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Charge Forward Podcast
The Charge Forward Podcast: Dedicated to those who choose to Charge Forward into the Storm when hit with challenges. This is what makes them different and has lead to their success. When in doubt.... Charge Forward!
Charge Forward Podcast
Building Landscapes & Legacies: The Quintegrity Story with Jessica Quinn
What does it take to build a thriving business from the ground up—literally?
Jessica Quinn, founder of Quintegrity, joins us on the Charge Forward Podcast to share her journey from working in nurseries to leading one of Middle Tennessee’s most respected landscape design firms. In this inspiring episode, we dive into the art of designing outdoor spaces that not only enhance properties but also align with homeowners' lifestyles, creating beautiful, low-maintenance landscapes that stand the test of time.
Jessica opens up about the power of networking, strategic partnerships, and relationship-building in business, emphasizing how strong vendor and subcontractor relationships often lead to more success than traditional marketing efforts. We also discuss the challenges of managing different leadership styles, the importance of clear communication, and how staying true to your vision leads to sustainable growth.
Beyond landscaping, this episode highlights the fine balance between customer service and profitability—how personal connections and high-quality service build a strong referral network in a world increasingly reliant on automation. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a business owner looking for practical insights, or someone who appreciates the beauty of thoughtful design, this episode is packed with real-world wisdom, motivation, and actionable advice to help you charge forward in your own journey.
🎧 Tune in now for an inspiring conversation on business, design, and entrepreneurship!
Connect with Jessica Quinn & Quintegrity Landscape Design:
🌿 Website: Quintegrity Landscape Design
🌿 Instagram: @QuintegrityLandscape
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🚀 Listen Now & Charge Forward!
You are the cap for whatever goes on in your store, in your company, in your district, in your household. However excited you are, what you believe is possible, whatever that threshold is. Hey team, jim Cripps here with the Charge Forward podcast coming to you from HitLab Studios here in Nashville, tennessee. Now I've got a special guest for you today. This young lady came from working for somebody else how often entrepreneurs do to creating her own business, inspired by integrity and quality, all the things in landscape design. Please help me welcome Jessica Quinn.
Speaker 1:Hi how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm good.
Speaker 1:How are you Fantastic? Now I love the name Quintegrity, so did that just roll off, or did somebody help you with?
Speaker 2:that, or how did the name come into play? Well, when I initially started thinking about it, I knew how important branding was going to be. Oftentimes in landscaping you see companies that are named after the owner, after the founder, and so I wanted to get my name in there to kind of claim it. But I also wanted a name that was going to tell you how we were unique, and my main focus on landscaping was integrity. I just really wanted to put out that. I wanted to create gardens that were going to last and not be something that's pretty now and not later. So I was brainstorming on how do I get Quinn and integrity together and I've always been a big fan of play on words and so Quintegrity just came out, and I did bounce the idea off of a couple of friends, and I had a few of them that were like Quintegrity is really cool, we like it.
Speaker 1:So I felt good about it. Well, and I love that you come to it from that perspective because you know, I think a lot of people wouldn't normally kind of associate the integrity that's required in order to really be great at landscape design.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:Because there's a lot of people that call themselves landscapers and they very well may landscape Correct, but are they building the right landscape for that particular client to allow their property to complement them or them to complement their property?
Speaker 2:Right and that's pretty much how I started out is, you know, being interested in plants. You drive around and you notice people's gardens, you notice companies and entrances to facilities and kind of start noticing everything that they've got. And over time I would notice a trend where, especially with, like new builds contractors, you know great at what they do but their forte is not plants. And so I would see where they would have like big trees on the corner of the house that's six foot tall and four foot wide. But I know that that tree is going to get 15, 20 feet wide and it's only two or three feet off the corner of the house. So I wanted to be able to create gardens that were beautiful but that were going to stay beautiful over the life of these plants and not just for a season. So that's kind of where I decided like this was my niche in the world, basically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you came from a nursery, is that right?
Speaker 2:That's right. I was working for a wholesale nursery in the Nashville area, which is the base for my plant education, really.
Speaker 1:Well, you know and I think that's the importance of how a landscape either complements or takes away from the property, what the end game is for the person owning the property. For the person owning the property, because there's variable levels of maintenance and upkeep, how self-sustaining it is, all those things that really need to play a factor, and the designer needs to know that in order to be able to design the space that really fits their life, as opposed to becomes this liability.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's correct. As many times as I've worked with clients, I've never had a client ask for a high maintenance garden before. So maintenance is definitely something to consider as well as the individuality of this project. So it's not just that you want it to be beautiful, but you want it to compliment that individual, especially, you know, playing off of other aspects of their outdoor spaces so patios and pools and outdoor kitchens and they want to have these spaces that they can utilize, and they also want them to be beautiful without becoming a burden, like you said. So there are many aspects that, looking at it, do you want to have spaces that you're going to be able to utilize in the winter, like fire pits and stuff? Because, if so, you want to make sure you have a good blend of evergreens and flowering plants so that when you go out to enjoy your fire pit in the winter, it doesn't just look like a dead landscape of twigs. So you want to make sure you have a good seasonal balance, as well as a balance within that individual's personal space.
Speaker 1:No, I love that because I wouldn't have even thought about the seasonality of it. But you do want a space that potentially you can enjoy year round, versus a few key moments of the year.
Speaker 2:Right, that's right. So definitely something to consider and it's something that people often don't. You know they'll even homeowners will go to Lowe's or Home Depot or you know one of your box stores and just see things that are pretty in the moment, that have beautiful blooms, and not consider that in the wintertime it's just going to look like twigs. So you have to put something else in there to balance it out, so you do have a nice seasonal integration going on.
Speaker 1:I will say, you know, at our first home which we were there 12 years, we had installed a dwarf crepe myrtle and I don't know if this is of all of them or if it was just ours. It looked fantastic about 20 days a year and the rest of the time it looked like dead branches.
Speaker 1:Now it became something that we actually enjoyed. But to anybody else, uh, obviously it was not a selling factor. Um, you know how much, how much personalization do you end up? You know, really getting to know the, the client to, to kind of make it theirs.
Speaker 2:Quite a bit, actually. Um. So one of the things I really like to focus on in my uh, my company is the personalization of it. Um, I spend so much time with my homeowners talking about colors, talking about how they like to spend their time outside, showing samples, showing you know all the different options on what it could be, and I think that's a big part of why we're so successful. Is it's not uncommon in our industry, especially in the spring, that other landscapers get so busy that it's difficult for them to take an hour or two hours to sit down with a homeowner and talk about color options and talk about you know how big and how tall and even like with your crepe myrtle, like what the management versus the pleasure of this product is going to bring. Um, and I I think by doing that, it does really allow you to make it something special for that individual.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know you're very successful now and working on some big projects. Would you, would you call yourself a boutique shop, or I guess how would you describe, uh, the way you, you kind of see yourself in the space?
