Charge Forward Podcast
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Leaving Corporate America: Jason Lewis on Building a Thriving Landscaping Business
Ever wondered what it takes to leave the security of a stable corporate job and build a thriving business from the ground up?
In this insightful episode of the Charge Forward Podcast, we sit down with Jason Lewis, owner of LG Landscape and Services, to hear his incredible story of transformation from a 20-year career at Bell South and AT&T to full-time entrepreneurship in the landscaping industry.
Jason shares the moment he realized corporate life felt more like a prison sentence than a career and made the bold decision to pursue his passion. From starting small with just two employees to now managing multiple crews and trucks, Jason dives deep into the strategies that have fueled his steady growth—including leveraging business coaching, outsourcing administrative tasks, and maintaining strong client relationships.
We discuss the power of referrals, the importance of surrounding yourself with a great team, and how hiring a virtual assistant has allowed Jason to focus on growing his business. Jason also reflects on the role of physical fitness, discipline, and balancing entrepreneurship with fatherhood. His story is a testament to the value of hard work, faith, and the courage to take risks in pursuit of a better life.
What are you waiting on to start becoming who you are supposed to become?
Whether you're considering starting your own business or looking for ways to scale an existing one, this episode is packed with practical insights and inspiring lessons from a true every-man entrepreneur. Don’t miss out!
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help us reach more people with these inspiring stories.
Want to work with Jason and his team?
Call- (615) 944 – 9878
Website - https://lgservicestn.com/landscaping/
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Hey team, welcome to the Charge Forward podcast. I'm your host, jim Cripps, coming to you from HitLab Studios Today. My guest, mMr Jason Lewis, owner and operator of LG Landscape and Services.
Jason Lewis:Jason, thanks for coming in, oh thank you, I'm humbled, to say the least.
Jim Cripps:Man, I love it. You know, a lot of times we have people in here that have been, you know, in their field, or they've been an entrepreneur for 20 years, 30 years, and so the conversation is drastically different. But you, you've been an entrepreneur three-ish years.
Jason Lewis:This is going fourth year full-time. Had a public job forever. So, yeah, this is the fourth year going into it, all right, so you were at that other job for how long? Well, the fourth year going into it? All right, so you were at that, that other job for how long? Well, have to go back a bit. So you know, I was young. Finally went to, went to school a little bit, got my two-year degree started it uh, it was bell south at the time, played there till 2014. At&t took over about 2000-ish, 2001, I think, and it just slowly descended into a ball of fire. It was just terrible, it was just good night. It's not the right situation anymore. No, it was not Bell South. Bell South was like I mean, they all say Ma Bell.
Jason Lewis:It was great, it was just an interesting job. Everybody just totally different than different world as well.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, so I still had a telephone on the wall, and I'm assuming if things had stayed you know, obviously all things change but if things had kind of stayed the way it was back, then you had plans on retiring from Bell South, right?
Jason Lewis:Oh, I'd have stayed there forever. I would have. This year would be 28,. I believe it could be 28, I think it's 28 or 27. But oh man, that was. It was fantastic. It was just, you had to stay until Until they kicked you out, exactly.
Jim Cripps:They said you got to go. I love it, but you know this world, everything changes, so you know the situation changes. It gets less tenable long term, and so what was the moment where you decided I'm going to open my own business?
Jason Lewis:I'd always cut grass and done a little landscaping and stuff like that on the side. And in 2014, I quit AT&T, went to work at Nashville Electric Service and the big moment was, like every day, at the end of the day, we're standing there fixing the clock out and we'd all say, well, I got 10 years left, I got six years left, I got three years left. I'm like, are we in Shawshank Prison? I mean it just well, I can do what I want to do. You know, I'll have the insurance, I'll have this and I'll have that.
Jason Lewis:And I was like so I had like eight years, because at any issue of like a time and age thing, so for me to get my 30 or whatever it was, I had like eight years or nine years. And I thought to myself, what could I do in nine years? Oh, there was a big I don't know what you want to call it, just a big change there per se. And I was like I gotta go, I'll take this, took my retirement, and just bought a bunch of more stuff and new another truck and trailer and mowers and all that stuff and said, hey, I'll give it five years, okay and so I mean, did you talk to anybody that was in the business full-time or anything like that?
Jim Cripps:You know that's a big leap to go from I'm clocking in and out every day to I'm going to take what little bit of money I can pull out of this and go buy a truck and a trailer and mowers and you know, tomorrow I'm in business.
Jason Lewis:Well, at the time I had looked at like trying to find a business to buy, find a long business, because I just working for a big company or whatever, you're just kind of a number. I think everybody can say it. But you get comfortable in, I've got benefits, I can retire one day I can get harnessed up every morning to the plow here for him. Then when I get done, you know everybody hits the door running. But I mean now I like I don't really care, like I'm, I got insurance through Farm Bureau, I mean I'm fairly healthy dude, I don't you know. So it's really not that bad, like it's not as scary as I thought it was going to be. But I'll tell you I've been very prayerful about things and just tried to take things as they come. I haven't done some Google reviews and stuff like that, but I haven't done anything else. But I've had this stuff just kind of come my way and I'm just like Whoa, I guess I'm going the right direction.
Jim Cripps:I think that's one of the main reasons I wanted to have you on is you know, there's there's this entitlement in the world these days where people think they're owed the business they're owed. Customers are owed all these things, even people that have been around for a while, and that is just not how you do business. You know, a lot of yours is word of mouth, A lot of yours is referrals, A lot of it is the fact that you're doing great work out in the uh, in the landscaping space, and they're not afraid to give out your name and your number and know that you're going to be doing great work for the person that you're referring to.
Jason Lewis:Well, I mean, it's customer service has kind of been gone for a long time per se. You know, you call somewhere, you get like a phone tree, push this, push that or most times leave a voicemail for somebody. Well, I do my darn just to pick up the phone If I'm mowing or doing something. Unless I'm like in a dangerous compromising position with something that's dangerous, I'll answer the phone. And I've got like so many calls blocked because of the spam call but you don't know if you got to. If you're having a business you want to, you, you want the calls to get coming in. So I just I answered the phone and I try to show up and and I like most of the time, uh, if it's a big project, like like I'm there the other time I'm, you know, trying to get more business, meeting with people looking at this, looking at that, so I just like to work, yeah.
Jim Cripps:Well, I will say this I mean you made a good transition there because you know you've got a couple trucks and another crew and all that, and you know it's funny. You mentioned the health thing too because you know we had probably not seen each other in 20 years. Yeah, and I'm at the gym one day and you're on the other side of a wall so I can't even see you, but I hear your voice and ain't anybody else that sounds like Jason Lewis. And so we started chatting and whatnot. And I remember pretty early on, like within one of our first conversations which I think that was like your first year of business or close to it and you said I don't want any more yards, or I don't want any more business than I can physically do myself, and I love how that has evolved over the last few years. And you know now you're doing what triple the business.
