Upcoming Events

Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM.

Contract Review | Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Internal review and update of sales contracts and subcontractor agreements.

Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even?

Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows?

Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity?

Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it?

Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want?

Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions?

See the full webinar list →

In-Person Event

GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon.

Joe and Carla Policastro, co-founders of Cycle CPA, join Phil to discuss why financial clarity is the foundation of a healthy snow and landscape business. From managing the cash flow challenges of seasonal work, to benchmarking your numbers against industry peers, to why your bank balance only tells part of the story, this husband and wife team shares how proactive accounting and advisory work help contractors make confident decisions instead of operating on gut feel. They also open up about the personal journeys that drive their mission to serve hardworking business owners in the green and snow industries.

Key Learnings

Your Bank Balance Is Only Part of the Picture - Checking your account daily tells you what you have right now, but future cash flow forecasting shows you what is coming and what to watch out for.

Seasonal Businesses Must Build Cash Reserves - Snow and landscape operations need enough cash saved during busy months to carry them through slow seasons and economic downturns.

Get Your Numbers Fast to Decide Fast - The earlier you receive accurate monthly financials, the quicker you can make confident business decisions.

Benchmark Against Industry Peers, Not Just Last Year - Comparing your numbers to industry averages reveals problems like labor costs running higher than competitors, pointing you toward what needs fixing.

Make Decisions on Data, Not Gut Feel - Business owners without timely, accurate information are operating in the dark, while knowing your numbers lets you plan the future with confidence.

Track Labor Hours Against Each Job - In a labor-intensive industry, knowing how many hours are budgeted toward a specific job and tracking time against it is critical to protecting your margins.

Outsource What...

• (00:00:00) - Start
• (00:00:20) - Welcome and Intro
• (00:01:59) - Why Most Owners Avoid the Books
• (00:03:55) - The Seasonal Cash Flow Trap
• (00:08:27) - How Cycle CPA Got Started
• (00:12:46) - Packages and the Numbers That Matter
• (00:16:23) - Building a Remote Team of 30
• (00:19:17) - Splitting the Work as a Couple
• (00:22:35) - Why Carla Chose Landscapers
• (00:24:59) - An Immigrant’s Resilience
• (00:27:07) - Joe’s Story: Angela’s House
• (00:32:07) - Who They Serve Best
• (00:35:56) - What Actually Sets Them Apart
• (00:38:12) - Making Your Software Talk
• (00:41:20) - Learn More About Cycle CPA
• (00:43:17) - Final Advice for Contractors

Upcoming Events

Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM.

Contract Review | Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Internal review and update of sales contracts and subcontractor agreements.

Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even?

Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows?

Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity?

Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it?

Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want?

Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions?

See the full webinar list →

In-Person Event

GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon.

This week's episode is a little different. Phil Harwood joins Marty Grunder on The Grow Show to discuss the strategic partnership between Snow Fighters Institute and The Grow Group, share his 40 years of industry experience, and explain why snow removal can be the most profitable part of a service business. From his early days running printing equipment in the family business to his current role as a consultant and attorney, Phil reveals the leadership principles that have served him throughout his career, the trends shaping the future of snow operations, and why building a sellable business benefits every owner regardless of exit plans.

Key Learnings

Snow Fighting Is Emergency Service Work - Snow removal is comparable to firefighting because crews are on call all winter and must drop everything when activity starts, requiring a mindset that embraces the calling rather than resenting it.

Find Companies That Love Snow - The best operators love snow not because they enjoy leaving their families for three days, but because they understand they're providing valuable emergency services that make a real difference.

Degrees Don't Equal Smartness or Success - Education provides knowledge, but you have to apply what you learned and surround yourself with smart people to actually succeed in business.

Outsiders Get Heard More Than Insiders - The same advice from an internal team member often gets ignored but is celebrated when delivered by an objective outside consultant with no skin in the game.

Do What You Say You're Going to Do - The basics like answering your phone, being respectful, and following through on commitments sound like cliches but remain the foundation of successful business relationships.

Be Great at What You Want Your Team to Be Good At - Leaders are always being...

