I love sitting down with my ally, my friend in this industry. Weston Zimmerman. And the reason I call him that is because we both share the same passion for making other contractors successful. You know, and I also love the fact that two field guys. Yeah. Two former foreman. Yeah. You know, are making moves in this industry. You know, with that credibility of working in the field, but also getting to learn the struggles that these business owners are dealing with, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks for having me on. And I, really enjoy the conversations we've had getting to know you over the years. Like, remember the first time we met there in that coffee shop in Wisconsin?
Right over here in Naperville? Oh. It was. I didn't realize that. Okay. That's right. I drove down here. Does. Your card is right to meet you. Yeah. See what we can start to do together? Yeah. Yeah. So. And a lot, a lot has happened since then. My goodness, look at the ride we both been on. Yeah, and for sure. So tell me a little bit about your ride. Right. For, for the, for those are well with you. If you're not familiar with SynkedUP and how Weston is elevating the industry. That's this podcast is for you. Okay. Well, it's one I really want to get that out there, you know, because you're you're you're like, as much as I can is I think a Hardscape Mentor program is changing lives.
You're for real, changing lives. You know, you talk about the cold pizza theory and and things like that. So just touch on that a little bit is like, why you have this passion for what you do, man. Yeah. Well, we're here at Aquascape Pondemonium event. That's where we're recording this. And we're both kind of, enjoying being here, watching Greg and the the culture he's created for the Certified Aquascape Contractors. Right. And and really, this event is really where I started getting into, you know, I guess I would call it like, pursuing personal growth and development. You know, like, being more than just a ditch digger and, I worked at Tulsey Landscaping for 15 years. Tulsey Landscaping sent me here to this event.
And this is like 18 years since my first one. And, here is, where I started getting into, like, listening to people speak, you know, about, you know, growth. And I took that home to Tulsey Landscaping in a lot of ways. And a really long story short, ultimately led me to like, well, I want to solve this problem that we had inside of Tulsey for like a access to information at our fingertips right from our phone out in the field, because I did service work at Tulsey Landscaping. And just to give you an idea where we started, like I, there was a day where if I wanted the phone number of a customer, I had to call the secretary at the office going, hey, what's Jones's number again?
You know, that's how archaic we were. So that's where this started is like, let's automate that, make it simpler. This was, you know, 2011, 2012, long, long before there was an app on every, you know. Yeah. You know, to do all that. Exactly. So, the other side of that was, is we really wanted to be disciplined about knowing whether we made money or not on the jobs that we did. And at the time, there was no job costing software, none of that. We were doing spreadsheets for that. So I was kind of the, quote, tech guy on the landscaping crew, so to speak. And, my dad was connected to software, and so I was like, let's, let's build this.
And, yeah, it's interesting because back when we started building SynkedUP, well, I would actually say we didn't even know it was SynkedUP. At the time, we were trying to build a product for Tulsey Landscaping to use and it. Yeah, right. And it turned into SynkedUP and and, you know, December 7th, 2020, I logged my last timesheet with Tulsey Landscaping went to go sell SynkedUP through the winter months and never came back. You know, Ben, my cousin took over my crew at Tulsey Landscaping, which, I mean, you got to meet him there a couple weeks ago in Vancouver. Inspiring young man. Yeah, he's he's quite the dude. But, anyway, it's it's kind of interesting sitting here in 2026 looking back on that journey because, we sort of SynkedUP before AI was a thing.
Today, AI is a thing. And, so, you know, as the founder of SynkedUP with the owners of Tulsey Landscaping help. Of course. It, it's it's created this thing of where the way I would describe it is we're staying true to the problem to solve the business problem, like knowing your numbers. But we're multiple cycles now on like, while the first one was a crude app, the second one was a more polished app. Now it's like, well, how do we do it with AI? Like we keep talking about, internally in our own team meetings at SynkedUP that we keep talking about how do we get a contractor to have the outcome without needing the expertise? So we're not trying to go off and create some flashy AI thing.
You know, I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in how can we help landscapers solve the same problem as they always have had. Simpler, like another analogy is. Yeah, so let's all another analogy is give them build Tesla's full Self-Driving instead of building a jet cockpit with 100 dials and switches, because with 100 dials and switches, you have to become an expert. You have to know what you're looking at. You have to make determinations and decisions about what you're going to do going forward. That takes time to build up that kind of expertise. And generally speaking, entrepreneurship is lonely. Many people don't have a mentor like, you know, speaking of, Hardscape Mentor. And so what the way I view it is a challenge to create help those people that don't have somebody to show them how they can get the correct outcome, meaning make money on the work they're doing without having 20 years of expertise to get there.
Yeah, exactly. So that's I, I haven't been this excited in since the beginning of this journey because of what is now possible with AI. Like, dude, we're it's going to be amazing. We're going to do this thing where you get out of your truck, record your whole conversation with your homeowner, shoot a walk through video right on your phone, and it will, produce the assignment for you, right? That start the track for you right there. Yeah. So speaking of, you know, being year six. Yes. Getting into this. Yeah. We have an exciting event coming up. Yes. We do something you've been doing for a while. It's going to be this really cool dude. As a keynote speaker, they're called Dan Preston.
I think it's going to be like, thrown down some, inspiring talk and artistry and creativity and passion and craftsmanship. Yeah. Well, thank you very much for inviting us out there. Definitely being a part of it, because once again, we're all here just make people successful. So, coming up here in September, we're going to be out in Pittsburgh at the SynkedUP Summit. How long have you been doing this contractor summit? Well, we started it. The first one was in 2020. And it was kind of underneath the Tulsey Landscaping umbrella where we were basically what it was is I just threw a story up on Instagram on the profile saying like, hey, guys, we, we, we get DMs all the time from people that want to learn, come to our job site to about waterfalls.
Yeah. So we had this like, one location where like, hey, we can actually host a bunch of people there. So like, I threw my I threw the thing up on my story was like, hey, 500 bucks come into town and we'll teach you to build waterfalls. And, like, 30 people showed up. And so that was like the very first one. And then we did another one that was underneath the umbrella. And then we kind of like, well, let's just make this a SynkedUP Summit. So this is our sixth one this year. Wow. That's amazing. And, yeah, September 10th and 11th in Pittsburgh. Obviously, you're going to be there. Greg Wittstock, the CEO of Aquascape, is going to be there.
And we're going to be doing some exciting announcements, about, what's coming inside of the SynkedUP product. And, it's. Yeah, I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. We have some stretch goals that we're trying to shoot for. It and to, like, do some demos. I told my team is kind of funny, like, you know, the video of Elon Musk doing the Tesla Cybertruck review when he threw a glass of, steel ball at the glass one. Well, I don't know, it might be a moment like that where the glass breaks, but we're sure we're going to give it a try. Look at what Elon is doing now, though, after the glass broke. Yeah, exactly. And you might not get it perfect for the demo, but the long haul.
Just take a minute. You'll get there. Yeah, well, we're extremely thankful and blessed to be a part of this. So I guess why did you think Hardscape Mentor could fit into this contractor summit? Well, I think that, entrepreneurship is a story that goes a little bit like this. They love to do something like, maybe they love to do, beautiful outdoor patios and spaces. Maybe they love to do beautiful water features just out. They love the craft of what they do. They start a business and then they get, like, drowned in all the back office, the things they never signed up for. And so the reason I want you there in the room, Dan, is because I want people to be reminded of why they started this to begin with.
Like, don't. Yes, you're fighting a dozen demons in the office, trying to solve problems, trying to get customers happy, trying to keep employees. You know, it's it's hard. Entrepreneurship is hard. But I want you there because I think my impression of you is you embody artistry, creativity, craftsmanship, pride in the craft. And I want people to be reminded of why they started this to begin with. Like, don't lose sight of that, because the moment you lose sight of that, then what are you doing? You know, like stay, stay true to the thing that inspired you to start your business to begin with. And, you know, and and in the same breath, my, my aim was, is to, well, let's make the back office stuff easier for you.
Automate that stuff with you. And that's where I was really going to change the game over the next year or two. So I appreciate that. And I love what you said about what we're doing with Hardscape Mentor, you know, taking these guys to the next level or reminding them why we started in this trade in the beginning was to be creative, to change people's lives, to provide these outdoor living spaces. But we do get clogged up in the office sometimes. So, yeah, well, let's not forget why we started to be hardscapers in the beginning of this, right? Yep. Amen. And if you want to learn how to stay creative and still make money, you need to join us in Pittsburgh, September 10th and 11th, 10th and 11th.
Exactly. Go to the SynkedUP website. It's spelled with a k so synkedup.com. And there's a, header announcement right on the header where you can get your tickets. Yeah. So Hardscape Mentor will teach you how to build it. Will surround you with other guys like just like yourself from around the country. And SynkedUP. We'll show you how to make a profit and automate all your office stuff. Exactly. So thrive, not survive, baby. That's the that's the mantra. I do your thing about the cold pizza theory. If you don't know what that is, is it just kind of happened by accident? One of my talks at the summit one year where I showed a picture of, a cold pizza that, well, you can tell it cold in the picture, but I ask people like, why?
Why am I showing picture of this picture of this pizza? And people guess. And then somebody said, oh, it's leftover. It's what's left of dinner. Right? And so, my fight for me personally is to make sure that after the more entrepreneurs make it home in time for dinner with their family. Yes. And my fight in this industry is to separate yourself with craftsmanship. Yeah. Integrity. Sure. Not running in a wheel like everybody else. So together, we're going to do this, Weston. And I can't wait to be part of your event. I can't wait you there, Dan. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you for sitting down with us. And let's get back to being inspired, motivated by hanging out with the tribe here at Aquascape. Amen.
Welcome to Hardscape Mentor, the go to training platform for learning real jobsite skills anytime, anywhere. We've created 300 plus video lessons covering everything from design to build patios, walls, inlays, flagstone, turf, resin, sand and more. You can watch anytime, anywhere from your phone, tablet or computer. Train yourself or your entire crew. Elite members also get access to our private Facebook group and monthly mastermind calls, where we talk through real projects, answer questions, and learn from each other. If you're serious about building better projects and growing your business, Hardscape Mentor is the resource to help you do it. Start learning today at HardscapeMentor.com.
