Uber-like app for lawn care, but we didn’t know if there was enough demand for it or how to build it. We started by doing customer interviews and surveys to validate our idea and understand the pain points and needs of our target market. We also built a minimum viable product (MVP) using WordPress and Google Sheets to test our assumptions and get feedback from early adopters. We iterated on our MVP based on the data and feedback we collected until we found a product-market fit that solved a real problem for our customers.

• Building a scalable platform: The next challenge we faced was building a scalable platform that could handle the growth of our business. We realized that our MVP was not enough to support the features and functionality that our customers and vendors expected from us. We also faced technical issues and bugs that affected our user experience and retention. We decided to hire a full-time CTO and a team of developers to rebuild our platform from scratch using modern technologies and best practices. We also invested in cloud infrastructure, security, and automation tools to ensure the reliability and performance of our platform.

• Acquiring customers and vendors: The third challenge we faced was acquiring customers and vendors for our platform. We knew that we had to create a network effect where more customers would attract more vendors and vice versa. We also knew that we had to compete with established players in the lawn care industry who had more resources and brand recognition than us. We decided to use a combination of online and offline marketing strategies to acquire customers and vendors for our platform. We used SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing, referrals, and partnerships to drive traffic and conversions to our website and app. We also used flyers, door hangers, yard signs, local events, word-of-mouth, and incentives to reach out to potential customers and vendors in our target markets.

• Expanding to new markets: The fourth challenge we faced was expanding to new markets across the U.S. We knew that we had to replicate our success in our initial markets and adapt to the different needs and preferences of each market. We also knew that we had to manage the operational and logistical complexities of running a multi-market business. We decided to use a data-driven approach to identify and prioritize the best markets for our expansion. We used criteria such as population size, income level, lawn care spending, climate, seasonality, competition, regulation, and customer feedback to rank the markets according to their potential and feasibility. We also used a lean launch model where we tested each market with minimal resources and validated the demand before investing more time and money into it.

• Building a culture and team: The fifth challenge we faced was building a culture and team that could support the vision and mission of our business. We knew that we had to hire the right people who shared our values and goals and who could contribute to the growth and success of our business. We also knew that we had to create a culture that fostered collaboration, innovation, accountability, transparency, diversity, and customer satisfaction. We decided to use a remote-first model where we hired talent from anywhere in the world based on their skills and fit rather than their location. We also used tools like Slack, Zoom, Asana, Loomio, 15Five, Culture Amp, and Bonusly to communicate, collaborate, manage projects, make decisions, give feedback, measure performance, and reward achievements.

These are some of the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way that helped us scale up our business from zero to $30 million in sales. It was not an easy journey but it was worth it. We learned a lot from our experiences and we are still learning every day. We are proud of what we have achieved so far but we are not done yet. We have big plans for the future of GreenPal and we are excited to continue growing our business.

You can learn more about me and my business at https://www.yourgreenpal.com/….

Bryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the lawn care industry when I was 15 years old. My dad forced me to mow the neighbor’s yard as a way to teach me work ethic and responsibility. I hated it at first, but then I realized that I could make money by doing something that most people didn’t want to do. I started knocking on doors and handing out flyers to get more customers. By the time I graduated from college, I had a full-fledged lawn care business with 10 employees and over 100 customers.

I ran my lawn care business for 15 years and grew it to over 150 employees and $10 million in annual revenue. I sold it in 2013 to one of the largest landscaping companies in the U.S. It was a great exit, but I was not ready to retire. I wanted to start another business that could leverage my experience and expertise in the lawn care industry.

That’s how I came up with the idea of GreenPal. I noticed that there was a gap in the market for a convenient and affordable way to find and hire local lawn care professionals. Most homeowners had to rely on word-of-mouth, online directories, or phone calls to find a reliable and trustworthy lawn care provider. Most lawn care professionals had to spend a lot of time and money on marketing, invoicing, scheduling, and customer service. There was no easy way to connect the supply and demand sides of the lawn care market.

I decided to create an Uber-like app for lawn care, where homeowners could find, book, and pay for lawn care services with just a few clicks. And where lawn care professionals could get more customers, manage their schedules, and grow their businesses with less hassle. I teamed up with two of my friends who had technical and design skills and we launched GreenPal in 2013.

GreenPal is now the leading platform for lawn care services in the U.S. We have over 200,000 active users across 47 states. We have over 20,000 vetted and rated lawn care professionals on our platform. We process over $30 million in transactions per year. We have 47 full-time employees who work remotely from all over the world.

We provide a simple and convenient solution for homeowners who need lawn care services. We help them save time, money, and hassle by connecting them with the best local lawn care professionals in their area. We also provide a powerful and profitable solution for lawn care professionals who want to grow their businesses. We help them get more customers, increase their revenue, reduce their costs, and improve their efficiency.

We solve several problems for our customers and vendors:

• For homeowners: We solve the problem of finding and hiring quality lawn care services at competitive prices. We also solve the problem of scheduling, communicating, and paying for lawn care services online.

