Crystal Knafel started her landscaping business with a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a willingness to outwork just about anyone. Today, she and business partner Krista Bontrager are building something much bigger.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Crystal and Krista to discuss their evolution from a founder-led operation into a $5M+ multi-location business pursuing growth through acquisitions. They share how their visionary-integrator partnership works, what they learned acquiring Lawn & Turf, and why culture became one of their biggest post-close challenges.

The conversation covers M&A, integration, leadership, organic growth, technology, talent, and their long-term vision of building a $100M+ landscaping platform.

Landscaping Services Indiana | Design & Lawn Care Experts | Dynamic Landscaping

Key Discussion Points

• Crystal's journey from a shovel and wheelbarrow to business owner
• How Krista became the integrator to Crystal's visionary
• Using EOS and mentorship to create structure for growth
• Why they chose Lawn & Turf as an acquisition target
• Discovering culture problems after the deal closed
• Rebuilding the team and integrating the acquisition
• Moving from pure grit to intentional growth strategy
• Why alignment is critical in a business partnership
• Delegating responsibilities as the company scales
• Building a stronger organic sales engine
• Using Aspire, Weathermatic and AI in the business
• Recruiting and retaining the right people
• Why Crystal wants to build the platform—not sell to one
• The five-year vision for a $100M+ landscaping company

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:26 Meet Crystal and Krista

2:03 How Crystal Started the Business

5:29 Krista Joins the Business

8:43 Visionary vs. Integrator

10:50 Where the Business Is Today

13:01 Acquiring Lawn & Turf

15:48 The Reality of Post-Close Integration

18:22 Rebuilding Culture & Leadership

21:00 Women in the Green Industry

24:00 Learning to Delegate

28:15 How Their Partnership Works

31:20 Handling Disagreements & Staying Aligned

36:50 The Next Critical Hire

38:12 Technology & Operational Infrastructure

41:20 Robotics & AI

43:00 Solving the Labor Challenge

46:34 Building the Platform

48:35 Mentors, Belief & Thinking Bigger

52:18 The $100M Vision

55:35 Closing Thoughts

Private equity has never been more misunderstood.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with longtime friend and Plexus Capital Partner Brad Pence for one of the most practical conversations yet on how institutional investors actually evaluate businesses. From defining the lower middle market to explaining fund structures, leadership, AI, operations, and value creation, Brad provides an inside look at what separates companies that attract premium valuations from those that struggle to transact.

The conversation goes well beyond deal multiples. Brad shares how great investors think about people, leadership, operational excellence, technology adoption, capital deployment, liquidity, continuation vehicles, and why the best private equity firms are focused on building stronger businesses—not simply buying EBITDA.

Whether you're a founder considering institutional capital, an executive leading a PE-backed company, or simply trying to understand how today's investment market works, this episode offers a masterclass on what creates long-term enterprise value.

Key Discussion Points

• Brad Pence's journey from college graduate to Partner at Plexus Capital

• Defining the lower middle market vs. the middle market

• What institutional investors actually evaluate before investing

• Why leadership is the single biggest investment decision

• Building trust between founders and private equity partners

• Current state of lower middle market deal activity

• Return expectations, fund structures and investor discipline

• Continuation vehicles explained simply

• How AI is improving business development and operational efficiency

• Why data systems and financial visibility drive enterprise value

• The operational playbook behind successful platform companies

• Organic growth vs. acquisition integration

• Debunking common myths about private equity

• Alternative capital options through structured debt and minority investments

• Balancing career, family and high performance

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:10 Meet Brad Pence & Plexus Capital

7:30 From Analyst to Private Equity Partner

17:30 What Is the Lower Middle Market?

20:15 Current State of Private Equity

24:30 Capital Deployment & Investor Expectations

30:00 Fund Life Cycles & Liquidity

33:00 Continuation Vehicles Explained

35:45 AI's Real Impact on Private Equity

41:20 Leadership Is Everything

48:40 The Plexus Operating Playbook

52:10 Building Companies That Scale

56:45 Private Equity Myths Debunked

1:00:30 Structured Capital Without Giving Up Control

1:04:30 Brad's Leadership Habits & Closing Thoughts

Most entrepreneurs dream about building a business that lasts. Few ever build one capable of attracting multiple private equity partners, completing more than 20 acquisitions, and creating life-changing wealth for employees.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Jerry Shill, Founder & CEO of Schill Landscape Collective, to unpack the 35-year journey from a local landscaping company to one of North America's fastest-growing commercial landscape platforms.

