Hustle → Habit: Sam Gembel’s Blueprint for Turning Atlas Outdoor into Michigan’s Culture-First Landscape Machine
- S3E213
- 1:27:04
- July 31st 2025
Flint-born mower jockey Sam Gembel went from nights-and-weekends side hustle to founding Atlas Outdoor—a 110-person, two-branch landscape + snow powerhouse now adding a million in revenue each year. In his first Boardroom Buzz appearance, Sam sits down with the Blue-Collar Twins to unpack:
- Grass-Cutting Genesis – quitting high school, banging stripes, and learning his real job was “making crew leaders,” not mowing lawns.
- Rapid Ramp – $300 k ➜ $1 M ➜ $3 M in four seasons, then stalling at $5 M until a coach killed the “sell-more” dopamine loop.
- Pandemic Reset – why losing seven crew leaders on Day 1 of 2020 became the filter that left Atlas with A-players only.
- Culture Proof – six values, weekly L10s, and year-round salaries that drive a 93 % retention rate despite brutal Michigan winters.
- Significance over Success – turning deposits into payroll, mentoring operators through the Culture Proof podcast, and building opportunity “big enough for everyone’s dreams.”
Stick around for Sam’s take on staying calm in chaos, why A-players force owners to level up, and how Shawshank Redemption explains entrepreneurial self-sabotage.
From PE Teachers to Pest Control Owners: The Julio Twins Share Their POTOMAC Experience
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore
Produced by: www.verbell.ltd
Timestamps (podcast.co-ready)
00:00 – Cold-open: “We self-sabotage the second life gets uncomfortable.” Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
00:35 – Intros: Sam’s Atlas Outdoor story & Culture Proof podcast debut Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
02:00 – High-school dropout to zero-turn crew leader; first taste of leadership Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
06:50 – Learning his real role: create crew leaders, not stripes Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
09:00 – Side-yard hustle becomes Atlas Outdoor; origin of the name & logo Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
13:30 – Year-one $300 k, Year-two $1 M; growth by Facebook & word-of-mouth Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
18:15 – Cash-flow cracks at $5 M: deposits as payroll and the first business coach Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
24:20 – Mentor Blake Crawford’s quiet $14 M shop and 22 % margins Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
30:10 – Hiring A-players vs. settling for Bs & Cs; institutionalized mindsets Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
38:30 – Pandemic purge: seven crew leaders quit; culture reset & surge ahead Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
41:00 – Year-round salaries for crew leaders; 93 % retention win Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
45:00 – Snow & ice division: 26 rigs, “air hurts your face” winters, profit center Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
50:00 – Vision + culture are the only non-delegables; calm-captain leadership model Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
54:30 – Next chapter: five Michigan hubs, million-a-year organic growth, significance over success Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
57:00 – Rapid-fire round: mantra under stress, lessons from Tommy Mello, habit for focus Buzz EP 213 Sam Gembel …
1:00:00 – Outro, Potomac Masterclass CTA, and Sam’s invite to audit your own attachment rate
The Boardroom Buzz: Grow, Sell, or Exit
Boardroom Buzz is the straight-talk playbook for owners who built their service businesses from the crawlspace up and want to master the next move—whether that’s doubling down on growth or preparing for a life-changing exit.
Hosted by Jason & Jeremy Julio—“The Blue-Collar Twins” who turned a service-truck start-up into a multimillion-dollar success—and mentored by veteran deal-maker Paul Giannamore, the show turns boardroom finance into stories you’d swap over a tailgate. Expect 40-minute deep-dives that unwrap one real transaction and one valuation lever you can pull today, plus quick “Market Pulse” riffs that flag shifts every operator should watch.
If you’re a majority or significant-minority owner eyeing the $5 M–$100 M revenue range, tune in for gritty war stories, step-by-step tactics, and the confidence to choose your own endgame. New episodes every Thursday. Presented by POTOMAC M&A.