In this episode, Andy Humphrey plays a recorded live event with Spencer Haws from the Seller's Summit conference, the importance of website ranking, and managing multiple businesses. Spencer delves into Google's algorithm changes, AI's role in search, and diversifying platform presence. He discusses the significance of internal link structure, creating a fast-loading website, and standardizing publishing processes. He also explores content strategies, optimizing content, and tactics to boost revenue.  CHAPTERS: (0:00) Introduction and discussion about Seller's Summit conference (5:06) Importance of having a website and ranking on Google (10:18) Discussion on managing multiple businesses and focusing on nichepursuits.com (17:42) Understanding Google's algorithm changes and the role of AI in search (19:31) Diversifying platform presence and cleaning up old content for better SEO (23:16) Restructuring your site and the importance of internal link structure (25:17) Creating a professional and fast-loading website and standardizing publishing processes (30:31) Content strategy: what to publish, using Google search console for keyword insights (35:00) Updating content regularly for SEO and process of optimizing content (37:18) Optimizing your site to boost revenue and tactics for increasing revenue KEY POINTS: Spencer Haas shared his experience of scaling website traffic by publishing a significant amount of content, revealing that he increased his output to over 1000 articles in a year which led to a traffic boost from 100-200k views a month to 700-800k.He emphasized the importance of updating old content and optimizing new content with a focus on internal linking and keyword targeting to improve SEO and Google rankings.Spencer's approach to content resulted in substantial revenue growth, where display ad revenue alone began to cover the entire content budget, turning other income streams like product sales and affiliate marketing into pure profit. TRANSCRIPT Andy Humphrey: Hey, my friends. Welcome back to the Sprink Leonard Show. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey. This is episode 169 coming to you from the 10th floor of the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale FL FLL. I'm not really sure what the second l stands for, with the airport code, FL4 Lawter Layle, Anyway, it makes me every time I I see the airport code code FL, it makes me wonder what it is or why. Andy Humphrey: I should just Google it. What's the second l? Okay. I am recording this episode here at the hotel because I'm at a conference called Seller's Summit think I've actually recorded 1 or 2 other episodes here at the conference because I come every year. It's super fun. Andy Humphrey: And if you are looking to, start your own, let's say, blog or physical product, or other kind of digital commerce style business, then, you might wanna check it out. Come down next year. Seller's summit. Dotcom Andy, learn. It's a fantastic conference for learning, meeting other new and successful digital marketers, which are often hard hard to, hard to come by. Andy Humphrey: And it's pretty fun to get a room full of other other nerds, not just sprinkler nerds, but but nerds in other, categories, other product categories, other content categories, and it's fun to get together and see what happens when all of the brains start firing at once. So I'm here this week. I I had the opportunity earlier in the week. I flew to Atlanta, Georgia on Monday to visit with the site 1 ecommerce team a super great team. And, if any of you guys that I met this week are listening to this, I really think, you know, that, you will be successful delivering the future to the market. Andy Humphrey: And I really do think that is the role of the site 1 e commerce team on the street level, the CX specialists is to deliver the future, to customers as it relates to commerce, how to order efficiently, etcetera. So congrats, say, one for building a fantastic team, and thank you for having me come speak at the event. It was really good. Andy I can't wait to see what what, what comes what happens this year from the team. And then, right after that flew down here to Fort Lauderdale, for the conference. Andy Humphrey: And then just, just today, actually, met up with my, friend, more more new friend, but, we've known each other. Justin Richards. He's AKA, the sprinkler dude, So we had the nerd and the dude Andy, had a great, great lunch at this, like, apparently a famous Wings Plus, Restaurant Andy Coral Springs, and just talked about some technology tips tool tricks, just fun stuff. And Justin's got a lot of great energy. Keep it up, Justin. Andy Humphrey: Great to to spend some time with you in person Andy look forward to to learning more together in the future, maybe collaborating on some things. And, we'll see where it goes. What I wanted to share with you on this episode is a short well, it's not short. It's probably 45 minutes of something that I recorded. Here at the conference, a speaker, his name is Spencer Hass, and he he'll he'll tell his story but he is the owner of niche pursuits.com. Andy Humphrey: So if you would like to learn about how to start your own blog, your own content site, your own website. That's, that's what he does. He's a fantastic resource. He has a software tool called Link Whisper, among others that you can take a look at. And he spoke today about how to rank your website number 1 in Google, and he ran multiple experiments over the years producing almost a 1000 blog posts in a single year. Andy Humphrey: And one of my takeaways is that he is not he did do an AI experiment which you can find on YouTube if you're interested just Google, Spencer Haas or a niche pursuits Andy you'll probably find the experiment that he ran doing, building building traffic and content using AI. But, it wasn't he didn't really recommend AI. He told his story about actually using real human, man or woman power. To write articles and his exact strategy. It's like 8 steps to building a content website that ranks on Google. Andy Humphrey: And I thought this was relevant because websites cross all product categories. It doesn't really matter if you are a landscaper, if you are an irrigator, if you sell tennis gear online, if you are a doctor, if you are a lawyer, if you are an accountant, it it doesn't matter. Everybody needs a website. Everybody needs Everybody needs to rank. And so I thought that this would be very applicable for landscape and irrigation people, not just the contractors, but everyone in the industry, if if you wanna improve your website and you wanna learn a little bit more about SEO, that's what this episode is is all about today. Andy Humphrey: And so I recorded it just on my little DJI wireless mic, recorder. It's actually a lavalier mic. But it it worked decently well. And then I actually use some AI tools to clean it up a little bit and make it sound better for everybody. Andy I think that it does sound good. Andy Humphrey: It does not sound great, but it doesn't sound bad either. So I hope you enjoy this episode hearing from Spencer Haas about how he ranks number 1 in Google. I think my biggest takeaway is he does spend $200 to $250 per, let's just say, per episode, per article that he is writing Andy for the, experiment or the business that that he used in the experiment, he now makes anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000 per month in revenue generation coming from, you know, various traffic sources and affiliates and things. And so he spent 6 figures Okay? So 100 that over a $100,000, he spent writing, having the team write all of these articles. Andy Humphrey: So I think I'll end it here because I know his his talk is 45 minutes, and we're already moving up here to 7 or 8 minutes. So thank