Speaker 2:So I wouldn't necessarily call it boutique. It is a specialty, though. So many of your landscaping companies can get in there and produce quality gardens that are going to be beautiful. But are they personal? Are you getting those colors that the client's going to like and are you getting the colors for spring that will turn, you know, when the spring bloomers are done, then your summer bloomers are coming up so that throughout the entire year the space is enjoyable for that homeowner.
Speaker 2:Um, and then you know, looking at other aspects of it, so your patios and the patterns that are being laid out and the colors, and you know accents for your walls or your caps and your wall blocks going to be complimentary colors to the house that's existing and to the colors of the blooms. And so sitting and kind of going through all of those little details with the homeowner, it's time consuming and for a lot of people who aren't interested in design it may not be worth it. But it is those little details of everything complimenting each other together that produces these really like picturesque products that make your homeowners really want to enjoy it. And almost you know, when they're in their home and they see it out of the window, it like calls them out into it. Um, and so that's really. The reward for me is to be able to create spaces like that for people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and and I don't know if this is something you do or not, but this is kind of the thought in my head because, uh, so I got wild and crazy and decided to be my own contractor, so in 2019, so literally um five years ago this week I think it was five years no, six years ago this week. Time flies. Six years ago this week, I started digging the hole. So I was so intent that I could do this thing that I went and bought the bulldozer instead of paying somebody else to do it, and that's how I built the house. I mean, I was the contractor, I was you know all the things. Now I overbuilt like crazy.
Speaker 1:I overbuilt uh the point where the uh local fire inspector was like, can I bring people to show them your house? And I was like, what? And he goes, people don't build houses like this anymore. And I didn't really understand what he was talking about. He goes jim, you have the safest place in Pleasant View. Like, if the storm of the century comes, I'm coming to your house, please let me in. So I was like, yeah, absolutely, but it was really. I overbuilt, probably in some areas that I wasted some money, but it was one of those things where I wanted to err on the side of I overbuilt versus underbuilt, and that meant that I ended up with no landscaping budget. So, whereas I was planning on spending a pretty significant landscaping budget, I just did virtually nothing and then it's like okay, we're going to do this in stages. Do you ever do like a master plan that you know is like okay, and then we can build it out in stages? Or or how did how does that play? Am I just a rarity?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. I do Um, and it's probably more often than you'd think. So I think people are really prone to dreaming big right, um. And it's not uncommon to meet with homeowners who go, eventually I'm going to have a pool, eventually I'm going to do a water feature and a fire pit. And I tell them all the time, let's go ahead and get it.
Speaker 2:On the design, I mean, if we're already going to pay for, you know, a design, let's get it all planned out so that whenever you are ready for that pool, we know that we've made space for it, we know where it's going to go, you own these design plans. You'll be able to take them and go meet a pool contractor and go, hey, you know, we've already got planned out what we want and that aspect is done. So it's going to bring you that much closer to that. Phase two, phase three, phase four, one and two are going to be set up complimentary to three and four and five. So you'll know exactly where that pool is going to go, exactly what shape it's going to be, and you've been able to accomplish your first phases, knowing that it's sound for the continuation of the project and we don't have to go back and undo some of the things that we've already done.
Speaker 2:So, it's something I always encourage people when they mentioned like oh, later on, one day we'll do this, let's go ahead and dream it now. You know, let's go ahead and get it into the plan now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's fantastic. You know, one of the things that I see is maybe it's short, sightful or something, and you kind of touched on it a little bit is, you know, you've got these contractors, not maliciously, but, um, they want to sell the house. Yeah, so they, they put in maybe some, some features that are not long lasting and that they're going to be too big. They're going to cover up the house. They're going to uh, in my head, I'll go all the way to they're going to disrupt the foundation because they put the wrong products in, but it was to make it look good today and I think consumers make that mistake too, because they're like no, no, we, we want landscaping, so we wanted to look the way it's supposed to look, and the reality is you need to actually plan out a couple of years for things to mature and really get to where they're going to be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that that is absolutely true, and I think for your contractors it's definitely not malicious. But you can't be a master of everything, right? If home building is your forte, it's home building, it's not landscaping, it's not interior design. So these guys are just trying to finish their product and put it on the market, and you do almost want to keep it neutral. There's a reason contractors don't paint the interiors bright red, you know, because they want to keep it neutral so those homeowners can come in and make it their own. And it's the same with landscaping. Not uncommon, where I've seen people move into a new build and I'll just stop by and drop my card and go, hey, this tree wasn't planted long ago, it shouldn't be there. Let's move it before it roots in, you know, like you said, um, protect the foundation, we'll get it out of here and we can move it safely where we can put it, you know, on the corner, and it can grow to its full potential, um, and get something else in here. That's going to be, you know, more conducive for your home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now, uh, I know you work with a lot of other subcontractors and that type of thing. You know, one of the things that actually I was introduced to you by Jason Lewis Shout out to Jason Lewis over at LG Landscaping Services and what I love about Jason is Jason knows his space and he also knows where other people shine. And so, you know, he shared with me. He's like hey, you know, because I had I had a couple trees that I needed taken down. I hate taking down trees. I want every tree that was ever there to to stay alive. And then silly things happen, like a delivery vehicle decided to let their trailer hit the one tree directly in front of the house and it killed it. Uh, you know. So that one had to come down the driveway, you know, inadvertently damaged a couple just because of the root systems underneath and that kind of stuff. Um, but how important is it that your network, uh, of of people that you know that specialize in certain areas? How important is that to your business?
Speaker 2:Oh, I would say networking is probably one of the most important aspects to my business for a multitude of reasons. I have landscapers who are like Jason, where they know this is their specialty. Their specialty is planting. It's bringing in the material. Their specialty may not be customer service or answering, you know, mundane questions about flower shapes, so those guys are a great asset to me and bringing in clients as well as vendors. You know networking with my vendors, keeping up on what the latest products are, some of the newest applications, or even getting text pictures from my vendors going look at this innovative idea somebody did that just gives you inspiration to be able to present to your homeowners outside the box ideas that make things unique. So, across the board, networking is probably one of the most important. I probably network more than I market personally.
