0 (2s):
Boom shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Business Made Simple. Today we'll be breaking down the roots of success transforming landscapes and lives. To drop these value bombs, I brought Steve Griggs into EOFire Studios. Steve is a best selling author; has been featured on Grant Cardone's show, Power Players; featured in Forbes.com, Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Straight from New York, he always tells it like it is - the good, bad and ugly. And today Fire Nation, we’ll talk about the misconceptions of a landscape architecture. We'll talk about surviving for 40 years as a New York business mogul and so much more.

HubSpot Podcast Network (47s):
And a big thank you for sponsoring today’s episode goes to Steve and our sponsors, The Goal Digger Podcast hosted by my good friend, Jenna Kutcher is brought to you by the Hubspot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger Podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business acts, inspirational stories, and so much more. A must listen episode is one of Jenna s recent on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger wherever you get your podcasts. ever thought of giving a TEDx talk. It's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. In four time TEDx Speaker Taylor Conroy from Thought-Leader can help you get there. Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join Taylor's free trading, where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions.

0 (1m 38s):
Steve, say What's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1 (1m 48s):
Super excited to be here. John, I know we had this planned for a while. What I think about success is that a lot of people think that it's really easy. Like, oh, you just get to drive around And A and you know, get vacations you want. But what they really don't know, it's like, it's super hard, it's high risk, high reward, and I work all the time, right? So nothing is easy in life. That's, that's what I can say about that. Everybody thinks it's easy, but it is not

0 (2m 14s):
Fire. Nation, The, Roots of Success, Transforming Landscapes and lives. And Steve, I live in Puerto Rico and every day I get to en enjoy amazing views, amazing landscaping, thanks to our mutual friend George Mulligan. And you believe that Landscapes can be sources of inspiration of rejuvenation. Tell us more,

1 (2m 40s):
John, I know that you love the outdoors and you love walking around your property and the, the beautiful scenery. So I think inspiration, like even if it's a simple rock outcrop, you design a rock outcrop, you can put some boulders somewhere. It's just a sense of like life and rejuvenation. Especially with covid, right? Everybody can be outside and it just breathes all life into you, right? It's a whole, it's a whole environment. Inside and outside should be as one. That's what I believe.

0 (3m 13s):
One thing that I think is a problem out there is that there's a lot of misconceptions, some serious misconceptions about landscape architecture. Let's talk about those misconceptions now.

1 (3m 28s):
I think a lot of people, they didn't realize that, oh, there's a Landscape architect that designs the outside. They're familiar with architects that designed the house, but they've been trained to do like, you know, roof rafters and pitches of roofs and interior space. We do everything to do with the outside. So we had to learn about plants, soil conditions, drainage. It's a whole nother genre of architecture. It took me seven years to get the architecture degree and landscape

0 (3m 55s):
Fire Nation. Seven years. I mean, we're talking almost the same amount of time that it takes to become a doctor, including residency. I mean, think about this. What's another misconception about landscape architecture?

1 (4m 11s):
A lot of people think, oh, I don't need, I don't need a design. We can just put it together without that. So one of the misconceptions about that is you really do need a design because the, the, the design dictates the whole experience, right? Without a proper design, it, you have over budgets, headaches, projects, and plants in the wrong position, the wrong plants. The design is the most important part of the entire project by far.

0 (4m 38s):
Now you believe that we can actually transform our lifestyle and our property value through landscape design. Tell us how, Steve, and give us a couple examples. Well,

1 (4m 50s):
Very simple. You know, your lifestyle. Every, you know when, when you're inside, you want to entertain outside, you actually expand the outside. Everybody goes outside. You have the fire pit, you have the outdoor kitchen, you have the, the pergo, the outdoor tv. So you can create this whole vibe that's outside, even with the swimming pools, right? So you put these different elements in the outside and people get to enjoy the outside more, right? You have your family, your friends, over as far as the property value, by far, when you, it's, it's been proven. I think it increases property value by at least 20%. People like privacy, right? People like to have their own space outside. So that increases the property value. If you do like a, a slick job on the curb appeal, curb appeals.

1 (5m 31s):
When you're driving by the property and you're selling the house and the property looks clean and neat and has flowers, it definitely raises the property value and more people will be attracted to purchasing that home. Possibly.

0 (5m 42s):
I can vouch for the privacy thing. In fact, that's what our buddy George Mulligan helped me out with recently. I was like, George, I don't want people from the road to be able to see into my backyard. 'cause you know, let's be honest, it's Puerto Rico, it's pretty warm. Usually Kate and I don't always have to have an abundance of clothes on when we're back there and we're swimming and doing our thing. So George came over this, that happened, and guess what? You can't see a thing from the road anymore. That privacy to me, has just brought up my enjoyment level to the like n fold of being in the backyard. 'cause now every car that drives by, I know that they're completely blocked. I don't have to even worry or think about a thing.