Jerry shares the pivotal decisions that changed everything—from splitting the family business and focusing exclusively on recurring maintenance revenue to designing a scalable "business in a box" operating model that ultimately attracted institutional capital. The conversation dives deep into acquisitions, integration, leadership development, value creation, data-driven operations, and what it really takes to build a billion-dollar vision.

Whether you're considering private equity, actively acquiring businesses, or simply trying to scale your company, this episode delivers a masterclass from someone who's lived every stage of the journey.

Key Discussion Points

• Building a maintenance-first business model that scales

• Why recurring revenue beats chasing construction projects

• Designing a "Business in a Box" operating system

• Preparing a company for institutional capital

• Lessons from partnering with Argon Capital and TruArc Partners

• Scaling from $2M to nearly $31M EBITDA

• What Jerry learned completing 21 acquisitions

• Why integration—not the deal—is the real challenge

• Centralized vs. decentralized leadership models

• Data, KPIs and forecasting at scale

• Creating wealth through management equity

• AI, robotics and the future of commercial landscaping

• Why customer issue resolution is a competitive advantage

• Building businesses that are designed to sell

What does it really take to build a category-leading company?

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Brian Dumont, Founder & CEO of YARDNIQUE, one of the fastest-growing commercial landscape companies in the Southeast.

Brian shares the unfiltered story behind building the business—from nearly losing everything after two major customers failed to pay, navigating divorce, rebuilding his leadership team, partnering with private equity, and scaling from approximately $25 million in revenue to more than $220 million through disciplined execution, acquisitions, and an unwavering commitment to people-first leadership.

This isn't a conversation about overnight success.

It's a masterclass on resilience, leadership, culture, acquisitions, private equity partnerships, and becoming the leader your company needs at every stage of growth.

Whether you're building toward your first $10 million or scaling beyond $100 million, this episode offers practical lessons every founder should hear.

In This Episode

• Why Brian almost walked away from the business

• The turning point that changed YARDNIQUE forever

• Lessons learned from divorce, business setbacks, and leadership failures

• Why recurring revenue transformed the company

• What founders misunderstand about private equity

• How to choose the right PE partner

• Building an executive team capable of scaling

• 16 acquisitions: successes, failures, and lessons learned

• The importance of culture during rapid growth

• Why customer service, not landscaping, is the real business

• AI, sales, and the future of commercial landscaping

• Brian's daily leadership habits, faith, journaling, and intentionality

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

03:45 – Starting a business after working for a terrible boss

08:00 – Discovering recurring revenue

09:20 – Losing two major customers and rebuilding

13:00 – Deciding whether to sell

15:15 – Walking away from a sale

17:20 – COVID changes everything

19:10 – Choosing private equity over selling outright

22:40 – Building with Plexus Capital

25:30 – Life after private equity

29:30 – Building an executive team

31:15 – Lessons from 16 acquisitions

37:00 – Hiring leaders who can scale

42:30 – The four pillars of growth

45:30 – Building a world-class sales organization

47:50 – AI and the future of landscaping

50:30 – Faith, leadership and daily habits

59:15 – Final leadership lessons

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with executive recruiter and talent advisor Rachel VanderPol to discuss what really drives employee retention, leadership, recruiting, and company growth. Rachel shares lessons from years of recruiting top talent across finance, legal, construction, SaaS, and professional services industries, while providing a behind-the-scenes look at how great companies attract and keep high performers.

From culture fit and leadership alignment to compensation, flexibility, and hiring mistakes, this conversation is packed with practical insights for business owners who want to build stronger teams and scale successfully.

Whether you're hiring your next executive, building a leadership team, or trying to understand why great employees leave, this episode provides a blueprint for recruiting and retaining exceptional talent.