Speaker 1:Well, really, if you're networking correctly, it takes a lot off your plate when it comes to marketing.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Plus, those referrals are so much more valuable in that you know you're not competing on price at that point. I'm not saying that it's just carte blanche, but you're in a different field, like because somebody that has had a great experience or that already knows that customer is now referring you. It's like no, we're bringing in a professional.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, so that's helpful. And, again, you know, networking with your clients as well, meeting their friends whenever they're having a new backyard party to like welcome, you know, to the neighborhood and they want to show off what we've done and they invite us. We're there, we're definitely there and, um, you know, get to talk to their neighbors about how much they enjoy the space and to let them know, like, yeah, we, we were a big part of this and uh, so even networking with your clients is is important as well.
Speaker 1:That's fun. I love that, um, and you know that's why I know that you do a great job, and it wasn't just that Jason introduced us, but you have so many people that do not want to be around their customers after the job is done.
Speaker 2:Right, and everybody knows what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, there are several contractors that are not allowed back on my property just because they didn't do what they said they were going to do, or they didn't do it to the level in which we discussed.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And then there are some that if they needed a place to stay, they could come to my house. Right, we are great in that regard. What are some of the unexpected challenges? Uh, that kind of that kind of hits you, I know, and there was a pretty big one. Uh, and and I think this is going to ring true to a lot of people- yeah, so there's always unexpected challenges.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, when you first start out, some of the smaller ones were like just learning how to delegate, Um, and in like that process of trying to learn to delegate um, I entered into a business partnership with somebody. I had met them and knew them vaguely on a personal level and they were super enthusiastic and encouraging about the personal level that we were completely opposite in, you know, management styles, in vision for the company, in communication styles just complete polar opposites. And so that ended up, you know, kind of creating a lot of animosity within the company, which is so difficult to deal with on a daily basis. Right, Because you've got so many other aspects of business that need your attention. The last thing that you need is internal controversy.
Speaker 1:No reason to make business harder than it already is.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and it doesn't necessarily. It's not malicious because, at the end of the day, everyone's trying to help grow the company and everyone's trying to be successful. It's just, you know, within too small of a space, too many chefs in the kitchen, um, and so that was probably my biggest, um, yeah, my biggest surprise as far as difficulties I ended up facing within the company. It was a not a well-planned out partnership.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, you know what I think part of it is when you're when you're getting into entrepreneurship for the first time, you're a little unsure of yourself, so it seems more reasonable that you would have a partner Right, although often it is the exact opposite, like the worst thing you could do is have a partner Right Right. Because you end up with that internal conflict that has nothing to do with. We're actually trying to grow the business. It is just this rub of we both want different things.
Speaker 2:Right, and I would say even especially for me in that situation. It was my first company, so I was a very young entrepreneur and so I chose a partner who had been in business before. So there's also that sense of like this individual is going to know more, he's going to have, you know, a better skill set, and so when it does come to conflict, you start to question yourself, like you know, should I give in and go this direction because he is more experienced, versus maintaining true to what I had set out to achieve? Yeah, so there was a little internal struggle as well as external struggle with that.
Speaker 1:Now was the name Quintegrity from the beginning.
Speaker 2:It was yep.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you know, if you think about it, that's even more of a struggle because if that person has a different core set of values, especially on how to run the business and your name's on it, then that's a tough one to swallow too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that was definitely something I know. Um, I reflected on quite a bit during that interaction.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, and so when you, when you got ready to dissolve things, how did that go?
Speaker 2:Um, you know as well as it could. Again, you don't think it was, I don't believe he had come in maliciously, and so I didn't want to maliciously in things. So it's kind of, um, you enter into negotiation about what is it that you need or want, to feel like you haven't been taken advantage of, you haven't, you know, lost too much there, um, and then vice versa, and I think approaching it that way, um way, was probably the best option. Obviously, it could have just gotten really frustrated and been like, just get out of here, but that's not going to solve anything. So you do want to end it on good terms and make sure that everyone feels like they were treated fairly and that they were appreciated for their contributions.
Speaker 1:So I feel like, in ending it, we did a pretty good job in making sure that everyone felt like they were fairly treated, yeah, and you know, um, I think that's the best way to go at it and, uh, from somebody who has dissolved a partnership before, uh, and you know that's really what the the spirit of way we we tried to approach it, um, and to say, look, you know, nobody's mad.
Speaker 1:It's just things changed, and you know. So I had a partner in a business that you know we were both going to be all in, and then they got another big role somewhere else, and so it was just this kind of thing that drug along and then, you know, it started to kind of round the corner. It was like okay, well, if I'm going to be the one in it working every day, then it needs to be mine. Right, and so it was like you know hey, how do we, how do we resolve this?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, nobody's mad, things change. It's all good, but you know, in order to pour into it, it needs to be mine or it needs to be theirs.
Speaker 2:You know it needs to be mine or it needs to be theirs. You know whoever that that factor is, yeah. I think um I think it took a fair amount of self-reflecting as well, uh, being like a younger or newer entrepreneur um to learn how to differentiate the relationships between, like, personal relationships and business relationships.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:Um, because at first you know these partnerships almost feel like friendships, like it would be a personal thing, and at the end of the day it's not personal, it is just business, and so you have to kind of approach it in that that way.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, Um, you know, and so a lot of what I do is is business coaching, and you know I'm, I'm in that same space. If, if somebody is not, everybody's ready to grow.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And so sometimes we run into that and, uh, you know, I get pushed back on, oh, we're not going to do that. Well, why are we not going to do that? Uh, well, cause we've never done that. Well, that's why you hire a coach and you know, you get, you get several of those in a row and it's like, okay, if you're not ready, there's, it's not the end of the world.
Speaker 2:Right, you're just not ready yet, right.
Speaker 1:And that's okay, yeah, but when you find somebody that is ready, it's fantastic. You know, one of the other things that I do is I help people exit their businesses and a lot of times especially with doctors or things like doctors, dentists, that kind of stuff where you know they really kind of own their job. They haven't grown enough to have people that work for them. Sometimes they're just disenchanted with that part of the business. They got into it because they wanted to help people with X and now they end up they're neck deep in the business all day, every day, and it consumes them. But the most fun is when we get them ready to package up and sell and they fall back in love with the business because now we get it running right and it's like, oh well, this is fun again. So that's that's my most fun. And so you know, I would encourage you as you kind of walk through, that is always be running the business as if you were about to sell it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so think about it like a house. So you know some people will do the landscape right before to sell it. Okay, um, so think about it like a house, so you know some people will do the landscape right before they sell it, cause they're like, ooh, we want it to look good for the new owners. Well, why not enjoy that yourself, you know? Or they, uh, they repaint the house Cause they're like, oh, we get it, and then you get repainted before we, you know, we'd get the clutter out and repaint it, so it looks great for the pictures. Well, then they realize why they love the house again.