Jason Lewis:Yeah, we are um, uh, yeah, it went from x, you know, the first year, me and one other guy, and then the next year it was uh, one truck and two guys and I was kind of like managing and like I got enough for that truck to do.
Jason Lewis:But then I, you know, got more calls so I kind of went out on my own and do do what I could do. And then, uh, last summer, uh, it kind of I bought another Isuzu and I that was me and I needed help and so, uh, I've been just crazy happenstance with William and Maria, and you know they're from Guatemala, I mean, how did they get to Ashton city and me get hooked up with me? Right, cause they, I just I just got to get out of the way. Yeah, like, they're kind of like me, they like to work, so and they're not scared to get dirty per se. So, uh, now it's them on the truck and I'm I have meetings a lot of times or I'll go, we've uh got into irrigation and, um, we do lots of tree work but just lots of other stuff for me to be doing per se than like on the truck. So, uh, you just kind of gotta evolve with it, or you know, but I'm just totally humbled well it's great to see.
Jim Cripps:And so now you've got two of the big landscaping trucks plus plus your truck, so potentially three crews running at any any particular time. Yep and um. You know, I think consciously you've made a big push towards commercial accounts and really kind of trying to decide what that, what that right customer looks like for you, what's the perfect customer? So I guess, if you will kind of walk people through like how, how did you, how did you kind of nail that down? And then once you figured out that's where you wanted to go with things like how did you go about getting more commercial accounts?
Jason Lewis:well, just just happenstance, I was uh working in the s still and I went to this little hoa down um west end area and I was outside and the lady was, she come out, we were talking for a second and I said, well, hey, who does your landscaping or whatever?
Jason Lewis:And she said she was not happy with the current fighter. And I said, well, I'd like to do it. It wasn't not much really. And uh, she said, well, yeah, let me get your information. Yada, yada, yada.
Jason Lewis:So went through a management company. You know you have to give them all your insurance and your license and all your business license, all that stuff. And uh, I quickly found out that, like, so they wanted, they wanted all this stuff done. You know four or five line items and then, um, you know, mowing, mulch, trimming, uh, leaf removal, all that stuff. So, uh, let's just say, for easy math, the total was $6,000. Well, let's just say, for easy math, the total was $6,000. Well, they're going to give me 500 bucks a month for 12 months. I said, now, there we go, that's cash flow, that's like. You know, my bills come monthly, so that's going to help me. So that, really, you know.
Jason Lewis:So now the management, that property management company I work with, property management company I work with, I have we have like six I think, and it really helps with, you know, a good, good, steady cashflow. But we have lots of residential customers as well and um, but for me that was like okay, my bills come monthly. This helps me. So my customer is the, the, the person who wants service all, not just cut my grass and go. They want, like you know, I want, I need mulch, I need this, I need that and that way you're, you know you're somewhat of a they're a client, because they want numerous things and a lot of times they'll call you hey, hey, I got this over here, I got this not working or this. I'm not like a professional, but that's easy. Oh, they look at you and like you know Well, you help them out.
Jim Cripps:Or even if you just referred them, because that's one of the other things that I think you're doing really well is you're surrounding yourself with other great professionals in that space, because I've used your full-blown like tree guy. I've used your stump guy. And those guys are fantastic.
Jason Lewis:Oh, I've been blessed I mean just been blessed with good folks around me. And you know, I'm gonna have to just throw you on the bus, because you were once meeting up with you again at the gym and, like that first year, like you were really like man, just it's this, it's it's, and I was I have no idea about business and all this stuff man, we would sit down at the storage unit there and we would talk and you were like, well, this is this and you know this, this was, uh, you know me, me, my lane is like getting my hands dirty. You is kind of like business and this is what this. And I'm like, huh, yeah, I just don't know what. I don't know. But, and some people, they, they don't want to, they don't want to help you, they don't want to, they don't want to help you, they don't want to share. They're like you know, no, you'll, you'll, you know, like, well, that's that's.
Jason Lewis:You were not that way and you know, then, you know us getting acquainted back. Then I mean I was like, oh, you were doing what, you were, this, you were. I mean, you've got a great story too. Somebody needs to interview you on this podcast, so but you helped me and said hey, this is. You just really opened my eyes to a lot of ways things work, like you said, having good people around you, because, like, if a tree falls or something like that, that's no problem. But like, if they need a big tree took down by the house, I got to call Hudson, and there's sometimes there's a big stump left. Well, we call Josh on the grind and hudson with champion tree. So we you know. And then, well, you got me hooked up with rosemary no, that, that was a game changer right there, oh that was the biggest game changer.
Jim Cripps:She was just absolutely, um, totally, totally game changer well, I remember I remember us having a conversation and you were talking about the things in the business that you struggled with, not that were hard, but they, they just sucked the life out of you and you were like I just, I just want to be out there either, talking to customers, getting new customers, servicing my existing customers. You know I want to be out there doing the work and the billing piece and the. You know I want to be out there doing the work and the billing piece and, uh, you know answering the phone and this and the scheduling, and I was like, quit fighting with it, just hire somebody. And so, you know, introduced you to rosemary. And then how did that go? Whoa?
Jason Lewis:so just you. Really. Your introduction, rosemary, is like totally way outside the box for, like I think, a lot of people, because when you were in the cell phone industry you outsource things to different places. Well, that's nothing that your average redneck does.
Jason Lewis:He just, you know, thinks about stuff to get done. Well, you know, rosemary lives in Costa Rica and she used to outsource things to Sprint, where you worked or y'all outsourced stuff to get done. Well, you know, rosemary lives in costa rica and she used to outsource things to sprint, where you worked or y'all outsourced stuff to her. Well, she opened up a business kind of a remote assistant, or they call it virtual, but she's real. So I don't know the virtual and remote, but anyway. So we communicate through uh, zoom, whatsapp, email, stuff like that. But like marco polo introduced marco polo, so I'll send her a marco polo, which is a video text yep, is that what you yeah?
Jason Lewis:yeah and uh, just hey, can you do this? Can you look at this, can you? This customer called about this and like she knows my software, my email, like she knows that stuff better than I do, but she's just all the office, uh, paperwork type stuff, her and her team, like they just I don't have to think about it, I just they just automatic. Every month they send it all out, they keep up with, uh, who's paid, who hadn't paid, uh, just everything, and it's all kept in the software. So you have records, I mean it's just. And then I have my mom. She's an accountant. They have an accountant firm in Clarksville so they do all my money type stuff or you know all that kind of stuff. So it just like you said, you keep good people to help you with stuff and it's hard to kind of share tasks or responsibility.
Jim Cripps:Well, I think it goes back to that mentality of you were trying to only have as much work as what you could physically hold on to, and one of the things I saw is the you know, the billing part of it, the scheduling part of it, that was just draining your energy. You know I'd come in and you know for two hours you're working on the schedule and you were more stressed than if you were cutting down. You know 50 trees and so you know, for me, when I hit something that is not necessarily difficult, but but it's just something I don't want to do, well, if I can hire somebody to do that at a reasonable cost that then allows me to do the high value things that I need to be doing, well, then it's the right business decision, and I think you came to that pretty quickly.
