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Bryan Clayton is a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits under his belt and a unique take on being a business owner — viewing your business like a video game — and how it can help you accomplish your loftiest goals. His first company, PeachTree, grew to be one of the largest landscaping companies in Tennessee at over $10M in annual revenues, before selling in 2013. Bryan only took a short sabbatical (more on that in the interview) before co-founding GreenPal, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal is already doing over $20M, over 100,000 active customers, and completes thousands of transactions every day.
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Bryan Clayton is a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits under his belt and a unique take on the home services market. He is co-founder of GreenPal, a web and mobile app that instantly connects homeowners with home service professionals, where he actively engages with both his team and customers. Outside of work, Bryan likes to hang out with his family and play video games.
04:45 - “All of the fundamentals you learn in the lawn-mowing business apply to every business.” – Bryan Clayton
08:39 - “My business is the thing that lends purpose to my life. It is the thing that causes my life to be interesting. It is the thing that causes my life to almost matter. I didn’t think about it at the time but looking back at it, that’s the case. That’s just how I’m wired.” – Bryan Clayton
09:30 - “To live an interesting life, you have to live an interesting story. You have to do interesting things in your life” – Bryan Clayton
10:00 - “My business is the storyline to my life.” – Bryan Clayton
11:15 - “I think, if you’re doing business right, every three to four to five years, you should completely evolve as a new person. I’m a completely new person than I was a decade ago when I started this business because the business required that of me.” - Bryan Clayton
15:29 - “To be good at business, you have to be 80-20 good at a lot of different things.” – Bryan Clayton
17:17 - “It might almost be the delineation between a business owner and an entrepreneur.” – Bryan Clayton
21:11 - “So I’m building this company debt-free.” – Bryan Clayton
30:31 - “We had to fund the business off of its own revenue.” – Bryan Clayton
32:16 - “I’m not better than this, I’ve gotta do it.” – Bryan Clayton
34:59 - “Culture doesn’t matter in level 1 or 2.” – Bryan Clayton
37:40 - “Get a single or a double under your belt, then go for the big thing.” – Bryan Clayton
39:11 - “Remove ‘or’ and put ‘and.’” – Bryan Clayton
43:06 - “You spent more money and you’re not mad about it.” – Bryan Clayton
46:44 - “I do at least an hour a day of customer support.” – Bryan Clayton
46:52 - “There’s a gap that develops between customer logic and company logic.” – Bryan Clayton
50:16 - “That's not happening to you. It's happening for you.” – Bryan Clayton
53:09 - “You’ve got to make it really frictionless and accessible to reach you.” – Bryan Clayton
56:22 - “If you’re doing the business right, it should really be you and then the scaffolding around you.” – Bryan Clayton
57:53 - “The more your parents don’t understand what you’re working on, the better your chance of success.” – Bryan Clayton
61:01 - “Your living room needs to be a classroom.” – Bryan Clayton
Bryan Clayton’s Instagram: @bryanmclayton
Greenpal: https://www.yourgreenpal.com/
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Have you ever wondered what the perfect strategic sale looks like? On today’s show, we’re going to be talking to Josh Elizetxe, who was extremely successful at managing his company at a very young age. Within six months of deciding to sell, Josh successfully created a market and sold his company to one of his strategic partners. He’s going to share some of the best wisdom and insight that we’ve had on this show. Tune in to learn what Josh learned, what he’d have done differently, and what he’s up to now. In this episode, you’ll learn: When Josh decided to become an entrepreneur and how he decided to take the lead in his venture. Some of the goals Josh made and milestones he met as he snowballed his company from startup to success. Some of the benchmarks that Josh had been tracking mentally so he knew he had gotten to the point where it made sense to sell. The trigger when Josh knew that he was not doing what he should have been doing. How Josh managed all of the factors that go into the decision to sell, the tactical strategies he used, and his tips on making the transition. Thoughts on valuing a company and setting a price, as well as convincing a potential buyer that the company is worth that price. How Josh picked the partner he picked and how he removed emotion from the decision. How do ...
[START OF NEW CONTENT FORMAT] You’ve risked and sacrificed a lot to build your business, and we believe you should get rewarded for your hard work. In this special 300th episode, Arkona partners Matt and Pat join Ryan to discuss the takeaways after 300 interviews with some of the top minds in business. Their conversation is full of stories that tie their personal experiences of running, growing, buying, and selling businesses to their mission of helping business owners clarify a path to a more valuable business so they can turn their vision into reality. Ryan, Pat, and Matt talk about how to use your business–and the Intentional Growth™ Mindset–to enjoy work, create wealth, and make an impact. They use examples to explain why this mindset helps business owners clarify what they want and why, how to view their company as a financial asset, and what it takes to track–and make progress toward–the long-term vision you have. // WATCH THE INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE: Intentional Growth™ Podcast What You Will Learn Why it’s so important to enjoy work, create wealth, and make an impact. The three levers every business owner must be in control of. Why a lack of education is often the root cause of anxiety, frustration, and a lack of progress Why viewing your business from a buyer’s eyes can help you focus on creating a valuable business. How business owners should track their progress toward their vision. Why the CFO is uniquely qualified to be a ...
If you’re listening and you own a company, and you’re trying to figure out how to handle conversations with your second-in-command, align your objectives with your eventual growth and exit plan, or if you’re trying to figure out how to hire a second in command, this is the show for you. Today I’m talking with John “JT” Thelan, who used to work in Corporate America as the second-in-command for a company that (under his wing) grew from 4 mils to 10 mils in revenue, then helped sell the company for 11 times EBITA. JT explains what the process was like, what it’s like being in the head of a second-in-command, and how to make sure that everyone is on the same page. What you will learn: Who is JT and what is his background in business? The key metrics that JT processed which helped him grow companies JT’s journey from sales and publishing to his most recent position How to find a good second-in-command JT’s preferred onboarding procedures (onboarding is like dating) JT’s experience with bonus structure and normalized EBITA What it is like to be a second-in-command How to make sure everyone is on the same page Takeaway: The benefits of having a great second-in-command and the process of finding one. There are huge returns (as seen with Steve and JT) to finding a great second-in-command, getting on the same page, and compensating them correctly. It is worth so much money if you focus on value creation as it relates to ...
