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00:00:01
S3-119: "Aww Chit People!!" LawnForce owner Abel Cruz
688 Plays22 days ago
The guys welcome one of the greatest characters in lawn and snow to the show. Abel Cruz of LawnForce out of Oak Creek Wisconsin joins the show to talk snow as only Abel can. Abel is always a hysterical listen, and he doesnt dissapoint on this one!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Co-hosts
00:00:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Here we go, Snow Jobs Nation, back again, bringing you episode 119 of the Snow Jobs Podcast main show, powered by Top Gun Backblades. As always, I'm Steve. You know who's with me. He's with me every week. Could not do it without him. Wouldn't want to do it without him.
00:00:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
The legend himself.
00:01:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
The Rick James of Snow, Jeremy Lindstrom, Glacier Snow Management. Jay, what is up, bud?
00:01:09
RICK JAMES
Hey, Steve, just another another Sunday recording, I think. It's all right.
00:01:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Another deadline recording, baby.
00:01:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:01:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
But we got a good one tonight, man.
00:01:17
RICK JAMES
We do have a good one.
00:01:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
We got a special treat for everybody. One of the greatest characters you can meet in the snow and landscape game. Mr. Abel Cruz is in the house with us and tonight.
Hosts' Weekly Recap
00:01:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Lawn force.
00:01:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
He is here.
00:01:31
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:01:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's always a good time talking to him. He is always entertaining. So we're gonna have some fun tonight.
00:01:36
RICK JAMES
Definitely. Yeah, it'll be a good one. I'm pretty sure it'll and would go off really well.
00:01:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely, brother. So how was your week?
00:01:42
RICK JAMES
What's happening? ah You go first. How was your week?
00:01:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, I don't remember much it, man. It's a blur. It's a blur of work and hockey, ah work and youth hockey, man.
00:01:52
RICK JAMES
don't know.
00:01:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, and that was it culminated by mother's day celebration today. So that was good. You know, uh, my wife is still upstairs, made her dinner and made all the, uh, the ladies in the family dinner. My brother cannot cook. My father cannot cook. And so it falls on me. So made some,
00:02:10
RICK JAMES
I know you can cook. I'm missing your cooking in a while.
00:02:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh yeah. Made some good steaks. Got the girls lobsters. It was good. They had a good time. So she's, she's around here somewhere. I don't know um
00:02:25
RICK JAMES
Wow, Gina's...
00:02:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah She apparently didn't like dinner.
00:02:31
RICK JAMES
Well, she's got that right on it. She doesn't... The robbering lobsters or what?
00:02:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I wish no man though you can't top that it's just you go buy lobsters in the stores and you just
Review of Previous Guest and Upcoming Events
00:02:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
cannot top getting them right off the dock from Maine that is uh that was a special treat that day there's a whole different taste to them when they come right off the boat like that and hours later you're steaming them yourself that it was that was something else that day gotta try and duplicate it right
00:02:49
RICK JAMES
That was fun. Yep. Oh,
00:02:59
RICK JAMES
yeah. For sure. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
00:03:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:03:04
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:03:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
So how was your week? a lot of juice spraying?
00:03:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah, sprayed quite a bit of juice, yeah. I mean, trucks were giving us troubles, you know, first kind of getting rolling and stuff. sure One day it was the other truck, and the next day was my truck, and then, yeah, we got through it.
00:03:19
RICK JAMES
Put a lot of juice down, and this week should be another busy week, I think.
00:03:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
right.
00:03:23
RICK JAMES
So, getting rolling.
00:03:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
No snow? your Your winter's not still done?
00:03:28
RICK JAMES
winter's over, have we got but we do have the smoke season from Canada, so we've had smoke covering us for, hopefully they're paying tariffs on it.
00:03:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really again?
00:03:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
well they're supposed to be right. Anything coming over the border.
00:03:42
RICK JAMES
Fuck. it's It's been thick out here for the last um three, four days. um There's fires everywhere around here and stuff. So I grass fire and shit.
00:03:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Is it new fires or is it just the same shit that's still burning for the last two years?
00:03:54
RICK JAMES
I don't know. It's just always on fire, it sounds. a But don't know.
00:03:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jesus Christ.
00:03:58
RICK JAMES
It doesn't seem to get any better. But no.
00:04:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
We should have asked Graham last week. Like, are you guys still on fire up there? What's going on?
00:04:05
RICK JAMES
Well, did that one guy say it was always on fire? Just like, was fire underground or something? Remember were talking to somebody?
00:04:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know. It's got to be something, though. If it's still, youre it's I don't know. We'll have to ask. We'll have to get the Canadians on the horn and find out what's going on up there.
00:04:17
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we're getting tariffs on them at least.
00:04:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
There can't be much left to burn. i mean, it's been burning for two years.
00:04:27
RICK JAMES
ah Yeah. Yeah, it's smoky for sure. So
Merchandise Promotion and Guest Introduction
00:04:31
RICK JAMES
whatever. It is what it is.
00:04:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man. All right. Well, yeah, it was a short week.
00:04:35
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we're at baseball there. We're at baseball there and one of the dads goes to me and goes, he goes, my eyes or is it? Smokey or what go? Oh it's Smokey out here.
00:04:46
RICK JAMES
She's burnings. so
00:04:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. It's not just dust. The North Dakota dust.
00:04:50
RICK JAMES
and e No, I got that under in the control. so
00:04:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. ah Oh, man. Well, that's good. like Like Jay said, it's another Sunday night, getting in under the deadline. had to Had to do Mother's Day stuff today, so we got to get this done tonight. and It's going to be a good one. We'll get right to it. Then we'll ah we'll start talking to a bell. But before we get back, we're going to do a week in review real quick. And as always, we're going to hear from Team Top Gun. We'll be right back.
00:05:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, guys, we're back. So like we said, we'll do a quick week in review here. Last week, we had Graham Utter of Golden Horseshoe GHI Industrial Contractors up there in Canada. Graham was a hoot.
00:06:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was was a good time. He really needs to come out of his shell, though, and and speak his mind more.
00:06:06
RICK JAMES
It was good.
00:06:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jesus.
00:06:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah. He's probably on health arrest up there now.
00:06:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
so
00:06:14
RICK JAMES
Talking too much.
00:06:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my God, man. He will call it as is all at all times. it's It's awesome to talk to him. It's so funny. it's ah It's a great time.
00:06:23
RICK JAMES
God, I was like like he was talking about don't get attached to anything. Everything gets stolen. I was just talking to somebody else.
00:06:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:06:30
RICK JAMES
I was talking somebody else on Friday and they were saying their kids up there plays professional hockey for Ottawa. And pickups, pickups stolen. Like, like, oh yeah, I just talked to guy from Canada.
00:06:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, it's incredible.
00:06:40
RICK JAMES
Everything up there gets stolen apparently. So she says, yeah, it was stolen and on
Business Philosophy and Background
00:06:45
RICK JAMES
the ship and away it went, I guess.
00:06:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's incredible that it's that bad. We thought we had a bed here for a while, man. My God, ever if it ain't nailed down up there, it's getting taken. And if it is nailed down, it's getting taken just a little more time to get the nails up.
00:07:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
They take it anyway.
00:07:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah. yeah Yeah. It is crazy. Yeah.
00:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's wild. I wonder if that's Canada wide or just certain areas.
00:07:05
RICK JAMES
That's,
00:07:08
RICK JAMES
I talked to a few people around. It seems to be widespread is what I've heard, but I don't know.
00:07:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
wow Well, when there's no deterrent to crime, crime will happen.
00:07:17
RICK JAMES
Weird.
00:07:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Weird.
00:07:19
RICK JAMES
you know
00:07:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Crazy.
00:07:21
RICK JAMES
Weird how that happens. Might be somebody with the government.
00:07:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Maybe. Oh, man. So... So thanks to Graham for coming on. It was great hearing about their operation up there. We wish them the best of luck going forward. I'm sure they're going to keep killing it.
00:07:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
What do we got? What else? The next event up, we got Syma. Syma Show 2025. That is going to be June 17th to the 20th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We will be there.
00:07:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Let's see what highlights of that that we got to talk about. We got the Arctic and Case Construction Equipment Welcome Party Appreciation Party. That is going to be a Wednesday. It's going to be Wednesday of Syma.
00:08:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what's that, the eighteenth don't know.
00:08:03
RICK JAMES
Sure.
00:08:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's the Wednesday of Simon week. ah That's going to be from 6 p.m. to midnight. Everybody is welcome. They're going to be, man, they're going a little crazy. they're got They got open bar. They got food. they got They're giving away a full Razorback, a Razorback full kit.
00:08:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're giving it away at 730. And then they got a live band that they're bringing with them from Chicago. That's going to play from 8 p.m.
00:08:26
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:08:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
to midnight. And they say they're awesome.
00:08:30
RICK JAMES
Is it the band Chicago?
00:08:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. What's that?
00:08:33
RICK JAMES
This is it the band Chicago.
00:08:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
you don't I don't think so. I don't remember. It was two guys' names, but I don't remember the names. But yeah that yeah, Arctic parties are always a good time.
00:08:40
RICK JAMES
It's probably just Big Daddy Productions, probably. I think it's just Big dad big Daddy's going to DJ.
00:08:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:08:46
RICK JAMES
He might as well. Yeah, he's a DJ now. you know he
00:08:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
The Stark Band.
00:08:49
RICK JAMES
he's got
00:08:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:08:50
RICK JAMES
I think he should just come and DJ it all. Big Daddy.
00:08:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
I can guarantee you one thing. It's going to be a great, great night because Arctic parties are always fun. So big thanks to Arctic and Case Construction Equipment for putting that one on.
00:09:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think we got a small part in that. don't know what we're doing. What are we doing? Cups? Something. We got a small part in that.
00:09:11
RICK JAMES
13th
00:09:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I think Storm's got a small part in that as well. But yeah, it's going to be a great time. So if you're going to Syma, make sure you make plans to join us 6 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday night of Syma for the Arctic and Case Construction Appreciation Party.
00:09:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else do we have here, brother? We got Storm Day. That's ah after that. That's our next event after that, because we don't have anything in July yet. Storm Day is August 14th.
00:09:37
RICK JAMES
and 14th.
00:09:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
14th? fourteen
00:09:39
RICK JAMES
think it's 13th and 14th. yeah.
00:09:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
13th and 14th. All right. We'll go with 13th and 14th, but that is in August. So, uh, that was a great time last year.
00:09:46
RICK JAMES
mankato
00:09:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Great event. Storm doesn't miss a trick. You know, they're, they're, they're doing great and they take everybody's feedback to make it better. So I would, I would assume it's going to be even greater this year.
00:09:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, but that's, that's August. So
Commercial Focus and Equipment Overview
00:10:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's it. That's all I got. You got anything else for the week in review?
00:10:06
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah, we can, our store, we can, guys can start, you guys can start buying stuff on the store if you want. mean, it's still open 24 seven.
00:10:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. get Get your stuff. Get your stuff. yeah
00:10:17
RICK JAMES
ah
00:10:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Somebody sent me a picture of of one of our bags, one of our shipping bags saying, what is this? I'm like, I have no idea. You ordered it. No, I didn't. well Somebody ordered it.
00:10:28
RICK JAMES
Wasn't it Larry?
00:10:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah No, it wasn't Larry. it was It was Pennsylvania, but it wasn't Larry. ah forget i got dude i'm so bad right now my memory is shot right now if i don't write it down but uh yeah the store is open definitely uh get your snow jobs gear show up in it at sima you know you definitely want to be decked out in it at sima be a good time and uh definitely guys keep liking and subscribing wherever you know wherever you listen to the show definitely click it give it a give it a review
00:11:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
whatever that all helps us it's all it's all good stuff uh keep watching storm chasing you guys are killing it two weeks over 20 000 views i think over 98 full consumption of of all 47 minutes that that's killer you know we we really can't ask for any more than that you know you guys are killing it for us and that next episode will be coming two weeks
00:11:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah, think that's what it is.
00:11:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
two weeks. So episode two is coming the end of May and then, uh, it'll be every week after that.
00:11:29
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we'll have one every week following.
00:11:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's that?
00:11:35
RICK JAMES
Yeah, i just every week to Saima will be the last five.
00:11:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yup. And then the final episode to drop will be Arctic and that will drop at Simon. All right.
00:11:43
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:11:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got anything else, Jay?
00:11:45
RICK JAMES
I think so.
00:11:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Well then let's hear from our partners real quick and we'll come back and we'll get into it with a bell.
00:12:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, we're back. So let's do this. All right, let's just welcome from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the owner of Lawn Force, Mr. Abel Cruz.
00:13:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah, shit, people. What's up, baby?
00:13:10
Abel Cruz
Oh, shit.
00:13:10
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh.
00:13:11
Abel Cruz
I'm doing good, man. Thank you for having me.
00:13:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem, brother.
00:13:13
Abel Cruz
Super excited.
00:13:15
Abel Cruz
Super excited.
00:13:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem.
00:13:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah, Val.
00:13:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's always a treat
Challenges and Business Insights
00:13:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
to talk to you, brother. You always get me laughing. It's, uh, I love your take on everything and, uh, it's a good time. So thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
00:13:29
Abel Cruz
No, man, I'm super excited. So...
00:13:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
How you been?
00:13:32
Abel Cruz
But yeah, I've been doing pretty good. Pretty pretty good. We usually get a lot of snow, but this winter didn't have that much. So, you know, I got i moved into a new shop. So, as I said, we moved to a new shop. You know, we've just been busy painting it.
00:13:46
Abel Cruz
I like the color red, so we paint a lot of sheer red. You know, we paint it black. and the And then we go for a storm. We come back, it has some scratches. We have to paint it all over Yeah.
00:13:58
Abel Cruz
My guys hate it, but I love it. You know, I like to get my stuff, you know, very, very colorful.
00:14:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah
00:14:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:14:04
Abel Cruz
You know?
00:14:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, you do.
00:14:05
RICK JAMES
I love it.
00:14:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
You definitely do. You love to paint. How is the, uh, how's the new product going?
00:14:10
Abel Cruz
I probably have like a ninja paint in the equipment.
00:14:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
The, uh, the wash, the equipment wash.
00:14:16
RICK JAMES
wash it all.
00:14:16
Abel Cruz
Watch your product.
00:14:17
Abel Cruz
It's been pretty good. um I got two dealers here in Wisconsin, um which is that's very exciting. and they saw they I got sold out as soon as they they came in. So they bought all the soap that I had.
00:14:29
Abel Cruz
They wanted to put it in the shelves and all that stuff. So I ordered a new bag, but the new batch now came with... I usually bought the soap and I be i bought the additives in it.
00:14:39
Abel Cruz
So I had to mix all of it at the shop.