• For lawn care professionals: We solve the problem of getting more customers without spending a lot of money on marketing. We also solve the problem of managing their schedules, invoices, payments, reviews, and customer service online.

What sets us apart from others is our focus on customer satisfaction and vendor success. We are not just a marketplace or an app; we are a community of homeowners and lawn care professionals who help each other out. We have a rigorous screening process for our vendors to ensure that they are licensed, insured, and experienced. We also have a rating and review system that allows our customers to provide honest feedback on their vendors’ performance. We have a customer support team that is available 24/7 to answer any questions or resolve any issues that our users may have.

I’m most proud of the impact that we have made on our customers’ lives and our vendors’ businesses. We have helped thousands of homeowners get their lawns mowed faster, cheaper, and better than ever before. We have helped thousands of lawn care professionals increase their income, improve their efficiency, and achieve their goals. We have also created dozens of jobs for our employees who work remotely from anywhere in the world.

The main thing that I want potential customers, followers, fans to know about me, my brand, my work is that we are passionate about what we do and we are always looking for ways to improve our product and service. We are not satisfied with the status quo; we are always innovating and experimenting with new features and ideas. We are not afraid of challenges or failures; we learn from them and move forward. We are not here to make a quick buck; we are here to make a lasting difference.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Funding my business was one of the biggest challenges that I faced as an entrepreneur. I had a successful exit from my previous lawn care business, but I didn’t have enough money to start a new venture from scratch. I needed to raise some capital to build and launch GreenPal.

I decided to bootstrap my business as much as possible and use my own savings and income to fund the initial development and marketing of GreenPal. I also convinced my two cofounders to join me as equity partners and contribute their skills and time to the project. We worked on GreenPal as a side hustle for the first year, while keeping our day jobs and living frugally.

We also applied to several startup accelerators and pitch competitions to get some exposure and feedback for our idea. We were lucky enough to get accepted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s accelerator program, which gave us access to mentors, advisors, and investors. We also won a few pitch competitions that awarded us some cash prizes and media coverage.

However, bootstrapping and winning competitions were not enough to sustain our growth. We needed more capital to hire more developers, expand to more markets, and acquire more customers. We decided to raise our first seed round of funding from angel investors and venture capitalists.

We prepared our pitch deck, financial projections, and traction metrics and started reaching out to potential investors in our network and beyond. We also leveraged our existing relationships with mentors, advisors, and customers who could introduce us to or vouch for us with investors. We pitched to dozens of investors over several months, facing many rejections and objections along the way.

Funding my business was not easy, but it was worth it. It taught me a lot about the value of my business, the importance of building relationships, and the art of storytelling. It also helped me realize that raising money is not an end goal, but a means to an end. The ultimate goal is to create a product that solves a problem for your customers and makes a positive impact on the world.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

Yes, I have sold a business before. In 2013, I sold my previous lawn care business for $10 million to one of the largest landscaping companies in the U.S. It was a great exit that allowed me to start my new venture, GreenPal.

The business that I sold was called Peachtree Lawn Care. I started it when I was 15 years old and grew it to over 150 employees and $10 million in annual revenue. We offered lawn care and landscaping services to residential and commercial customers in Nashville, Tennessee. We had a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and customer service.

Some of the lessons that I learned from selling my business are:

• Prepare your business for sale: Before you sell your business, you need to make sure that it is ready for sale. This means that you need to have a clear and compelling value proposition, a solid financial performance, a loyal and diversified customer base, a scalable and efficient operation, a reliable and motivated team, and a clean and organized legal and accounting structure. You also need to have a realistic and attractive valuation that reflects the potential and risk of your business.

• Find the right buyer: After you prepare your business for sale, you need to find the right buyer who is interested in and capable of buying your business. This means that you need to identify and target buyers who are in your industry or related industries, who have the financial resources and strategic fit to acquire your business, and who share your vision and values for your business. You also need to create a compelling pitch deck and executive summary that highlight the benefits and opportunities of buying your business.

• Negotiate the best deal: Once you find the right buyer, you need to negotiate the best deal for your business. This means that you need to understand the terms and conditions of the deal, such as the price, payment method, earn-out clauses, warranties, indemnities, escrow accounts, etc. You also need to protect your interests and rights as a seller, such as confidentiality, exclusivity, non-compete agreements, etc. You also need to hire professional advisors such as lawyers, accountants, brokers, etc. who can help you with the due diligence, valuation, contract drafting, closing, etc.

• Plan your transition: After you negotiate the best deal, you need to plan your transition from your business. This means that you need to communicate and manage the expectations of your employees, customers, vendors, partners, etc. who will be affected by the sale. You also need to provide training and support to the buyer who will take over your business. You also need to decide what you will do with the proceeds from the sale, such as investing, saving, donating, or starting a new venture.

These are some of the lessons that I learned from selling my business. Selling a business is not easy; it takes a lot of preparation, patience, persistence, and professionalism. But it can also be rewarding; it can provide you with financial freedom, personal satisfaction, and new opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yourgreenpal.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bryanmclayton
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-clayton-a96b33214
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bryanmclayton

Image Credits
GreenPal