Jason Lewis:I did. You're exactly right, cause. But there is that you know you have to kind of go from doing all the work yourself to like you know, okay, it's okay to do this, but and I was thinking about the money paying her and all like that but like it's very, very reasonable and she can do more or less, but I mean, for what I pay her, it's absolutely worth it, because I mean, if you free up your time, you can go out and make more money than if you were doing the stuff that you really don't want to do or you just don't like to do per se.
Jason Lewis:Necessary, but you know.
Jim Cripps:Well, and you may not be able to hire that assistant just right out of the gate in the first three months or something, but at some point you're actually holding yourself back from taking care of more clients and more higher paying gigs for doing this lower value task that needs to be done. And the way I try to get people to think about it is let's just say, I can make $200 an hour with my best type or more ideal clients and I can hire this scheduling piece or this billing piece done for $15 an hour. Well, in order for me to do the billing and the scheduling, I have to clock out of my $200 an hour job and clock into my $15 an hour job. And I don't know about you, but I know I want to be clocked into that 200. And all of my team members need me to be clocked into that 200.
Jason Lewis:Exactly. I mean, first of all, like I said, you have a team. I do my best not to say employee or they work for me. I try to say we work together. I'm just the janitor coach, whatever you want to call it, because they do. I mean, if it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be where it is today. But you're exactly right. You can spend the 15, whatever it is for the part-time person, or like saying, go do something that's going to make you some money yeah, like you know what?
Jim Cripps:just more money yeah, well, and selflessly and selfish at the same time. Because, one, it's better for your whole team that you're out there doing the high, high payoff activity, also even for your virtual assistant, so they get to continue to work for you. You know, it's good for everybody, it's not just good for you, it is really truly good for the entire team. Um, and you know, again, it takes a level of maturity to to understand that.
Jason Lewis:It does. It does and I'll have to say, through this uh, adventure per se, like I've, I've kind of used social media per se like uh, just uh, people like Jocko Willink and uh, cam Haynes and Joe Rogan, all of them have, they just had this big personality in life, but it it's not about in their total thing is you got to do the work. There's no shortcut, there's no hack per se or whatever. There's like you got to get up, put your shoes on and go to work. I mean, if you want to make, if you want to make a living, you got to get up and go to work. It's, you know, and that's what they really, really emphasize.
Jason Lewis:And, jocko, he really emphasizes it's a book called extreme ownership and I don't know if you've read it or whatever, but I have. Yeah, it's a good one, it is, and, like he, he, you know, they ask him to come in and he'll just go straight to the president of the owner and say, hey, you're not doing what you're supposed to do, because this guy over here doesn't understand what's going on. If you know, and he don't, that's on you. So I mean, read some other good books, the e-myth, um, well, you just wrapped up a mastermind group, didn't you?
Jason Lewis:we did yeah I did at, uh, pinnacle bank and actually that was good. It was, um, I my the guy that made larry gave me the book when I first like he knew that I was going to start, but he said here's the book, read this, cause it's. It really did open my eyes to. If you want to work for yourself, that's one thing. But, like, if you want to have a business to where it's somewhat sustainable for you and your family and others, it's not just getting up and going to mowing, I mean, it's not just getting up and going to mowing. I mean that's just work. If you want to have a business where you can do more than just you, there's a lot more to it than just getting up and going to work. You've got to go to meetings. I don't mind that, but there's just stuff that you have to do. It just takes time. It's just a different mindset and you know it's working.
Jim Cripps:It's working and I love that. You took that from that and and went through the mastermind group. You know, uh, larry Roberts down at pinnacle bank, they do a great job with that he tries to do one. You know, like every quarter they do, and a lot of people have come through that. I, I did it, I don't know like six or seven years ago, um, but it does it, you know it. It. I don't think it matters what level of business you're at. You're going to find nuggets either in the book or in the group that you then can go put into action Right.
Jason Lewis:And there, and you know there's, it's used like six people, I think, but all everybody's in a different position, a different place in their business, or they work at a place of business and they're just trying to I don't know educate themselves and see what's going on. But yeah, the book really opened my eyes to like, oh just, it's way more than a truck, trailer and some and a mower. That's right, it's different mindset, but it's, it's fantastic.
Jim Cripps:It is, it is. Well, I want to be real with people, though. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, oh no. So what went wrong in the process? Like what, what? What mistakes did you make that you were just like oh, that's some I didn't know tax or some stupid tax, or man, I wish somebody had told me oh yeah, there's a lot of those, you know.
Jason Lewis:just you get fired up for mowing season in like November. You're like, oh, what am I going to do now? For me, at the beginning, you know it really wasn't about like money. So I've had to learn to charge more for my time. And you know, not that I want more money, but, like you know, you pay your taxes and gas and business license and auto insurance. I mean, that's it's. It's a lot, I'm not complaining, but like it's just a lot more than what I had anticipated.
Jason Lewis:So I was like golly, I just have to, and having to let some customers go, because you can be there all day and they're still not going to be happy unfortunately, and some people just want the grass cut. You got another customer over here want you know, they want to you know you call, they want to call you all the time. Hey, can you do this? You do this? Yeah, so that helped.
Jim Cripps:That helped keep everybody employed, sure well, you know, and and for a lot of business owners you know they have that loyalty to those first customers but at the same time you can outgrow a customer and I think it's all about how you, how you do that, how you kind of set the sunset. That relationship is not. You just didn't show up on a Saturday, or you didn't show up and cut that week it's. You know, I think. I think most of the time you're trying to get them with somebody else, uh, so that they're not left in the lurch, but at the same time so that you can go do the bigger and better and more. I don't want to say needy, but the clients that need more services.
Jason Lewis:Well, like you said, the $200 job over here to the $15 job. But it's not that you're not appreciative, it's just to grow and to be able to do more. You have to kind of keep going. But I do, like any customer I've ever let go. I've always made sure that I give them an option. I always check with the dude first, friend, and like, first of all, you know, I know him, I know he's going to show up, do it in the customer I say, hey, I'm sorry, we're trying to grow this and that. And then you know somebody, have a friend glad to take you over for interested, and nine hours of the time they say yes, and you know, send him my number or whatever, and so far, so good.
Jason Lewis:And and that's, and that's what happened in in uh to me getting in nashville I had a friend who said, hey, this guy's getting out of the landscaping business and got 18 or 20 and um, he wanted to sell them and he, like you said he made sure everybody was was good with it. So you had a, you know, a good chance. They were going to stay and that's been the best thing, like all of them have stayed except for just a few, but people have moved, um, just just change per se. One of those people, one person passed away, but just just life happens. But but that got me into the market in the area that I wanted to be in. We live in, we're in our city, so we come up Briley and just stay in West Nashville area, kind of West end to Bellevue, like I'm trying to keep that area small so you're not like going all over town because Nashville is a big place.