00:14:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:14:41
Abel Cruz
So when I told you, it's professionally made.
00:14:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:14:44
Abel Cruz
It's not that I just made it in the backyard. when it wasn't made
00:14:47
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:14:48
Abel Cruz
It was made in a factory. You know, I got a hold of the factory and they I told them what I wanted to do. They were open to do it. and And we went at it. And then now i have a full batch.
00:14:59
Abel Cruz
Watch it all. It's all my um patent and everything. So I'm super excited.
00:15:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you, bud.
00:15:05
RICK JAMES
Awesome. how'd that How'd that come about, Abel?
00:15:09
Abel Cruz
Well...
00:15:09
RICK JAMES
You just,
00:15:10
Abel Cruz
I clean the equipment a lot. You know, I got so many trucks, so many ski steers, so many mowers.
00:15:12
RICK JAMES
yep.
00:15:16
Abel Cruz
And when you have a leak on one of those pieces of equipment and this shit is so freaking dirty, I had to watch it to find out even where the leak is coming from. So, and when you go to a shop, like you say, you take your truck to the mechanic and the truck is nasty.
00:15:32
Abel Cruz
I think they're going to charge you more to be honest.
00:15:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:15:35
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
00:15:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:15:36
Abel Cruz
So if they find the pleasing way to just say, oh, there's still problem, you know, maybe they can go easy on me on the price ah what they're going to charge me. So, well, you know, I have to i have to look at it because I you have to spend the money, you know.
00:15:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Probably not, but I like the logic.
00:15:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:15:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:15:51
Abel Cruz
but
00:15:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:15:52
Abel Cruz
But then since I'm not going to be selling you no program to teach you how to plow or to teach you how to be a better businessman. I'm just a clown. You know, I'm just a clown.
00:16:02
RICK JAMES
hu
00:16:04
Abel Cruz
ill just, you know, I'm not like that, you know. I'm not a, I don't know. i I'm not a professional, let's say it, you know. And I just, I've been winging this business for the last 10 years.
00:16:17
Abel Cruz
I think, um you know, if I can put foot on the table,
00:16:17
RICK JAMES
You're just Hustler. No.
00:16:21
Abel Cruz
I'm happy doing it. Hey, who cares, man?
00:16:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:16:25
Abel Cruz
But I'm not going to sell you. All the people that show me how to do my business, they never charge me. So i even when I ask Jeremy, hey, Jeremy, can I go over there and get some training?
00:16:36
Abel Cruz
Hop on a loader. He said, more than working, he didn't charge me for it.
00:16:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's amazing how that works in most places,
00:16:40
Abel Cruz
And why did I?
Maintenance and Equipment Strategy
00:16:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
right?
00:16:42
Abel Cruz
Yeah, I just...
00:16:43
RICK JAMES
yeah Yeah.
00:16:45
Abel Cruz
It's rare, but it's amazing.
00:16:46
RICK JAMES
You're always welcome hear a bell.
00:16:48
Abel Cruz
you you know And that's how my daughter, we still talk about it. you know When we went over there, the fun that we had, and we we know we didn't sleep that much. We went through a storm and we went back home because I was expecting a storm.
00:17:02
Abel Cruz
Otherwise, would have stayed longer.
00:17:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. It's, it's, it's the actual, it's normal.
00:17:06
RICK JAMES
It was great.
00:17:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
What, what you experience with, Hey, listen, can we come out there and get some tips, get some experience, get some training, get some business advice. Most people do give it away. 99% people do just, yeah, they'll answer the questions.
00:17:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll help you any way they can, you know, selling, you know, selling knowledge that pretty much everybody that's successful in business has this is not the norm. That's just a couple of people doing that, but
00:17:32
Abel Cruz
e
00:17:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's funny that you brought that up.
00:17:36
Abel Cruz
No, because it happened.
00:17:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:17:38
Abel Cruz
You know, I have communicated with people. They say, hey, how you do this? They say, well, before they say something to me, they're already selling me, you know, a package deal. And I can't.
00:17:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:17:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:17:51
Abel Cruz
No, man, not with me.
00:17:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:17:52
Abel Cruz
Don't give me that shit. You know, and and everybody knows that, you know, I'm very outspoken about it.
00:17:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man
00:17:59
Abel Cruz
You know, it's like, but the reality is that people want those things and they're willing to pay for that kind of shit, you know, because they don't want to, they don't want to do the homework.
00:18:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is true. They...
00:18:08
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:18:10
Abel Cruz
You know, they don't, they don't want to do the homework.
00:18:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:18:12
Abel Cruz
It's like you play a video game. You can buy an achievement or you can just earn it by playing it. It's the same thing.
00:18:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:18:19
Abel Cruz
So a lot of people, they just don't want to play the game, you know?
00:18:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:18:22
Abel Cruz
And if you don't want to play the main, they think that they can buy at everything except when she's a fan.
00:18:23
RICK JAMES
Skip some steps and get there, yeah.
00:18:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
You think... You think the younger guys that are maybe just starting out, do you think they're maybe either embarrassed or uncomfortable asking people you know in their area, like, hey, could you give me some tips on business? Like they they wouldn't be so welcoming with information that they feel like maybe that they do have to go buy a package, as you put it.
00:18:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
You think they're uncomfortable or scared?
00:18:47
Abel Cruz
i think the i I think some of them are because, you know, to be honest, I have people that had asked me, say, hey, how you measure these, how you quote what property?
00:18:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:57
Abel Cruz
Can you trade this property for me and measure it for me? And I told them, you measure the property and I can't help but figure it out how much to charge. You know, because I cannot do the homework that you're supposed to be doing, you know.
00:19:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:19:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:19:08
Abel Cruz
But ah even if you buy a a program, even if you buy, you know, a contract and stuff, at the end of the line, when if you get sued, it's going to be your ass.
00:19:08
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:19:17
Abel Cruz
It's going to be whoever's told the program, you know.
00:19:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:19:20
Abel Cruz
I had gone through so many things.
00:19:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:19:22
Abel Cruz
madam i got my contract. I, you know, I'm Puerto Rican. I don't know English, and I don't know Spanish either. So, You know, if if you don't understand me I'm so sorry.
00:19:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
laughter
00:19:35
Abel Cruz
You know, then that's the reality.
00:19:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
laughter
00:19:38
Abel Cruz
So my contract, I had to do it. You know, my wife had to look at it say, you're just a dumbass. You don't know how to write this shit. So she had to rewrite it, you know, and once it's done, then we had to go to ah like, i have a good client.
00:19:53
Abel Cruz
And she had multiple contracts, a lot of different people. And she'd take a look at say, oh, no, I bet this doesn't look good for this, for that. And she's the one that you know they showed me how to make a contract. But I had to ask the question.
00:20:04
Abel Cruz
If you're hungry to do it, just ask the question.
00:20:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:20:07
Abel Cruz
you know If they give you the wrong answer or whatever, you don't think he's right, just walk away.
00:20:08
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:20:12
Abel Cruz
There's nothing.
00:20:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:20:12
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
00:20:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ask somebody else to get multiple points of view.
00:20:13
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
00:20:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:20:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, you don't have to listen to one person, get multiple points of view and figure out which one's the most right for you.
00:20:17
Abel Cruz
yeah
00:20:23
Abel Cruz
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, uh, you, uh,
00:20:24
Abel Cruz
And like I said, I'm Puerto Rican. So it's like my English is not, I'm telling it's not that well, but I had to ask the right questions.
00:20:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. There you go. Well, I'll tell you, you look like you've slimmed down since the last time I saw you Equip. Equip, the baseball card had you all jacked. There
00:20:41
Abel Cruz
Oh, no, I'm telling you, man. My diet is looking what I'm eating and then I'll eat it.
00:20:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
you go. Those McDonald's.
00:20:48
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:20:49
Abel Cruz
That's how I do it.
00:20:51
Abel Cruz
That's how I do it.
00:20:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah don
00:20:51
RICK JAMES
Is McDonald's sponsoring you yet or no?
00:20:54
Abel Cruz
Who?
00:20:55
RICK JAMES
McDonald's?
00:20:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
mcdonald's
00:20:57
Abel Cruz
no No, you know, I stopped going to McDonald's. and Maybe that's the key.
00:21:00
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:21:01
Abel Cruz
Stop going to McDonald's.
00:21:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
there That's the key.
00:21:03
Abel Cruz
No, but I found Culver's over here. And then I found Burger King. So I don't know. I don't know if it helped or not. but But no, I just, I told my family that I don't want to eat at McDonald's anymore. So I tried to choose something else. And maybe I just don't need eat anything. but But no, dude, I'm still fat.
00:21:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
for For those of you out there that don't know, at Equip Expo, I think it was was it Toro.
00:21:27
Abel Cruz
Mm-hmm.
00:21:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Toro put out toro put out the ah the series of lawn legends, baseball cards and posters, and Abel was lucky enough to be profiled on one of them. They did this whole, like, all these guys were jacked with huge muscles and stuff, and like kind of 3D caricatures.
00:21:43
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I got it.
00:21:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
It was really funny. So, ah yeah, that was cool. I got an autographed one.
00:21:50
Abel Cruz
Dude, and to be honest, I think two days ago, a guy asked me for it.
00:21:50
RICK JAMES
Same.
00:21:54
Abel Cruz
Signed, too.
00:21:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Really?
00:21:56
Abel Cruz
Yeah. I said, hey, man, I follow you on Instagram. Do you have those trading cards? And no shit, dude. I have one in my wallet.
00:22:04
Abel Cruz
So i took it I took it out, and I gave it to him, and he was very happy.
00:22:05
RICK JAMES
Use it as your ID.
00:22:08
Abel Cruz
So I'm like, hey, there's a fan.
00:22:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. That's awesome, man.
00:22:12
Abel Cruz
don't know why, but hey.
00:22:12
RICK JAMES
Are you still doing the coloring books too then?
00:22:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you.
00:22:15
RICK JAMES
Might as well keep going on this stuff for a little bit
00:22:17
Abel Cruz
i so I'm still doing the coloring books. I sell probably, may i don't know, maybe like two a month or something like that. But it's something that I really like to do. All of my kids have dyslexia.
00:22:27
Abel Cruz
I have dyslexia. And there's a way for me to push what I'm doing to maybe to increase the chances that they're going to like it too. So then I do it.
00:22:38
Abel Cruz
So maybe it's not going to work for my kids, but maybe for your kids, you know,
00:22:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
My kids love them.
00:22:43
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:22:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
My kids love those books.
00:22:44
Abel Cruz
Just it's the seed, you know, the seed you put out there and hopefully somebody will get, oh, I like this, you know, and that's just
Techniques and Future Plans
00:22:51
Abel Cruz
about it.
00:22:51
RICK JAMES
ye
00:22:51
Abel Cruz
So I did the summer coloring book, the winter one, and now I'm working on construction.
00:22:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:22:57
Abel Cruz
oh
00:22:57
RICK JAMES
Oh, cool.
00:22:57
Abel Cruz
Like all big, heavy equipment. So I'm probably have like 10 pages right now, but it takes me like a year just to make one.
00:23:02
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:23:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
So before before we get too far ahead, go ahead and plug the ah the the equipment wash stuff and the ah the coloring book.
00:23:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Where can guys get the stuff?
00:23:12
Abel Cruz
Well, if everybody that is listening, thank you for listening. and This is the best show in town. um i have I have a lawn force.
00:23:18
RICK JAMES
Haha.
00:23:22
Abel Cruz
It's my company that I do the snow removal and snow removal and lawn care. But then in 2025, I decided to today make Watcha products. Watcha products is just a company that makes soap and other other stuff that I can provide to people like you.
00:23:40
Abel Cruz
to clean your equipment. It's a degreaser, but it can be, you can clean from heavy equipment all the way to carpeting.
00:23:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:23:48
Abel Cruz
So it's depending on the diluter out of the dilution that you put the chemical.
00:23:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:23:53
Abel Cruz
Almost all the chemicals are the same. They have all the things, you know, they have some separate ingredients and things like that. But the the soap per se, the one that cleans, almost all of them are the same, the cleaning ingredient.
00:24:04
Abel Cruz
So with this one, when you dilute it,
00:24:05
RICK JAMES
right.
00:24:07
Abel Cruz
It helps you to, you know, I have a scented one and a scented and non-scented. Because not everybody likes to have the equipment i smelling like cherries. So I put it just like that.
00:24:18
RICK JAMES
right
00:24:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah All right.
00:24:20
Abel Cruz
But if you don't want to go back home ah smelling like diesel and your hands get get all nasty,
00:24:21
RICK JAMES
what
00:24:27
Abel Cruz
I think yeah the scent will be one because then you can clean your hand and your hands just smells like cherry. And then when you touch your wife or your kids, you know, it's not a slap of diesel on your under faces. So that that that's why made Watcher product.
00:24:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:24:39
RICK JAMES
What's the what? Nice.
00:24:40
Abel Cruz
And if you want to find out more about it, you can just ah Google Watcher product, and I will take you you right to my location. And then from there on, you can go to the website and order your product. The product is not expensive.
00:24:52
Abel Cruz
It's so like $20 for 64 ounces. And I made another product called ShineGuard, which is to put all the stuff inside. Like if you want to clean your dashboard and this kind of makes it shine. It's like Emeril, but not greasy.
00:25:07
Abel Cruz
So as soon as you put it on, it's dry and people seem to like it. My wife likes it. I like it. And that's how I do. You see my trucks inside. They look like brand new.
00:25:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:25:16
RICK JAMES
it
00:25:17
Abel Cruz
My guys always cleaning them.
00:25:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:25:19
Abel Cruz
They put that shit everywhere. we even put it on the engine bay to make it look like and they just came out of the factory. So that is a product that I'm very proud of it, that that I'm going to be pushing it because I love it.
00:25:26
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:25:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:25:31
Abel Cruz
And I think everybody should get at least a bottle.
00:25:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sweet. You heard it here. Wash your products.
00:25:36
RICK JAMES
And it's a, and it's a, I got you sent me a jug and I still have the jug here on my desk. I like that. It worked great. And it says it's got a salt neutralizer in it too. Huh? So,
00:25:46
Abel Cruz
yeah the salt neutralize is just a it's like it's a ph level 10 so when you put when you add water to it and you bring it down to a seven ph level and neutralizes everything so when you put it on your equipment and introduces all the salt that you have in there because you know you got the salt that is corrosive and then you got the neutralizer to avoid all that and then after every storm that's where we go we go just go ham
00:25:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:25:46
RICK JAMES
That's great
00:25:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
00:26:09
RICK JAMES
ah
00:26:12
Abel Cruz
I know the equipment. We just wash it, go inside and out. We put a foam canter underneath the trucks and everything and everything works great, you know? And that is, that is the whole point. Like I said before, I'm not going to sell you a program, but I can sell you this because I know it works.
