Is Going to the SynkedUP Contractor Summit Worth It?

Is the SynkedUP Contractor Summit worth going to?

Are you wondering about attending this year’s SynkedUP Contractor Summit and if it’ll be worth it for you? I’ll tell you one thing, when I was an employee at Tussey Landscaping, the owners Steve & Matt Martin sent me to Chicago to Aquascape’s Pondemonium event every year, and as an employee it was the HIGHLIGHT of my year.

I got my first taste of professional and personal development at those events.

I mingled with peers, and admired folks who were more talented and further along than I was in life and business. (Just like you will do at the SynkedUP Contractor Summit, by the way.)

I found every excuse to be at their table for lunch, to sit in the class they taught, to be on the same team as them.

I found my passion for business there.

My passion for growth.

To achieve more.

And you know what?

Those events were not cheap.

With travel, registration, lodging, food, paying us while we were at the event, etc, Tussey footed a $2-$4k bill just to send a single person, every year.

And they sent not only me, but 4-6 guys every year.

So that’s $8k-$24k a year just to send some folks to an event just like the Contractor Summit.

It wasn’t always easy either.

I remember one year a car full of us were on the way to the airport to head out to the event. We were discussing our job schedule, and I know we were all a little uptight.

We had just a little over a week’s worth of work on the books.

That’s it.

Talk about puckering up!

And here we were, heading out to dump a bunch of money and time on going to an event.

But…

I can tell you from personal experience that as I watched the story unfold before my very eyes over 15 years of time, that investment came back to the company many times over. We learned and implemented countless valuable things at those events that fueled not only our business’s growth but also our team members individually. The same thing could happen for you and your team at the Contractor Summit.

In fact…

Let me tell you a story.

Things weren’t always peaches and cream in my story at Tussey Landscaping.

One such moment was the summer after my wife and I got married.

A year earlier, I had met this sweet girl while on a volunteer service trip to Romania in East Europe.

It was meant to be, and we got married over there, and I pretty much dumped all my savings into the travel, immigration paperwork, and getting started in life. (More on that story here)

Because of immigration challenges, we lived in Romania for about 6 months after getting married. As we touched down on US soil for the first time, I walked off that plane with my bride, with less than $20 to my name.

We got home, I shook out two-quart jars full of coins and had enough to fill my truck with gas and buy a week’s worth of groceries.

The next day I went back to work. A fire was lit in me.

I wanted to succeed in life, to raise a family, and to get ahead.

To provide. To thrive.

Which meant I wanted to make more money.

But… I just wanted more money. Full stop. That’s where my train of thought stopped. My method of pursuing that was asking for a raise.

But I had my head in the wrong place. My mindset wasn’t right.

Fast forward to the next summer, and we were in Chicago at the annual Pondemonium event put on by Aquascape.

Looking back today as I write this, I’m a little sheepish of what I did.

After a speaking session ended in the event, I tracked down Greg Wittstock the CEO of Aquascape, up in the gym, and asked him if I could get a job.

He looked at me as though I had 2 heads and asked “Why on earth do you want to work for me? You work for one of our best customers, an incredible company!”

I stuttered a bit and told him “I wanna make more money.”

He looked me straight in the eyes and told me “You go back to Steve and ask him what you can do to make the company more money.” He paused for effect. “….so that you can make more money.”

I fumbled over myself, thanked him, and left the gym.

That entire encounter was less than 2 minutes.

But it changed my life.

That’s exactly what I did.

And a very long story short, that advice led me to where I am today – a foreman from a landscaping crew in Podunkville PA, now running SynkedUP (and the Contractor Summit) and working with an incredible team building a community and tech to change this industry.

So…. what?

This article is already getting too long, but here’s my point.

There is something special about getting away from the daily grind at the Contractor Summit, giving yourself room to breathe, getting in the same room as others in the same struggles and pursuits as you are, and just letting your brain absorb info and be challenged.

Light bulbs go off.

You talk with someone at lunch and figure out a solution to a problem from a similar struggle.

You get inspired to reach new heights.

You get a moment to breathe.

You can let your hair down and laugh a little.

You make memories.

And yes, you change lives.

If you’re an owner, you could produce even more impact, and change not only your own life but someone on your team’s lives. Like Steve did for me.

Contractor Summit 2024

And now, many years later, here I am with the entire SynkedUP team, putting on our very own event like the one that changed my life.

Last year we had an incredible time, made incredible memories, and listened to and absorbed fantastic speakers in Altoona, PA at the Contractor Summit 2023. We toured Tussey Landscaping’s operation.

This year, my good friend and a loyal SynkedUP customer Jeremy Swihart from JSquared Outdoor is generously sharing his town, and giving us the opportunity to tour his new shop and his incredible operation.

If you like tilt rotators, you’ll know this guy. 😂

Give him a follow in Instagram.

We’re going to have motivational speaker Jeff Joiner, and author of the book Simple Numbers Greg Crabtree be there sharing some incredible wisdom with the rest of us.

And of course, our entire SynkedUP team will be there to welcome you with open arms.

October 3rd and 4th, in Dayton Ohio. 8 AM kickoff.

Be there. (Tickets here)

P.S. Bring your team.

I want the growth and mindset shift that happened for me to happen for your team.

#nomorecoldpizza #iykyk (sorry, inside joke from last year’s event 😎. Come make memories with us for this year’s event!)