Speaker 2:Right, I think that's great advice. So I'm always always interested to hear other people's points of view on different aspects of it, so that's great advice. I'll definitely remember that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, the a really simple one is is creating what I call the business Bible, and that is you. You literally having everything, every person that you work with. You know all the way down to if the, if the toilet in the office quits working, who do you call? And so the plumber, but which one? What's his name? What's his phone number? Like do we already have a business relationship with him, do we? Is it on a card? Do Like, do we already have a business relationship with him, do we?
Speaker 2:is it on a?
Speaker 1:card, do they bill us, like all those things? Right, so that if somebody walked in tomorrow they could run that business. And you're really kind of protecting the people that you love with that too. So I have a. I have a friend that his father-in-law just recently passed. It was completely unexpected and he had 35 employees ran a tire shop and all the commission structures, all the, all the ways that the business ran was completely in his head. Oh yeah, and so everybody was lost. Um, and so you know it. One it gives you a boundary, but two it it means that you know if you've got a spouse or if you've got kids or whatever, like, like, that is not a liability, that's an asset, because we could, we could continue to run it. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of my old bosses in fact she taught me the majority of what I know in plant knowledge. You know she was a very useful asset in that aspect is she operated the office for this wholesale tree farm and she would constantly say to everyone, like, make sure the process is in place so we know what to do if you're gone tomorrow. And she would say that all of the time. So it's kind of a similar approach. You know, as she would, she would ensure that everyone that was starting something new or kind of creating a new way made sure it was written down and accessible for other people to help figure out.
Speaker 1:So I love that you have that background, because so many people don't. So tell me, what was the catalyst kind of between? You're working for this nursery, obviously you learned a lot about how to run a business. I love that your mentor or the owner of that company had that mentality, because I will tell you, I'll guarantee you, she is saving you some pain currently. But what was the catalyst? How did you go from that mindset of I work here to I'm going to own my own business?
Speaker 2:Well, when you work for somebody else, you, you get stuck in processes, right? It's almost like it's mundane. You do the same thing every day, all day, every day. Um, and I, I remember it I had asked for some advancement within that company several times, not necessarily to make more money, but to be cross-trained.
Speaker 2:Like I wanted to learn more things. And I've always been like that, like I absolutely love learning new things. I feel like there's not enough in the world for me to know, you know, and I had stayed with the company for years and was kind of always told like we'll cross-train you later, not like now's not the right time. And I probably got three of those in a row over an 18 to 24 month period. And so I really started just thinking like I want more out of life, you know.
Speaker 2:So I started talking to some friends about it and of course all of my friends are so encouraging, like, oh, you can do it, you can do it. But there was always, you know, the fear in your stomach of what if I jump and I don't fly, then what Am I going to start somewhere new at the very bottom. I've built, you know, I've built so much of a reputation with this company and then COVID hit, and COVID really was a catalyst for me. So much of the company's culture changed with COVID, so much of the world changed with COVID and people individually.
Speaker 2:But I just found myself in the middle of this company. I was so unhappy you know, we've got COVID protocols as far as the eye can see. And something just dawned on me one day. I was talking to some clients who own these landscape companies and I realized these people are just normal people like me. They're not exceptionally knowledgeable, they're not exceptionally. They don't have anything super that I can't achieve or that I don't have. And so that was a big part of it is realizing that all of these business owners are just regular, everyday people like me.
Speaker 2:And then there was this defining moment where I had talked to my old boss about it and was mentioning that I wasn't super happy and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. And she told me this story about how she had helped build this company, you know, and all the work that she'd put into it, and she'd given 15 years of her life to help build this company. And it was a great story. But all I could hear was that she had spent a quarter of her life building someone else's dream, and I didn't want that for me. You know, if I'm going to put another 20, 30 years into working, I want to work on my own thing, and so I know that she went into that conversation well intended and personally I felt like it was a great conversation. May have not gotten her the result that she was hoping for, but yeah, that was the moment where I realized like, if I'm going to be working for all these years, I want to work on my own project and not somebody else's.
Speaker 1:What a gift she gave you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What an amazing gift, yeah, and you know, and I do think that you have to look back on your time there as as a catalyst it was, it was a learning place in order to get where you wanted to go and I really do think that there's. You know, it's part of a bigger plan.
Speaker 1:You know, if they had given you the advancement? If they had, you know it's part of a bigger plan. You know, if they had given you the advancement, if they had, you know, nurtured your desire to learn, which that's the reason a lot of people leave their roles is they don't feel like they're growing Right.
Speaker 1:Is, if they had done those things, you'd still be there, yeah, and so you needed that pain, you needed to experience that, and the pain had to get enough so that you saw your future didn't include that, right. Um, and I went through. Mine was, um, I don't want to say it was that similar to hers, time-wise, it was, I was, I was at a company, and wonderful experience. Uh, I grew a company from 6 million to a little over a hundred million over the course of 4,321 days.
Speaker 1:Uh, so I know exactly, down to the day, how long I was there and I've looked at it as it was like four, three, two one go and and, but it also gave me some of the tools and some of the experiences and some of the confidence that it took in order to become who I'm supposed to become. Yeah, and so you had to get that experience there with the landscaping, understanding the, your potential customers, understanding the other vendors, understanding, obviously, the trees, the plants, the products. So it gave you a good basis to go and do Quintegrity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I wouldn't be where I am today without that base. I wouldn't be where I am today without that base. When I first started working there, I didn't know anything about plants Average knowledge.
Speaker 2:I could point out a rose, but I spent so much of my, especially the early years, Googling plant information for clients. Customers would call in and go well, what does this do and what color is it? And it was one of those let me Google it for you. Moments you know. But over time you start to retain that information, especially having an interest in it. Anything you're interested in, you're going to learn faster than anything else.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, so yeah, just gaining that knowledge and seeing how other landscapers work and how people within the industry move, and I was even lucky enough there to get a little extra education on on plant procurement and the logistics of moving stuff and, um, where to find them, and so, uh, when I did start my company, I had a really great foundation to start on. Um, so definitely lucky for that.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic, Using that experience to get where you needed to go. Now how did you even come about the job there?
Speaker 2:So I moved to Nashville on a whim Gosh. I was 27 and I had been living in a small town and I had been in a relationship that was kind of like a high school sweetheart type situation and when it ended I just didn't want to stay in that little town. It was almost like that relationship was the only thing holding me back.
Speaker 1:Too many reminders there too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and not a lot of opportunity. Um, so as soon as that ended, my first thought was what's the closest, biggest place I can get to? So that was Nashville. Um, and, and I had some friends here. So when I first moved to Nashville I had a friend that kind of gave me a stepping stone and was like we've got an extra room you can crash in until you figure it out. And he had been working for a sister company for this nursery as like an irrigation tech, and he was like if you need a job, I can get you a job.