00:26:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. And that new shop now, you're washing your stuff inside now?
00:26:28
RICK JAMES
Awesome.
00:26:31
Abel Cruz
Yes, I can. I'm not allowed to.
00:26:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
00:26:34
Abel Cruz
I'm not allowed to, but you know, I'm renting it so I can, i can do whatever what I want in there.
00:26:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
I got you. I got you.
00:26:40
Abel Cruz
No, but I have ah have a side of the building that is made for that. So we just move the truck to the side of the building. We clean it all out and we bring it inside to dry it or to clean it in the inside.
00:26:51
Abel Cruz
So I have 6,000 square feet.
00:26:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:26:52
RICK JAMES
awesome
00:26:54
Abel Cruz
So it's almost say innate but almost an acre or parking lot.
00:26:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. Good for you, brother.
00:26:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
00:26:59
RICK JAMES
Awesome.
00:27:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
So let's hear about Lawn Forest. Jay, take us away, bud.
00:27:03
RICK JAMES
Yeah, Bill, why don't you tell everybody about Lawn Forest when you got started and what you're all about, if you could, please.
00:27:09
Abel Cruz
Well, Lawn Fall was made in 2013. um since I've been working in lawn care for since 2005. In 2005, I was a dancer. i was ah I was a dancing instructor.
00:27:21
Abel Cruz
I was a mime. I was on tour. Not everybody famous or anything like that, but I was in a Christian group, and we went all over the world.
00:27:25
RICK JAMES
Wow. Wow.
00:27:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
no shit.
00:27:32
Abel Cruz
But, yes, but, you know, when I got to Wisconsin, I got a residency in in Wisconsin and ah inside a church.
00:27:33
RICK JAMES
Huh.
00:27:39
Abel Cruz
I was the arts director. So I stayed there for a year, you know, teaching all the members of the church how to dance and that stuff and doing it all in ah and a fact and ah very good manner. So, you know, it' instead of grinding and all that stuff.
00:27:53
Abel Cruz
So...
00:27:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
00:27:56
Abel Cruz
So after that, you know, so once that, once I passed that, I didn't have to go back to Puerto Rico. So I stayed United States, but I was working everywhere. i was working, you know, ah Burger King. I was working in UPS, a bunch of, a bunch of places.
00:28:10
Abel Cruz
And I found long here. And then since 2005 to 2013, I was working with the same company. But in 2011, we have we had we had um A hell of a blizzard. We have a blizzard that but when when you're talking about snow, it was snow all the way on top of the garage doors.
00:28:26
Abel Cruz
You can't even see the door.
00:28:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
wow
00:28:27
Abel Cruz
That's how bad it was. And that was the storm that cracked my my boss. After that storm, he said, I'm not doing this shit anymore. I'm not doing it.
00:28:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
hey
00:28:36
Abel Cruz
This is just way too much. That's 2011. In 2013, he mentioned to me that he was going to get rid of it. And I wanted to buy it with another guy or...
00:28:48
Abel Cruz
or he was gonna sell it to somebody else. So I did i just showed me the numbers. you know ah He was making profit. He had a hundred dollar profit, but I don't have any other choice.
00:28:58
Abel Cruz
you know It's like I had to do it just for the fact that otherwise somebody else was gonna be my my boss. And I was gonna have to turn on them on their income too.
00:29:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:29:07
Abel Cruz
So I took it upon, you know i I embrace it, change the name because when you make a new a new company, you don't wanna create, you don't wanna have their debt. So you wanna make a brand new company
00:29:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
sure
00:29:17
Abel Cruz
So that's exactly what I mean, a new company, I find an accountant and everything. And I started fresh, but at least I had the account. I had 30 accounts total. One big one that I still have in the restaurant were houses.
00:29:30
Abel Cruz
Now I have the opposite. Now I have all big accounts and I only have like 20 houses. I never grew on the houses. I went all the way to 80 accounts and I start dropping them like flies.
00:29:41
Abel Cruz
Because it was way too much.
00:29:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Smart.
00:29:43
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:29:43
Abel Cruz
So now i I have less accounts.
00:29:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:29:45
Abel Cruz
I have less than 50 accounts. But I make way more money than what I was making before with 80.
00:29:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:29:53
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's great.
00:29:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:29:54
Abel Cruz
And we mow around 300,000, 300, no, 3 million square feet of mowing every week with this big account.
00:30:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:30:00
RICK JAMES
wow
00:30:03
Abel Cruz
Because they're apartment complex. um condo complex and then we have a lot of ah retail nursing homes and things that so and that's where my bread and butter is i don't do landscaping like i don't do hardscape or anything like that just pure maintenance it makes it easy for me i'm 50 i don't want to pick up bricks pick up boulders and all that stuff i want to go home enjoy my family so i don't want my back to hurt
00:30:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:30:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen, brother.
00:30:28
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:29
Abel Cruz
So I buy the best mowers that I can buy.
00:30:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:30:31
Abel Cruz
My guys, they love it. If they leave me, too bad for them because they...
00:30:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got skags? I didn't think you had skags.
00:30:36
Abel Cruz
I don't have... I don't have...
00:30:38
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:38
Abel Cruz
don't have...
00:30:40
RICK JAMES
ah ah
00:30:40
Abel Cruz
I don't have...
00:30:41
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:30:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:30:42
Abel Cruz
I have... I have all X marks. I have a Toro and I got two right mowers. I got seven... I got nine mowers in total that I use almost daily. And then the...
00:30:54
Abel Cruz
Trust me, I've been about to go to buy skeg, but the deal is just way too far.
00:30:59
Abel Cruz
It's like 45 minutes from my shop and the dealer that I have now is five minutes away. So if my dealer sells me shit, that's exactly what I'm going to buy because they were so close to me.
00:30:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:31:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Well, you know what?
00:31:10
Abel Cruz
Yeah,
00:31:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's like I say for everything with snow too. And Jeremy says it all the time. If it works when you need it to, it's the best equipment for you.
00:31:17
Abel Cruz
yeah.
00:31:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, if you got no problems, it doesn't matter what brand it is.
00:31:17
Abel Cruz
yeah
00:31:18
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:31:21
Abel Cruz
Yeah, no, we're all going to have problems. It doesn't matter, you know, he drops whatever he has and he helps me to fix my stuff.
00:31:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all that matters. Dealer support.
00:31:29
RICK JAMES
That's great.
00:31:29
Abel Cruz
oh
00:31:30
Abel Cruz
And then now, and for winter, we have around the same amount of plowing, which is almost 3 million square feet of plowing. um
00:31:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you.
00:31:37
RICK JAMES
No.
00:31:37
Abel Cruz
When people ask me, how how many accounts? I don't like to base it on the account because the account is not the number, just how much you push, you know, and that's what really matters because that's where the but the bread and butter is going to come from, you know.
00:31:43
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yep.
00:31:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:31:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:31:49
Abel Cruz
so And everything that I do is in my own town. um We never put anything on trailers. Like all the big equipment, we don't have a we don't we don't put them in trailers. We just drive them through the street. Even my sidewalk machine, my sidewalk machine goes through the street.
00:31:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:32:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:32:03
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:32:04
Abel Cruz
And...
00:32:04
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:32:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Same, same.
00:32:04
Abel Cruz
and
00:32:05
RICK JAMES
Same.
00:32:06
Abel Cruz
It makes my life so much easier. At the end of the night, everything if yeah everything is working, everything goes back to the shop, and next day we just clean them all. you know But the 3 million square feet, it's a lot of work.
00:32:15
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:32:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
00:32:19
Abel Cruz
It's a lot of work, a lot of grind.
00:32:19
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:32:21
Abel Cruz
And people ask me how that I got there. I had no idea. I just work with no sleep.
00:32:27
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:32:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, so what's Oak Creek like as far as your annual snow, what's your average number of inches and what kind of storms do you get?
00:32:29
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:32:36
Abel Cruz
The average that we get is around 50 inches, but that was, I want to say almost five years ago. almost We're almost on five years that we've been lower. Maybe we get a burst and we get a big storm and it pushes all the way to the 40s, but it is very unlikely. But we have the lake.
00:32:55
Abel Cruz
If they call it for a door Everybody else gets six inches, but in my town, because we are so, we are border with the Lake Michigan.
00:33:06
Abel Cruz
So when the wind changes from the lake, going to the lake to the city, starts dumping snow and you can have 18 inches by the lake and six inches at the end of the town.
00:33:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:33:19
Abel Cruz
So it varies a lot.
00:33:20
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:33:20
Abel Cruz
So when I, when I make my proposals and I talk to them my clients, I have to tell them that I had to measure the property that I'm doing. I cannot go by the airport because the airport can get four inches and I get 18 and once.
00:33:32
Abel Cruz
And then they got to tell it's all no, you only got four.
00:33:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:33:34
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:33:35
Abel Cruz
And no, that's bullshit. Because I was the one, I was the one plowing it.
00:33:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, smart.
00:33:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
00:33:40
Abel Cruz
I have snow banks and the snow went all the way to their windows.
00:33:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:33:46
Abel Cruz
Then, you know, and and you know, because this is apartment complex, the windows are really low. So when I, and it's really fluffy, I pushed it once and man, I cover half of the window. I told the snow was going inside the window.
00:33:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:33:58
Abel Cruz
But thank God it did it. but that will be another $20.
00:34:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:34:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
a ah but
00:34:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man'
00:34:06
Abel Cruz
But that's the that's the Irish snow that we get. And we get that concrete one. We get concrete, you know, and spring, like when it's closer to spring or early in, say, November.
00:34:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:34:17
Abel Cruz
If we get something in November, and we have got something in um October 30th, and if that went when that one hits around there, man, those are very heavy, very hard to push.
00:34:27
Abel Cruz
When Elizabeth was working for me, she cried. She called me. She's like, I can even move to snow. I don't know what to do, you know, because my skis here stays in the same place. And I'm like, yeah, that's pretty much what it is.
00:34:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:34:39
Abel Cruz
But, you know, mm-hmm.
00:34:39
RICK JAMES
Yep. Yep.
00:34:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Take smaller bites. Take smaller bites.
00:34:42
RICK JAMES
Smaller bites.
00:34:43
Abel Cruz
That's how you beat a whale by Little Bites.
00:34:43
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:34:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:34:48
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:34:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:34:50
RICK JAMES
So you're, you're doing mainly commercial and residential or not residential, but condos and stuff is what you're mainly doing for snow.
00:34:56
Abel Cruz
Yeah, in the winter. And yeah, in the winter, we only do commercial. People call me if they if I do houses. I just know I'm booked right now because don't want to say no, that I don't do it when I have it already on my website is everywhere.
00:35:05
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:09
Abel Cruz
So we we we can do a house.
00:35:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:35:11
Abel Cruz
We have two houses. And that's because there's nobody living in those houses.
00:35:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:35:16
Abel Cruz
And because I don't want to really I don't want to be responsive with something happens.
00:35:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
You can do it whenever.
00:35:19
Abel Cruz
They always in it. blame me that I wasn't there on time.
00:35:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. Yep.
00:35:24
Abel Cruz
So all my apartment and complex, they have full-time skid steers.
00:35:24
RICK JAMES
yeah ye
00:35:29
Abel Cruz
You're talking about 50 buildings, another 30 buildings. So all my skid steers are on properties that they're there 24-7 into the storm ends. As soon as our first drop falls, we leave the houses and we don't come back into everything that's nice and clean.
00:35:47
Abel Cruz
And that's how you know that's how we run it. And then all the trucks that we have, we tackle all the commercial, all the ones that we have to drive. That's where the trucks come in coming along. But the ski steer, they stay in their own properties.
00:36:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:36:01
RICK JAMES
So how are how are you you talking about all all these, how your contract structure, are you doing per inch, or are you doing per time, are you doing hourly or what do you got?
00:36:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, go ahead, Jay.
00:36:09
Abel Cruz
Although contracts that we have, they ah have they have a cap of 50 inches. They all have a cap because my boss, my old boss, had a contract and he never had a cap.
00:36:20
Abel Cruz
And we had 100 inches one year.
00:36:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah.
00:36:22
Abel Cruz
I can't even remember the year, but I know that I was working with him. And he almost went bankruptcy after that. And he he just cannot recuperate with the equipment that he had and so much snow.
00:36:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:36:35
Abel Cruz
He never made money. and that And you give me 100 inches in one season, I think I'll retire.
00:36:42
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:36:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:36:43
Abel Cruz
With so much money I can hit.
00:36:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:36:45
Abel Cruz
Oh, man, I will pay off everything, you know.
00:36:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:36:48
Abel Cruz
but But no, he I have a cap on them because yeah I know that it might happen again. And you don't want to be with your pins down.
00:36:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:36:56
Abel Cruz
So all of them are, most of them, 60% is contract seasonal.
00:36:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, you don't.
00:37:02
Abel Cruz
And then the rest, the 40%, it's just per push. We don't go by the hour. We only do the hour if we have to do snow removal. Because so you got so many variables, you know, how many ski steers and things like that.
00:37:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:37:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:37:14
Abel Cruz
And I didn't used to have ski steers before.
00:37:15
RICK JAMES
ye
00:37:16
Abel Cruz
I, you know, I got one account once that they, I gave them a contract for $30,000. It was a big contract. And they me, oh, we don't do, we don't do contracts like that. We want to go by the hour.
00:37:29
Abel Cruz
And so oh crap, I never done that before. And I had no information either or how much to charge. So I told them, oh, well, give me $200 per hour per equipment. And they say, yes.
00:37:41
Abel Cruz
Dude, oh my gosh. And the property was so big. And when a single storm, I had 15 hours on it. um
00:37:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:37:49
Abel Cruz
i may I made double on that account because of that winter. And I bought my first two skis steers with that.
00:37:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet they went to seasonal next winter.
00:38:00
Abel Cruz
No, they stayed.
00:38:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, they didn't.
00:38:02
Abel Cruz
They stayed, man.
00:38:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
They stayed. Wow.
00:38:04
Abel Cruz
And I'm in know another good year.
00:38:04
RICK JAMES
ah
00:38:06
Abel Cruz
you know That was a good year.
00:38:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:38:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, then shame on you.
00:38:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
If they stayed, then obviously they could have paid more.
00:38:11
Abel Cruz
Yeah, you know, so, so man, so I took it and I, and every time it's snow, I put like three pieces of equipment in that property.
00:38:11
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:38:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, I bet. Yeah.
00:38:19
Abel Cruz
But, you know, I was, I was, because I had to clean all the snow.
00:38:20
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:38:23
Abel Cruz
And on top of that, I had to do like, um and during the day when everybody goes to work, I had to come back and clean all all the parking spaces. You're talking about hundreds of them. And it was very stressful.
00:38:34
Abel Cruz
But man, when I get those checks, that was all worth it.