you so much for listening. If you have a moment, please share this episode with a friend, and this episode might be worth sharing if you have friends in other industries because they can learn a little bit more about SEO and how to rank number 1 on Google. So with that, we'll roll the intro and get right into the episode. If you are an irrigation professional, old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high end residential commercial or municipal properties, and you wanna use technology to improve your business to get a leg up on your competition even if you're an old school irrigator from the days of hydraulic systems, this show is for you. Spencer Haws: Alright. Thank you, everybody, for, letting me be the final speaker, I guess, of the day for, solar summit. I'm I'm really excited to be here. Like Tony said, this is actually my third, maybe 4th time, to be here at summer summit, so really excited to be back. So by rings of hands, how many people out there love this Google? Spencer Haws: By the new Andy? How many people hate Google? I have almost as Andy hands. She'll notice that I've raised my hand both times. Because it's very much a law paid relationship with Google. Spencer Haws: But today, I'm gonna be talking about a system for creating content at scales ranked number 1 in Google search. Now, just if I were if this presentation were to be a YouTube video. This is the thumbnail. I've been used. So you should be very excited to watch this because it's gonna be very good, very entertaining, just very exciting. Spencer Haws: I'm gonna share some of the results that I add to increase the traffic to my website from Google by fighting their media finder soon. But just to give you a little bit of background about who I am. Who's called, I am the founder, owner of Mitch pursuits.com. It's log. I started back in 2011 because I had just put my show from building niche websites. Spencer Haws: I had built previous to 2011 dozens dozens dozens of small niche websites that targeted very specific keywords that ranked in Google Andy I was able to make enough money from those niche websites that I was able to, with my job, I was making more money than, I was making Wells Fargo Bank the time of the background nowadays. And so ever since 2011, and I hone theintroduces.com, we're gonna blog about digital marketing, building into websites, affiliate marketing, Now probably YouTube channel, a podcast that have been running for, 10 years created a a few software products as well. Along the way, but I've always had sort of this, SEO focused content at that way forward. So I've been very involved in this world for a long time. So, I wanna take you guys back just a couple of years in my business, Andy maybe you can emphasize with me where I was. Spencer Haws: I had a lot going on in my business. So I got a blog that I had started called omniard.com as a niche website that I had started as a public case study. I had documented the entire process for my blog readers, for my audience. And so I was very involved in building that site Andy growing it Andy sharing the results of that case study. Andy as well, I owned I had actually acquired a summit with a partner, called mom.dotcom. Spencer Haws: So believe it or not, 2 dads owned a mom blog, and we Andy that for a number of years. So I was very involved in that, operation as well. Andy that since 2012, I'm on a blog called runnersold.com. I am a runner. I've done several verathons Andy, so I was involved in in that running that website, as well. Spencer Haws: And then, as I mentioned, I've started the number of software products. So I had a software product call table labs that I had created the idea that I picked programmers such as to own the sales and marketing for table labs. Andy, of course, why not start a second software product? So Link Whisver is another software product that I started a few years ago, was growing rapidly, and that was requiring a lot more and more of my time as well as sales were growing to that business. And then, of course, I've been running the niche pursuits podcast for over a decade now. Spencer Haws: I was doing all the interviews, the weekly episodes, and that required a lot of my time. As well. And so maybe as you think about some of this, maybe you guys have several things going on in your business as well and lots of different accounts. But, oh, yes. Also, I am a Ameriabot runner, so I'm gonna make free time, which I had tons of. Spencer Haws: I was training for a mirror on running lots of miles This is the main reason. The finish line at the Boston marathon last year, in April, of 2023. And, What you may notice in this picture is that I put on a few pounds since this picture. I stopped throwing after this marathon. I have lots of injuries. Spencer Haws: That's a law story, but I'm in a recovery mode for the last 12 months. So, oh, yes, I also have a fan out, married, about the 4 kids, 2 of which are moving away to college in September, studying to you. And so, you know, that requires lots of my time. And so one night I was laying all of this out to my wife. I was explaining, I have this business and this business and this business. Spencer Haws: I feel like I just don't have any time to focus on any single one of these businesses. Peggy, I'm all over the place on scatter. How can I figure out how to focus deepwater my business to truly scale what's important in my business? And I as I was laying there Andy visiting my wife, and sort of laid out on my 12 months and I asked her this question, I laid there Andy I was thinking, you know, waiting for her response, as I'd listen, all I hear is a quiet store. I took my one to sleep explaining all of my business problems. Spencer Haws: So my goal here today is to hopefully not put you to sleep. But to keep you awake, actually hopefully energized about your own business Andy maybe there's gonna be a few things here that I share that you can apply to your business to hopefully scale and grow your business. Okay. So I thought about how can I be part of my business? Again, this has gone back a couple of years, but here's what I did as I had sort of this crisis moment. Spencer Haws: Well, I sold Andy yarn.com, the mom blog that I have. Well, we sold that Table Labs, the software company that I've had, I sold that as well. Runner's goal, the blog that I've forever, I decided to outsource all the content and essentially let it sit. It wasn't integral to my business, so it became a hands off approach. Link whisper.com, I had a growth marketer in 2022, and he's been able to take a lot off of my plate to help grow that business. Spencer Haws: The niche pursuits podcast I hired a podcast post. Now originally, hey. I've been the voice of this podcast for 10 years. People are gonna stop listening to the podcast, certainly, if I stop, you know, hosting every episode. Well, the reality is is that the person I hired is better than an AM Andy people enjoyed the podcast even more. Spencer Haws: And so it was it was a good move, to remove my podcasts. Andy so finally, this left me with niche pursuits.com, the original blog that I had started when I quit my job in 2011. I finally felt like, hey, I've got some time where I could focus on this and try to scale it. So I tell you this whole story to get to the point of where I finally made this radical decision, made all these changes in my business, Andy I created this system to scale my content on enter pursuits.com Andy hopefully get all this sweet traffic from Google. And so, I'll take you over a period of about 12 months where I implemented a lot of these changes, and it's now been about 2 years So you can see a lot of results. Spencer Haws: So I don't know if you're gonna read this, traffic graph, but this is basically the history going