---
title: "Great Idea: What Past Hosts Taught Me About Growth"
description: "Past GROW hosts reveal what's driving growth in their companies: exceptional service, transparent communication, and laser focus. | The Grow Group"
---

[Great Idea — The Grow Group ](https://www.growgroupinc.com/blog)

# [Great Idea: What Past Hosts Taught Me About Growth](https://www.growgroupinc.com/blog/great-idea-what-past-hosts-taught-me-about-growth)

 Written by [The Grow Group](https://www.growgroupinc.com/blog/author/the-grow-group) | Oct 24, 2025 1:15:00 PM

Over the past few years, I've had the privilege of visiting some of the best-run landscaping companies in North America as we've hosted GROW! Conferences.

Recently, I sat down with three past GROW! Hosts: 

- [Jason Cromley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUZqjqvW9eg) from Hidden Creek Landscaping in Columbus
- [Ryan and Annette McCarthy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7rPdL06Pdc) from R.J. Lawn and Landscaping in Des Moines
- [Taylor Milliken](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoKdHqt1KIA) from Milosi in Nashville

I wanted to get an idea of what's happened since they hosted and check back in for more wisdom from these accomplished business-people. These conversations were gold, and I want to share what stood out to me most.

### **1. Customer Service Should Drive Sales, Not the Other Way Around**

Taylor said something that stuck with me: "Sales needs to be a product of customer service." He explained that Milosi had gotten so focused on chasing the next sale that they weren't focused on their customers anymore. Sound familiar?

"We can get so forward thinking about what the next project is that we forget about the project that we're on," Taylor told me. 

Taylor had to realign his [team's priorities](https://www.growgroupinc.com/blog/too-many-priorities-means-no-priorities) around a simple acronym: CEO = Clients, then Employees, then Owners. "We have to stay focused on our clients and making sure that they love us," he said. "Without customers, we don't have employees."

Here's what I learned: When you provide exceptional customer service to your current clients, those satisfied customers become your sales engine. Happy clients sell the next job. But only if you don't get so focused on chasing new revenue that you neglect the work that's right in front of you.

### **2. Tell Your Team the Truth**

Ryan and Annette faced a tough situation last year: they were down $1.5 million in snow revenue. That's a massive hole to climb out of. For a while, they tried to figure it out on their own without bringing the team into it.

Then they changed their approach. Ryan told me they finally decided to just be honest with the team about where things stood.

The result? "Everyone was just like, 'We can do this. Okay, let's talk about it,'" Annette said. "They just started getting wheels in motion."

That's the power of transparency. When your team knows what you're facing, they can step up and help solve the problem. When you keep struggles secret, you're robbing your team of the chance to be a part of the solution.

### **3. Stay Focused on What Actually Matters**

All three of these companies are between $14M and $26M in revenue, and every single one of them talked about the danger of chasing too many ideas at once.

Taylor has a filtering system he runs every idea through:

- Is this part of the road map?
- Is it going to help us get to where we're going?
- Does it align with our core purpose and values?
- What's the impact (positive or negative) on our clients and employees?

If it doesn't pass those tests, they don't do it.

Taylor also told me about his new controller, Sherry, who had the courage to tell him: "I think you have a team focused on too many things. I think we need to focus on just being great landscapers." Within 24 hours, Taylor took that feedback to the team and they started deprioritizing things that didn't need to happen right now.

Jason uses a similar approach to identify what deserves his team's focus. "Look at last year's numbers. Look at this year's numbers. What works? Start assessing. Really kind of triage your own company," he told me. Through after-action reviews on completed projects, Jason's team examines what worked and what didn't. This process reveals which activities actually drive results and which ones are distracting the team from what matters most.

The lesson? When you're intentional about what you say yes to, brave enough to say no to what's not working, and disciplined enough to move on from what isn't delivering results, that's when progress happens.

### **See These Principles in Action**

These three companies emphasized the same core ideas: take care of your customers first, communicate openly and honestly with your team, and stay laser-focused on your vision.

If you want to see these principles in action and learn from companies like these, join us at [**GROW! 2026**](https://www.growgroupinc.com/grow-2026) in Dallas, February 10-12. You'll tour Complete Landsculpture (celebrating the 10th anniversary of our first tour there!), attend 40+ breakout sessions, and connect with over 1,000 landscape professionals.

Early bird pricing ends November 1 (save $200 per person). That discount stacks with team discounts: 15% off for groups of 3+ and 20% off for groups of 10+.

**Marty Grunder  
**Founder & CEO  
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.

[View full post](https://www.growgroupinc.com/blog/great-idea-what-past-hosts-taught-me-about-growth)

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