00:38:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:38:38
Abel Cruz
All my tears, they were wiped away with green.
00:38:42
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:38:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
00:38:44
Abel Cruz
So i don't addt and I don't have them anymore because i got sued from the same company. I got sued. They told me that somebody fell. And because somebody fell, I was responsible because they fell. And I told them no because I was not allowed to salt because they told me that I can only salt when they tell me to.
00:39:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that one of those.
00:39:05
Abel Cruz
So in and every time and every time they wanted something like that, they had to send me a text so I can have it on writing or by email.
00:39:12
RICK JAMES
All right.
00:39:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:39:13
Abel Cruz
Otherwise, you know, she said, he said, you know, so and because I have that all the hours of the guys that were there from what time to what time, because everything by it was by the hour.
00:39:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:39:17
RICK JAMES
yep
00:39:25
Abel Cruz
So I put everything in paper. I gave it to my insurance guy. My insurance guy sent it to their insurance and they said we they had no case with us. So and and because they they, I don't know, they got bored hurt.
00:39:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's right.
00:39:36
Abel Cruz
They didn't want to play with me anymore. So they didn't buy me more equipment.
00:39:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, well, ah you got it. You got as much out of him as you could. oh man.
00:39:47
Abel Cruz
Hey, I got four. I got four equipment out of that.
00:39:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:39:49
Abel Cruz
So, you know, so that's awesome.
00:39:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a pretty good deal. oh man. That is too funny. Well, speaking of all this equipment, Jay, you want to take him into the, the nest leasing equipment portion, see what he's got.
00:40:01
RICK JAMES
Oh, hell yeah. Let's do it. All right, Bill, you know i love the equipment. So once you tell everybody what you got on for equipment, pushers, everything.
00:40:08
Abel Cruz
Well, got four. I got four skisiers that go to the to the to the property, and they are New Holland. All of them have eight foot pushers, and they're all vernic.
00:40:20
Abel Cruz
I bought vernic because they are they are, I bought them from another company that uses them. They're dealers, but they use them. And when it's time to sell them out, they sell them very cheap. So for two grand, a pusher, you can't beat that.
00:40:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, definitely can't.
00:40:34
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:40:34
Abel Cruz
And if I can only use them for a season, that's what I would do. And I try to recycle them. I try to sell them afterwards. And so I can get it. And I sell them for the same price that I buy them. I sell them somebody think and somebody thinks that they're cheap too.
00:40:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:40:47
Abel Cruz
Well, they buy them and I get a newer one. Used, but it's newer.
00:40:50
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:40:51
Abel Cruz
So that all four skid steers, they, one is of 2015, 16, 17, 18. So they all in a row. And at that time, they were only $30,000.
00:41:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:41:02
Abel Cruz
Oh, not anymore.
00:41:03
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:41:04
Abel Cruz
So ah this is why I paint them every year so the rust doesn't touch them.
00:41:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nope.
00:41:05
RICK JAMES
ah No. Nope. no
00:41:09
Abel Cruz
You know, we maintain them clean. I have my own mechanic that comes and checks them out before the season. If something happens through the season, um I just bring them to the shop, which happens quite a lot.
00:41:22
Abel Cruz
I bring them to the shop and he comes and he fixes them and i just get them out the door right away. then um Then I got six rams. um, 2,500 and 3,500.
00:41:35
Abel Cruz
And all of the, all of the truck have Western plows. They used to have, I used to have a bunch of V, um, whiteouts, but now have V plows because they always scares me that if if we get a blizzard, a whiteout is going to be, it's going to, it's going to stop me.
00:41:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep
00:41:51
Abel Cruz
We had, ah we had got nine inches and a whiteout can't push me.
00:41:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep 100%
00:41:54
Abel Cruz
you know, I can get me out. But if I put a V on it and I close it, I can cut everything I want, you know, and we try to eliminat and we try to eliminate everything that we have on the ground up to an inch.
00:42:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent
00:42:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:42:05
Abel Cruz
So we want to keep all the other properties up to an inch. If you're getting 10 inches, no property can be more than three inches. That's that's that's the norm for us. So we're never pushing a lot of snow unless it's something like that drastic.
00:42:20
Abel Cruz
Um, we got that for for the, we got the ski steers and then we got all the trucks and we have one Chevy dump truck.
00:42:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very
00:42:27
Abel Cruz
That one has the salter on it. We had three salters. There are salt dogs, uh, pro 2000, uh, ah in your show, not a lot of people talk about them, you know, but I love the suckers.
00:42:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
no
00:42:41
Abel Cruz
They are the, almost the cheapest in the market and they still do the work, you know, and I only use granule. I cannot go into liquid because it's just another, something that I had to learn.
00:42:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:42:54
Abel Cruz
I don't want to learn it. If I'm, my kids come on board and they want to learn about that shit, they can deal with that. Not me. I mean, I'm thinking almost on my way out.
00:43:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:43:03
Abel Cruz
They're earning, you know.
00:43:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
I hear you.
00:43:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:43:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
The salt dogs have been good for you.
00:43:07
Abel Cruz
They've been very good. They've been very good. They even have one, and I think he used it for a year, and he called me to see if I wanted to buy it. He didn't want it anymore because I guess it's pattern the pattern of the salt was coming now off, and it wasn't center.
00:43:22
Abel Cruz
But I don't know it could be just like one off or something. But my so we had six. and total because i run the car in winter i run the company with cm3 service it's another company that he started with me since 10 years ago we started working together he was a subcontractor for me and i help him i bought him to his first plow his first chainsaw and things like that so he grew too so now he has like three soldiers as well and he has another six trucks around so if i go down
00:43:46
RICK JAMES
That's great.
00:43:53
Abel Cruz
I can borrow whatever he has so I can so i can back me in the same way.
00:43:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:43:58
Abel Cruz
You know, like this winter, he was ah he was very smart this winter.
00:43:58
RICK JAMES
great
00:44:02
Abel Cruz
He went out. He used a strap for the salter to do something else, and he forgot to strap it. And then he calls me a bell. My salter's on the floor. And I'm like, what happened?
00:44:14
Abel Cruz
He said, oh, didn't put the salt. It was full of salt. It was just on the ground
00:44:18
RICK JAMES
oh Oh. Nice.
00:44:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:44:20
Abel Cruz
So we left it there for the entire storm. At the end of the storm, we all came back there. We emptied it a by bucket, all of them. We lifted out. We put it on the truck. And the next day, we were fixing it already.
00:44:31
Abel Cruz
so But at least it wasn't off either because he can count on one of my soldiers to use.
00:44:37
RICK JAMES
nice
00:44:37
Abel Cruz
So that's what we have for soldiers, for trucks.
00:44:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. That's good.
00:44:41
Abel Cruz
And then ah on top of that off, we have a bus. We have a school bus.
00:44:45
RICK JAMES
was going to don't forget about the bus. Don't forget about the school bus.
00:44:47
Abel Cruz
Oh, man, this... I usually have a bunch of, back in the days, I used to have a bunch of cars following me around to do the all those sidewalks. And I wonder, why am I doing this when I couldn't be doing something else?
00:44:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:44:59
Abel Cruz
What can I get? And I saw a lot of companies, they had the box drop, but you can only feed three people. And those box strokes, I'm like, forget it. I'm going to go for a school bus. My wife told me that I was crazy.
00:45:10
Abel Cruz
Everybody told me was crazy.
00:45:12
RICK JAMES
Ha, ha, ha.
00:45:12
Abel Cruz
and Why are you going to get up to a bus?
00:45:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
00:45:14
Abel Cruz
I'm just going to get up, but this is the best idea since Brett. Man, I'm telling you, this is it. is Fine, fine, go you know find it. And they were very expensive all the way around. I found a company that sells them because all those school buses, they get retired after a certain after its certain age or certain miles.
00:45:33
Abel Cruz
So if they're are over 140,000 miles, they have to get rid of them.
00:45:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:45:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:45:37
Abel Cruz
So this company was selling it for $2,900, a short ah sure boss
00:45:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:45:42
Abel Cruz
So I just went, I went, tested out. It came to speed. You know, yeah I took it on the highway and it was going like 40. I'm like, man, this thing doesn't. But no, it just kept going and going.
00:45:52
Abel Cruz
And I made it all the way to 70. So I was like, hmm, this is good stuff. I bought it, gave him the money and I went back to the shop. And of course I had to paint it.
00:46:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Painted it. Gotta paint it.
00:46:01
Abel Cruz
Yeah, I had to paint it.
00:46:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah. herep
00:46:03
Abel Cruz
and I painted it um been to red and black. And let me tell you, that was the best popping thing. Bus that I can have, I'm telling you, I was super excited because in the summer, I use it for field trips with my kids.
00:46:15
Abel Cruz
I put everybody there.
00:46:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:46:16
Abel Cruz
We put a boombox in there. bit Forget it. We go to the Wisconsin Dalles and we had a blast. But for the winter, I can put up to 20 people inside that bus.
00:46:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:46:22
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh.
00:46:26
Abel Cruz
and And they go, man, they go to this property and we have ah we have a around seven miles of sidewalks to do.
00:46:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:46:34
Abel Cruz
They go out and they hit this property and you're talking about four hours, 15 guys. They do it. They come back, they hop on the bus and they hop on the other, onto the other property. And then they go onto the other property.
00:46:46
Abel Cruz
In around eight hours, eight to 10 hours, they are done with all those sidewalks. And you're talking about just shovels and snowblowers.
00:46:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:46:57
Abel Cruz
That's, I had a couple of other machines, but that's what they used to
00:46:57
RICK JAMES
Wow. Yeah.
00:46:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't. yeah I was going to say, you don't got any sidewalk machines?
00:47:02
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:47:04
Abel Cruz
I do have some sidewalk machines. I got 10 Snowblowers Toro, the single stage ones.
00:47:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:47:10
Abel Cruz
And then i decided to buy a S70 Bobcat one year.
00:47:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those are great.
00:47:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:47:15
Abel Cruz
That motherfucker gave me problems since day one. I bought it in the South. The first storm hits, it froze. I think that thing was in a flood sometime, somewhere in the south. And when I got it back here, it froze.
00:47:28
Abel Cruz
Like all the gear were shot.
00:47:28
RICK JAMES
So...
00:47:29
Abel Cruz
When they opened the case, nothing came out. No oil, no water, no nothing. It was a block. It was a block wise.
00:47:35
RICK JAMES
ah
00:47:37
Abel Cruz
Oh, man. And then something happened. He it overheated over there. Oh, man, forget it. So then I got, and because that didn't work out, so I get i got into the SSV, the VanTrak.
00:47:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm. Yep.
00:47:48
Abel Cruz
I bought it with the blower.
00:47:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
00:47:50
Abel Cruz
And I bought it with the straight plow. And the straight plow wasn't doing it for me so because I had the blower. So I kept the blower on it. And the blower, that was the one that held me big time. But the problem that I was having with the blower, when it snowed, it's like 30-some degree.
00:48:06
Abel Cruz
At nighttime, you're talking about six below, the belt it has on the side, ice got to water got to it, it froze, and it popped the hoses. And every single storm, that's exactly what it was doing to me.
00:48:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:48:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Interesting.
00:48:19
Abel Cruz
it was pain It was breaking them.
00:48:20
RICK JAMES
oh
00:48:22
Abel Cruz
So I had to have six pair of belts with me because I knew that was going to happen every night. So I got the drill ready. I got everything ready. So when they happened, I just took the chill walk, put a new one get in there, and go at it.
00:48:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's interesting. I've never heard that one before. Mm-hmm.
00:48:38
Abel Cruz
No, and it's a great machine to get me wrong. And it was 36 inches, which the property that i I used to have a property that their sidewalk was just 36 inches. So that was the only shit that fit in there, you know.
00:48:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
00:48:49
RICK JAMES
Right. right
00:48:50
Abel Cruz
But then years down a row, I'm like, I went by Jeremy and Jeremy said, why don't you do anything? You know, I asked him, I said, oh no, we don't do the sidewalks until the end. And he's like, why not?
00:49:01
Abel Cruz
He said, well, don't want to put the guys in that environment. He said, we'll get something enclosed. And that gave me the ball rolling. I'm like, man, I can't, you know, because I can hit all the commercials three times, four times, just the sidewalks, and everybody will be happy.
00:49:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
sure
00:49:16
Abel Cruz
And no shit, I bought a Vermeer ATX530. It's an articulated loader.
00:49:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:49:22
Abel Cruz
it's a big loader, but it's a tiny one, just a tiny one.
00:49:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:49:25
RICK JAMES
Yep. 20
00:49:26
Abel Cruz
It's 48 inches.
00:49:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
like in a
00:49:26
Abel Cruz
Yeah, 48 inches wide. Yeah.
00:49:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's like an Avant or ah or the Case new one.
00:49:28
Abel Cruz
like
00:49:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
The Case has a new mini mini thing too like that.
00:49:32
RICK JAMES
or 15 or something. Yep. Yep.
00:49:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:49:34
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:49:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those are cool.
00:49:35
Abel Cruz
yeah Man, and I'm telling you, that that we used it for this year. This is the first time. The guy was in that machine for 15 hours straight, and he was the happiest camper in town because he didn't get out once.
00:49:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:49:50
Abel Cruz
you know Because on top of that, we got ah we got the V-Blade, 48-inch. It's 60 inches wide from Metal Plast.
00:50:00
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:00
Abel Cruz
And I'm telling you, that thing is like a tank in the front of it. It's like you don't even feel the snow. The machine is great. But having a plow that just pushes it to the side, it doesn't go high, you know it's like it doesn't raise it, it just stays on the ground.
00:50:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:50:12
Abel Cruz
And that's exactly what you want. you know As long as it stays on the ground, you can create pressure to it and everything.
00:50:15
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:17
Abel Cruz
It just went, and he was doing miles. every In every pass, he was doing miles on it.
00:50:21
RICK JAMES
Awesome.
00:50:23
Abel Cruz
And worked out great.
00:50:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
How was the traction with it?
00:50:26
RICK JAMES
Nice and hard.
00:50:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
with it
00:50:29
Abel Cruz
The traction sucked because of the tires that I had.
00:50:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, okay.
00:50:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:50:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's what my friend has in Avant, and and I was, like, talking to him a couple years ago about maybe bringing it on, subbing for me, you know, doing the bigger sidewalks we have in the village, and he's like, dude, anything over two or three inches, I'm going to be sliding all over the place.
00:50:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
This thing sucks in in any kind of moisture or anything.
00:50:47
Abel Cruz
Yeah, it's the tires.
00:50:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm like, oh, okay.
00:50:48
Abel Cruz
I had tractor tires, so they told me to add that I had to buy the turf tires.
00:50:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:50:53
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:50:53
Abel Cruz
So what I'm going to do, we're going to this year.