back all the way to 2012 or 2013 here, on this chart, but you can see that my traffics and intro suits sort of fluctuated between about a 100,000 to 200,000 page views a month. Right? That's just kind of where it lived over the years. Going up and down. And I wanted to grow it much faster. Spencer Haws: I wanted to achieve much bigger heights. And so when I did start implementing some of these changes, you can see that in about mid 2022, here, you can start to see the traffic grow, quite rapidly. And as a heads up, the metrics on this graph are actually weekly. So I took my, traffic from about 100 to 200,000 a month to about 200,000 visitors a week. And so overall, my traffic increased before I was getting about 150 to 200,000 page views a month. Spencer Haws: Now my site is getting 700 to 800,000 page views a month. I did get an emailing of the page view a month mark. In 1 month, I had a ton of traffic coming from Google to scrap it 1 month, but, typically, it's looking sort of this this bandwidth, here. And if you okay. Before I jump into the tactics, which I promise I'm gonna get you, I have 7 steps of how you can implement these strategies, the sentiment, I thought it would be important to add sort of this quick note, this side note about Google. Spencer Haws: At the beginning, I had to reach her Andy this love hate relationship. Google, is like any platform with algorithms is always making changes. So how many of you out there heard of the Google helpful content updated? Okay. A good number of them. Spencer Haws: Right? This is a big update that came out in September of 2023. It hit a lot of independent bloggers really hard. A lot of people lost significant portions of their traffic, and it was suddenly devastating to a lot of these bloggers. My site wasn't hit, fortunately with that, but it is a big risk. Spencer Haws: There are these updates that come out. In March, there was the Google March for update that again was another big update that a lot of sort of independent smaller bloggers solar traffic decline. And there is new, technology. Right? We've got AI or Google is very much embracing AI. Spencer Haws: And so they got what's called a search generative experience. If you do a search on Google, you've probably seen that AI summarizes the answers at the top. Google is now calling it, AI overviews. They announced this on Andy, It's now called AI overviews, and it's rolling out to everyone within the United States, I guess, right now, this week, Andy so more for people who are going to start seeing these AI interviews, overuse. And so we don't have a full impact of that. Spencer Haws: Will that start sending less traffic to your website? Because now people can just get the answer with this AI, overview. I think that's a likely conclusion but, we don't doubt how many searches this will impact. Alright. So I say all of this to sort of make you well where of the platform risk, with any platform like Amazon, like Instagram, like TikTok, like YouTube, including Google, there is platform risks. Spencer Haws: So I wouldn't put all of your eggs in lawn basket, Google is one sort of error when you're quiver if you try to get traffic to your website. But if you are not, implementing any sort of SEO in your business, I definitely would recommend it. And if you wanna go down that path, this is the presentation for you. 7 Okay. So here's what I did to sort of 5x my traffic in a period of about the pipelines. Spencer Haws: So my first step was to clean up all the content. Now, even if you can't read this, this is essentially a screenshot of Google Analytics. Google Analytics provides a ton of information that you could jump into. You can look at all of your old blog posts Andy you can see how much traffic those are giving, whether it it might be category pages, pages, or it might be individual blog posts. And, in my case, I had lots of articles that had been been written years and years ago that was essentially getting no traffic. Spencer Haws: Andy so I started to clean all of this up. I would there there's a few keys that you wanna look at to decide, do I wanna remove this? Do I wanna update this, or do I wanna redirect it to a different blog post? If it has any links from external websites pointing to it, you probably want to keep it or redirect it. If it doesn't have any links, pointing to it, and it's not getting any traffic in my example, I looked for articles that were getting less than about 10 visitors a month. Spencer Haws: It had no links getting less than 10 visitors a month. I'm probably just deleting power. Just removing it from my website and moving on. Unless it was sentimental to me where I felt like I could really update this content and make it way better. But that is important for step 1 is to clean up your old content. Spencer Haws: Now look at all the website clients over ten years old, maybe move to a website that's a few years old. Along the way, you might have broken links as well. This is just a screenshot from a linguist Bert, which is my tool. You can use any tool to find, broken links to your website. You find those links that are giving four or four pages, and you can remove those or fix those very quickly. Spencer Haws: Either with Lakeless work or just manually do that, you wanna do that to show that, hey. Who will have an active website? I'm not sending people, to broken pages. So it's really important that you take this first step to go ahead and clean up your blog, clean up that all the content, that is on your website. Okay. Spencer Haws: Step 2 is that restructure your sites that you can optimize it for maximal success. Okay. So I over the years, I created, like, 2 dozen different categories on my website. And when I looked at that, I realized there was a lot of categories that weren't relevant anymore. And so, I went through Andy I actually deleted a lot of categories and changed the categories the individual blog posts were in. Spencer Haws: So I paired it down to about 10 or so categories that are now on my website. This just, again, it makes it a lot easier for Google to crawl on your website and kind of see what really is important And so, to have a more minimalist structure, is is a good idea. So if you have lots of pots or categories, on your website, look at how them might be able to reduce that number. And then again, I use the link whisper to look at the internal link structure of my website. This tells me which pages are orphaned pages. Spencer Haws: Don't have any internal links pointing to them. Which these, you know, have only 1 or 2 internal links Andy maybe be more, because, again, that is what Google is looking at that sort of the backbone of your own website is the internal links, the structure, of hyperlinks pointing to individual blog posts. Andy, again, there's lots of tools that you can use, but you need to be looking at the internal links and figuring out, okay, if I don't have any internal links pointing to this article, But Will is gonna have a hard time of finding this. I should probably build an internal land. To that page, the the Google will crawl it more often Andy might even rank it higher within search agents. Spencer Haws: This is one of the few types of links that you have a 100% control over is these internal links And, with Link Whisper here, you can get a full report of how many inbound internal links each of your articles has, and you can then go ahead and build those links. You can, add those individual links. Linkrow score will go out. It'll crawl your entire butt side. It will find the related links for you and actually build those up for you as well. Spencer Haws: There's other tools that do this, or you can do it manually, but the important part here is just to make sure you have this good internally structure of