# From Engineering to Landscaping COO: Recurring Revenue, Smart Hiring & Systems That Scale Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760/from-engineering-to-landscaping-coo-recurring-revenue-smart-hiring-systems-that-scale Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760/from-engineering-to-landscaping-coo-recurring-revenue-smart-hiring-systems-that-scale.md Podcast: [Do Small Business Like a Big Boss Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760) Published: 2026-07-01T12:43:23+00:00 Episode link: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/82310b0f342ffbe93f8e0b5b465f2031df9b08620aecfe1e897443be4b251ee7/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxZDljM2YwMS1kOGEyLTQ4MzQtOTQzNi02Zjc1NmM2NTVkOWQiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIwN2NhY2I0Mi03YzBmLTQ0ZDQtODg0ZC04YmUyMzA0MzEyNGUiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2ODdhZjZjNWY1MjhmYzVlMDY2ZTc2ZmQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE0NTBiNmNiZDM1MWJhZGFiZDgyMGVmL2Fpc2hhLW1hc3NlbmdpbGxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTctMV9fMTQtNDMtMjQubXAzIn0=.mp3 Audio file: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/82310b0f342ffbe93f8e0b5b465f2031df9b08620aecfe1e897443be4b251ee7/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxZDljM2YwMS1kOGEyLTQ4MzQtOTQzNi02Zjc1NmM2NTVkOWQiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIwN2NhY2I0Mi03YzBmLTQ0ZDQtODg0ZC04YmUyMzA0MzEyNGUiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2ODdhZjZjNWY1MjhmYzVlMDY2ZTc2ZmQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE0NTBiNmNiZDM1MWJhZGFiZDgyMGVmL2Fpc2hhLW1hc3NlbmdpbGxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTctMV9fMTQtNDMtMjQubXAzIn0=.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760/episodes/from-engineering-to-landscaping-coo-recurring-revenue-smart-hiring-systems-that-scale Duration seconds: 1744 ## Resource In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill sits down with Doug Bonnell, Owner and COO of True North Landscaping, to talk about his journey from automotive engineer to leading and scaling a successful family-owned landscaping company. This conversation covers the real-life lessons behind building a sustainable service business, creating recurring revenue, making strategic hires, and implementing systems that support long-term growth. 🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why recurring revenue is the foundation of a stable service-based business How to decide whether to hire, outsource, or acquire to fill business gaps The systems and software that transformed operations and job costing How Doug and his wife successfully work together in the business What every entrepreneur can learn from the landscaping industry's referral culture ⏱️ Episode Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Guest introduction: Doug Bonnell & True North Landscaping 01:17 – From automotive engineer to family business COO 03:03 – Taking the leap from corporate life 05:42 – Learning the business from the ground up 06:57 – Building recurring revenue through maintenance services 09:21 – Why recurring revenue matters 11:12 – Acquiring a competitor and expanding services 12:13 – Build, hire, or buy? 14:31 – Managing seasonality and workforce challenges 20:23 – Work-life balance as a business owner 23:43 – Running a business with your spouse 24:51 – Common mistakes customers make when hiring contractors 29:26 – Systems and technology that drive growth 32:12 – Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 33:05 – What β€œDo Small Business Like a Big Boss” means to Doug 33:52 – Where to connect with Doug and True North Landscaping πŸ‘€ About the Guest: Doug Bonnell is the Owner and… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760/episodes/from-engineering-to-landscaping-coo-recurring-revenue-smart-hiring-systems-that-scale/transcription-requests` β€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/do-small-business-like-a-big-boss-podcast-7627760/from-engineering-to-landscaping-coo-recurring-revenue-smart-hiring-systems-that-scale.md` β€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.