00:50:55
Abel Cruz
I'm buying the new turf tire, but I'm going to grab them a little bit more aggressive than the ones that come, like for turf.
00:51:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:51:01
Abel Cruz
Like the Multiforce comes with two sets of tires, one for turf and one for winter.
00:51:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:51:02
RICK JAMES
Nice. Yeah.
00:51:07
Abel Cruz
And the Multiforce works great in the winter, but it's only two-wheel drive, so you you can only push so much with it.
00:51:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:51:14
Abel Cruz
So if you have two or three inches, you know, you can push it out.
00:51:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:51:16
Abel Cruz
That's no problem. but they have a better tires in the winter, so that's exactly what i'm going to do with those tires. I'm just want to put turf tires, but I'm just going to put them more aggressive.
00:51:23
RICK JAMES
it's
00:51:26
Abel Cruz
And it's just the sidewalk, it's not that I need that much. but when it But that machine worked out good because I had some sidewalks that you're talking about when the city comes and throw all that shit into my sidewalk.
00:51:29
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:51:35
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:51:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, shit, yeah. And
00:51:36
Abel Cruz
You know, that's hard. It's very hard. And a blow is not going to do it. So that machine went and it ate it like butter. It just and didn't even felt it. It just went full.
00:51:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
and did you paint the Vermeer?
00:51:45
RICK JAMES
Awesome.
00:51:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay.
00:51:46
Abel Cruz
No, but I'm going to wrap it.
00:51:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Cool.
00:51:50
Abel Cruz
It's new, so i don't want to paint it yet.
00:51:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yep. Yeah.
00:51:53
Abel Cruz
But it's coming.
00:51:53
RICK JAMES
All right.
00:51:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
i
00:51:54
Abel Cruz
So I'm going to put it up. I'm going to paint it like a maroon color. It's going to be like a reddish color, but a dark red.
00:51:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
a
00:52:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
cool
00:52:01
Abel Cruz
So I'm going to wrap it with that. is They call it blood, some dragon blood wrap or something like that. And I'm going to have a peffera.
00:52:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
gonna get like Gonna get dirty graphics?
00:52:07
RICK JAMES
I
00:52:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Get dirty graphics to do a rap for it?
00:52:11
Abel Cruz
I asked, I asked, but they don't sell the that kind of, they don't have a yeah, I asked them, but they don't have a yeah, so I just didn't have somebody local from here, and they can, they can rap.
00:52:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Not yet.
00:52:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:52:21
Abel Cruz
I tried to rap it, but it's not like shit, so, so, yeah, I tried to, man, I did, aye I, I did two panels, man, but that was it took me like eight hours to do two panels, and I'm like, no, man, I think I'm gonna leave it to a professional to do this kind of shit.
00:52:25
RICK JAMES
was wondering about that because you put that on you put on Instagram you were going to do it and then I never saw anything like what what the hell happened
00:52:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
a
00:52:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, I'll tell you, you you really appreciate how how much talent goes into doing that when you try.
00:52:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:52:46
RICK JAMES
guys are good.
00:52:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, we we got sent a dirty graphics um kit for one of the SSVs to wrap it.
00:52:52
Abel Cruz
you
00:52:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now, this is actually for the machine. It's all laid out. Dude, we still have not gotten that machine lettered because we're trying to figure it out. Like, those guys that do that kind of wrap work and graphics work, they are seriously talented individuals.
00:53:06
Abel Cruz
Yeah, it's a different texture, too, on the wrapping.
00:53:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
It is not easy.
00:53:06
RICK JAMES
You haven't done that yet? That's been like two years.
00:53:09
Abel Cruz
You had to heat it.
00:53:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes.
00:53:11
Abel Cruz
You know, you had to stretch it and that stuff.
00:53:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yup.
00:53:13
Abel Cruz
And I'm like, no, eight hours, three guys? No, man, that was a day's waste. I'm like, screw it. I'm not doing this shit anymore. I'm going to send it to somebody. rather pay so I can like have my life back.
00:53:27
RICK JAMES
Did you break a window on that thing this year?
00:53:28
Abel Cruz
Oh, man, that was horrible.
00:53:29
RICK JAMES
Did you break a glass on thing this year?
00:53:30
Abel Cruz
Huh?
00:53:32
RICK JAMES
I can't remember if you did or not.
00:53:33
Abel Cruz
No, I didn't break the glass.
00:53:34
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:53:34
Abel Cruz
I remember you telling me, said be careful because going to break the door you know with a big win or whatever.
00:53:34
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:53:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:40
Abel Cruz
No, I told the guy, don't open the door. If you're going out of the door, you better cut that shit up because that's expensive. and
00:53:46
RICK JAMES
yeah Oh, yeah.
00:53:47
Abel Cruz
I don't know if he understood me, but he didn't break it. So he didn't break it. So I was i was very happy.
00:53:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Good. Good.
00:53:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
but ah
00:53:52
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:53:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
00:53:53
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's good.
00:53:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh shit. So anything else with equipment? We miss anything?
00:54:00
Abel Cruz
Mmm. No, I want to get into a big loader, but not yet. My wife is telling me now. She's the one that controls all the finances and everything.
00:54:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, there you go.
00:54:08
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:54:09
Abel Cruz
I just spend. I think I have an in like my wallet. It's always full. So I just go, oh, I want that. Oh, I want this. And then I go, oh, my love, I need this. And I said, no, you don't.
00:54:22
Abel Cruz
had to i to literally sell it to her and make sure that she knows that I really, really, really need it. Then she'll say, yeah.
00:54:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's good for That's good practice for selling. There you go.
00:54:33
Abel Cruz
No, dude, it does work for us, you know.
00:54:34
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:54:37
Abel Cruz
He's always stopped me from making stupid mistakes like that because if it was by me, when I came from from Fargo, that was the first thing I was looking.
00:54:41
RICK JAMES
yeah Hey.
00:54:45
Abel Cruz
I was like, oh, man, I want to get a case. I want to get a cat, you know, a 926. Those things are big, man. i need that shit. But no, he put the foot down in and I was sad.
00:54:56
RICK JAMES
so We'll have to get her here next time.
00:54:57
Abel Cruz
I was sad for a while.
00:54:58
RICK JAMES
We'll we'll get her trained in.
00:54:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's it
00:55:00
RICK JAMES
we'll get her
00:55:00
Abel Cruz
You know, I was...
00:55:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:55:01
RICK JAMES
We'll get her excited for it.
00:55:03
Abel Cruz
But I got snow tires.
00:55:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's
00:55:04
Abel Cruz
Well, I don't know if it's cold. snow tires. But I bought them from Brandon from LADC.
00:55:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:55:08
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. Yep.
00:55:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:55:09
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:55:11
Abel Cruz
we've been tech we being from Through Instagram, we've been communicating because I had the fat tires, you know, the construction ones.
00:55:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:55:16
RICK JAMES
yeah.
00:55:17
Abel Cruz
And they got gripped, you know, when you got the aggressive one. But he was telling me, oh no, try this one and all that stuff. And then one year, I reached out to him, and he had a ton of them for sale.
00:55:27
RICK JAMES
ye
00:55:27
Abel Cruz
So I made a couple of phone calls, and couple of the guys around here, they wanted them too. So I went with the money, and I just went pick up. I think it was for four loaders total, five.
00:55:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:55:40
Abel Cruz
And I put them in my dump truck, and I head back, and and that's what we've been using. So now that the type... So since the tires are wearing off, now we just sent it by a new one, but the price different. It's insane.
00:55:50
Abel Cruz
You're talking about $300 to $400 tire for a fat one.
00:55:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
00:55:54
Abel Cruz
And for those little ones, they're like 19.5 tires. I'm talking about almost like $160, $200. Yeah, you feel a piece it.
00:55:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:56:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, you almost feel weird the first time you put on the set of snow tires on a skid steer. You're like, these are like bicycle tires. you know
00:56:09
Abel Cruz
yeah you feel like a piece
00:56:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
like There's no way it's going to work. But man, it's night and day though, right? Night and day difference in traction.
00:56:14
Abel Cruz
Yeah, it it is. It's a nine day difference. i I'm going to tell you how much difference does it have?
00:56:17
RICK JAMES
We can eat.
00:56:20
Abel Cruz
This is a good one. They had so much grip that one of my guys was pushing snow and he saw a tire passing by him. Like next to him.
00:56:32
Abel Cruz
He said, oh man, somebody lost a tire. No, it was his tire. Because they had so much grip that the nuts go loose. And they go loose and the tire just went off.
00:56:45
Abel Cruz
And the age just came. And it just went right next to him.
00:56:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:56:49
Abel Cruz
And he tells me, he calls he's like, Bill, I lost the tire. I thought he had a flat, like a flat tire. He's like, no, I lost the tire. I'm like, where is it? It's in front of me. I'm like, no way.
00:56:59
Abel Cruz
I'm like, take a picture. He took a picture and no shit. That tire was gone.
00:57:04
RICK JAMES
oh
00:57:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny.
00:57:05
Abel Cruz
But that's how much grip those tires have compared to a fat one.
00:57:06
RICK JAMES
if
00:57:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:57:08
RICK JAMES
if If those tires, you know, if you've got a tire shop around here, they can recap them.
00:57:13
RICK JAMES
You know, those.
00:57:13
Abel Cruz
Yeah, yeah.
00:57:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:57:14
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:57:15
Abel Cruz
But it's here, it almost cost me almost the same as the tire.
00:57:15
RICK JAMES
So.
00:57:19
Abel Cruz
So I just got rid of it and just put a new one on.
00:57:20
RICK JAMES
Oh. Gotcha. Gotcha.
00:57:23
Abel Cruz
A new or recap one.
00:57:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:57:24
Abel Cruz
I don't care as long as works.
00:57:25
RICK JAMES
that
00:57:26
Abel Cruz
you know um I'm very happy with them.
00:57:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
00:57:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. So you said you don't do liquids. You only do granular. That's cool. are you Using treated or untreated salt.
00:57:36
Abel Cruz
Depending. This year, i only went non-treated. but January, February, that's when I tried to at least buy the bullets.
00:57:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:57:45
Abel Cruz
Because the ton around here is around $92. So if I buy treated, it's going to be $107, $110. so if i buy a treat it it's gonna be like around one or seven one ten or treat it.
00:57:57
Abel Cruz
So as of right now, you know, I run because the temperatures are low and I mean, I high enough that I can pass by.
00:58:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
Snow Removal Operations and Workforce
00:58:03
Abel Cruz
But once it becomes that really, really cold and we get those cold snap, then I had to get treated. But, you know, it had already been the case that that I had to buy treated. And if I do, I just mix it with the other one.
00:58:16
Abel Cruz
And then I usually buy 40 tons at a time and we run through 160 per season.
00:58:17
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:58:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:58:20
RICK JAMES
Let's
00:58:22
Abel Cruz
ah per season
00:58:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:58:25
RICK JAMES
say you... You store some at your shop, don't you?
00:58:27
Abel Cruz
Yeah, because that was my old barn.
00:58:28
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:58:29
Abel Cruz
And I used to take all my shit out from the summer and I store all that salt inside my shop.
00:58:35
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:58:35
Abel Cruz
And because I used to buy pallets and holy cow, I remember I put it in a credit card and I think I was paying that credit card 10 years later. Because I was buying pallets, you know, and i my first one was a load, which it was 18 pallets, and that was like four grand just on a pallet of salt.
00:58:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:58:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:58:53
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:58:54
Abel Cruz
So I saw a guy with bulk said, hey, where can I get that kind of salt?
00:58:57
RICK JAMES
bulk
00:58:59
Abel Cruz
And he told me, oh, you can get it from me, but then he never answered me. That motherfucker. He just like... I was like, oh, man, I just wanted to be his ass. So I started searching, searching.
00:59:10
Abel Cruz
And I found this guy. His name is Pete. And, man, he was the best thing that, you know, that helped me that year. he so I call him any time of the day, day and night. And he answered the phone.
00:59:21
Abel Cruz
He said, what you need? And when do you need it? And the salt was always there. And since then, I've been going bulk, you know.
00:59:26
RICK JAMES
Nice. Yep.
00:59:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, shit, people.
00:59:29
RICK JAMES
Good for you.
00:59:30
Abel Cruz
That was the best thing, man.
00:59:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
There it is Stars born.
00:59:33
Abel Cruz
Yep, yep.
00:59:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Do you guys you guys use any contracted weather forecast service?
00:59:39
Abel Cruz
The contract weather that we have is me. as soon as i see the where i see As soon as I see flakes outside, time to go out.
00:59:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
You. There you go.
00:59:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:59:48
Abel Cruz
No, i I have a couple of apps, you know, the ones that come with your phone, and I check them out, you know, to see what's going on. I have other guys near me that they might get a report, say, hey, something is coming on um Friday.
01:00:00
Abel Cruz
Then I pay attention, say, oh, shit is coming, you know. But sometimes there's nothing on the forecast, there's nothing there, and no shit.
01:00:03
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:00:06
Abel Cruz
You wake up in the morning, and it's like, It's like an inch on the ground. And it's like, what the hell happened? You know, the best thing that I have now, i have cameras in my shop.
01:00:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye Yes, sir.
01:00:14
Abel Cruz
So every time I'm checking the weather, it's blue on top of me. So which means it's supposed to be snowing. But I take a shot on my on my cameras at the shop and my shop is dry or just wet.
01:00:25
Abel Cruz
Then I don't have to worry. I don't have to leave a little bit earlier. And I'm pushing my accounts, my contract to put cameras on their property. And I want to have access to them.
01:00:34
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
01:00:36
Abel Cruz
Because if they do that, then at least if I had two of them, all of them are in the same town, but at least if I can keep track of that, but at least my shop is helping me big time.
01:00:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:00:43
RICK JAMES
ye Nice.
01:00:45
Abel Cruz
But if something's happening like a couple of miles away from me and I have a guy, the guy from Sea Entry Service, he's over there, Isabel is that belly white over here. He calls me. He wakes me up one time.
01:00:56
Abel Cruz
We didn't have nothing on the Reddit. I was sleeping. My phone was on the other side. and not he calling me. calling He called me like 10 times. I didn't answer. So he called one of my guys. My guy called my daughter because he's dating my daughter.
01:01:11
Abel Cruz
So he wakes up my daughter. My daughter wakes me up. He said, papi, it's white outside. And when I look outside, no shit, man. My heart dropped. Yeah. I'm calling everybody, nobody answering.
01:01:21
RICK JAMES
That's a terrible feeling.
01:01:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll never sleep again.
01:01:25
Abel Cruz
Oh, man, you know the drill.
01:01:26
RICK JAMES
That's a terrible feeling.
01:01:26
Abel Cruz
Nobody wants to answer phone.