Jim Cripps:Well, and you're, you know you're not like going all over town because nashville's a big place, well, and you're you know you're not making any money between one location and the next. So to keep your guys, you know, busy and and making money, and you making money, you need those yards as close as possible to kind of specialize in an area. And I, I think and correct me if I'm wrong here, you guys it's, it's almost like you've got different areas that you hit different days of the week, typically, obviously weather dependent.
Jason Lewis:Yeah, so Monday we're usually at a big manufacturing place in Ashton City and stay in Ashton City, then Tuesday, ashton City, then Wednesday, thursday, nashville. And I've tried to keep a four-day work week ever since we started, because either somebody wants something else done we can do them Friday or it's weather, so we've done that. But it's worked out well and you know, just trying to keep everybody busy through the whole year is the best thing, but yeah, nashville has been the best year is the best thing, but yeah, nashville has been that's been the best. Um, I knew I had to kind of move out of ashton city if I wanted to get the commercial accounts and stuff like that, because it uh just not very many in ashton city.
Jim Cripps:Really sure I got you, um, you know what? What's something that you wish somebody had told you, like you know, as you were starting this business, maybe before you even bought equipment. You just wish if you could go back and give yourself a piece of advice. What would that be?
Jason Lewis:Enjoy it and just pay attention to uh, just pay attention to I mean there's. So I mean you when you're in the landscaping business. You see, that's what you see is you see all the landscape and lawn care trucks, like there's lots of big companies out there. So just just try to, you know, just try to pay attention and like um and show up, don't, don't drop the ball, cause, like if you do, it's just sitting there, yeah, so you've kind of doesn't go anywhere if you don't take it with you. Yeah.
Jim Cripps:I feel like one of the big changes I saw you make is, you know you started with a truck and trailer which you bought specifically for for this, yeah, and then you know, first it's really kind of just soon as you started making some money, it was like nope, there's a reason. You see those azuzu landscaping trucks and now you got a couple of those absolutely so.
Jason Lewis:for me I was, you know, on the truck and the trailer. You could lock stuff up. It was kind of like its own little thing and you could use the truck. Well, man, here in Nashville traffic and places here and there, I've seen landscape trucks. I said I'll try one. Oh goodness, total game changer. Like you ain't going to get over by that stupid trailer. You're going to have to teach somebody how to drive something with the trailer, how to back it up. This is kind of like driving a big, long 70s Cadillac. I mean it's where you put all kind of stuff in there with you and you've got toolboxes. I mean it's kind of like a rolling shop and whatever you might need, because somebody might be at somebody's house and you might need to dig something up or cut part of a tree down so you can keep all your stuff on there and you've just. It's a big game changer.
Jim Cripps:And how did you get through that, that mental process? Cause you know, at the time, I remember you had a truck and a trailer and you were set. And then, you know, came across an opportunity to buy a truck, but that was a big jump. I mean, you ain't like you were crushing it. Then, you know, you were, you were still slugging it out every day. And so I mean, I guess, how did you get the courage to make that leap and buy that first truck?
Jason Lewis:well, I, I guess I kind of go back to the standard time clock. I'm like you know. So because I, because I took my retirement you know majority of it and just took it out before we came, because, to be honest, none of us are guaranteed another minute or second on this earth. And you know, it seems like this whole, like America. And don't take this the wrong way, I don't want to be taken the wrong way, but like you're geared, it's engineered for you to get up from 8 to 5. You're going to school. Already when you're a kid you're 8 to 5. And then they encourage you to go to college 8 to 5 to get a good job, to work 8 to 5, and get a degree, to work at a nice, good job, and those jobs are all needed.
Jason Lewis:But like I'm not engineered, I finally stopped fighting it. Like, I'm not engineered to go be hitched up to somebody's wagon all day. Not being selfish, I, I just like I'm. I have to say I can do more than most. I'm not like, don't take it the wrong, I'm not trying to be arrogant at all, but like you know, I don't mind working Like I can work, as you know.
Jason Lewis:I can get up and get my hands dirty and stay going all day.
Jim Cripps:I mean it's, it's you know a lot of people can, but, like you know, just a lot of people can but they don't. Well, I think that's, I think that's part of the difference.
Jason Lewis:You're exactly right, but I was gonna, I didn't. I just I tried to tread lightly and I try to live a quiet life, mind my own business, work hard with my hands. Don't have to depend on anybody. A famous man named Paul wrote that, so look that up. They want to know where it came from. But anyway, um, I, I just really I don't know. I, I, in 2020, I started listening to the Robertson podcast.
Jason Lewis:Uh, unashamed, and you know the to me, uh, uh, just a, just a good man, just great family and just everything they stand for. Like they just went to work and they found something they enjoyed doing, so that's what they did. I knew years ago, my stepbrother brought over a zero turn mower and I was like whoa, I got on that thing and like, I was like, but I also loved to play in the dirt and I worked at sawmill and like, I just loved working with my hands. But you know it, but the whole world that you are, you have to go to school and all that stuff you know when you're young, so it kind of gears you to work somewhere and for somebody.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, well, you did for what?
Jason Lewis:20. Yeah, 25 such years and and you know, but there was always like working the sawmill. You know, I worked for a dude, it wasn't a company, it wasn't a big, giant company. Larry Gibbs was there, like he was, uh, you know, just an average dude and I think that's um, nowadays you either work for somebody or you work for yourself. That seems like common sense, but, like a lot of people, they're not going to try to work for themselves.
Jason Lewis:Yeah, it's too scary it is. It is scary, but you know, I just, you know, just have to have faith and it's been working. I love it. So I'm, I'm just blessed as I can be and just, oh, I got that just very humble.
Jim Cripps:Well, and I know you touched on this with some of the podcasts that you listen to and those types of things you know as you've been growing up this business you know what podcasts, who who's been a part of it, like, who's mentored you Like just all the things. Like you know who can, who can you give a nod to that. That's absolutely been either game changing or a part of a part of your growth.
Jason Lewis:Well, I'll have to say, Jocko, like he's got a great podcast and like you know, it seems nowadays, like you touched on before, people don't want to work, like that's a whole big thing, like I don't, I don't want to do that, I don't want to do this. I mean, I don't know that your average high schooler boy knows how to change a tire, knows how to check his oil or even knows how, like if the batter knows how to check his oil, or even knows how, like if the batter is dead, I don't know what to him, calling somebody I mean dude, when I, when it was when I was young, like you got to figure it out, yeah, but, and that's and I go back to Jack, cause he's like he, his story is, he wanted to be, uh, you know, special ops type guy, you know commando, well, the navy seals, they don't, they don't give those tridents out. You've got one week of hell first, you know, in the very beginning, and that weeds out everybody, because I mean, but it's, it's just that the thing like, do the work, there's no, get your sheet, get you, get up. I try to get up every day at five. I think it's like five oh two, I'm just weird, but I try to get every day like five oh two, even Sunday, like try to keep that schedule. And you know, even if I just get up and piddle around or. But when you work for yourself you have kind of a small business, you know you're you're always thinking about it, you know what do I need to do, and it doesn't have to be much, but every day you're kind of, I guess, um, keeping your finger on the pulse maybe, and uh, and Jocko's, like all the dudes he interviews are like dudes that have like some are fighter pilots, some were like in vietnam.