your website, and that's gonna really help you print out your site, overall. Now the other thing that I did because I had 100 Andy 100 of posts is I figured out where my content gaps were. So if you've written a couple of articles on one particular subject, you know, here I have sort of a drop shipping pillar Right? I've written a few articles about drop shipping, but to really become a topical authority, I realized, hey, I need to be writing other articles, more general topics, maybe. What is drop shipping? Spencer Haws: How to start a drop shipping business? AliExpress drop shipping? If I could show Google that I'm an expert in, a dozen different up these these keywords to have the total topical cluster together, that's gonna help each individual article rank better. And so, for me, it was a pretty manual process to basically just go through and and kind of use some keyword tools and think through Alright. What keywords am I missing? Spencer Haws: How can I show that, I am on top of an authority in this subject and to build out more content, for that particular topic? Okay. Step 3 is that, you want to create a professional looking website. Now as simple as this sounds it really is extremely important. 1, you wanna make it look professional, but 2, you wanna make it extremely fast. Spencer Haws: You want it to load quickly for visitors so they don't leave your websites, upgrade to ports code. And I will simply say that you should make it extremely mobile friendly, more and more traffic are using mobile devices. So if you do get a website redesign or if the only place that you're looking at your website is on your laptop, you should probably pull up your mobile phone and see how it actually looks and interacts because most likely, most people are using, their phones to actually navigate your website. So if you do meet our redesigned agent, extremely, mobile friendly. Okay. Spencer Haws: Step 4, and this is a big one. Standardized your publishing processes. So, this is just a screenshot from my SOP I don't expect you to be able to read everything on here. But if you go to introduceus.com/contents0p, You can get this for free. There is no email required. Spencer Haws: This is just you go to an immediate download if you go to this link. I don't need your email address or anything like that. But this will get you my spreadsheet. This will get you this will show my Trello board. This will get you it's it's a full pdf of my entire process. Spencer Haws: Basically that I'm used. But I have a lot of details, because I hired a lot of writers and editors, and you need to write out specific instructions for those writers for tone of voice, what type of content to include? Who's the target audience? A lot of these things that you need to initially tell your writers, your editors, what they need to be doing because otherwise they're gonna just kind of write whatever they feel like. And it might not be optimized for Google properly. Spencer Haws: So you need to have very specific, processes in place. So the way that I do it is I basically I have a spreadsheet. I hired, you know, over a dozen riders, this I'll, share here in a second because they did lose a lot of content. They have a spreadsheet that they go over to. I put all the keywords that I want them targeting, and then they go and they self assign they write their name down down next to the keyword that they want to write about. Spencer Haws: They start writing that article based on my standard operating procedures, and then they follow this trello board process where they basically write a helpline out when it gets approved, by an editor or myself, they move their trial card over, or they start writing that article, Andy then it moves over to the editor, then it moves over to a graphic designer to do any featured images. And then, and then the sort of final spot check by myself Andy, then it gets published Andy, tire, you know, process in place to make sure everyone is following the the same process. And then the final step, when we get published on every single article, we make sure that it has an internal link, at least one internally pointing to it. So multiple internal links would be great, but at least one. And then also every article that they write will make sure, hey, within that article, if you're leaking out to 1 or 2 other within our website. Spencer Haws: So that there's a process in place so that I'd be here down the road. We don't come back and look at our content and go, oh, we have a 100 blog posts Andy there's no internal links pointing to any of them. Now what are we gonna do? Well, if you set up the process from day 1, you don't have that big problem and that big job that you need to handle. Later down the road. Spencer Haws: Okay. Step 5 is to publish tons of content, So when I decided I wanted to go big, I thought, you know what? Let's not hold back. Let's really go big. Right? Spencer Haws: And so I actually did make a YouTube video on this, this really is my thumbnail, for that YouTube video if you wanna watch it, but you know, I tried publishing a 1000 blog posts in 12 months, and here's what happened. Right? And that sort of gave you the whole process that I set up. For that, but it was my goal in 2022 to publish a 1000 blog posts. I thought, you know what? Spencer Haws: Let's just go big. Andy if I'm getting traffic from Google already, what happens if I just scale this thing? Why not? Let's see what happens. And so just to give you an idea of how many articles a year I've been publishing, this goes back a few years. Spencer Haws: Right? I was publishing anywhere between 50 Andy 200 ish articles a year in 2021. It looks like it went really big and had, you know, 225, articles that year, so you can kinda understand Andy, how much content I had to publish you on the site? Well, in 2022, I didn't quite hit my 1000 blog post in a year, but you can see I significantly scaled, like, 4 x, what I had done, the previous year. I think I ended up at late I don't remember what it was. Spencer Haws: It was 878 articles or something like that. I fallen just short of my goal. But I'm happy to report that in 2023, I did more than a 1000 articles. We actually published 1325 articles in 2023. And so I was able to scale it even bigger. Spencer Haws: And so huge jump in the number of armored pulls that I published. And as I shared previously, the the results in traffic fall almost in lock status. I 4 or 5 x pipe article output, I 4 of Webex, my traffic, my blog. Right? And so I was able to do that. Spencer Haws: Again, had to hire, Oh, over the coming years, definitely a couple dozen writers, couple editors, an outside manager, an entire team that has followed this entire process. I didn't write more than maybe 5 of those blog posts myself. Right? These were all written by other people that I'm managing all this. This is not me writing, the articles just to be clear that in previous years up to 2021, I did write every single article on my block for over 10 years. Spencer Haws: Okay. So, maybe one of the big questions that you might have is well, what type of content should I publish on my blog? Now I'm gonna give you just two strategies here that, that can produce significant results. The way the the license that you need to get into is that Google is basically already telling you what type of content you should be publishing. Right? Spencer Haws: So this is a screenshot of, Google search console right? This is just an example. So you can go to your Google search console. You can see which pages are getting traffic, on your site, and then you can dial that in and see which keywords are actually bringing traffic to that page. And so I've just highlighted one of these keywords, Andy it's not become an Amazon product tester. Spencer Haws: