The Founder Shift: From Doing the Work to Leading the Work

About this episode

Mike Farrell shares his journey from starting a landscaping business to leading it, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and strategic planning.

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes , Jamie Seeker interviews Mike Farrell , Founder and CEO of Landscape Management Group in Columbus, Ohio. Mike shares how he started in 2008 by knocking on doors with a push mower, wheelbarrow, and handmade business cards to pay for college, then gradually turned that hustle into a multi-city landscaping business. The conversation centers heavily on business planning , but from a real-world founder perspective rather than a textbook one. Mike explains that while he did create a business plan early on and even won a college business plan competition, he quickly learned that “nothing goes to plan.” His core lesson is that planning matters, but adaptability matters just as much. He repeatedly emphasizes the need for business owners to “zig and zag,” stay resilient, and keep moving through constant change. Mike also talks about the company’s rebrand from Mike’s Landscaping to Landscape Management Group , explaining that the shift was both strategic and practical. He realized that naming the company after himself kept him trapped as the center of every function. Rebranding helped position the business for growth and became…

People in this episode

Host: Jamie Seeker

Guest: Mike Farrell

Topics covered

• business planning
• entrepreneurship
• adaptability
• rebranding
• landscaping business
• annual planning

Keywords

• business planning
• entrepreneurship
• landscaping
• rebranding
• annual planning
• resilience
• growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Landscape Management Group

Places: Columbus, Ohio

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