The Deal Factory, powered by 3PG Advisors, brings practical insights from the front lines of mergers & acquisitions, scaling, and exit strategies in the skilled trades and service industries. Hosted by Jeff Harkness, each episode cuts through the jargon and translates complex deal-making into real-world lessons for business owners. With 30 years of experience helping companies create transformational wealth, Jeff and his guests share stories, strategies, and leadership insights to help you scale smarter, build stronger, and exit bigger. This is your seat at the deal table.
The Deal Factory
Claim This Podcastby Jeff Harkness
5.0(3 reviews)
19 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
The Deal Factory, powered by 3PG Advisors, brings practical insights from the front lines of mergers & acquisitions, scaling, and exit strategies in the skilled trades and service industries. Hosted by Jeff Harkness, each episode cuts through the jargon and translates complex deal-making into real-world lessons for business owners. With 30 years of experience helping companies create transformational wealth, Jeff and his guests share stories, strategies, and leadership insights to help you scale smarter, build stronger, and exit bigger. This is your seat at the deal table.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/21/2025
1 verified contact email on file for The Deal Factory
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Recent Episodes
July 14, 2026
How Serious Operators Build Value After Partnering with Private Equity
<p>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.</p><p>In this episode of <strong>The Deal Factory</strong>, Jeff Harkness sits down with Jerry Shill, Founder & CEO of <strong>Schill Landscape Collective</strong>, to unpack the 35-year journey from a local landscaping company to one of North America's fastest-growing commercial landscape platforms.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Key Discussion Points</strong></p><ul><li><p>Building a maintenance-first business model that scales</p></li><li><p>Why recurring revenue beats chasing construction projects</p></li><li><p>Designing a "Business in a Box" operating system</p></li><li><p>Preparing a company for institutional capital</p></li><li><p>Lessons from partnering with Argon Capital and TruArc Partners</p></li><li><p>Scaling from $2M to nearly $31M EBITDA</p></li><li><p>What Jerry learned completing 21 acquisitions</p></li><li><p>Why integration—not the deal—is the real challenge</p></li><li><p>Centralized vs. decentralized leadership models</p></li><li><p>Data, KPIs and forecasting at scale</p></li><li><p>Creating wealth through management equity</p></li><li><p>AI, robotics and the future of commercial landscaping</p></li><li><p>Why customer issue resolution is a competitive advantage</p></li><li><p>Building businesses that are designed to sell</p></li></ul><p><br></p>
July 1, 2026
Building a $220M Landscaping Business with Private Equity
<p>What does it really take to build a category-leading company?</p><p>In this episode of <strong>The Deal Factory</strong>, Jeff Harkness sits down with Brian Dumont, Founder & CEO of YARDNIQUE, one of the fastest-growing commercial landscape companies in the Southeast.</p><p>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.</p><p>This isn't a conversation about overnight success.</p><p>It's a masterclass on resilience, leadership, culture, acquisitions, private equity partnerships, and becoming the leader your company needs at every stage of growth.</p><p>Whether you're building toward your first $10 million or scaling beyond $100 million, this episode offers practical lessons every founder should hear.</p><p><strong>In This Episode</strong></p><ul><li><p>Why Brian almost walked away from the business</p></li><li><p>The turning point that changed YARDNIQUE forever</p></li><li><p>Lessons learned from divorce, business setbacks, and leadership failures</p></li><li><p>Why recurring revenue transformed the company</p></li><li><p>What founders misunderstand about private equity</p></li><li><p>How to choose the right PE partner</p></li><li><p>Building an executive team capable of scaling</p></li><li><p>16 acquisitions: successes, failures, and lessons learned</p></li><li><p>The importance of culture during rapid growth</p></li><li><p>Why customer service, not landscaping, is the real business</p></li><li><p>AI, sales, and the future of commercial landscaping</p></li><li><p>Brian's daily leadership habits, faith, journaling, and intentionality</p></li></ul><p><u>Chapters:</u></p><p>00:00 – Intro</p><p>03:45 – Starting a business after working for a terrible boss</p><p>08:00 – Discovering recurring revenue</p><p>09:20 – Losing two major customers and rebuilding</p><p>13:00 – Deciding whether to sell</p><p>15:15 – Walking away from a sale</p><p>17:20 – COVID changes everything</p><p>19:10 – Choosing private equity over selling outright</p><p>22:40 – Building with Plexus Capital</p><p>25:30 – Life after private equity</p><p>29:30 – Building an executive team</p><p>31:15 – Lessons from 16 acquisitions</p><p>37:00 – Hiring leaders who can scale</p><p>42:30 – The four pillars of growth</p><p>45:30 – Building a world-class sales organization</p><p>47:50 – AI and the future of landscaping</p><p>50:30 – Faith, leadership and daily habits</p><p>59:15 – Final leadership lessons</p>
June 16, 2026
The Talent Advantage: Why Some Companies Keep Winning
<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Key Discussion Points</strong></p><ul><li><p>Why employees leave companies even when compensation is competitive</p></li><li><p>The importance of culture fit over technical qualifications</p></li><li><p>How top recruiters identify great candidates</p></li><li><p>The role leadership plays in employee retention</p></li><li><p>Why compensation alone cannot solve hiring problems</p></li><li><p>Work-from-home, flexibility, and today's workforce expectations</p></li><li><p>Common hiring mistakes business owners make</p></li><li><p>How to evaluate candidates beyond the résumé</p></li><li><p>Lessons from elite athletes and high-performance environments</p></li><li><p>Building teams that scale with your company</p></li></ul><p><u>Chapters:</u></p><p>0:00 Intro</p><p>0:20 Meet Rachel VanderPol</p><p>2:01 Athlete to Executive Recruiter</p><p>4:41 Growing Up Around Hall of Fame Excellence</p><p>8:10 Why Employees Really Leave</p><p>11:24 Culture Fit vs Skill Set</p><p>15:00 Why Employer Branding Matters</p><p>16:10 How Recruiters Vet Candidates</p><p>19:10 Recruiting Across Multiple Industries</p><p>22:35 Hiring for Potential vs Perfection</p><p>23:35 How to Spot Candidate Red Flags</p><p>26:25 Compensation and Retention</p><p>30:25 Work-Life Balance vs Flexibility</p><p>35:05 Learning From Hiring Mistakes</p><p>37:10 Mentorship and High Achievement</p><p>39:10 Building a Business While Raising a Family</p><p>42:45 Parenting, Sports, and Leadership Lessons</p><p>45:05 Rachel's Recruiting Philosophy</p><p>47:00 AI vs Human Recruiting</p><p>48:15 Final Thoughts</p><p><br></p>
19 total episodes available
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This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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