01:01:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:01:28
Abel Cruz
They were not expecting it. They were drunk. Oh, you name it. you know But you know that's how we do it. you know I don't know why I do it, but I do it.
01:01:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
01:01:35
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:01:36
Abel Cruz
I love it, but I...
01:01:37
RICK JAMES
Yeah. None of us do. Yeah, that's snow guys.
01:01:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
None of us know why we do it.
01:01:40
Abel Cruz
you know
01:01:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man. oh What else you got for him, Jay?
01:01:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you how about your employee situation? How's that over there in Wisconsin there for
01:01:49
Abel Cruz
Well, in the summer, we have six. In the summer, we can manage with us with all the mowers and all that we have. We have six guys, so we can run it but you know pretty good. But then when winter comes, it comes to almost 30 people for the snow event.
01:02:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Yep.
01:02:03
Abel Cruz
So between all those kids there you being in use, all those sidewalk machines, they're in use. Plus, I got all those shovelers.
01:02:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:02:11
Abel Cruz
they're you know They're there. You're talking about already. You're talking about 10 to 12 guys for shoveling. And on top of that, you got my CM guy, Tree Guy. He has his employees, too, that we have to take care of them as well.
01:02:23
Abel Cruz
So it's big operation.
01:02:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:02:25
Abel Cruz
So between both between the both company, we run, you know, pretty tight, pretty tight.
01:02:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotta fill the bus.
01:02:31
Abel Cruz
And you have to fill that sucker up.
01:02:32
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:02:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotta fill the gotta sucker up.
01:02:33
Abel Cruz
No, that's what made.
01:02:34
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:02:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're
01:02:35
Abel Cruz
Yeah. Oh, no. Yeah, you have to. That's why I bought it.
01:02:38
RICK JAMES
did he ever Did you ever put a coffee machine on that? remember you were selling me and you put a coffee maker.
01:02:41
Abel Cruz
They asked me. They asked me to put a coffee machine. told them, no. You go in, you get out, and you snow, you show, and everything. You get in, and you get out, and that's enough.
01:02:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
not drinking coffee. There
01:02:52
Abel Cruz
No, it's a heated bus. That's enough.
01:02:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
you go. Oh, man. You're too funny. You are too funny. Is there a lot of competition in your area for snow?
01:03:04
Abel Cruz
for my For the size that I do, not in my town. In my town, I'm in communication probably with two or three other landscaper from my side of town, and they're the same size as me in the summer.
01:03:18
Abel Cruz
But when it comes to winter, they hate it so much that they don't want to do it. So they start dropping.
01:03:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:03:23
Abel Cruz
the
01:03:23
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:03:24
Abel Cruz
They hate so much that they just don't want to do it as much. So the accounts that I have, it usually belongs to property, you know, to companies like Jeremy's. They're big. So they take care of those type of properties.
01:03:36
Abel Cruz
But the size that I have, for me in my town, I got nobody against me except for those big accounts.
01:03:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:03:41
Abel Cruz
And the big accounts, they have a big overhead. So they're going to be charging a lot more than what I have. So I think I can stay a little bit lower. The competition is going to be always there coming from outside of the town.
01:03:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:03:53
Abel Cruz
you know You know, they have the equipment. They can do it. Like I have property that I bid them for $40,000, and they come die right beneath me. And they say, oh, no, we do we can do it for $15,000. That's a big drop, you know.
01:04:05
RICK JAMES
Wow.
01:04:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a huge drop.
01:04:06
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:04:06
Abel Cruz
it just um And I get phone calls every year from big boxes and all that stuff.
01:04:06
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:04:11
Abel Cruz
But the price that they they want to give me, ah to be honest, Lowe's calls me and tell me that they want to offer me $40,000 for the entire season. And said, can't do that.
01:04:22
Abel Cruz
I told them, if you don't pay me more than $120,000, I'm not doing it. I didn't even know i didn't even know the number, how you manage the property that size.
01:04:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
01:04:30
Abel Cruz
But I give them an outrageous number. And he's like, $120,000? oh Let me talk. Let me talk to my super. When he said that, I'm like, Hmm, I should go higher.
01:04:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, they're just trying to lowball you, dude.
01:04:45
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
01:04:45
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:04:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's what they do.
01:04:46
Abel Cruz
ah So since then, every time they ah they, they reach out to me, my, my bottom line, it's a hundred. I never got them. This is why, pra because they always find some dumb ass that wants to do it for 20.
01:04:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. hundred percent
01:04:58
RICK JAMES
yeah oh yeah yep
01:04:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
100%.
01:04:59
Abel Cruz
We have a, we have a,
01:05:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is the right word.
01:05:01
Abel Cruz
We have a grocery store. We have a grocery store here, but a big one. they have You're talking about, oh, holy shit, I have to have more than 10 acres of parking lot. They sent me the bid, and they wanted me to, for a good season, it was $25,000.
01:05:17
RICK JAMES
Oh, wow.
01:05:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
How much?
01:05:19
RICK JAMES
Hope he took it.
01:05:20
RICK JAMES
That sounds like a great deal.
01:05:20
Abel Cruz
$25,000. $25,000.
01:05:21
Abel Cruz
I get the papers, in it and I'm like, this can be, right?
01:05:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jesus Christ.
01:05:24
Abel Cruz
So because I was confused, because maybe that was just for a month or something,
01:05:29
RICK JAMES
that just handicap spots or what?
01:05:30
Abel Cruz
That was for the, yeah, that was for the, and I called them. I'm like, hey, yeah.
01:05:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
You said they got 10 acres of parking lot, 10 acres of parking lot, $25,000.
01:05:36
Abel Cruz
ah And that was,
01:05:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
they're talking 2,500 an acre in 50 inch market.
01:05:43
Abel Cruz
yeah, I would, I was, was just amazed.
01:05:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're on fucking crack. Yeah.
01:05:47
Abel Cruz
I called them.
01:05:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:05:48
Abel Cruz
I was like, hey, I think you guys made a mistake.
01:05:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll
01:05:50
Abel Cruz
This is per, per push or this is per season or what?
01:05:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
push yeah yeah i'll take it.
01:05:54
Abel Cruz
I said, oh no.
01:05:54
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:05:54
Abel Cruz
And, oh,
01:05:55
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Oh, God.
01:05:57
Abel Cruz
And then he's like, no, that's for the entire season, honey. said, well, there's nothing, honey, here because this is nothing.
01:06:05
RICK JAMES
but
01:06:05
Abel Cruz
You can't do that.
01:06:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:06:07
Abel Cruz
And I'm like, are you crazy? He's like, have you seen the parking lot? Well, we don't check the parking lot. We just try to give it leave it to you guys. so Well, I'm telling you, it's a big parking lot and I'm not doing it.
01:06:19
Abel Cruz
And no shit, they found somebody.
01:06:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, um'm I have no doubt they'll They always will find somebody It's it's incredible $25,000 for acres Christ
01:06:21
RICK JAMES
oh god
01:06:26
Abel Cruz
I was amazed.
01:06:26
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:06:26
Abel Cruz
i was I was amazed how they you know how they do it, but you know they seem to be working out for them, I guess.
01:06:34
RICK JAMES
Wow. Maybe they gave him some donuts, threw some donuts and
01:06:36
Abel Cruz
And that's just the front of the parking lot. but you know like The one that where the people go in, you knowt and you're not talking about the back with the loading docks and all stuff that stuff.
01:06:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:06:42
RICK JAMES
the docks.
01:06:45
Abel Cruz
That was something different. I'm like, no way, man.
01:06:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
jesus christ
01:06:48
Abel Cruz
I stay with my with my niche, which is the apartment complex.
01:06:49
RICK JAMES
That's crazy.
01:06:51
Abel Cruz
you know I found the guys to do my sidewalk that I can do whatever I want.
01:06:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen, brother.
01:06:56
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's great.
01:06:57
Abel Cruz
And I know that you had asked that for a lot of people. I found mine roofers that they ah they don't work in the winter. So I found a lot of them like that.
01:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:07:06
Abel Cruz
They came to me one year. And since then, that's how I approached them. And one storm, I got nobody. So I made a contract with the staffing part with a staffing company. They find the guys.
01:07:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
01:07:16
Abel Cruz
Yeah, they find the guys for you. And you know, they you have to pay above. You know, like let's say you want to pay them $20 per guy.
01:07:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:07:25
Abel Cruz
you You have to pay $30 per guy.
01:07:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. Yeah.
01:07:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah.
01:07:28
Abel Cruz
So, yeah, but at least you're not with the hustle or looking for people to say, hey, I need 10 guys.
01:07:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
They got to get their cut.
01:07:28
RICK JAMES
ye
01:07:35
Abel Cruz
As long as they're breathing, they're good to me.
01:07:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:07:41
RICK JAMES
oh
01:07:41
Abel Cruz
You know, and as long as soon as you have them, you know, I'm happy with that.
01:07:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love it.
01:07:45
Abel Cruz
And one year I had to, you know, I did the contract with them probably like two years ago. And there's no there's no attachments to it. You know, they just give it to you whenever you need it. You know, it's not that that you have to do it in every storm.
01:07:58
Abel Cruz
You just, when you need them, that's when you call them.
01:07:58
RICK JAMES
Nice.
01:08:01
RICK JAMES
nice
01:08:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:08:02
Abel Cruz
And somehow they find them.
01:08:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, that's great, man. That's good information. Let's let a bell get a drink real quick. We're going hit some commercials. We'll be back in 45 seconds.
Family and Financial Management
01:09:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, gang, we are back. This is so much fun. This is so much fun with a bell. What else you got for him, Jay?
01:09:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:09:12
RICK JAMES
Oh, you want to go into five and five with Abel?
01:09:14
RICK JAMES
All right, Abel.
01:09:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:09:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, we can hit five and five.
01:09:18
RICK JAMES
Where do you see yourself going in five years? Where are you like long forced to go?
01:09:22
Abel Cruz
Well, I have thought about this one quite a bit because i I'm 50 years old. So that means that I'm going to be 55 then. why you know And let's talk about you know on 60.
01:09:34
Abel Cruz
my goal At least and when I get to 60, I want to go to a work because I want to and not because I have to.
01:09:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
01:09:42
Abel Cruz
That's literally my goal. Every every year I try to find somebody to stay within the business, but every time I do it, you know, shit, he's a fan. um My kids are growing. I don't know if going to be in the game. I thought Elisabeth was going to be in it, and that didn't happen. She's very happy with what she is now.
01:10:00
Abel Cruz
She works with handicapped kids and all that stuff, so I'm very proud of her how she does it. And the things that did, I can't do it.
01:10:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:10:07
Abel Cruz
you know I'm not going to wipe somebody's ass, a grown-ass man, wipe their asses.
01:10:08
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:10:12
Abel Cruz
And to be honest, I don't i can't do that.
01:10:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my lord.
01:10:15
Abel Cruz
you know they They have autism and all that stuff, and I love her because she does she does that.
01:10:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, you killed me. Oh my god.
01:10:21
Abel Cruz
But I can't do that shit.
01:10:22
RICK JAMES
Oh.
01:10:22
Abel Cruz
I clean my own shit. That's it.
01:10:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
01:10:26
Abel Cruz
ah used to clean I used to clean her, and I cleaned my kids. That's it.
01:10:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:10:31
Abel Cruz
It doesn't pass over that.
01:10:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh my lord ah you kill me
01:10:34
Abel Cruz
That's why I told my wife when I retire, when I retire, send me to a home, the nurses can wipe my ass so that you don't have to do it. ah
01:10:41
Abel Cruz
You know, so taking all these things in consideration, five years, I see, I don't know.
01:10:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh i go
01:10:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, taking all that into consideration, where are you?
01:10:49
Abel Cruz
ah Yeah, i want you I want everybody to grab you know who I am. So in five years, I would like to find somebody that can run things smoother in the and the in the company and I can just be overheading you know everything else.
01:10:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
01:11:03
Abel Cruz
you know It's time to and know grow the watcher products you know or grow the company or just go out and do estimates.
01:11:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:11:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
01:11:10
Abel Cruz
And up I said, right now, I do all of it. i do I go out mowing with the guys and I love it. I go out pushing and I love it, you know, but it's something that at the end, you know, if I don't find anybody in five years or something like that, I'm going to have to try an exit plan, you know, for the next five years, because I really thought, you know, Elizabeth was going to be in it.
01:11:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:11:27
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:11:29
Abel Cruz
So let's say if I had three boys, maybe one of the three boys will stay and they keep continue the, the, the road. But if they don't, that's okay with me.
01:11:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:11:39
Abel Cruz
They had no options, by the way, whoever's listening to this and you had kids, My kids don't have any option to go. he Oh, I'm going to go and work at Walmart or work somewhere else when they get out of high school.
01:11:52
Abel Cruz
They had no choice. They had to come and work for me for the next two years. They had two things that they had to do in life. They had to buy their own car and they had to save money.
01:12:03
Abel Cruz
Those are the only two things that we demand from them. So when, because once they have a car, they can go anywhere they want. And when they save money, is what It's what's going to make of them to save that money.
01:12:17
Abel Cruz
It's not going to be about the money. It's what it's going to make of them.
01:12:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:12:22
Abel Cruz
So because one day realize they can't they control their money and their spending, then they can do whatever they want to do.
01:12:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:12:22
RICK JAMES
Yep, it's great.
01:12:28
Abel Cruz
And that's two years for them.
01:12:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
01:12:29
Abel Cruz
So they had no choice. They're still kids, you know, 13 years old and 15 years old. So and no cell phones either. They had no cell phone until they get out of high school.
01:12:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
So mandatory service.
01:12:40
RICK JAMES
Wow, good for you guys.
01:12:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Two years mandatory service in the Cruz family.
01:12:42
Abel Cruz
eight They have to do it, you know, because right now and there, you got pussies everywhere.
01:12:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Love it.
01:12:44
RICK JAMES
It smells like...
01:12:46
Abel Cruz
You know, they gave shovel, you know, a shovel empty.
01:12:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah yeah it
01:12:47
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:12:50
Abel Cruz
You know, they can even lift it up. They don't. No, man. I can't. I know I'm not raising no pussy. They have to make men.
01:12:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
01:12:57
RICK JAMES
Awesome. I love it.
01:12:59
Abel Cruz
And I have kids that have come with me that they can even lift up wheelbarrows.
01:13:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen, brother.
01:13:04
Abel Cruz
Like the guy that is dating my daughter, he can even lift up a wheelbarrow empty and put it in the truck. That's how bad I was.
01:13:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
but so
01:13:14
Abel Cruz
So, and this is what I don't want.
01:13:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:13:16
Abel Cruz
I don't want that kind of shit. You know? So now they're able to do it. So law enforcement, make it maker of men. Do
01:13:24
RICK JAMES
There you go.
01:13:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, a bell. You kill me.
