- How2Exit DEEPER dive - SMB M&A Insights and Inspiration
- Posts
- E270: From Landscaping Hustle to Tech Empire: Bryan Clayton’s $90M GreenPal Revolution
E270: From Landscaping Hustle to Tech Empire: Bryan Clayton’s $90M GreenPal Revolution
What you missed on How2Exit This week
Ronald Skelton
March 04, 2025
Sponsors:
DueDilio is your go-to marketplace and advisory service for all things related to small business acquisitions.
and
Final Ascent, a premier boutique professional services firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions, exit strategies, and growth consulting tailored for lower middle-market firms across the U.S.
E270: From Landscaping Hustle to Tech Empire: Bryan Clayton’s $90M GreenPal Revolution
About the Guest:
Bryan Clayton is the CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, a tech platform connecting homeowners with lawn care professionals. Before launching GreenPal, Clayton built and sold a successful landscaping business with over 150 employees. He’s an advocate for using technology to modernize service-based businesses and believes AI will dramatically reshape industries in the coming years.
Summary:
In this episode of How2Exit, host Ronald Skelton sits down with Bryan Clayton, CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, a platform often dubbed the "Uber for lawn care." Clayton shares his entrepreneurial journey, from a childhood forced into mowing lawns by his military father to scaling and selling a multimillion-dollar landscaping company. He discusses the challenges of selling a business, the emotional void that follows an exit, and how he transitioned into the tech space to launch GreenPal. The conversation dives deep into automation, AI’s impact on business, and how small service-based companies can leverage technology to scale efficiently.
Key Takeaways:
Forced Entrepreneurship Sparks Innovation: Clayton’s first business began out of necessity when his father made him mow lawns as a teenager. That small hustle turned into a multimillion-dollar landscaping business.
Scaling a Service Business is a Systematic Process: Building a large-scale landscaping company required Clayton to develop efficient processes, training programs, and a system for hiring and retaining workers.
Selling a Business Takes Preparation: It took Clayton two years—one to structure the business properly and another to find a buyer—to successfully sell his landscaping company.
The Emotional Impact of an Exit is Real: Clayton struggled with an identity crisis after selling his business, which eventually pushed him to start GreenPal.
AI and Automation Are Changing Business Operations: The discussion explores how AI is reshaping everything from customer acquisition to software development, making it easier to run lean and profitable companies.
Technology is Now Essential for Service Businesses: Small business owners who fail to adopt tech tools are operating as if it’s still the 1990s, missing opportunities to increase efficiency and profitability.
GreenPal Provides a Business-in-a-Box for Lawn Care Providers: The platform handles customer acquisition, scheduling, invoicing, and even upselling additional services for lawn care professionals.
Future-Proofing Means Staying Tech-Savvy: Clayton warns that service providers who resist technology will fall behind as AI and automation continue to accelerate business capabilities.
Article:
Your net worth will never be greater than your network:
Network and hang out with other Acquisition Entrepreneurs and professionals Twice a Month - First and Third Tue, 8am PST: Join Here
Attention Business Brokers, Advisors, Acquisition Entrepreneurs, and SMB Owners!
Do you want to stay ahead of the game in the SMB M&A market? The Hub is the solution you need! This curated newsletter brings you the best highlights from blogs, podcasts, YouTube, and news sources, all in one place. Growth & Acquisitions
Founding Member Shout-Out (Still room here -$400 one time)
Shout out to our new founding member. With over 30 years in M&A, this company offers the lowest priced (way undervalued) course on helping you buy good businesses. Very underpriced - get it now before they finish upgrading the site and very likely up the pricing.