0 (6m 23s):
And to me, that's awesome. And then of course, that property value, I mean, Fire Nation, who doesn't want a 20% increase in property value? So real quick, Steve, be beyond just the privacy that we talked about. What's another example of how you can transform your lifestyle through this correct landscape design?

1 (6m 43s):
I mean, by creating different areas in your backyard. Like you have, like, I'm sure, like I remember seeing some of the pictures. You have like some sitting area you have, yeah. Walking area. So you create these different areas and you're walking around with your cup of coffee in the morning and your flip flops, And, A, nice Puerto Rican sun, right? So you're outside walking around. I mean, it's just a whole different vibe, but you don't have to worry about people looking at you. You can walk around in your, in, you know, in your skis if you really wanted to, John, right?

0 (7m 9s):
It's the birthday suit time. Come on.

1 (7m 11s):
I, I didn't wanna say it, but I'll let you go there. I mean, it's just a whole lifestyle thing. Like who doesn't want to be able to walk outside and enjoy the outdoors? I mean, seriously.

0 (7m 23s):
Now I used to live in New, York City, specifically Tribeca. I loved it. I loved walking everywhere. I loved the public transportation, I love the energy, the vibe. But man, I can tell you it can be a hard city as well. I mean, it can be tough. I mean, there's a reason why they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. New York, New York. Now you survived 40 years as a New York business and you came out on Top Brother, how did you accomplish this mightiest of Mighty Feats?

1 (7m 51s):
The podcast is Entrepreneurs on Fire. Love the name. I I mean it's really just grit. I mean, 40 years, I, I, I'm 63. I've been doing this 40 years, right? I mean, 2008 everything tanked. You know, just, I think the biggest thing, how do you survive is always, always do what you're gonna say you're gonna do, right? Just, just be upfront with people. Be honest. That's why the book's called Straight, Dirt tell it like it is when you're from New York, as you know, people don't hold back. They're gonna tell you whether you like it or not. And I think that people appreciate the truth. Too much fluff going around. Tell the truth.

0 (8m 30s):
We don't like fluff in the Northeast. Fire Nation. I'm from Maine. Steve's got that New York energy. We're gonna get rid of the fluff. Let's just say Adios.

Hubspot (8m 40s):
Now we have a lot more to talk about around this topic and more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic this year. Even if you're not using it, you've likely heard about the many benefits it can provide, like helping you save time, brainstorm ideas, and tackle your to-do list. But how do you put this into practice? If you find yourself spending hours each day on content creation, then I've got a tool that will help you do just that. Meet HubSpot's new AI powered Campaign Assistant, a totally free to use AI tool tailor for the marketers and business builders who spend hours each day on content creation. Campaign Assistant will transform the way you work by crafting personalized emails, ads, and landing pages. We'll just say few prompts in a matter of minutes and you can start seeing the benefits fast. Just pick the content type, add key selling points, and let AI take it from there. Campaign Assistant isn't just free, it's also fully integrated with HubSpot's smart CRM. So you can publish the AI generated content directly into your landing pages and emails from your CRM. So work smarter not harder. Head to HubSpot.com/campaign-assistant to test drive Campaign Assistant for free.

ZipRecruiter (9m 51s):
One of my favorite holiday movies. It's a wonderful life. I love how they made this story come to life. And to make these holiday classics, it takes a team of talented people, from actors to editors, to props people, the sound crew and more. And when it comes to building such a team, whether it's for the entertainment industry or a wide range of other industries, you need to hire the right people. The best way to do that with ZipRecruiter and right now, you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com/fire. How does it work? First? They're powerful. Matching technology helps you find qualified people for a wide range of roles. Once you see someone you like, you can invite them to apply. You can even use attention grabbing labels that speak to flexibility like remote training provided and more. Make your hiring a little merrier with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Just go to this exclusive web address right now to try ZipRecruiter for free. ZipRecruiter.com/fire. Again, that's ZipRecruiter dot com slash FIRE. ZipRecruiter, the smartest way to hire.

Thought-Leader (10m 54s):
Do you have a message inside that you know is meant to be shared with the world? Giving a TEDx talk is one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world and thought leader can help you get there. Thought leader is a Speaker coaching company that has helped over 550 and counting coaches, speakers, entrepreneurs, authors and experts, land TEDx talks. Thought leader is not affiliated with TED or TEDx, but they're able to get these results because their founder, Taylor Conroy is a four-time, TEDx Speaker himself and past EOFire guest. You might be thinking a TEDx talk sounds great, but where do you start? Taylor has put together a free training that is going to teach you how to land a TEDx talk in as little as 90 days. Join Taylor to learn exactly what TEDx organizers are looking for in their speakers, how to write a talk that goes viral once it goes online and more. Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire. Join Taylor for his free training and get your message out of your head, out of your heart, and out into the world where it belongs. That's Thought-Leader.com/fire.

0 (11m 55s):
See, we're back. And you believe a designer can take their clients' dreams and turn them into reality. How is this accomplished?