Jason Lewis:Some were pows, but like that generation up to well, up to the cell phone and you know, like you know the smartphone there there was no easy anything. Now you've got like influencers and all that stuff and they just make videos. But that, what you see in the video or the clip or whatever they show you, that's just their. That's a happy moment. A lot of people compare that to their inner feelings of how they're feeling and that's not an equal thing. I guess. I keep going back to like you got to get up, put your shoes on, let's go. Yeah, I mean you can't. I mean people, even adults, are like if they have a few minutes they're on their phone, just scrolling, just looking. And you know I like to look too, don't get me wrong.
Jim Cripps:But like I got to go to work too, yeah, Well, and I will say this a lot of times, you know, uh, when I if I talked to you earlier, you know you're probably out on a run at you know, it's barely daylight.
Jason Lewis:Well, I've had to, like I have to get everybody going, but, yeah, I try to get some miles in. I'm not, I'm not like, but like work feels good, like to go out and break a good sweat or like go to the gym, like I go to the Y a few times a week and, um, you know the S, like after work at, like the sauna, oh, that's just, that's good. Suffering right there, yeah, like I enjoy that.
Jim Cripps:Well, you know, again, we we kind of uh met each other again after 20 years at the gym. And I remember when I walked around the corner, like you know, you're writing something, and I saw the muscles in your arm flexing and I was like dude is ripped. So I mean, you know, has health been a big thing for you for the last 25 years? Or I mean what, I guess? How did you? How did you get to where you are now?
Jason Lewis:Well, so I was at NES at the time and I just turned like 40, 41. And, like you know, I was older when I started there and was that right? Anyway, it's been a while. But somebody said, get out of the way, old man. I said what did you say? And dude, that just totally. I mean I said no, sir, and like hey, that just lit me on fire. Like I started going to the gym with the dude that worked with Holman and you know we started going to the gym and like it wasn't like I stopped. You know I still eat garbage, don't get me wrong but like it's not every day, every meal, like now, but like like I did work out when I was young, like 17, 18, 19. But then when you go to school and you get this good job and you're like man, I got a good job, it's good to work, and when you're there you you're not really it's nothing too strenuous at the phone company, it's just a lot of mind stuff. I mean it's work, but like it's not physical hard work.
Jason Lewis:And I remember once I got back going to the gym I was like, man, I do miss this, like I miss this, this right here. And that happened. And then, uh, a dude from NES another friend that I was in my department uh, ralph, we started going to a place here in Nashville and you couldn't say, you know, it was called Fit Factory, but you can't at the time it was somewhat CrossFit, but you can't say CrossFit because you have to pay for that, it's trademarked. So they did everything, just like, but like, oh, that was way better than just lifting, like you do, you do some stuff with weights, kettlebell, something like that. Then you jump rope, for you know, you just did all kind of stuff. Then you like run, go half a mile run, and like I was like, oh, this really sucks, this is good, this is really good.
Jim Cripps:so, uh, that was I like how you said that oh, this sucks, it's really good I mean.
Jason Lewis:But I mean when you're a kid and you're playing baseball or you're riding your bike or whatever, when you were really really like doing some work and like it was hard, that was fun to you. Yeah, you know, if you're out in the woods or riding your bike or playing baseball with everybody else, kids like you ran like crazy to first base or whatever it was you were doing. You were playing football, you ran like crazy and that's what I think a lot of people would. It's not a big thing anymore For younger folks. I just don't want I mean a lot of people don't want to do stuff like that.
Jim Cripps:Well, you know, and I think this could be somewhat controversial out in the space, but you know, that's really kind of the role of testosterone is it makes effort feel good. It does, you know, and, as you know, if we look at testosterone levels just across the board in the last 30, 40 years, it just keeps going down across the board. And so, you know, I think that plays a factor into. You know, these, this younger generation I won't even, it's not even the younger generation, I will just say people by and large that don't want to try or don't want to do the hard work you know, is, is it partly due to low testosterone?
Jason Lewis:I do lots of too much research on stuff. So, uh, you know, men, back in the fifties and forties, their average testosterone level was like 1,500. Well, what happened after World War II was we got this, you know, processed food and all this stuff that made like you know, people didn't cook as much.
Jason Lewis:There was a lot of stuff that was like quickly done, quickly made, cook as much. There was a lot of stuff that was like quickly done, quickly made. Well, you know, if you keep food for a long time and it doesn't go bad to me, they had to add something to that, like there's a lot of extra stuff that we probably have no idea about. And somebody long time ago told people that you know sugar's good, fat's bad. I'm like, after all this research, like your body, your brain, like if you do it on that table right there, it's a big blob of fat, yeah, bad. I'm like, after all this research, like your body, your brain, like if you do it on that table right there, it's a big blob of fat yeah so I mean your body, it's you know too much.
Jason Lewis:Yes, it's bad for you, but like eating the fat on a steak or something like that, that's good for you. Eating a big spoonful of sugar, that's definitely not good for you, that's right. I mean white sugar, white milk and white flour. Okay, what, uh, laird hamilton, to quote. So I just a lot of different things. But yeah, I do try, but that kicked off. My health thing was like no way. You called me the old man. I'm 40 and like it. Just really they got a burr under my saddle.
Jim Cripps:But but what a great thing, what a, what a favor he did for you. Oh yeah, you know like he was he, was he, was, you know, uh throwing some shade your way and what worked?
Jason Lewis:Oh yeah, Cause that dude at 40, if I'd kept going would not be able to do what I'm what, what I do now, like I mean some days it's physical, yeah, cause I mean we just it's just what happens. And I think that also made it to where you know I didn't mind doing something hard because I'd gotten in that that that mode rut, yeah Mutt. A road mode of um easy, you know now you know it's not the way really.
Jim Cripps:You know one of my favorite sayings is what's the difference between a rut and a groove? And its success, and so you can get used to being successful, just like you can get used to being unsuccessful, whether that's in health or in business or, you know, in personal relationships, whatever that is. And it takes action. It takes. It takes you balling up that fist and being like no more in order to get out of that rut and to start generating success. Yeah.
Jason Lewis:And one of my favorite sayings. I tell my kids and it was like if you do what's easy, your life can be hard. If you do what's hard, your life can be hard. If you do what's hard, your life will be easy, Because if you do stuff that's hard, you're good. Yeah, If you do, I mean. So I try to encourage my kids that way and, like you know, I just people in general.