I believe it's what it's called. Andy so the the page that the school search console is for is actually, the title of the article is not how it can come in Amazon product tester. I just happen to be ranking for that keyword. That's just one of the keywords each article in Google, if you didn't know, we'll opt to rank for a 1000 or more different keywords variations. Right? Spencer Haws: And so this is a variation that it was ranking for, and it wasn't perfectly aligned with the topic of the actual art. And so Google is sort of telling me, hey, you kind of have some authority for this out of becoming an Amazon product. Sister. And we're sending traffic to this other article, but if you wrote an article called how to become an Amazon product tester, I bet you'd rank number 1. And so that's what I did is wrote an article titled how to become an Amazon public tester. Spencer Haws: I ranked number 1, and I now get traffic for that. How did I find that keyword? Well, the Google told me, right? So use your Google search console. You have thousands of keywords in there that you're already ranking for, that I bet a lot of them are not specific to the article that you've already written. Spencer Haws: I hope that makes sense, because it is a very powerful strategy that I use a lot, the other, way that you could look at this is sort of finding keyword veins. Right? And again, it's essentially Google telling you paid you should write more content about this subject. So this is just a screenshot of, Google Analytics, and I just highlighted some keywords all related to basically chatgbt Andy AI, content production. I have tested out a few of these types of content, like Hey. Spencer Haws: I've been writing articles with chatty PT, etcetera. And I started breaking and getting traffic for that. And so my could have stopped there said, I wrote 2 or 3 articles about, you know, producing content with Chat GBT, but, no, I scaled them and said, hey, there's, like, dozens dozens of variations and related keywords, right, all related to Chat GT or using AI. That became a full new sort of vein of keywords. Goo again, Google was telling me, hey, you kinda rank for this subject you should write dozens more keywords about this subject. Spencer Haws: So, as simple as that sounds, most people don't do that. They write 1 or 2 keywords and then they move on. If you are getting a little bit of traction in Google, double down on that. If it's working, doubled down on it. Almost guaranteed to get non traffic from Google because they're signaling to you, Hey, we like what you're doing there to more of it. Spencer Haws: Okay? So that's just 2 keyword strategies, that I used a lot of. Okay. Step number 6 here is, to update content regularly. When you have thousands of articles on your website, This becomes even more and more important. Spencer Haws: Content decay is a thing. Information within your blog posts get outdated. They need to be updated to make sure they're current Andy Google loves freshness. So, Google loves to see things that have been recently published, Andy one way to do that is even if you wrote the article 2 or 3 years ago, is to make a few updates at a new paragraph, make sure everything's current, Andy when you republish that or hit update, Google sees that, it gets a little bit of boost in within rankings. Right? Spencer Haws: And so this is just Again, my spreadsheet, just to say that I'm very specific about the process that we use, we talk where it's ranking in Google before we do any updates, what keywords it's ranking for. We go through. We make updates. We use tools like market views or surfer SEO. These are tools that are specifically designed to help you update your content. Spencer Haws: They tell you keyword opportunities that maybe you're missing, within your your article, sub keywords, secondary keywords that you can add to your content. So we go through, we do that, and then we hit we hit update Andy publish that content in your document. That entire process here. And so, those are a couple of tools that you can check out if you want, artwork use, server SEO. There are others. Spencer Haws: And then Of course, after we publish every single article we drill through, we do an internal link sort of audit. We look at that. Say, hey, does this be new internally since we published it a couple of years ago? Should we actually remove some internal links that are relevant? I use linguist for, of course, to do that. Spencer Haws: It makes it really fast, really easy to add. Those new internal links to old content that you published previously. Okay. Step 7 is to optimize your site to make more money. That's the bottom line. Spencer Haws: Wanna make more money from the website. And so I went through, I added a lot called the action boxes whether it's in the sidebar or little slide ins, if it's mobile, we want to show that, hey. If you're reading an article about the script, here's a a link or an offer, or here's a way that you can go find rapidly easy. Now if you have your own e commerce store, of course, figure out ways to have those those buy buttons make it really easy for people to go and start that checkout process so they can buy the product. This is a big deal. Spencer Haws: It's really increased the revenue of my business, by adding a lot of these specific buttons. Call the actions, making a lot easier for people to buy. Now the business model for namespursuits.com it isn't all just affiliate links. Right? I want people to get on my, email newsletter. Spencer Haws: And so at it, different landing pages, different ways that people could sign up for the email newsletter because I've gone from, you know, a 100 to 200000 pages a month to much, much more, And so for something a lot more people are now joining my email list because I'm making a lot easier Andy wants to put it on my email list, they can either buy my products or I refer them to to other places. I could show that audience once they're among, the email list. And so, one way that I make money, you know, from my website is they get on my email list. I hope they get all when they buy link whisper. My software tool, that I have, and, that site my business has done very well, but it all sort of started with all of this additional organic search from Google and getting a lot more eye draws to every single month, it makes it a lot more easy for me to sell Haimler products. Spencer Haws: Okay. And then here's just a screenshot because Way traffic had increased so much in the beginning of 2020 3. I had never had display ads on my website ever, but I was kinda like, well, I'm just kinda getting a lot of chat. Maybe I should just put some ads on my website. And this screenshot for mediavine, shows that I can't even quite read the numbers myself, but it's making, you know, 25 to 30000 a month. Spencer Haws: Now just in display ad revenue. And so all of this traffic, is essentially all paid for Andy then some just with display ad revenue. Right? And so that's paying for my entire content budget. My entire team to run all of this thing. Spencer Haws: And then everything else I make on top of that with my email list, with Link Whisper, Joe, any other products that I sell, That's all pure grainy. It's all pure profit, essentially. Right? So just understanding the power of what additional traffic can do, whether it's coming from Google or other places, it could be really, really big about forwarding business. And then, oh, yes. Spencer Haws: I do have a Shopify app, for Link Whisper. If anybody is interested in that, that's, you know, that's just another router to stream on top of everything else that I should do. But that is pretty much it. Thank you all so much for letting me go through my process, for scouting my content. I have a time for questions.