1 (12m 6s):
Asking a lot of questions. You know, listen, my job is to become the hero of your backyard. I can only you know, guide and coach you along the way by doing this as long as I have and and having all the education and installing hundreds of thousands of plants and bushes and projects, my job is to take you from your vision and turn it into a reality, right? That's you just walk them up the mountain, down the path. That's the best way I can explain it. Through 3D renderings and good design, people can actually paint. You can actually paint the picture before they actually spend $1

0 (12m 44s):
The hero of your backyard. I mean, think about that Fire Nation, what's a lovely, eloquent phrase? And I can actually just now picture our friend George. He just sat at the base of my yard for hours on a little stump and with a little sketch pad, and he just let his imagination run wild. And what he created was a masterpiece. And it's something that I'm just not capable of doing. Like I'm running Entrepreneurs on Fire. This is my area of expertise. I love going to people and have them shine in their areas of expertise. That's what Steve does with landscaping. That's what George does with landscaping.

0 (13m 24s):
These guys know how to be creative, how to create magic, how to become the hero of your backyard. Now you believe that we should not choose our landscaped architect based on price. Why is that?

1 (13m 38s):
Well, you see a lot of these online design people and you can get a design for $300 or whatever. I think like what George was saying is that you need to boots on the ground, meaning I need to walk on the property, smell the flowers, look at the scenery, talk to the kids, find out exactly how you're gonna use that space. Don't go with the cheapest guy. I always, my theory is do it once and do it right. Especially with the design. The design will dictate the how the entire project's gonna go by far. Do not pick a landscape architecture solely on price.

0 (14m 14s):
I can tell you what Fire Nation George was not the cheapest option by a long shot, but this is a place I was gonna spend 90% of my waking hours. You think I was going to go for the cheapest price? I was gonna go for the person who could bring the most beauty and enjoyment to a space. And so I love this concept. Now, landscape architecture and landscape design are not the same. Tell us more.

1 (14m 45s):
Landscape architecture to me seems a little, you know, rigid, let's say a little rigid. When you talk about landscape design, it becomes more of an art form, right? So like George, myself, the backyards are my art form, right? It's like my blank canvas. That's where I really get the inspiration from is, is going out in the backyard and designing it through the artistry of what it's supposed to look like or what it could be. Look what it could look like. They're used interchangeably a lot, the two words, but the design is more of the artistry, I believe, and should not be part of the construction project, right? The design it properly first and you can always fill in the blanks with the cost. And, and then the, the budgeting and the cost is a whole nother thing.

1 (15m 26s):
We're talking about painting the picture to get what exactly what you want for you and your family's enjoyment. That's the starting point.

0 (15m 34s):
Fire Nation. I think this is a powerful conversation and I wanna take the rest of the time we have here today to talk about Steve's book, Straight Dirt. Steve, why did you write this book? Who is it for?

1 (15m 47s):
Thank you, John. The book is a labor of love. The, the book is 30 years of, of projects that I've done over the years, and it basically looks inside the world of my design and my projects that I've done in throughout the Tri-state area. It's really for the, for the homeowners to, to get them a little educated on what is possible in your backyard. And the Straight Dirt part of it is there's different sections. It's mainly a picture book and shows all the projects. The Straight Dirt is like to take the fluff out of the design part of it because if you do a lot of contracting, especially in New York, you need to be told what this project is gonna cost. You want to know what you're getting into before you start digging a hole in somebody's backyard.

1 (16m 27s):
That's really what, how, why the book was written. Labor of love for sure. As you know, writing a book is not an easy task.

0 (16m 34s):
It's not an easy task. Fire Nation. It truly is that labor of love. So Steve, if Fire Nation wants to consume your labor of love, where do they go? What do they do?

1 (16m 45s):
Listen, I'm new to this Instagram and all the social media, but by far it has helped me tremendously. The the book you can get on Amazon, but go to social media, go to the Instagram, Steve Griggs Design

0 (16m 57s):
Fire Nation, Steve Griggs Design, and you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with SG and JLD today. So keep up that heat. And for link to everything we talked about, just visit EOFire.com, type Steve in the search bar, and the show notes page will pop right up. Steve, I wanna say thank you, brother for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side.

1 (17m 23s):
Thanks John. Have a great day.

Thought-Leader (17m 25s):
Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our Sponsors and Steve for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation successful entrepreneurs accomplished big goals. That's why I created the Freedom Journal to guide you and accomplishing your number one goal in a hundred days. And we're talking step by step. Visit the freedom Journal dot com and I'll catch you there. Or on the flip side, The Goal Digger Podcast hosted by my good friend, Jenna Kutcher is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger Podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business acts, inspirational stories, and so much more. A must listen episode is one of Jenna s recent on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger wherever you get your podcasts. ever thought of giving a TEDx talk. It's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. In four time TEDx Speaker Taylor Conroy from Thought-Leader can help you get there. Visit thought-leader.com/fire to join Taylor's free training where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions.