Building a $220M Landscaping Business with Private Equity

What does it really take to build a category-leading company? In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Brian Dumont, Founder & CEO of YARDNIQUE, one of the fastest-growing commercial landscape companies in the Southeast. 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. This isn't a conversation about overnight success. It's a masterclass on resilience, leadership, culture, acquisitions, private equity partnerships, and becoming the leader your company needs at every stage of growth. Whether you're building toward your first $10 million or scaling beyond $100 million, this episode offers practical lessons every founder should hear. In This Episode • Why Brian almost walked away from the business • The turning point that changed YARDNIQUE forever • Lessons learned from divorce, business setbacks, and leadership failures • Why recurring revenue transformed the company • What founders misunderstand about private equity • How to choose the right PE partner • Building an executive team capable of scaling • 16 acquisitions: successes, failures, and lessons learned • The importance of culture during rapid growth • Why customer service, not landscaping, is the real business • AI, sales, and the future of commercial landscaping • Brian's daily leadership habits, faith, journaling, and intentionality Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 03:45 – Starting a business after working for a terrible boss 08:00 – Discovering recurring revenue 09:20 – Losing two major customers and rebuilding 13:00 – Deciding whether to sell 15:15 – Walking away from a sale 17:20 – COVID changes everything 19:10 – Choosing private equity over selling outright 22:40 – Building with Plexus Capital 25:30 – Life after private equity 29:30 – Building an executive team 31:15 – Lessons from 16 acquisitions 37:00 – Hiring leaders who can scale 42:30 – The four pillars of growth 45:30 – Building a world-class sales organization 47:50 – AI and the future of landscaping 50:30 – Faith, leadership and daily habits 59:15 – Final leadership lessons