Speaker 2:Landscaping it's probably not going to be, you know, a long lasting thing. It's not a common industry for girls. Understandably, it is extremely laborious. And so I started doing this landscaping job and almost immediately I knew I liked the industry. The labor part is very difficult, but getting to see some of these beautiful gardens they were working in, I loved it. I loved walking through the gardens, I loved learning about the plants, and it wasn't long after that that an office position opened up in the nursery portion versus that landscaping company, and so I talked to them, and I talked to my boss at the time and was like I really want to be over here. Of course, my boss was a man in the industry and he knew that it wasn't ideal for girls, and so he gave me his blessing to move over and the nursery took me in, and that's kind of how I ended up there, yeah that's cool.
Speaker 1:That's cool. So I mean again, it might seem random, but it really brought you to where you are. Yeah, yeah, absolutely that's fantastic. Um, you know who would you say has been a mentor for you kind of, throughout this process.
Speaker 2:There have been so many mentors, I feel like you have to be a very humble individual in life and you have to acknowledge that you can learn something from almost anybody, um, and so that's definitely held true for me. It's rare that I meet someone that I don't learn something new from. So at the nursery, definitely, my two original bosses um, you know the one I've mentioned a few times, and there was a gentleman who ran the outdoor portion versus the lady kind of ran the indoor Both of them were so knowledgeable in the industry that it was really inspiring, and I even remember kind of looking at them and being like these guys are amazing, they know so much, and even they would tell you like there's so much more to know. You know, as knowledgeable as they are, they feel like they were barely skimming the surface. So I feel like they were really great mentors.
Speaker 2:And then, when I did venture out on my own, when I finally left, I had several of my, my previous customers, um, who reached out immediately and were like we'd love to either have you with us or we'd love to have you shadow us and just come see what it's like to actually put into practice what you're trying to do Um. There was a designer in particular, an older lady um, who almost immediately took me under her wing, and so that was super helpful Um, when I'm shooting for the stars, to actually see it put into practice, to to go with her and see how she would interact with her clients and how her processes worked Um. So those were all very, very helpful in in bringing me to where I am today.
Speaker 1:That's super cool, that's super cool, you know cause. A lot of people would say see that as well. I'm not going to train a competitor or something of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, Whereas you know, really kind of across the board. If you look at the ones that are just masters in their field, um, they give away the knowledge. They're not, they're not worried about you being a competitor. They look at it as it levels up the, the, the field. Yeah, um, and so that's. That's fantastic. What a what a great mentor to have come into your life there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I think it's neat to you. One thing I say all the time is people who work in this industry are some of the happiest people I've ever worked with, which I love Um. I've worked in several industries and it's rare that you come to work every day and the people in this industry are laughing and joking or just singing while they work. So people just really love this industry. It's a happy industry to be in and I think when you work like that, when you know just tend to be happier you don't have. You have more of a connectivity with people and like wanting to help and wanting to be encouraging you don't have. You have more of a connectivity with people and like wanting to help and wanting to be encouraging. Um, and when you love the industry, I think you want to make sure that there's generations coming up behind you of younger people that are going to um, share the same values you have within the industry and want to do a good job and create you know, kind of continue the legacy of this industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so no, and I see the same thing. Uh, you know, specifically with Jason. You know, just this morning you know he was he shot me a message, was like oh, you know, it's going to be a great uh podcast today with Jessica, and he shared a Bible verse. I don't remember which one, it was off the top of my head, but it was basically kind of twofold. It was one. You know, to build a life working with your hands is to build a quiet life, you know, and not to mean a boring life, but a life that is absent of. Maybe it's the kind of the idea of there's not enough, or the drama.
Speaker 2:You have to have peace in your life, yeah, and I think all too often.
Speaker 1:You know there's no, nothing is enough. You know there's no contentment in the world, and I get it. You know I'm driven and I have absolutely caused some of that in my own life. But at the same time as I get older I see, like you know, I can, I can be. I didn't show gratitude for what I have and still be driven right, um, so I agree.
Speaker 2:I I do think there's something peaceful about being in this industry. Oftentimes in other businesses, what you do is what you do and then it's done. And there's an old saying I can't think of the exact expression, but it's. It's something about old men who plant trees whose shade they'll never sit in.
Speaker 2:So, there is something about this industry that, yes, we're providing a service for people and, you know, making homes beautiful and helping people have spaces they enjoy but we're also giving back to nature and I think people have really gotten away from their connectivity with nature. I think people tend to view the world as nature's outside and we're inside, but we're all supposed to be intricately connected.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:And so I'm not just building gardens for people, but I'm also planting trees whose shade I'll never sit in, and it is very humbling and easy to appreciate that aspect, and I think Jason gets it as well. And the same thing with, you know, working with my mentor, Lois, by having somebody like that who took the time to teach me, it taught me how important it is to continue that. So, like I work with Jason, Jason's got questions for days about plants and this and that, and it's humbling to pass that down as well in the way of you know who is Jason going to teach later on? Whose shade will I never sit in? That I can continue to send that down as well. In the way of you know who, who is Jason going to teach later on? Whose shade will I never sit in? That I can continue to send that down. So all of that is very, it's very wholesome and it's very humbling, um, and kind of industry specific to us to a certain point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I love that, I love that. That. That just that thought, um, and the mentality of paying it forward and to share with others, and those types of things. I kind of look at that same saying and a lot of times I think of it in a different way, in that how you lead people or how you pour into people, or how you teach people to take care of their finances so obviously, starting a business, branching out onto your own, and that type of thing Uh, have you always been a steward of money? Or how, how has, how has, how have you grown up to taking care of the finances?
Speaker 2:Not at all. Um so my I have a younger brother. Um, he and I are have kind of been joking for the last few years. Now that we're, we're changing the course of our family history oh yeah, my mom started out as a single mother of four by the time she was 24 years old.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, and it was tough. Growing up, she didn't have a financial education, and I even remember moments in childhood where maybe she got a little extra back on her income tax return that she wasn't expecting and her initial reaction was let's go to the beach, you know, let's have a beach day, let's go to the mall, let's spend it. And that was the only education in finances I had ever had. And so, as I started learning about business because obviously you get into it with the idea of I want to plant trees, but then you learn there's more to business and you start going through business education it was very enlightening to learn that relationship with money is a real thing and that people have different relationships with money.
Speaker 2:Um, so I started my business. I started learning about investments and how to make your money work for you. And, um, you know something that as soon as I learned, I was so taken back by this secret world that I didn't know anything about that. I had to immediately start sharing. It was like the people I loved. I'm talking to my brother, I'm talking to my friends, like, did you know this? Did you know this existed? Um, and they've started getting on board too. So, uh, since I started my company. My brother has actually left and he has started his own company as well. He's a general contractor.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. Um what area? Where's he at?
