$5 Million in Revenue and Still Broke With Sam Gembel

Reach Out Via Text! What does it really take to build a $10 million landscape company—and what happens when you're generating millions in revenue but still struggling to make payroll? In this episode of the Growing Green Podcast, Jeremiah sits down with **Sam Gembel, founder of Atlas Outdoor**, to unpack his journey from starting a business in his driveway in 2011 to building a $10 million-plus company that was ultimately acquired by The Landscape Collective. Sam shares the mistakes that nearly buried his business, including poor job costing, uncontrolled growth, cash flow problems, excessive vendor debt, and relying on more sales to cover deeper operational issues. They discuss the pivotal changes that turned Atlas around, from understanding financial reports and improving production efficiency to hiring salespeople, delegating responsibility, and learning to lead rather than simply sell. Sam also shares the story of accumulating approximately $500,000 in vendor debt, the difficult process of paying it down, and the lessons every landscape business owner can take from that experience. Whether you're doing $500,000 or $5 million in revenue, this conversation is a reminder that **building a profitable business requires more than selling work—it requires understanding your numbers, protecting your cash flow, and fixing problems before they multiply.** Support the show - 4 month free With code JEREMIAH:  https://lmncompany.partnerlinks.io/growinggreenpodcast - Signup for our Newsletter- https://mailchi.mp/942ae158aff5/newsletter-signup - Book A Consult Call-https://stan.store/GrowingGreenPodcast - Lawntrepreneur Academy-https://www.lawntrepreneuracademy.com/ - Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/growinggreenlandscapes/ - Email-ggreenlandscapes@gmail.com - Growing Green Website- https://www.growinggreenlandscapes.com/