Andy Humphrey: Hey, what's up, my friends? Welcome back to another episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey. Today, I'm going to share with you—how do I describe this? Andy Humphrey: A question that came into Sprinkler Supply Store for me that turns out to be, I think, some really relevant content to discuss with you guys. And I think probably most of you could relate to this question that the homeowner has. And, I wanted to tie this together in a couple of ways. Number 1, we're having a lot of success, and we have had a lot of success with software on our e-commerce site called LeadFerno. L-E-A-D F-E-R-N-O, LeadFerno, and LeadFerno is a texting tool that acts like web chat. Andy Humphrey: And so what happens is there's a little pop-up, which obviously can be annoying at times, that, on the website, to reach us, to reach customer service, but instead of chatting there, it redirects through the phone so you can use your phone and the text message feature or messenger to communicate with us. And personally, I wish more sites used this because I would say half the time when I'm on some other website using the chat feature, you know, I'm waiting for someone, let's say, for the chat to get back to me. So I have another tab open, and I don't have my volume up. And then I get distracted, and then 30 minutes go by. Andy Humphrey: And I think, oh, shoot. I had a live chat going. I forgot about it. I go back to the tab. And then the chat has ended because I didn't respond, and it just seems like web chat is good if the other person is right there and they're chatting with you quickly. But that's not always the case. Andy Humphrey: Sometimes the chat agents have to go and look something up or tell you to hold, and sometimes you have to leave your desk. You just can't sit there on chat. And so what we have found is that by using the phone as the texting tool, which it's very good at, then people can text wherever they are. You know what? If you gotta get up and get in your car and drive somewhere else, we can still text with you because you have your text device in your pocket instead of having to sit at your computer. Andy Humphrey: It's been a great way for people to send us pictures. "Hey, I need a replacement diaphragm for this valve. I don't know what valve this is. Okay, great. Send us a picture." And so LeadFerno has been an amazing tool for communicating with our customers because it doesn't require them to be locked to their computer screen. They can text through their phone. They can also save the number and text us any time. Andy Humphrey: And if you'd like to try this, go to sprinklersupplystore.com. It'll pop right up, send us a message, and that will come into our text service, which you can either manage through a web browser, or you can put the app right on your phone. Then you can text back and forth with your customer. And I think that there are probably some parallels that if you have, you could be a solo entrepreneur in the irrigation industry, and maybe that would work. But there might be some parallels for capturing leads through the website and getting back to people quickly, via LeadFerno. So check it out and, you know, give it a try. Andy Humphrey: This is not sponsored by LeadFerno. I just thought I would share because the topic for today, which is the question that this homeowner from Houston had—the inquiry came in through LeadFerno. So that's how we actually captured this. And I just thought that it would be a pretty fun way for me, specifically not to have to dream up new content to share with you. So this is a real customer inquiry that I'm going to read to you right now. Andy Humphrey: Actually, what I'm going to do is have an AI voice read this out loud so that it doesn't sound like me, and then we can talk about the response. So I'm going to roll the intro here, and then we'll get right into this question coming in from Roger in Houston. If you're old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high-end residential, commercial, or municipal properties, and you want to use technology to improve your business to get a leg up on your competition, even if you're an old school irrigator from the days of high-olive systems, this show is for you. Roger: Hey, Andy. This is Roger from Houston. Thanks for maintaining such a helpful website for homeowners with sprinkler systems. For 26 years, we've enjoyed excellent water pressure due to our location downhill from the city's water supply. Unfortunately, this year, the pressure decreased unexpectedly, before being restored to around 80 PSI. Roger: This was sufficient to operate our sprinkler systems effectively. However, the city had to reduce the water flow to 60 PSI at the request of a few residents who are experiencing excessive pressure. This adjustment has rendered our sprinkler system, as well as my neighbors', nearly useless. This situation was confirmed by two independent sprinkler experts. Roger: From what I understand, the city is considering the installation of irrigation booster pumps to address the issue. If excessive water pressure continues to be a problem, residents might be able to adjust their pressure-reducing valves, PRVs, to suit their needs, allowing the city to maintain an 80 PSI flow through the main pipes. Also, Andy, you mentioned you're available via text, email, and phone calls. I'd appreciate a chance to discuss this more at your convenience if you're still offering consultations. Our property has 7 irrigation zones, though currently, we're only using 4. Roger: As I mentioned, for over 2 decades, we've had reliable water pressure ranging from 80 to 100 PSI. Thanks to our favorable location. My home and sprinkler system each have their own PRV set to 80 PSI. Furthermore, I received a voicemail from a city supervisor who, like others, seems unaware of the underlying issues with our water system. Despite longstanding high water pressure, recent adjustments have significantly lowered it to 60 PSI, which is insufficient for our needs. Our systems are becoming ineffective due to these changes, not due to any alterations in the city's water pressure policy. Roger: But because of how the valves are being managed. Additionally, I spoke with Ashley at Waterworks, expressing my concerns that Ken, a supervisor, might not be fully aware of the situation here. Unlike two other colleagues who have been with the city for 35 years, after enjoying stable water pressure for so long, it's frustrating to face these sudden changes. I appreciate any thoughts you might have. Andy Humphrey: Okay. So if that wasn't clear, I would just say hit the back button, you know, go back, hit 30 seconds, backtrack, go back and play it again. But essentially, Roger appreciated our website. He'd watched a bunch of YouTube videos I'd made, I think he had watched one, specifically on pressure. And so he's encountering a situation in his neighborhood, and he's been, as you said, in his neighborhood for 26 years. Andy Humphrey: He's always had awesome pressure. And apparently, the city lowered the pressure, and he can't get a clear answer. But this brings up a really interesting point about pressure because it's not always the same. Andy, I'm not sure—you could correct me if I'm wrong—if this might be the case in your area of the country. I don't think cities guarantee a minimum pressure rating either. Andy Humphrey: So I don't think you can get something from the city that says, "We guarantee 65 PSI to your house." I don't think that exists. And, you know, the system's twenty-six years old. If it used to run great at a higher pressure, my first thought is that it was likely designed for that higher pressure, which is another great conversation piece because I think it would be very important to document the specification of your design. In other words, remind the homeowner that you, or the commercial client, that you are designing the system to operate at 60 PSI downstream of the backflow at 15 gallons a minute. For example, put that in your contract if that is what you're designing the system for so that if the performance of the system becomes questionable at some point in the future, and it turns out that it is because of pressure, and to diagnose this, you've tested the pressure, and it's 45. Downstream of the backflow, then you can reference your original signed contract. It states you designed the irrigation system at 65 PSI, downstream of the backflow preventer, and it is now not at 65. Andy Humphrey: So this is not this is not caused by you. It may still be, you know, air quotes here, "Your problem," but