01:13:26
RICK JAMES
See, so you gotta you got to sell that.
01:13:27
Abel Cruz
you
01:13:29
RICK JAMES
you can There's your sales pitch to people. You can come there and sell that lawn forest maker of men.
01:13:33
Abel Cruz
Yeah, maker of men. Yeah, law enforcement.
01:13:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is a that is an absolute first.
01:13:35
RICK JAMES
get There's your control program. There's your program to sell.
01:13:38
Abel Cruz
Yeah, yeah.
01:13:39
RICK JAMES
There's your program to sell.
01:13:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was,
01:13:39
Abel Cruz
Yeah. Because, you know.
01:13:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred and 160 episodes total, and that was the first time I've ever had somebody blast their daughter's boyfriend on the show.
01:13:49
Abel Cruz
yeah
01:13:49
RICK JAMES
your program to sell.
01:13:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome. Oh, shit.
01:13:53
Abel Cruz
He knows it.
01:13:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's awesome
01:13:53
RICK JAMES
Oh.
01:13:53
Abel Cruz
He knows it. I make fun of him and everything because of it.
01:13:55
RICK JAMES
It's
01:13:58
Abel Cruz
and what i see and When I see him pick up a wood barrel and put it on the seat, I'm like, man, good job.
01:13:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:14:04
Abel Cruz
Remember those days?
01:14:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah oh
01:14:07
RICK JAMES
been working out.
01:14:08
Abel Cruz
run Yeah, first landscaping job that he did with me, he threw up and everything because he was overheated.
01:14:09
RICK JAMES
boy.
01:14:14
Abel Cruz
I'm like, oh, man, this freaking pussy, don't have to take him home now.
01:14:14
RICK JAMES
Oh, boy.
01:14:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh
01:14:18
Abel Cruz
I'm not going to be able to finish my job.
01:14:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
my god.
01:14:20
Abel Cruz
And I'm telling him, oh, no, man, everything is going to be okay.
01:14:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
This is
01:14:23
Abel Cruz
you know But i'm might back in my mind, He's such a dumbass man. should have drank more water.
01:14:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
going to be your future son-in-law.
01:14:30
Abel Cruz
then Yeah, I know.
01:14:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
We'll see. Oh, you are the man.
01:14:32
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
01:14:34
Abel Cruz
We'll see. We'll see. He had to keep it up.
01:14:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
we'll see
01:14:38
Abel Cruz
He had to keep it up.
01:14:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah you are the man
01:14:40
Abel Cruz
of ah say
01:14:41
RICK JAMES
no
01:14:42
Abel Cruz
What I said to up today, i depend on him more than anybody else. You know, I told him, you want to make more money, you have to bring money to the table. You have to bring money to the company in order for you to make more. Because like for how much can you pay somebody that only mows and only plows?
01:15:00
Abel Cruz
You can only pay so much.
01:15:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
youre right
01:15:02
Abel Cruz
You know, you guys have bigger companies than me. But let's say if I'm between $20 and $25 for doing just that, you know, when you cross the line, I'm not going to be paying somebody $30 $40 hour mow.
01:15:15
Abel Cruz
just to mo
01:15:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent right
01:15:18
Abel Cruz
You know, and and they ask, you know, I give a guy a couple of weeks ago. Well, last year I gave him like $3 raise because of the economy. It was a big hit for everybody.
01:15:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh-huh.
01:15:28
Abel Cruz
It come this year, middle of winter. He asked me, so he got mad at me because he got a license and I wasn't paying him more. He said, dude, I just give you $3 raise. Oh no, he wanted another, he wanted more because he got a license.
01:15:42
Abel Cruz
Okay. I'll give him a dice and don't ask me like that. Otherwise you get, that's the door. If you wait, I'll give you another raise in spring. Come to spring. I gave him another dollar and he tells me that it's not enough.
01:15:57
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:15:57
Abel Cruz
He told me that it's not enough.
01:15:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:15:58
Abel Cruz
And when he told me that it's not enough, he said, well, I'm not going to compete with another company that can pay you more. I can only pay you what I can. So weep our we part, we part way just because of that.
01:16:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, absolutely.
01:16:07
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:16:09
Abel Cruz
And the guy was great. But I told my, my son-in-law, I told him, if you to make more, you have to bring something to the table. So he got his pesticide license and now he does all the fertilizing and all the pesticide stuff for me.
01:16:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:16:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
But no wheelbarrow lifting.
01:16:26
Abel Cruz
No, we'll be all lefty.
01:16:30
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:16:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah You are the greatest Absolutely brother Absolutely
01:16:30
Abel Cruz
You know, but at least he's bringing money to the table. So now I can, pay you know, now now he gets paid $30 an hour just to do weed and feeding.
01:16:33
RICK JAMES
Yep. Yep.
01:16:40
Abel Cruz
Separate from his paycheck.
01:16:40
RICK JAMES
you know
01:16:42
Abel Cruz
And I had to say, I had to say it because I know a lot of people don't talk about prices and things like that. I don't care. You know, I really don't care. You know, what I do on Instagram or YouTube, I do it because I can buy a Corvette.
01:16:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm
01:16:57
Abel Cruz
You know, maybe that's my meal-like crisis, you know, but this is my business. This is what I do. And I don't care. You know what people know, my numbers and things like that. Who gives a shit? You know, just don't care, you know.
01:17:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
I agree, bro. I agree. So what's been the best decision you've made in the last five years to get you to where you are right now?
01:17:16
Abel Cruz
Woo-wee! I think cheesy, but listen to my wife more.
01:17:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. 100%.
01:17:24
Abel Cruz
The reason is because she handles all the money.
01:17:24
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:17:27
Abel Cruz
And if you don't control that side of the business. youre You're not going to be successful anywhere. I wanted i wanted a shop years ago, but I never got into a shop.
01:17:38
Abel Cruz
I used to be in a fifteen hundred ah square feet shop, and now I am in a six thousand square feet. It's a dream control. Heated, two bathrooms, everything, you know, parking lot, everything.
01:17:50
Abel Cruz
And that's because the the money was set in place.
01:17:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:17:57
Abel Cruz
You know, if you're not good in money you're not good with money, have somebody to help you out for that.
01:17:57
RICK JAMES
Right. Mm-hmm.
01:18:04
RICK JAMES
right
01:18:04
Abel Cruz
A body of mind, his wife is worse than him.
01:18:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
01:18:07
Abel Cruz
So he cannot count on his wife. So he hired an accountant and the accountant does all that for him.
01:18:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:18:13
Abel Cruz
I always say, so check your number and not check your papers because you never, you cannot give all the trust to an accountant, you know?
01:18:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
01:18:21
Abel Cruz
you You know what I'm saying?
01:18:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
don't know.
01:18:22
Abel Cruz
Because it's your business. You have to be open, you know, always to see what's going on. But I'm lucky that my wife is very good with numbers. Very good. She goes down to the penny.
01:18:32
Abel Cruz
If they charge you something and then they put a penny extra, she'll know. She'll know the extra penny, where this is, where, why does it came from?
01:18:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for her.
01:18:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:18:41
Abel Cruz
and And she's good like that.
01:18:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for her.
01:18:42
Abel Cruz
So that was that's one of the best decisions that I did.
01:18:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
so So you're never getting your loader.
01:18:47
Abel Cruz
Oh, man, don't tell me that.
01:18:49
RICK JAMES
ah
01:18:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, that's key, dude. You you just hit the nail right on the head, man. Having somebody that if you're not fiscally responsible yourself, then having somebody that is that you can put confidence in, that that's huge.
01:18:56
RICK JAMES
No the numbers.
01:19:02
Abel Cruz
not
01:19:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's so huge.
01:19:03
Abel Cruz
and day And from day one I hire an accountant. You know, he wasn't charging me. He was just charging me for the service that he was doing, you know, like sales tax.
01:19:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:19:12
Abel Cruz
um And then he told me, i just said, well, I have to have payroll. And so he found me a company that does payroll. They charge quite a bit, you know, but I wasn't making that much. But I was I had to make the sacrifice in order to put those things in place.
01:19:25
Abel Cruz
And that was 10 years ago. And now, nowadays, everything just runs smooth, you know, in that side of that side of the business, taxes and everything. Taxes and everything, everything is, you know, lived to them.
01:19:37
Abel Cruz
And then we take care of our day-to-day operations.
01:19:40
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:19:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen.
01:19:41
RICK JAMES
Good for you.
01:19:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else you got for him, Jay? Anything else?
01:19:44
RICK JAMES
Well, ah yeah, I definitely, I'm going to, I'm going to ask this. I know we're going to get a good one. You got any good plowing stories you want to tell us there, Bill?
01:19:51
Abel Cruz
Man, I got few. I got a few. Let me tell you.
01:19:54
RICK JAMES
ah
01:19:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:19:55
Abel Cruz
the The first one was that everybody heard it was the tire on the ski steer.
01:20:00
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:20:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:20:01
Abel Cruz
But then it was a lot. I think last year we went out plowing and I sent one of the guys plowing and then he calls me again. oh He calls me says, Bell, we lost a tire. I said, you mean a flat tire? No, no, no. We lost a tire.
01:20:15
Abel Cruz
He lost a tire because when they were changing the tires, they only put one knot on the side. They put one on, they put other knots, but they tied one specifically.
01:20:25
RICK JAMES
Ah.
01:20:26
Abel Cruz
And the whole rim was crooked.
01:20:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh.
01:20:28
Abel Cruz
So they tied all of them and they were good to go. Man, that tire end up on the other side of the street.
01:20:35
Abel Cruz
man and you're talking about six below 10 below it was super cool and then he calls me it's like well we just lost a tire on i hope no no no we lost a tire and that's when i got there man yeah no shit ah the the tire was on the other side of the street i had to go and pick it up and this is shit that you pull your hair and now i can just like this dumb asses you know they just have to know how to do it you know um
01:21:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm going to out on a limb here and say you should be invested in some track machines.
01:21:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:21:05
Abel Cruz
I know, I know, I know. We should lose the tires all completely.
01:21:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. Just get rid of the tires.
01:21:11
Abel Cruz
And then in my early, when I started the business, I was plowing.
01:21:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't luck with tires.
01:21:16
Abel Cruz
My old boss used to go forward. As fast as he went forward, he went backwards. So he was going 40 up, 40 back, 40 up, 40 back. And he would just, and I copied that from him. So I hit my first parking lot and I'm plowing, plowing, plowing, plowing. next thing I know,
01:21:34
Abel Cruz
the, a light post is next to me, literally next to me. And the whole bed of the plow, the whole bed, the whole back bed, it was almost next to me.
01:21:47
Abel Cruz
I hit the light post, the concrete. I hit it so hard, 40 miles per hour, that the salt went like 30 miles one way.
01:21:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jesus.
01:21:54
Abel Cruz
My truck went the other way. And man, I cry. I start crying and bawling. And my guy called me. I call my guy. I say, man, I just lost a truck. don't know what to do. I don't know how to. what happened? Is the truck running? I'm like, yeah, it's still running, but I don't have no problem.
01:22:09
Abel Cruz
I don't have no. He no. He said, don't worry about it.
01:22:11
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
01:22:12
Abel Cruz
Don't worry. We can face it. We can face it? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, we can face it. We can change the bed of the truck. And I can we do that? i didn't know that we can do that. So the next day he found somebody and next thing you know, two days later, I have a big bed on the bed of the truck and everything. And I was, I was back and going like three days.
01:22:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
01:22:33
Abel Cruz
But what I cried, dude, you're talking about tears.
01:22:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
No harm, no foul. Oh, man. Yeah.
01:22:38
Abel Cruz
That was the only truck that I had.
01:22:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. ah
01:22:40
Abel Cruz
and That's all I had. It was a truck and six tear. That was it.
01:22:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man
01:22:44
Abel Cruz
So I cry. i I call my wife and everything.
01:22:45
RICK JAMES
see did the light bulb come down oh god jeez
01:22:46
Abel Cruz
tell the Man, I just lost don't know what going to do. But no, not shit, man. He helped me just to to get it up and running. But this is the shit that... No, thank God. But you guys know Jaren from JC's Lung Tips, don't you?
01:23:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:23:01
RICK JAMES
ye Yep, yep.
01:23:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
01:23:02
Abel Cruz
Yeah, when he when he was young, he started working for me. And I told him, work for me at least a few years so that you can get your hands dirty and then you can go on your own. He said, okay, yeah, we can do that. So turned him out of plow.
01:23:14
Abel Cruz
I did the care the accounts. I gave him my own contract so that he was able to do it. And one day he hit a light post. And he hit the main light post that gives lights to all the light posts in the parking lot.
01:23:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
and jesus
01:23:28
Abel Cruz
Oh, my God. So the whole parking lot went dark. And I'm telling you, that that bill, it was like over nine grand because they had to excavate the whole concrete, take it out, rewire all that shit, put new concrete, and then put a new light bulb in it.
01:23:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
01:23:47
Abel Cruz
Man, and in thank God i didn't lost I didn't lose the salter and I didn't lose the truck either. He just hit it in a way that, you know, it was still bend up, but it was still usable.
01:24:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Oh my gosh. Well, that stuff happens.
01:24:03
Abel Cruz
yeah I got a guy called me once.
01:24:03
RICK JAMES
Yep, for sure.
01:24:05
Abel Cruz
He said, well, I can't trouble no more. He said, why not? My feet are cold. was about to go over there and hit him. I hit him across the face. Because this is the this is the kid that I had. They had a bunch of pussies out there. that It just drives me nuts.
01:24:21
Abel Cruz
You know, if you live in Wisconsin, why would you wear tennis shoes to go to a winter store? Tennis shoes.
01:24:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:24:28
Abel Cruz
He said, I can't do this. He well, I don't know what you're gonna do, but you stay until this is over.
01:24:28
RICK JAMES
ah
01:24:32
Abel Cruz
You know, he didn't work for me anymore.
01:24:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
01:24:34
Abel Cruz
I don't know why.
01:24:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
don't know why.
01:24:36
RICK JAMES
I don't know why.
01:24:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know why.
01:24:39
Abel Cruz
I don't know why. I was so i was so good to him that I don't know what happened.
01:24:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah You are too much.
01:24:44
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:24:45
Abel Cruz
You know.
01:24:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh my God. Oh, anything else for him, Jay?
01:24:50
RICK JAMES
I just want to say once again, when you, when you and your, daughter came here it was a good time all the guy guys still talk about when you came here and what a good time we had push with us and was a fun time so you're always welcome back as you know us so yeah it was it was it was fun and i think you actually you guys embraced it all and the guys taught you some stuff apparently you said so that's all good so like i said anytime you want to come back you're welcome
01:25:11
Abel Cruz
They did. I really appreciate you guys for inviting us. Me and Alisa, we still talk about Alisa. I never drove a front-end loader. So when i'm when I was supposed to go straight, I was going and swerving all over the parking lot because I didn't know how to go straight.