Speaker 2:He is in Knoxville, Tennessee, and he's kind of monopolized on that area a little bit. There's not a lot of general contractors in that area like we have here in Nashville. It's not so saturated.
Speaker 1:So you want to give him a shout out?
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, his company is Quinco Building Company and he is in the Knoxville area and he and his wife actually just got approved and are under contract purchasing their very first home right now. So, super excited for him. Obviously, home ownership was nothing we'd ever experienced. Growing up, my mom never owned her own home, but I know even now she has started beginning to delve into investing in her future and her retirement as well. So, um, just very interesting to see the tides turn for my family in the aspect of money.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic and you're kind of the catalyst for that.
Speaker 2:I am, I am, but uh, wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the people who had pushed me along the way as well.
Speaker 1:Sure, sure, well, you know that's one of the reasons I have a bone to pick with the saying of self-made, because none of us are self-made Like we're all. Either we learn from the person doing it wrong or we learn from the person doing it right, Right All the way along the way, and it helps us become who we are today. And so for somebody to say that they're self-made, unless they were in a cave somewhere and was not raised around people, there's no place for being self-made. Um but uh. But what a wonderful thing to to be the catalyst for your entire family, you know, believing that that something else is possible, that's fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you, I'm super excited.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and changing the family tree. Um, that's, that's fantastic. So, um, I know that a lot of your business is is on referrals. What do you, what do you see as some, some tips or I don't want to say tricks, cause that's not the right word best practices that somebody out there, maybe that is starting a business right now, can put in place and really kind of help foster that referral network or that referral relationship?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know, customer service is probably one of the most underrated aspects of business.
Speaker 2:Um, customer service is one of the very most important things for me, um, and I'd say for many businesses, and that really comes down to prioritizing your customer and their needs.
Speaker 2:Um, not rushing through the process, taking time with them and making yourself available, obviously within reason You're not going to be on the phone with your customer at 2 o'clock in the morning but making yourself available so that you can answer questions, making sure you have materials that you can help the client visualize what you're talking about and to show them that you understand what they're talking about. I think those are probably the most important aspects to it, because, at the end of the day, even if you create a beautiful product, if your client calls you and calls you and calls you and you don't answer and you don't return their call, they're not going to enjoy that experience and that's everything. Is the customer's experience, how important they felt to you, how listened to they felt, and so I would say, really just slow it down, even though you know so much about this industry. Listen to them and like, address their concerns, don't blow them off which I see all the time and just make your customer feel important and just make your customer feel important.
Speaker 2:Well, and one way I look at it is.
Speaker 1:You know, we are in this self-checkout world, which I absolutely detest, and those of you that know me know that I do not use self-checkout. I mean, I've left my entire buggy places before and I don't like that. But at the same time, the minimum that I'm willing to accept from somebody is that they take my money fromgy places before, and I don't like that. But at the same time, the minimum that I'm willing to accept from somebody is that they take my money from me.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And I think there's such a space to be the opposite of that, to be the full service, to answer your phone, to take care of the customer, and because they've just been trained to expect less and expect less and expect less. And if you give them that, that full service experience, when it's like, oh, you know all the, it's like the water's parted and oh my gosh, look at this, right, um, and at the same time they pay for that, like that's, you're not going to get the bargain basement value or price and get that type of experience. But I do love that. What you're providing is an upper level experience that is taking care of the clients, telling the real thing, meaning you're not making them happy with what it's going to look like day one, not that it doesn't look bad, but really planning, you know, really planning for the future and it being something that can be proud of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, setting expectations for your customers are so important and absorbing a lot of the hassle of the process.
Speaker 2:So you know if I am going to bring in a pool contractor and you know landscape installers and this and that I filter out a lot of the frustration for the homeowners so that the experience is enjoyable beginning to end and I'm not just bringing to them issues that we're running into, which happens on every job. It doesn't always go exactly how you plan, but instead of bringing them a frustrated pool contractor, I can bring them a problem with three solutions and let them pick what makes them happy. So it is a lower stress situation and they can enjoy the process. And I agree with you, with you. I know some of the younger generations are more comfortable with the lack of interactions that we're having, but a lot of people my age or older who grew up in a world where we were more connected, they want to feel that and obviously you're never going to feel connected to a screen or to a monitor or to a prompter. They want that one-on-one interaction that makes them feel like they're valuable.
Speaker 1:Well, I think we kind of got in COVID it's kind of the same catalyst for you starting your business. We kind of got desensitized to the lack of connection and in a lot of ways people are starved for it and so when you reintroduce them to an actual connection during the process, they're like, oh, this is what we've been missing, and they really love it and it gives them the confidence to then go no, that's what I want in everyday life again. I want that connection, I want this relationship of um really kind of you know, allowing me to experience it through the, through the process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, um, and that's just another perk of the industry.
Speaker 2:You know, one of the things we do is we create these spaces for these homeowners, um, to go out and enjoy, but it's we also create spaces for them to entertain, you know. We give them spaces where they can invite friends over, um, I, I did one not too long ago in a backyard that had a really nice, uh, fire pit, and since then I know that these homeowners have started doing week um, it's like once a week or once a month, anyway, they get together with all of their neighbors and they come, sit around the fire pit, have a glass of wine and just interact with people. You know, talk about whatever's on everyone's mind, and so that is nice too for people to have that, to have space to entertain, you know, and it's so important for them to get back to those pre-COVID connection days, and I think a lot of times people miss that more than they realize, and it's not until you do it that you kind of sit there and think about it and go, wow, that was really enjoyable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how unfortunate that just is. You know, I really do think in the long run this is ugly for me to say, but I'm going to go ahead and say it I do think that it will. It would decrease lifespan, because one of the things that we know is after, after employment, as people retire, one of the uh biggest negatives is a lot of people don't have a large enough social network in order to facilitate a happy life, um, post employment and uh, what a shame that we've allowed this thing that happened in 2020 to continue to carry over and continue to keep us apart, just because we got used to it, and so I would encourage everybody out there get used to being around people again. Please get used to being around people, those that you love, those that you don't know if you like them or not. Just invite them over and try it out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree. I would definitely encourage people to do something controversial, break the chain. That's right, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a great segue to a section that we call things we think but do not say Okay. And so you know, looking for something a little controversial. Maybe it's a truth that you think a lot of people kind of skim over when they should really say the real thing. Not looking to get anybody canceled here, but what's something you think fits that mold.
Speaker 2:I can think of all kinds of controversial things to say.
