Joel Wollum: Building a Business on Referrals, Gratitude, and Daily Learning

Joel Wollum, President of The Emerald Companies in St. Cloud, Minnesota, joins Phil to share his journey from dairy farm kid to newspaper press operator to lawn care entrepreneur. From starting with a $100 garage sale mower and manually lifting snowblowers into trucks 15 times per storm, to building a business that still serves customers from 28 years ago, Joel reveals why referrals are better than being the biggest, why daily podcast listening beats jamming music, and how waving at competitors keeps you positive even when they don't wave back.

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:22 - Welcome & Guest Intro

01:41 - Joel’s Early Roots

04:23 - The First Snow Removal Hustle

07:25 - Overview of Emerald Companies

09:02 - Why Exit HOA’s?

11:00 - Going All In on Brine

13:01 - Scaling Brine Production

15:01 - Mentors & Brine Support

17:06 - Can You DIY Brine?

18:09 - Technology & Forecasting

20:16 - Joel’s Equipment Setup

24:23 - Cycle Times and Routing

25:59 - Industry Events & Education

28:56 - Peer Group Insights

30:06 - Advice for Newcomers

32:00 - Pride & Customer Referrals

33:15 - Please Like, Share & Subscribe!

Key Learnings

Referrals Beat Being the Biggest - Customer referrals create more excitement and satisfaction than being the largest company in town because they prove you're doing good work people want to recommend.

Daily Learning Compounds Over Time - Listen to podcasts, YouTube, and educational content every day instead of just music because there are valuable lessons available everywhere.

Problems Are Perspective Issues - When your truck transmission fails, remember you have a truck to repair while many people don't have that problem to worry about.

Wave at Competitors Regardless - Keep a positive outlook by waving at competitors driving down the road, even if they don't wave back, because attitude matters more than their response.

Nobody Is Smarter Than Anybody Else - Everyone has something to teach you, so keep your ears open and pick up lessons from whoever is willing to share.

Fancy and Shiny Doesn't Matter - Focus on doing good work and getting positive customer feedback rather than having the biggest, fanciest, or shiniest equipment and operations.

Figure It Out as You Go - You don't need to know everything before starting; Joel didn't know how to spell "retaining wall" when a customer asked him to build one, but he figured it out.

Original Customers Prove Longevity - Still having customers from 28 years ago demonstrates the value of consistent service and relationship building over time.

Peer Groups Provide Monthly Value - Regular peer group calls with contractors from different regions offer insights about equipment, routing, brine, and techniques you wouldn't hear otherwise.

Industry Education Never Stops - Attend conferences like SIMA, engage with Snow Fighters Institute, and participate in educational opportunities to continue growing your knowledge.

Simple Marketing Can Work - Hanging flyers at senior centers and creating colored handouts with your life story can generate business when you're starting out.

Plan Equipment Logistics Better - Think through how equipment will load and transport before buying it; Joel learned this lesson loading snowblower tractors 15 times per storm.

Reflection Questions

Are you focusing more on being the biggest company in your market or...