01:25:25
Abel Cruz
And I thought I was badass plowing, you know?
01:25:26
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:25:28
Abel Cruz
But I was a badass plowing just on trucks. As soon as I found out in the, in the loader, the only training that he gave me, it was just in front of the parking, in front of his shop. That was it.
01:25:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:25:37
RICK JAMES
Yep. ah i What did I tell you What did tell you, Bill? I said, all it's going to take is seat time. i told you the basics of what you had to do. You take seat time, see what they're doing.
01:25:37
Abel Cruz
When we got to Walmart and all those, Oh my God, that was a, that was a.
01:25:50
RICK JAMES
And what did you do? You guys knocked it out. You guys figured it out.
01:25:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, got it done.
01:25:53
RICK JAMES
I mean, it's just like, I mean, i I'm not going to, like you say, I'm not going babysit you.
01:25:54
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
01:25:56
RICK JAMES
You know what you're doing. You just got to be confident in yourself and get the job done. And you you guys definitely did. I mean, we threw you in the big loaders too, just because you guys wanted the plow. So and you got to touch tips with the boys and everything.
01:26:07
RICK JAMES
So
01:26:08
Abel Cruz
Yeah, Jackie Chan told me.
01:26:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
i
01:26:09
Abel Cruz
He said, man, bell ben come over here. Come over here. We have to show you how to plow. He said, oh, okay, okay. Let's go over there. Because I was all by myself, you know, trying to do my own thing.
01:26:18
RICK JAMES
Yep, yep.
01:26:18
Abel Cruz
But no, they showed me well.
01:26:18
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:26:19
Abel Cruz
And they got me. I was very surprised. And the places that he put me, I would never go with a front-end loader. We went to an apartment complex, and we cleaned parking spaces. I would never do that with a front-end loader.
01:26:31
Abel Cruz
I would do it with a truck or with a little skid steer, you know, and that was it. But no. And there was, like, seven loaders in this small apartment complex. There was, like, six loaders, the big ones, the small ones, and it's like...
01:26:44
Abel Cruz
And they called me and said, oh, helicopter was there. He was talking he was talking to me and Jackie Chan told me, he said, hey, I built that helicopter.
01:26:48
RICK JAMES
Yep, helicopter.
01:26:54
Abel Cruz
And I look into the sky the sea to see a helicopter. I had no idea that that was that dude.
01:27:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my god.
01:27:03
Abel Cruz
Eventually, eventually, it got to me and said, shit, I think that was that guy that was talking to me.
01:27:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
well
01:27:08
Abel Cruz
Oh, no.
01:27:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my god, that's funny.
01:27:09
Abel Cruz
yeah Oh, man, excuse me, man, I'm looking for a helicopter. That's how stupid I was.
01:27:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is so funny, dude.
01:27:13
RICK JAMES
yeah oh
01:27:16
RICK JAMES
well i was it was
01:27:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, you got anything for us, Abel, before we let you go?
01:27:19
Abel Cruz
Yes, I do.
01:27:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
was awesome.
01:27:21
Abel Cruz
Yes, I do.
01:27:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
What do you got, brother?
Social Media Presence and Invitation
01:27:23
Abel Cruz
How do you guys deal with summer people and winter people on your on your side of town? but you had to You pay them salary or it's an hourly rate. How does that go?
01:27:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
All my guys are hourly. Nobody's on salary. um
01:27:40
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
01:27:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
we are we're We're much like you. We're much smaller in the summer than we are in the winter. And that's basically because all of, even myself, we don't want to do a lot of green in the summer anymore. We do dirt work with the machines.
01:27:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
But as far as bulk lawns, were we're past that. We're over that. So we're we're much like you. So it's um younger dudes that are handling the, you know, the bulk of the lawn maintenance that we still do.
01:28:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
And then the older guys will take the machines and do, you know, dirt work, installs, stuff like that, you know, sod, whatever we got to do that week. um But yeah, that's basically it is dude. It's tough around here.
01:28:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like we're very lucky. We have a couple of younger guys that, are very good, very dedicated and have work ethic. But it's like you said, most other places, like I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, like, these guys want 30 to $35 an hour to mow lawns and they want to work for four and a half hours max.
01:28:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. They want to make their 120 for the day and they don't care. ah They don't, an eight hour day is unheard of to to these, you know, 20 something kids. They don't want to do it. So yeah, it's, it's a problem everywhere, not just for you.
01:28:52
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:28:57
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we're definitely, we're small in the summertime. you know, we, a lot of our guys, not a lot, but I'd say half our salary and then the other half are, lot the more guys are hourly. So, you know, it is kind of split down the middle.
01:29:11
RICK JAMES
Depends on who you are and what your duties are around here. But yeah, we're pretty, not much, not much for, what do we got, 12, 13 guys here in the summer. So,
01:29:23
Abel Cruz
because I give them salary all year round. So you're talking about almost to 45 grand a year to do what, to do what we do. And it seems sometimes they get spoiled that sometimes they don't have to work as hard.
01:29:37
Abel Cruz
Um, I find it they get entitled to whatever they're doing, you know, but I, the reason that I do it is because I don't want them to be suffering in the winter, you know, because soon as winter comes and you got no money, where going to go?
01:29:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:29:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
sure
01:29:47
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:29:51
Abel Cruz
You know, like, you have to find a new job and all that stuff. So I tried to do it for myself so that I can have guys available when it snows and on top of that, so they can have a future because my old boss, you know,
01:30:03
Abel Cruz
He thought that we were just workers, you know, looking for work for part time. But when I'm looking for people, I want them to stay. I want to give them the best, the best thing that they can have. I bring them with me to equip.
01:30:14
Abel Cruz
And that's not, that's not cheap. I rent a van and I take in all of them with me, but they don't seem that I, they don't see that.
01:30:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nope.
01:30:19
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:30:21
Abel Cruz
They only see that they don't see more on their paycheck because their paycheck is the same throughout the entire year. That's why asked that.
01:30:28
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:30:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
What about
01:30:29
RICK JAMES
I think you just, I think you gotta like reach out to them little more and just say, Hey, you know, it's winter time, you know, we're going work hard. You work hard during the summer with all your mowing. You guys are going to work this many hours a week.
01:30:40
RICK JAMES
Winter time, you're not going to work every day like you do in the summer. So that's kind of where your salary comes in. And I'm giving you a little extra stuff here and there where we're going to equip, we're doing that. So you just got to kind of let them know that, you know, that's part of the whole salary situation. You know, don I don't know. You just got to,
01:30:57
RICK JAMES
educate them i guess keep them try to keep them motivated and tell them know that they're they're in it you're gonna work hard summer in the winter time it all depends on the weather i'm guessing for you i'm not with you every day obviously but you know on on days that it's not snowing stuff they're probably at home or they might come in the shop for a little while or something i'm not sure what they do but you know they're probably they're not working hours they are in the summer so he's gotta kind of preach that to them or something i don't know
01:31:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Maybe in the summer, put them on hourly based on productivity. And then in the winter, put them on salary because they don't have a keep, you know, because i mean what they make in the summer should be directly represented by how much money you're taking in from them.
01:31:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah know You if they want more money in the summer, you know, then they hit productivity bonuses. Like if you have a certain number of lawns that you want them to hit in a day and they make it, okay, then everything's done with quality, then okay, we'll give you a little bit extra here at the end of a week if you hit it for all five days.
01:31:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah that's it's it's not just you, man. That's a problem. Yeah. the the bulk The bulk lawns are are really a problem to find quality guys, reliable guys that are going to show up when you need them to show up every day, especially when it gets hot. You get into the dog days of summer.
01:32:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's a huge pain in the ass, and we're hearing that everywhere. So not just you. And i don't I don't know if there is a magic bullet answer for it, honestly. like
01:32:22
Abel Cruz
Because nobody around here pays salary, you know, like ah my in but my industry, nobody does, you know, but they still have the problems in the winter.
01:32:23
RICK JAMES
ah you Are you more... Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:32:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:32:31
Abel Cruz
They had nobody to plow for them or to shovel for them because they have to find different jobs.
01:32:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, that's i'm saying. Maybe salary them in the winter so they know that they have money coming in, whether whether it's snowing or not, i you know, because you need them in the winter. And in the summer, you know, make it based on their own productivity.
01:32:49
Abel Cruz
Yeah.
01:32:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Make them hourly.
01:32:50
Abel Cruz
yeah
01:32:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
But I don't know. I'm just spitballing.
01:32:51
RICK JAMES
What what's are you mowing five days a week or four? You got four days scheduled in case of the reindeer.
01:32:55
Abel Cruz
No, we ma we try to mow four days a week in case that we have a rainy day. um So we had the Friday.
01:33:00
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:33:01
Abel Cruz
But now that I just eliminated two guys on Friday and last week was our first week mowing. So I had to hire two new guys and they don't have the right age either. So then they're older than me.
01:33:15
Abel Cruz
So I know they're going to be slower than whatever we I had.
01:33:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:33:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah, where?
01:33:18
Abel Cruz
So what going to be doing, so I'm going to put all the mowing to five days. And if we can push it on, know, like on a Wednesday, I can push it or whatever. Or if I have to go out there and do it by myself or with another guy, then I'll do that.
01:33:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:33:30
Abel Cruz
But I i think I'm going to have to switch things around until they catch up with us, you know.
01:33:31
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:33:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
01:33:35
Abel Cruz
But it's the same.
01:33:35
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:33:35
Abel Cruz
mo it You know, we don't do hardscape or anything like that. So it's not something that I have to.
01:33:39
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:33:40
Abel Cruz
The only thing that increases is just the weed and feeding. And I have a guide for that already.
01:33:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
01:33:45
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:33:46
Abel Cruz
This an easy life.
01:33:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
01:33:47
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:33:47
Abel Cruz
You guys know me. This is me. This is how I talk. And that's how I act.
01:33:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is definitely you.
01:33:52
Abel Cruz
I work too.
01:33:52
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:33:53
RICK JAMES
There's nothing wrong with her.
01:33:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
You are 100% authentic.
01:33:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
There's no doubt about that.
01:33:56
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:33:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
that this is ah This has been fun, dude. This been a lot of fun.
01:34:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
01:34:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
lot of laughs, brother. But, ah yeah, I mean, we want to thank you for...
01:34:04
RICK JAMES
Keep killing it.
01:34:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, keep doing what you're doing, bro. You're a breath of fresh air. We love seeing you success. Keep killing it.
01:34:11
RICK JAMES
Why don't you plug here plug your Instagram for everybody too and everything.
01:34:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Plug it.
01:34:14
RICK JAMES
there things They can watch you dance and everything.
01:34:17
Abel Cruz
Well, if somebody wants to follow me on Instagram, LoneForceLC is the best channel in town. At least that's what I heard, you know.
01:34:24
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:34:25
Abel Cruz
At least that's what I heard.
01:34:25
RICK JAMES
ah You do YouTube too, don't you? Don't you have a YouTube channel?
01:34:27
Abel Cruz
i got I have a YouTube um now that I've been busy and I was sick with... ah c sinus infection, things like that. I haven't posted a video probably in the last couple of weeks, but I usually that try to keep it up because when your kids go to, the reason, im the main thing that I do is because when I go home, damn i mean pappy where um I was working, oh, that was good. you know I did this and I did that, but they had no idea what I was doing.
01:34:49
Abel Cruz
So if I record it, they watch it at home and then at least they can see whatever I was doing that day.
01:34:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
you know
01:34:50
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:34:55
Abel Cruz
And that's the main purpose of it.
01:34:56
RICK JAMES
Nice.
01:34:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. Cool.
01:34:58
Abel Cruz
Make your moments memorable.
01:34:58
RICK JAMES
Good for you.
01:35:00
Abel Cruz
That's about it.
01:35:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Are you Lawn Force on YouTube as well?
01:35:03
Abel Cruz
Yeah, Loan Force everywhere. Wherever find me, Loan Force LLC.
01:35:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
01:35:06
Abel Cruz
You just have to find me like that and say that you heard me here and we're good to go.
01:35:10
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:35:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go
01:35:11
Abel Cruz
And if somebody wants the soap, you can reach out to me there too.
01:35:16
RICK JAMES
Awesome.
01:35:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Or Wash It Products.
01:35:16
RICK JAMES
Good for you.
01:35:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
01:35:17
Abel Cruz
I'll watch products.
01:35:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sweet, man. Well, good luck with that. And definitely we'll be talking to you again. I'm sure it's it's always fun. We'll definitely see it equipped. We see you there every year. That's a good time. Come by the Toro booth and and see you with all your minions and red and red hats.
01:35:34
Abel Cruz
That's right.
01:35:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah, chip people. But yeah, thank you so much for coming on with us, brother. It's been a lot of fun, man. We appreciate it.
01:35:43
Abel Cruz
Thank you guys. Thank you for having me.
01:35:44
RICK JAMES
One more thing.
01:35:45
Abel Cruz
It was a blast.
01:35:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem, man.
01:35:46
RICK JAMES
One more thing. hit Hit everybody with, ah, shit, you haven't said that yet on this show.
01:35:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's that?
01:35:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, come on
01:35:50
Abel Cruz
Oh, okay. okay This is how i start when I start all my mornings on Instagram.
01:35:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
on.
01:35:56
Abel Cruz
So if you never heard me on Instagram, this is me. I'm a gnaxious and you might like me and you might not, but I say, good morning, people.
01:36:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Love it.
01:36:05
Abel Cruz
Ochi people, let me tell you what going to be doing today. But the Ochi goes everywhere. I have it on the hats. I have it on the shirt. I have it everywhere.
01:36:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
It is everywhere.
01:36:14
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:36:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
i love it. Oh, man. It's so funny. it gets me cracking.
01:36:19
RICK JAMES
and
01:36:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
shit, people.
01:36:20
RICK JAMES
I got it up there in my wall. Oh, shit. Yep.
01:36:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
01:36:22
Abel Cruz
Mm-hmm.
01:36:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
01:36:23
RICK JAMES
ye
01:36:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Well, thank you, Abel. We will let you go, but um we really appreciate it, and best of luck to in the future, and we'll be talking to you again soon, I'm sure. so All right, everybody. That's going to do it. Episode 119 of the Snow Jaws Podcast main show in the books.
01:36:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
right We want to thank Abel, as always, for coming on, giving us the time. Wish the best to law enforcement in the future. And ah yeah, i mean, winter is coming again. so we'll check in on him next winter and see how he's doing.
01:36:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
But that's it, guys. It's going to do it. Everybody out there, be safe. All the ladies out there, all the moms, hope you had a great Mother's Day. ah Everybody else, you guys have a great week.
01:37:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Keep pushing.