Speaker 2:Right right say Right, right. So I would say, if we're talking about business in general, I think people prioritize profits over everything else a little too often. I think there's a lot of other aspects that are equally as important, customer service being one of them. You know, if you're, if you're, solely focused on profits and you allow other aspects of your business to slip, um, you might be very profitable for a few years, but eventually you're going to lose the interest of customers. Customers aren't going to be interested in paying a lot of money to not feel important or to not be treated well. So I think that's definitely something. Um, feel important or to not be treated well. So I think that's definitely something. Industry specific controversy I think a lot of people don't know that landscapers are not plant people often, so I think that's it's common that I hear homeowners say you know, I've hired these maintenance guys and my gardens look terrible. What is happening? And I joke with them and tell them it's kind of like you hired a babysitter to deliver a baby.
Speaker 1:It's not the same thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you need a doctor, you need a specialist. So these guys are great at mowing yards and trimming hedges, but if they can't identify all of the plants in your garden, then they don't know what each one needs specifically. So I think those are, you know, some pretty controversial. No. No, I think that's great.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I do think, especially with the first one, um, if you're not providing a, a service that is above par, somebody else will and and that's regardless of industry. Um, and then at the same time it kind of goes to you know, everybody wants a great deal, but in the long run, if you spend a little more to get the expert, in the long run you're going to usually you're going to benefit, and so I think it's there's a difference between a landscaper and a landscape design.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Right and it's. It's how specialized that is, and then and then that's when you really get to talk about, uh, the, what does it look like in a year, what does it look like in five years and what does it look like in 20 years? Do we have the right plants? Do we have is this, is this going to be something we're going to have to?
Speaker 1:redo Um you know you might save 30% today, but you're redoing it in five years or now it's become a problem. You get ready to sell the property and they're like well, that's a train wreck.
Speaker 1:And so now it's detracting and to have a tree cut down, oh my gosh, the whole. And again, I'm against cutting down trees for the most part, but to have a tree taken down, that is a problem, the expense, whether we're talking about the guy that's cutting it, the guy that's cutting it up and hauling it, getting rid of the stump. Now we're putting back grass. I mean it is laborious and um yeah, just spend a little more time and effort on the front end.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Um, and you're talking about cutting down one tree. I have seen countless situations where people have come in with a particular evergreen and planting rows of them all the way down the property line for screening, and they wanted that instant gratification, so they planted them, touching when they were six feet tall, not realizing these things are going to get 20 feet, and so now they have rows of trees that are green in the middle and dead where they're touching and just striped all the way down the property. And then you're looking at having to remove 20 trees, you know, and the expense that that incures is just unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it goes by fast. So I would encourage people like you know, don't do the instant gratification. You know, uh, my next door neighbor was a landscaper at a point and he planted uh four or five modest size trees along the berm between us and I was like eh. I mean two years down the from then, and now it's filled in and like I have to intentionally go see my neighbor because we can't see each other, which is fine, I'm not not upset by that, but how quick that time went past.
Speaker 2:It happens faster than you think it does.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. You know there's there's a lot of different paths that somebody can take in business. You know they're working for somebody right now and either they're not growing, they're not getting cross-trained, they've just got that itch. What advice would you give to somebody out there that is maybe they're in the industry they want to be in, maybe they're not but they're afraid of taking that leap?
Speaker 2:So there's no guarantee to success.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I think that's important. I've had so many people ask me since I've started my business, people that are kind of in that same situation. They they work in this industry and they want to start their own thing. But how do you know? How do I guarantee I'm going to have customers? I get that question all the time and I have to tell them there, there is no guarantee, there's no guarantee. But if you are ambitious, if you're willing to work hard, that'll get you half the way there. The other half is educating yourself. You have to learn what it's like to own a business. You have to learn what it what it takes to market and how to get those jobs. And if you can put those three things together you know, ambition, the ability to work hard and the interest in learning and educating yourself it's highly unlikely that you will fail. Um, you know, believe in yourself. If you don't, nobody else is going to believe in you.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:So you know um I think those are the main things is you have to believe in yourself, you have to educate yourself and you just have to try. And the very worst case scenario is if you try and you don't make it, you've learned from it and you can try again later, but if you never try, you might find yourself regretting it one day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Being older and thinking about all of the things I should have done. I should have tried and I didn't, because of fear. Um, don't let fear rule your life, or I feel like you will absolutely regret that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Well, you know you've got to lean into that confidence. Uh, confidence, uh, is a learned skill and, uh, you've got to get better at it. And you, you do that by focusing on the times that you won. That you know, but you're not going to win every time. And so shout out to Nick and Ethan Hyder, because their uh, their conversation, uh, father and son, there is did we learn today or did we win today? And there will be a lot of days that you learned instead of winning.
Speaker 1:But the goal is to continue to get better every single day. Nobody remembers how many failures that Thomas Edison had, but they know that he he's the one reason we're sitting here in the light. Obviously, now you know, one of the things that we often ask, uh, is what about health? So I know you're dealing with the health of the outdoors and health of plants and those types of things and a healthy space for people to live and enjoy um, possibly even foster relationships with their neighbors and friends. Uh, but what about you personally for your health? How big a um focus is that in your life?
Speaker 2:for your health. How big a focus is that in your life? So health is actually a very big focus for me, and even more so now. I made the mistake of not respecting my limitations and I tore my ACL and my meniscus recently planting trees. So I think I think being self-aware is probably the most important part of your health. Is you sitting and reflecting and asking yourself am I getting enough sleep? Am I taking care of myself?
Speaker 2:Um, and I think it's so easy for people to get off track with their health more so now than, uh, in some of the previous generations because of our food. Food is so highly processed and I think when you're on the go, it's easy to pull into a fast food restaurant. It's easy to stop at Kroger and grab something that's super processed. But I think it's important for people to remember that food is your fuel and you want to be fueling your body with really good quality. So I encourage everyone to prioritize whole foods for their body and make sure they're drinking lots of water and just being mindful of you know their physical limitations and not not causing acute injury. On top of you know a slow, long process of fueling their body with super unhealthy, um, chemically based foods. So those, those are probably the big ones.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And from somebody that you know, really, uh, spent 30 years neck deep in an unhealthy lifestyle. Uh, you know, the older I get, the more important it is, and I would encourage everybody to get more serious about that earlier. Uh, especially in the whole foods department. Um, now on uh, on your, your meniscus and your um. Acl. So what are you doing to rehab that?