• (00:00:00) - Start
• (00:02:00) - Strategic Partnership - Snowfighters + Grow Group
• (00:02:30) - Snowfighters Origins
• (00:04:54) - Why Your “Why” Matters
• (00:07:01) - From Family Business to Consulting
• (00:09:24) - Why Law School at This Point
• (00:10:20) - The Atrium Disaster
• (00:12:26) - When Core Values Backfire
• (00:13:57) - The Leap to Consulting
• (00:15:37) - Why Outsiders Get Heard
• (00:17:01) - The Basics Nobody Do
• (00:18:08) - Be the Example
• (00:23:06) - Tech That’s Changing Snow
• (00:26:05) - You’re the Hero at Night
• (00:27:05) - Build a Business You Can Sell
• (00:28:41) - Why Snow Wins on Profit

Josh Ferguson, Partner at Freeman Mathis and Gary LLP and 22-year insurance defense attorney, joins Phil to share legal insights from defending snow and ice management contractors nationwide. From handling salt shortages with proper contract language, to navigating multi-tier liability claims, to why lost text messages can sink a defense, Josh reveals why documentation is the foundation of legal protection, why the red pen approach works on client contracts, and why proactive general counsel work delivers the best ROI for contractors who want to avoid expensive litigation down the road.

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

⭐️ Leave us a review!

Key Learnings

Document, Document, Document - Documentation is the single most important defense in any lawsuit, from preseason site maps to in-event records to follow-up ice watch notes.

Force Majeure Clauses Need Salt Specificity - Generic act of God clauses aren't enough; specifically identify salt shortages in your contract to limit liability when supply issues arise.

Red Pen Every Client Contract - Mark up every client contract you receive because even rejected markups help you understand your risk exposure points.

Detach Your Contract as an Addendum - When clients have rigid contracts, propose attaching your scope of work and protective language as an addendum, which works more often than expected.

Lost Text Messages Sink Defenses - Communications stored on personal phones disappear when employees leave, creating spoliation charges that work against you in court.

Use Platforms with Built-In Texting - Systems like Team Engine store communications by company rather than personal phones, protecting you when seasonal employees leave.

Document Subcontractor Capabilities - Negligent hiring claims require proof that subcontractors had the manpower, equipment, and history to service sites properly.

Mirror Client and Subcontractor Agreements - Gaps between your client contract and subcontractor agreements create exposure points that plaintiff's attorneys exploit.

Stay Involved in Insurance Claims - The squeaky wheel gets the grease; staying involved with carriers and defense attorneys leads to better outcomes over your career.

Personal Injury Lawyers Are Targeting Snow - Big law firms now handle slip and fall cases with more experts, ramped-up injuries, and multi-defendant strategies for bigger payouts.

Multi-Tier Liability Creates Multiple Pots - Plaintiff's counsel add negligent hiring claims to reach property owners, managers, contractors, and subcontractors for more money sources.

Emergency Response Within Hours Matters - Getting attorneys and experts on-site quickly protects privileged conversations and preserves evidence before witnesses change their stories.

Proactive General Counsel Beats Reactive Defense - Working with attorneys before claims happen provides better ROI than dealing with lawsuits after they're filed.

Salt Shortage Documentation Required - When experiencing supply shortages, document the actual shortage with proof from suppliers in addition to having protective contract language.

Reflection Questions

How are you managing electronic communications between your team and clients, and would your text message records survive a lawsuit two to four years down the road?

Do you have documentation proving your subcontractors are capable of servicing the sites they're assigned to, or could a negligent hiring claim catch you unprepared?

Are you treating contract review and legal counsel as a proa...

• (00:00:00) - Start
• (00:00:20) - Meet Josh Ferguson
• (00:01:12) - Josh’s Legal Practice Overview
• (00:03:17) - Why Josh Became a Lawyer
• (00:05:23) - Life Outside the Office
• (00:07:36) - Salt Shortage Contract Tips
• (00:12:03) - Handling Client Contracts
• (00:15:28) - Regulation and Environmental Trends
• (00:16:50) - Winning Claims With Documentation
• (00:18:58) - Defense Ready Documentation
• (00:21:11) - Subcontractor Risk Transfer
• (00:23:08) - Emergency Response Playbook
• (00:25:14) - Outside General Counsel Value
• (00:27:01) - Why Industry Events Matter
• (00:29:10) - Plaintiff Trends and New Claims
• (00:33:44) - The Risk with Text Communication
• (00:35:19) - Tech Solutions
• (00:35:45) - Please Like, Share & Subscribe!