Jason Lewis:Just, you know, it's not that hard, you're going to be okay. Yeah, you know, not have to't have to give somebody a finger. That's right. Well, speaking of family, how are the girls doing? They're good. They're good. Annalee's senior year, Em's starting college, Victoria's out working. She's got her own place. Everybody's good. Yeah, being a dad was a big. I was like, oh gosh, look at this little thing.
Jason Lewis:It's just mine Like it's not going away and it depends on me. It depends on me every day, yeah. So now it's mainly you know different, but like at that point it was like they needed you for everything. Yeah, you've got castles. I mean, when you get a youngin' yeah, whoa. Yeah, you've got castles, I mean when you get a youngin'.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, whoa. Yeah, it's a shock to the system. It is, but it's also fun.
Jason Lewis:It is. And I will say I think you know what love is is when you have a child. Oh yeah, you know, I mean if you. I mean and not trying to throw shame or whatever, but like if you have a child, or I mean even a dog or something that depends on you. That's really different than just you.
Jim Cripps:Oh yeah, You've got to care for that person, that thing, whatever, especially when they depend on you for everything Exactly.
Jason Lewis:So your feelings and what you need are. They're in the equation, but that might just be a little bit.
Jim Cripps:Yeah Well, I almost think too, if your heart's in it, that having kids is almost like a God thing from a different perspective, in that, you know, as a Christian I feel like God's always watching, oh yeah, but so is your child. You're teaching your child good habits, bad habits, all those things, and so you better be in check, oh yeah.
Jason Lewis:Little bunnies have big ears, that right. So you mean in big eyes too, I guess. But like they always hear, you know you, you know you do something dumb and you're like oh, you're like, whoa, I got just green and barren.
Jim Cripps:Yep, oh, yeah, you know it instantly. There's that, you're. Oh, it's definitely worth it. Yeah, man, definitely worth it. What's next for LG Landscape and Services?
Jason Lewis:I mean, what's on your horizon? Well, I'm just, like I said, just being kind of prayerful. I don't like to be honest. It's kind of like eating an elephant. I'm just trying to do it one bite at a time. I don't um, I like to you know when people call, I like to answer the phone. I, I like to be present per se and be able to have a conversation or come see you or whatever, and I I still like to keep that customer service. I'm just growing slowly. I don't want to, you know. If I mean you could definitely probably grow more if you wanted to, you could push the gas on advertising and all that stuff, but I mean I just you know well, you say you're growing slowly but you're tripled in size in the last three years.
Jim Cripps:Well, but it's solid.
Jason Lewis:It is, but I mean it's. I still don't have any idea. I'm going to name a number, but I'm good with it. I'm thankful. I mean it's not me.
Jim Cripps:So it is you, in my opinion. It's you doing the great work and it's them not being shy about sharing, because I mean, if you think about it, people always want to have a guy Right, yeah. Or you need X Call my guy yeah. You need X Call my girl yeah. And they feel good about that yeah, because now, like I'm sharing my rock star with you and I really do think that's been the key to your success and, at the same time, having the courage to do those tough things like buying a group of yards, you know, or buying that truck so that you could have another crew, or you know, all these things that a lot of people are too afraid to do you're right, it's scary.
Jason Lewis:But like, like, I've just been prayerful about it and man, I just having faith and uh, it's, it's been working. So I'm just kind of I've I do, will, I would, I would like to get to where we have that. Um, at this point I kind of have an idea of what a basic cost of what it is to operate, that is, to pay everybody insurance, fuel, pay me all that kind of stuff, kind of a base level. And if I could get that in the contracts, if I get to that level that I, you know, I'd like to see what that looks like, because you kind of have, um, a good basis, you have a good constant flow of this. So you know pretty much everything's taken care of. So you can do something. You can like do some other stuff too.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, you can add stuff to it well, I think, I think in every business owner's kind of growth pattern there's that that place where now you got, got something to lose. So you're, you know, sometimes it it curbs your enthusiasm for taking risks, and but you know, kind of what I hear you saying is if I can grow my commercial contracts to the point where the, the, the baseline cost, is covered, well then I feel more comfortable being you know bold again. Yeah, right, yeah.
Jason Lewis:Cause now you got people that depend on you, not just your household, but team members oh yeah, we, I have a very blessed um uh, William and Maria and his brother that they're from, you know, guatemala. They've come up here. Just, you know, like you know, it's got to be better than I guess, it's better than Mexico, I guess. So they just. But you know, so I think about not just me, but like I got to make sure I pay them. So if I can get to that where everybody's taken care of and it's kind of just on the regular basis, that's good, and then you know, you kind of get to a place where you can take a breath and you're ready to take a little bit more.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, so, but uh, so some somewhere out there right now, somebody is in a nine to five or an 11 to three, or three to 11, whatever the second shift is, or you know, and they're. They're looking at that time clock Like you can't get. They're wishing time away, you know. Yeah. What's your advice to them? What's your advice to that person that is standing in that line around all those other people wishing they were at home? What do you tell them?
Jason Lewis:Man, you're not guaranteed anything so you might as well try. I mean, if it all went downhill at all, just kind of got sour. You know I could sell all this stuff you know get rid of. You know, have all my debt gone as far as the business and kept my? You know, kept what I could do? I mean I'd still be able to eat and pay my bills up like that. That was a thing to look at too, like if this failed or this something happened or whatever. I mean a buddy of mine, daniel Welch. He's in construction in Clarksville. He's like can you sell it? I'm like, yeah, I can get rid of it.
Jason Lewis:He goes. Well, your debt's almost gone. I mean, you know so you don't. You know that's the thing. Yeah, you know that's the thing, yeah, so I mean it. But I will say, taking that leap, but I guess you have to kind of know, you. Some people don't. Uh, they've never done enough to really know what they want to do. I mean, I think young people nowadays they don't know what they want to do because they, you know, they didn't. Life is just not the same when me and you were 16, 17, as it is for a young person 16, 17 years old today it's just not different, it's just different.
Jim Cripps:You know and they don't know what they don't know, they don't know what they don't know.
Jason Lewis:They don't know and unfortunately we have this point click, receive, um, mentality, mentality and uh, that's the way the world is. But like, if they want to like you know before, if you wanted to like see what something looked like to what you know, like you thought, oh, what does he look like? You'd have to get out an encyclopedia, or you could maybe look something up on the computer and give you a couple pictures. Now there's instagram and all that stuff and you can go anywhere you want to go and there's no. Somebody said one time there's not much wonder left in the world like you don't have to wonder, I wonder what that would be like I wonder what this is there.
Jason Lewis:If you look, if you look hard enough on instagram or wherever and don't get me wrong, I love instagram and like for all the places I'll probably just won't get to go, but you know it's. But these young people, they just oh, what's it look like? Click so you go.
Jim Cripps:Okay, they, you know well, I think that's where it's our job, especially with our children, but maybe with other people too to instill a different type of wonder. And it's not wonder what it would look like, but wonder what it would feel like. Like I wonder what it would feel like to get up and go to a job every day that I loved. Or I wonder what it would feel like to get up every morning and know that my house was paid for, or that I didn't have debt, or that, you know, fill in the blank or that my health was improved. You know, I mean, you know I was. I was 300 plus pounds you know I was.