Speaker 2:So I had a ACL replacement surgery recently. I was in physical therapy by day two and I was released to the gym by month three. Now I am free to go and work it out, but I've been told that the three to six month post-surgery period is when the majority of re-injury happens. So I am taking it slow and steady, but I'm in the gym at least three to five days a week and I start slow, start on the bicycle and just get it moving to warm it up, stretch it out, and then I can go from there and um and try to help rebuild the strength of my hamstring, which is, you know, where they had. They cut a piece of hamstring to rebuild the ACL and so it's very weak right now, and so so is your ACL completely torn apart?
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I give everything a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:That's a tough one right there, um and so, uh, what? What gym do you prefer?
Speaker 2:Um, so I prefer a gym that is locally owned. I like to support smaller businesses, so I personally stay away from the planet fitnesses. Um, the gym I'm going to is, uh, get fit anytime, which is over off of the eighth Avenue, and it gives me access um 24 seven. There's also the perk of it being, you know, again, it's a slightly more expensive gym versus some of the others, and that helps this time of year more than anything. We have what I like to call the resolutioners coming in.
Speaker 2:And so you know people first of the year they've got that New Year's resolution to lose weight and so they're all going to flock to Planet Fitness where a dollar to start and $15 a month and they're less likely to go to the gym. That's $300 for a six-month membership commitment. So that does help to kind of keep it easier to access.
Speaker 1:It's for people that are more serious about it. Yeah, you know, a long-term commitment versus a flash in the pan, and you know that's one of the things that we've got teed up here in January is a lot of the episodes are health-focused, whether that's from likely going to have double knee replacement not too distant future to now. They're in the best shape of my adult life, at least that I can remember. Um. So you know there's a lot of different things that you can do out there, uh, in order to put your body back together or to be more healthy than than we have been in past. So encourage everybody out there, take control, be your own advocate when it comes to health. Um, so you know we have a little bit of fun with this last section, and it is um, so I'm a bowler. I don't even know that. You know that.
Speaker 2:I have heard in passing.
Speaker 1:Okay, and mine is a bit odd in that I hold a Guinness world record for bowling backwards. Um, so, only person on the planet to ever shoot 300 throwing the ball behind me. I am that guy. But one of the fun questions we have is, if you had to put together a celebrity bowling event, you got to pick four team members to bowl with you. It could be anybody throughout history, alive or otherwise, but we're going to try to raise as much money as possible and have a great time with this bowling team. Who are you going to have on your team?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. So bowling is not my forte. Okay, so I wish I knew some really good bowlers to add to the team.
Speaker 1:Now, keep in mind we're not necessarily planning to win. Winning this one is by getting the most attention.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Because we're raising money for charity.
Speaker 2:We're raising money for charity, okay Well, I definitely think I'm going to want to enjoy it. I would love to see Dave Chappelle on the team.
Speaker 1:Nobody said that before. I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think it. Yeah yeah, I think he'd be entertaining, if nothing else. You know, I'm trying to think of some. I'm a big history buff, so I'm trying to think who I'd want to talk to in history. Say we'll get Jesus on there.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right.
Speaker 2:So we got Dave Chappelle Jesus.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:Let's get JFK on there.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I think I'd really enjoy being able to just sit down and pick his brain for a little bit.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know, people are showing up for that. Got one more.
Speaker 2:One more. You know I'm going to do a wild card. I would love to get a chance to meet and interact with Gene Wilder. Okay, so that would be my four. It's a wild crew. I think Jesus will probably end up teaching us all something in that mix.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:Those would be my top four.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we got it's you. Dave Chappelle, jesus JFK, gene Wilder who are you going to pick to commentate this event? Oh wow.
Speaker 2:Colin Jost Ooh, okay.
Speaker 1:That's from Saturday Night.
Speaker 2:Live right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love it. Well, you know, that's a fun exercise to see who people want to hang out with and who they think would be a good fit for that, and it's always interesting to see Some people. Actually, your list is new. Nobody on your list has been picked before.
Speaker 2:Nobody's picked Jesus before. Nobody's picked Jesus before you should do one of those long stares into the camera.
Speaker 1:I know right Now, some people put more thought into this, some people don't, so it's not a bad thing if you haven't, but have you put any thought into how you want to be remembered?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I would like to be remembered as somebody who was compassionate enough to take time to help others. Somebody once told me that, to them, success was being able to take care of themselves and having enough left over to give back, and that really resonated with me. I thought it was a beautiful way to live life, and I definitely found it inspiring, and so I think I would like to have a similar story. You know that I did well enough that I was able to take care of my stuff, but then was compassionate enough to want to give back.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that ties directly into your. Your saying there with uh planting trees that you'll never enjoy the shade from yeah.
Speaker 2:That's fantastic yeah.
Speaker 1:Thanks, I love it. I love it. Uh well, Jessica, how do people find you? How does somebody start to work with you? What's the, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:So the best way to get in touch with me is through my website, which is quintegritydesigncom. You're going to find all kinds of information on there, you know, portfolio pictures and direct access, and then we've also got an Instagram page. I'm working on getting a Facebook page up and running. I've been a little slow to the Facebook game, but I've also got a LinkedIn profile now as well, and all of those are tied directly to me, so you can access me through any of those outlets.
Speaker 1:Okay, and if you will, if you will spell the the URL so that nobody gets it.
Speaker 2:Sure, so Quintegrity is the word integrity, with a Q U in front of it, so it's Q U integrity, and then the word designcom.
Speaker 1:Okay, I love it. Well, team, thanks so much for joining us for this episode. Uh, a special thanks to Ms Jessica for joining us in the studio and sharing how she went from, uh, an employee and what seemed like, uh, a random, uh kind of path to a business. Uh, and it has turned it into something fantastic here in middle Tennessee and you know her clients, the spaces that she's building. You gotta, you gotta check it out, because it is not a flash in the pan, it is not a cookie cutter or builder spec. It is absolutely fantastic outdoor spaces for you to enjoy your life with the people that you love and the people that are around you. So check out Quintegrity for that landscape design If you're looking for somebody to turn your space into that place that you will want to spend the rest of your life. Absolutely connect with Miss Jessica and I hope you enjoyed some of the nuggets that we shared along this path with going through being an employee to kind of having a great conversation with someone that really kind of spurred that leap into entrepreneurship.
Speaker 1:Until next time, I'm Jim Cripps with the Charge Forward podcast. We'll see you later. Team, is Jim Cripps here with the Charge Forward podcast? I just want to tell you I love you, I appreciate you listening, I appreciate you for subscribing and sharing the Charge Forward podcast with people you know and you love, because that's what we're here for. We are here to share the amazing stories, the things that people have been through, the ways that they were able to improve their life, so that you can take little nuggets from theirs and help improve your story and be better tomorrow than you were today. I hope that this is the tool you needed at the right time and that you find value in the amazing guests that we bring each and every week. Thanks so much and don't forget new episodes drop every Thursday.