it doesn't mean that your system is now not performing; it means the pressure is not the same as it was when you designed the system. So I think that, you know, as we start to talk a little bit more about pressure, it's important to document some of these things and then see a real-world example here coming from Houston where the city pressure is not what it was. Andy Humphrey: Apparently, it was because a couple of homeowners complained that their pressure was too high, so they lowered it for everyone, which, again, I haven't—I have no way to prove this or not. I would think it would be easier for those couple of homes just to put in a PRV. Instead of lowering it for everyone and then requiring those who need more pressure to put in a booster pump. But again, it could be. If you recall a couple of episodes ago, when I was talking with Paul Bassett, he mentioned that sometimes aging infrastructure, in cities or cities with aging infrastructure may decide to lower the pressure a bit to try to preserve the integrity of their utilities. Andy Humphrey: And if this house is twenty-six years old, obviously, it's not new. It could have been new 26 years ago, but we don't know this. It may be aging infrastructure. So perhaps, again, don't know this to be true. Perhaps the city has elected to lower the operating pressure of their mains to preserve the integrity of their piping structure. Andy Humphrey: And that's why this is occurring. So another thought would be, and maybe you guys do this that just comes to mind, that let's say, for instance, the operating pressure that you have estimated to be downstream of the backflow preventer is 55. Might it be a good idea to design the system at 45 PSI so that you're leaving some room for it to go down? Or if the pressure downstream of the backflow is 70, maybe design the system with 50 PSI. That way, there's room for the pressure to drop over time versus designing the system for the exact amount of pressure that is available and or the exact amount of flow, maybe it would make sense to leave a little bit of room. Andy Humphrey: Again, you could document this pressure. So if it was 70 and you said you designed the system at 50, then you've left some room for the city to drop the pressure over time or other instances where the pressure may not be what it was when you designed the system. So that was the other piece that caught my mind for new installs. Maybe it would be a worthy idea to be conservative with your designs and not design to the maximum of the pipe size and or the pressure, but allow some room for it to drop. And there's probably a bunch of you guys listening to this. Andy Humphrey: Yeah. That's what we do. Okay, Andy. We got that. We do that anyway. Andy Humphrey: So congrats if that is you. And if not, maybe just something to consider. And yeah. So just, you know, my thoughts here on pressure, and I like this because this is a real-world example. I didn't make this up. Andy Humphrey: All I did was run it through some AI so that it could read it aloud and not be in my voice, but be in the voice of Roger from Houston. And I would love to know how you approach situations like this and how well, if at all, you document pressure on your irrigation systems. Was talking with Denny, customer service manager here this morning when we were reviewing this inquiry that came in. And I thought, man, maybe it would be a good idea when you're doing spring startups to, you know, put a pressure gauge on the system, document the static pressure on the site, commercial or residential, while you're doing your spring startup, make a note of it, so that if anything were to start occurring later on in the season, you know what your pressure was at the time you started up the system and you can use it as a reference point. So again, I don't know how many of you are doing it. Andy Humphrey: If you are, fantastic. If not, give it some consideration. That, it may be a good idea not only to record the static pressure at the time of installation but also the time of spring startup and perhaps the time if you take over maintenance on a system. If you've just taken over maintenance and it's a ten-year-old irrigation system, you know, you might decide to check the vitals and document the vitals, maybe write them down and take a picture. I'd probably say take a picture of that pressure gauge, on the backflow or on the hose bib. Andy Humphrey: So you've got more clear documentation should something arise. Yeah, I guess those are my thoughts, guys. If you have anything else you would like to add, feel free to send me a text message. As always, love chatting with you guys, and I don't think I shouted out to you before, Isaac, but appreciate you reaching out recently. Good luck down there in Florida. Andy Humphrey: And if anybody wants to say hello, my cell phone number is area code 208-908-3229, that does not go into LeadFerno. That actually comes into me directly. So if you text that number, you get me. And I always love hearing from you guys. And if there's anything you wanna add about pressure, how you use it, how you document it, what you do if a system that you either installed or maintained has a pressure problem. Andy Humphrey: What do you do first? What do you do second? How do you describe the situation to the client? So, again, thank you for listening. Please share this podcast with a friend or colleague or landscaper or landscape architect, irrigation designer. That would mean a lot to me, and hope you guys have a great weekend. Andy Humphrey: Thanks so much, and we'll see you next week on another episode.

In this episode, AI Andy Humphrey explains the concept of Hydropixels and their application in turf grass challenges. He shares insights on their implementation in Central Park, scaling up in major US cities, and the growth of Hydropixel solutions. The discussion also covers overcoming implementation challenges, the environmental impact, and the future of Hydropixels. It concludes with the importance of a future-focused mindset in business.

Quench Soil Moisture Sensor: https://quenchplant.com/   ==========   The Championship Turf: A Tale of Precision and Care   In the bustling town of Riverview, where sports were the heartbeat of the community, there lay a sprawling athletic sports complex known as Champions Field. This complex wasn't just any sports venue; it boasted some of the most meticulously maintained turfgrass that athletes had ever competed on. The secret to their pristine fields lay in the hands of two sophisticated tools: Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor.   Wesley was perched atop a tall post, overlooking the fields with a vigilant eye. His primary task was to monitor the environmental conditions—specifically evapotranspiration rates that influence how much water the turf lost to the atmosphere. With a plethora of sensors and a sophisticated algorithm, Wesley could predict water needs for days ahead, ensuring that the groundskeepers were always one step ahead of the weather.   Nestled beneath the surface of the lush green turf was Sam, who kept a low profile but played an equally crucial role. Sam's world was the root zone of the turfgrass, where he continuously monitored the moisture levels. His precise readings were vital, especially right before big games, to ensure that the turf was neither too dry—risking injury to players and damage to the grass—nor too wet, which could lead to slips and poor playing conditions.   The harmony between Wesley and Sam was critical, especially during the sports season. Wesley's data helped plan the watering schedules, but it was Sam's real-time readings that often dictated immediate actions. For instance, on a day leading up to an important football match, Wesley might suggest a lighter irrigation based on a cool, cloudy forecast. However, if Sam detected that the soil moisture was lower than ideal, the irrigation system could be adjusted to deliver just the right amount of water, ensuring the turf was in optimal condition when game day arrived.   The groundskeepers at Champions Field relied heavily on the data from both tools. They had a central command center where Wesley’s forecasts and Sam’s readings were displayed on big screens, allowing for quick decisions. This setup not only conserved water but also ensured that the turfgrass was always game-ready, providing a safe and competitive environment for athletes.   