Jim Cripps:I was big for a long time and I'm not small these days, but it takes that hard work. I mean it ain't coming off. It didn't go, it went on easy, but it ain't coming off easy.
Jason Lewis:No, no, that's a bad that's, that's the bad thing.
Jason Lewis:I mean it's easy to eat like ours. But yeah, well, I mean, hey, man, when I first met you at the gym, you know you were, you're still on the path, you're steadily Working on it, working on it, but there's a key word. You're working on it, yeah, like I mean we're talking about steroids and shots, all this stuff. I mean, if you sat on the couch and took steroids, nothing's happening. No, you might lose a little bit of weight, but like you're not going to look like Arnold, they don't work unless you do. That's right, that's right. So I mean, it just doesn't work that way. Yeah, yeah, you have to put forth some effort. For I mean, you know, and people get and that's where I think we'll get nervous yeah, do they haven't done? You know, and to me that's not anxiety, that's not nervous. Yeah, to me would be on one of those boats approaching omaha beach in world war ii, hearing shells and grenades and bullets whizzing by and people screaming.
Jason Lewis:Or you get jumped out of a plane into France and you see planes going out like that's anxiety. If you're in that plane or you're on that boat, hey, I need to shut up.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, and I think, I think it's because we have a misconception of what hard is, or a misconception of what anxiety is or fear. It ain't you know you're? You're talking about something totally different than I'm afraid, because I didn't do my work yesterday. You know that, yeah, one, you have control over, the other, you don't. And, um, your life depends on you making the right choices, kind of like what you said earlier if you, if you choose hard today, tomorrow will be easier. Yeah, and you know, thank goodness, and most of the time we have control over that.
Jason Lewis:That's right and back to Jocko. Like he always says, you want to take a day off, take a day off tomorrow. He said the next day, you know I'll take a day off tomorrow. It never comes. Right. But sometimes I like I mean, I mean he's honest Like they put the picture of his timex iron man or whatever he wears, and it's like 4 30 every morning. But one morning, though, I spent a while back. Like it said 6 30 he goes. I think I needed more rest, but like he's honest about it.
Jim Cripps:Yeah, well, I think. I think you actually have to listen to your body, and not not what you want, but listen to what it is screaming at you, um, and it takes a while to get in tune enough to be able to know that you know it is. It does, uh, cause otherwise you know, comfort just wants you to, just not every day.
Jason Lewis:Yeah, and I don't know about you, but, like you know, I'll be 50 this year if I make it. So for me, sleep is a big thing. Man Like I, when I was, just, say, 10 years ago, I didn't think much about it. Now I'm like eight, 30, nine, 30. I need to go to bed because I just need sleep. Yeah, and it affects my wellbeing, my mind, it affects a lot of stuff for me. I don't know about you, but like for me, it it like if I don't get much sleep, I'm yeah.
Jason Lewis:I'll take for it the next day.
Jason Lewis:I do too yeah yeah, and like you know, we talk about, you know, trying to eat right and do right. I mean, you know, some days I don't want to, I don't want to lace this shit. You know I don't want to do it, but like you never regret going to the gym or going for a run or doing something like that, like if you had to, you know, let I mean, uh, fall Creek falls for the mind just went there and he said, like, he said it was a good hike back to this big waterfall. He said, but the hike was well worth it. Yeah, you know. So I think a lot of people, um, uh, david Goggins was another one, like he's. He has this 40 rule. He says that most people give up at roughly 40. They just like I, I can't do no more. He said you're only at 40, bro. I mean that I think that's how people make it through like hell week, and they make it through being a pow and you know, but you just gotta do what you do.
Jim Cripps:You don't know how deep that well is until you find out.
Jason Lewis:Exactly.
Jim Cripps:That's right. You know, one of the things that we do on the Charge Forward podcast is we have this segment. That is things we think but do not say, okay, here we go, so we get a little controversial with that one. Okay, so what's something that's on your list that you're like? You know what?
Jason Lewis:This is one of those things that most people wouldn't say, but you know it's, it's on people's minds. I would really say that you know, people are lazy, yeah I mean the general population out there.
Jason Lewis:I mean they're, they're lazy and like, if they can't, you know, like, uh, just for me. I mean, I drive a lot, I'm here and there, but like traffic, hey, man, you'll, you'll see who somebody is and isn't in traffic, even just for a minute. Or like I have a three-second rule at Stocklight. If it's green, I'll give you three seconds and I'll beep the horn if not. But hey, some people, you beep the horn, hey, they'll turn around and start and we'll miss the whole line. It's gone. You'll the horn. Hey, they'll turn around and start and we'll miss the whole line.
Jason Lewis:It's gone. You'll be like, okay, you just sat there. There's five people behind me. I'm glad you can't see them. Oh yeah, they're just. It's pitiful.
Jim Cripps:But you're right, In a lot of situations there's a lot of laziness out in the world today. It is. And you know what At, and you know what at times we've been one of them.
Jason Lewis:Oh yeah, you know but I'll be the first to admit it, but it's about what you choose today. That's right, you know, that's right. Well, I love it, I love it. I want to ask you that question. Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna almost switch this around here for you so what's something that you would like to say that you don't say?
Jim Cripps:well, you know, I think it's we touched on earlier, it's it's this concept of toxic masculinity and I think, just by and large, the testosterone levels have dropped to the point where when a man just does what a man's supposed to do, whether it's stand up for his family, stand up for a woman, stand up for somebody who can't stand up for themselves, or get up and go do the work themselves, or get up and go do the work, then they're chastised or they're, you know, labeled or fill in the blank with whatever that looks like.
Jim Cripps:Um, just because it makes somebody else feel inadequate, because they didn't choose to get up and go do it. And you know, to your point about testosterone levels, I mean, yeah, if you go look at what testosterone levels were in the, you know, sixties, seventies, even eighties, even 80s, you know the low end was around 800 and the high end, I think, was around 12, 13, 1400. And you know those levels have trended down and really and truly, I believe it's because the insurance companies don't want to have to pay to help figure it out, to help fix it or to send alarms to anybody. You know you're, you're labeled as in range or out of range. Well, now you can be 200 and you're just barely out of range, I think. I think range is like 214 to you know 800 and don't quote me on that, but I think it's somewhere in that range somewhere.
Jim Cripps:And and really, like you know, the top end right now is where you know, know an active male should be. Yeah, and you know so I think that causes some of the laziness is. You know, testosterone makes effort feel good. Well, there's we're. We had a lack of effort out there in the world.
Jason Lewis:Right now we do that I don't know about you, but I wear the old redneck badge with honor. Right, we need some more God-fearing rednecks in this world. Yeah, because, hey, when you look around, when you can't find somebody to do something or whatever, hey, if you know a redneck he'll do it. Yeah.