Key Discussion Points

• Why employees leave companies even when compensation is competitive

• The importance of culture fit over technical qualifications

• How top recruiters identify great candidates

• The role leadership plays in employee retention

• Why compensation alone cannot solve hiring problems

• Work-from-home, flexibility, and today's workforce expectations

• Common hiring mistakes business owners make

• How to evaluate candidates beyond the résumé

• Lessons from elite athletes and high-performance environments

• Building teams that scale with your company

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:20 Meet Rachel VanderPol

2:01 Athlete to Executive Recruiter

4:41 Growing Up Around Hall of Fame Excellence

8:10 Why Employees Really Leave

11:24 Culture Fit vs Skill Set

15:00 Why Employer Branding Matters

16:10 How Recruiters Vet Candidates

19:10 Recruiting Across Multiple Industries

22:35 Hiring for Potential vs Perfection

23:35 How to Spot Candidate Red Flags

26:25 Compensation and Retention

30:25 Work-Life Balance vs Flexibility

35:05 Learning From Hiring Mistakes

37:10 Mentorship and High Achievement

39:10 Building a Business While Raising a Family

42:45 Parenting, Sports, and Leadership Lessons

45:05 Rachel's Recruiting Philosophy

47:00 AI vs Human Recruiting

48:15 Final Thoughts

A lot of business owners think private equity means losing control, sacrificing culture, and putting profits ahead of people. What if the exact opposite could be true?

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Chester Buczynski and Mike Montenaro to unpack the formation of the YardMaster Big Lakes platform backed by Unity Partners.

The conversation explores the realities of private equity partnerships, employee ownership, scaling through acquisitions, leadership development, and building a culture that creates transformational wealth for employees at every level.

From Chester's journey starting a landscape company with no money and a vision, to Mike's path through decades of leadership in the green industry, this episode offers a candid look at what it really takes to build, scale, and grow a business beyond traditional limits.

Most importantly, they challenge some of the biggest myths in business—proving that growth, culture, people, and profitability don't have to compete with one another.

Key Discussion Points

• Why Yard Master and Big Lakes partnered with Unity Partners

• The biggest misconceptions about private equity

• How employee ownership changes company culture

• Building leadership teams capable of scaling

• The importance of intentional communication during acquisitions

• Integrating multiple companies without losing culture

• Creating transformational wealth for employees

• Why growth creates opportunity for everyone

• Leadership, mentorship, and succession planning

• Thinking bigger about what's possible in the green industry

Most people think the hard part of a deal is getting to the closing table.

It’s not.

The real challenge begins the moment the paperwork is signed.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with 3PG Advisors’ Ed Bates for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked — and most critical — parts of mergers & acquisitions: integration.

With decades of experience and a front-row seat to more than 80 integrations across the green industry and skilled trades, Ed shares the practical realities of what actually happens after a business is acquired. From employee fear and culture clashes to systems conversions, communication breakdowns, owner transitions, and operational chaos, this conversation pulls back the curtain on why some deals create transformational growth while others quietly fall apart.

This isn’t theory.

It’s real-world insight from operators and dealmakers who’ve lived through the pressure, mistakes, wins, and lessons that happen after closing.

If you’re a business owner thinking about selling, a buyer trying to scale through acquisition, or an operator navigating change inside a growing company, this episode is a masterclass in integration strategy, leadership, and execution.

Key Discussion Points

• Why integration — not closing — determines long-term deal success

• The biggest communication mistakes buyers make after an acquisition

• Why employee trust and culture matter more than systems on Day One

• How to identify the real influencers inside a company

• The importance of pre-close alignment and integration planning

• Why moving too fast with systems and process changes creates failure

• The 90-day integration framework Ed Bates uses to guide acquisitions

• Common pitfalls with payroll, HR, operations, and technology transitions

• The emotional side of selling a company and owner identity shifts

• What successful buyers do differently during integration

• Why every deal requires a customized integration strategy

• Lessons learned from 80+ acquisitions and integrations

A prospect gets a referral, checks you out online, and quietly moves on. No call. No second chance. No explanation. Just… gone.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Chad Diller, CEO of Landscape Leadership, to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes—and why marketing today has less to do with leads and more to do with perception.

From AI and search to content, reviews, and storytelling, this conversation breaks down how buyers, customers, and even potential employees are judging your business long before you ever get the opportunity to sell.

If you want to stand out, scale, and eventually build something worth buying… this is where it starts.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why most trades businesses are invisible to serious buyers

• The real reason your marketing isn’t working

• AI vs reality: what’s actually changing (and what isn’t)

• Why content is now a requirement, not a strategy

• How marketing impacts hiring, culture, and growth

• The biggest missed opportunity: your existing customers

• Why referrals aren’t enough anymore

• Residential vs commercial: completely different playbooks

  How to choose the right marketing partner (and avoid wasting money)