Jim Cripps:Well, I mean, there's a reason why you got to get her done out there. That's right. That's exactly right yeah.
Jason Lewis:When I was 16, 17, man, we were cutting tobacco and hay, worked at a sawmill. I mean you know, I mean it's just a but it's a different world, but like there's still stuff to do. Like Dirty Jobs guy, what's his name? Mike Rowe, mike Rowe. So Mike Rowe is like he's kind of come out the last few years about like you know, we need electricians, we need plumbers, we need, you know, because people just don't want to do that kind of work. They might not know. I mean, like you might have somebody they like start being an electrician or a framer or construction or whatever you know and like, well, this is nice, this is. You know, I could do this.
Jim Cripps:Yeah Well, you know, I think about it too, like you know. Think about just social environments for dudes, right, you know? You're, you know, get somebody's name and you're like, what do you do for a living? We want to know what you do. Yeah, right, you know some people are going to say, well, you know that's not how you network or whatever. You know that's the wrong, wrong question to ask. No for a dude it's the right question. What do you do? You never know when you might inspire somebody else to do that same thing, or maybe, or maybe their son overhears, or maybe their daughter overhears.
Jim Cripps:You know, um, my wife, you know, emily's in cancer research, has been for 25 years. And it was because a friend of her dad's uh, had two daughters and they were all at one of them's graduation party and he was talking to Emily and was like, yeah, neither one of my daughters are interested in this cancer research field and I think it's just where, you know, somebody should absolutely be. Emily asked a couple questions and, boom, now she's headed to college. That's what she's going to do, that's what she went to college for. So she helps bring new cancer treatments to the forefront. And it was because of a conversation. There you go, and part of it, too, is you want to figure out. Can I help this dude? Can I help this?
Jason Lewis:guy, yeah, and man, that's been the biggest blessing. Yeah, like being able we all know someone that you, you know you, or you come across somebody that you know just you need, they need something done and man, you're able to help them. Yeah, and you fill in the blank on whatever that is. As far as it's, it's work, a call, I mean, uh, resources it's. And man, hey, you know, when you, when you just do a random act of kindness or go, you see something needs to be done and you're like, oh gosh, you know you, but like you know what, I get up every morning I'm forgiven. Hey, I'm, you know, this ain't me, you know I'm, I'm, you know, managing this, this fiasco here. But you know the almighty's, you know, uh.
Jason Lewis:But yeah, matthew kind of has like green lights, like I wondered he gave you the opportunity. Yeah, so, and matthew mcconaughey said he followed his green lights to get to where he is and man, I, I quit work and like, one day there is a, there's a community over in um chetmansboro area there it's called whifford ill estates and most of the people there are pilots, so none of of them mow the grass, so I oh yeah, they got an airstrip.
Jason Lewis:Yeah, they got two runways there and most of them fly, like you know, cessnas or whatever, to an airport and they fly to go do whatever. You know, they're pilots. Well, man, one day I'd never been there, you're gated, you can't get in there. I was. I just kind of decided to do this. And the guy who owns it, he bought the farm, like you know, 40 years ago. His name's Ray Williams and his son was mowing, he mowed, but he finally got too old, he just kind of quit doing it and his son took it.
Jason Lewis:Well, I had thought, you know, know, I'll be great to have those. I called, or I called him and said, hey, man, your son, you know, I found out his son did it. Well, son calls me. I'm getting out that you want him. Yeah, I'm there mowing at ray's house the dad, you know, and his house is right on like the runways here, like he sees it all, and man, I'm mowing and I just look over. Oh, they look to my left, sorry, we're going this way. Hey, here comes a plane landing and I'm just like, how did I get here? I mean, who gets to see? And he was doing touching goes, and they call it okay like he was coming down goes is that what they call it?
Jason Lewis:Okay, like he was coming down and landing just for a second and then taking back off. Okay, so these I mean I don't know him as kind of. I mean I don't have an airplane, but just to be able to be in the gated community and like this guy just comes, I'm mowing and he just you get to see I mean.
Jim Cripps:But here's the thing that didn't happen by accident. You picked up the phone and made the call. You took action. That's the thing. That's the thing that a lot of people won't do is pick up the phone and take action.
Jason Lewis:Yeah so.
Jim Cripps:God gave you the ability. That's right.
Jason Lewis:To take the action. That's right. He gave the ability to call that dude, he gave him that inclination and that's. But you know, yeah, just being able to help people and just all the places I mean, oh man, some of the people I've met, I mean I have a country music star. I'm not bragging, I'm just, I'm just sharing how I've been blessed. I have a country music star cell phone in my phone and I'm just like that was a green light. Yes.
Jim Cripps:Oh, absolutely.
Jason Lewis:Absolutely, so I'm just going to keep going. I love it. I said I'd give it five years and it's going pretty good yeah.
Jim Cripps:Keep going. I love it, man.
Jason Lewis:Well, again, you know, I think the world of you you're crushing it out there and, uh, I'm just proud of the work that you do and just the type of human you are man really, and glad that you're in my, in my world, glad that you came out and joined us today, uh, I'm, I'm humbled and, jim, I'm serious, like you were a that first year, the first few steps of the hardest man, you were there. I mean you were like, talk to me and you just coached me through the whole thing, this and that, and then so, man, you were man, you've been there the whole time. So I mean I got a big thanks to you. And now I'm sitting in a podcast studio and I'm just like wow, Well, it's, it's been, it's been fun.
Jim Cripps:So absolutely so is somebody out there? So everybody that's watching, like what's, what's a, maybe a nugget of advice that you'd give to somebody that's either in business, looking to get in business, maybe they're in a nine to five, whatever spot they're in, maybe they're a parent, or just one nugget of advice or an ask that you have of them to take away from this. Just just try.
Jason Lewis:I love it, just try. Give it a try. You're never going to know. Let's try. I mean, that's old saying, but like it's, I mean it's really not. If you don't mind doing the work. It's really not hard, it's a whole lot. It's not as hard, as I thought it was going to be. Yeah.
Jim Cripps:That's great. Well, jason, thanks for coming out today it's. It's been a pleasure chatting.
Jason Lewis:I'm humbled. I'm very thankful and very, very humbled. You asked me I'm you're anytime?
Jim Cripps:Absolutely Well. Team the Charge Forward podcast. Again, I want to say special thanks to the team here at HitLab Studios, as well as our sponsors, sense, custom Development and Charge Forward Solutions. Until next time. I'm Jim Cripps, we'll see you later. Team, thanks so much for joining us for this episode of the Charge.
Speaker 3:Forward podcast. Look forward to other amazing guests and until next time I'm your host, jim Cripps. Special thanks, as always, always, to Nick.
Jim Cripps:Heider and the creative team at HitLab Studios here in Nashville.
Speaker 3:Tennessee. Special thanks to our sponsors Sense Custom Development and Charge Forward Solutions.
Jim Cripps:Please be sure to like and subscribe.