Throughout the seasons, Champions Field hosted numerous events, from soccer tournaments to track meets. Athletes often remarked on the exceptional quality of the turf, noting how it enhanced their performance and reduced injury risks. This reputation made Riverview a preferred venue for major sporting events, drawing teams and fans from across the region.   One memorable event was the national college soccer championship, held on a particularly hot and dry weekend. Thanks to Wesley’s accurate weather predictions and Sam’s diligent moisture tracking, the groundskeepers were able to implement a tailored watering program that maintained the turf's resilience and vibrancy throughout the event. The championship went off without a hitch, with players and coaches praising the excellent condition of the field.   Through the story of Champions Field, we see how tools, when used in their ideal applications, can achieve results that not only meet but exceed expectations. Just as in any field, be it agriculture or athletics, the right technological tools—like Wesley and Sam—can make all the difference, turning a regular turf into a championship-grade playing field.   Chapter Two: The Power of 'And' at Champions Field As the seasons changed and Champions Field continued to flourish, the complex became a beacon of innovation and teamwork, not just in sports but also in the way it was maintained. The success of the field was often attributed to the harmonious use of both Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor. This collaboration illustrated the powerful concept of "And," where the integration of multiple tools led to outcomes far superior than any single tool could achieve alone.   The "And" philosophy at Champions Field became particularly evident during an exceptionally challenging season. The weather was erratic—unpredictable bursts of rain followed by prolonged dry spells. The old approach of relying solely on predictable patterns was insufficient under these conditions. It was during this time that the groundskeeping team, led by veteran manager Tom Harrison, decided to fully embrace the "And" philosophy—not choosing between Wesley or Sam, but aligning their strengths to tackle the challenges ahead.   Tom organized a series of strategic meetings where data from both Wesley and Sam were analyzed in tandem. Wesley provided the broader climatic trends, which included not just predictions of rain or sunshine but also detailed reports on humidity, wind, and solar radiation—all of which affected the turf's evapotranspiration rates. Meanwhile, Sam offered a granular view of the soil’s current state, providing data that was critical for making immediate adjustments.   This dual approach allowed the team to create a dynamic irrigation schedule that adapted to both the predicted conditions and the real-time needs of the turf. When Wesley indicated a week of high sun exposure and low rainfall, the team planned increased irrigation to compensate. However, if Sam reported adequate moisture levels in the soil before these adjustments were made, the watering could be scaled back, conserving water while still maintaining perfect playing conditions.   The power of "And" was not just about using both tools but understanding how their inputs complemented each other to create a holistic management strategy. This strategy was put to the test during the high-stakes regional athletics championship. Just days before the event, an unexpected heatwave hit Riverview, putting potential stress on the turf and the athletes.   Thanks to the combined insights from Wesley and Sam, the groundskeeping team implemented a preemptive cooling protocol for the turf. They adjusted the irrigation times to early mornings and late evenings, reducing evaporation and maximizing water absorption. Wesley’s forecasts ensured that the water was applied just before the coolest parts of the day, while Sam's moisture tracking confirmed that the soil retained optimal moisture levels throughout the event.   The championship was a resounding success, with record-breaking performances and minimal disruptions. Coaches and athletes praised the condition of the turf, noting how it remained resilient and supportive despite the heatwave. The success underlined a crucial lesson for the team at Champions Field: the best results come from not having to choose between one valuable resource or another but from leveraging every available tool in concert.   The story of Champions Field is a testament to the idea that embracing the concept of "And" can lead to exceptional outcomes in any field. By moving beyond binary choices and fostering an environment where multiple solutions coexist and complement each other, any team can achieve more than what seems possible—creating a winning strategy on and off the field.   Epilogue: Embracing 'And' in Life and Business As the tale of Champions Field illustrates, the synergy between Wesley the WeatherStation and Sam the Soil Moisture Sensor was not just a story about maintaining turf. It is a powerful metaphor for decision-making in business and in daily life. Often, we find ourselves facing choices that seem to demand one solution over another. However, the concept of "And" encourages us to hold two seemingly conflicting thoughts or strategies simultaneously, exploring the strengths and potential of each.   In the professional sphere, this might mean balancing cost efficiency with quality, or innovation with reliability. In personal decisions, it might look like weighing immediate pleasures against long-term benefits. The challenge lies in not defaulting to an easier either/or mindset but embracing the complexity and richness of "And."   The dual approach at Champions Field taught the team to adapt and thrive in changing conditions by integrating diverse data and strategies. Similarly, in business and life, combining different viewpoints and solutions can lead to more robust and flexible strategies. This doesn't mean compromising between two points but rather synthesizing them in a way that leverages the best of both worlds.   For instance, consider the entrepreneur who must choose between investing in growth or solidifying the current operations. By applying the "And" philosophy, they might find a strategy that allows for gradual expansion while strengthening existing processes, thus securing stability as they grow.   In our daily lives, embracing "And" might mean learning to balance work and personal life, not by sacrificing one for the other, but by finding ways to enrich both. It could mean engaging in healthy debate with friends or colleagues—valuing their different perspectives as much as your own, leading to deeper understanding and more innovative solutions.   This approach is not without its challenges. Holding two opposing ideas in mind and giving them equal consideration is an exercise in mental flexibility and openness. It requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to venture into the complex space where innovative solutions live. Yet, the rewards can be significant, leading to outcomes that might never be reached through more conventional either/or thinking.   As you navigate the complexities of your professional and personal life, consider the lessons from Champions Field. Embrace the power of "And," allowing yourself to see beyond binary choices. Explore the potential that lies in the harmony of combining different tools, thoughts, or viewpoints. This might be challenging, but it is precisely in these challenges that the greatest opportunities for success and fulfillment are found.

This episode is brought to you by, PHISH, and the letter 'S'.  'S' is for SPLIT. Split Open and Melt.

In this insightful episode, Andy and Paul reflect on their recent project, delving into the complexities and vital importance of pressure in irrigation systems, especially pertaining to a vast green rooftop. While the specifics of their project remain confidential, the co-hosts openly discuss the general scope, centered around the deployment of wireless sensors for data analytics, enabling the client to monitor conditions of the landscape more accurately. They outline the project's challenges, from the discovery of low water pressure on the rooftop to the absence of water meters and pressure gauges, illuminating how their technology provides the client with crucial insights previously obscured. Emphasizing the critical role of monitoring, they illustrate how their wireless sensors and dashboard platform reveal the "vital signs" of water infrastructure, much like a medical check-up reveals the health of a human body. Paul and Andy share anecdotes from their fieldwork, where they identified a significant leak due to a mainline break, likely caused by inadequate winterization. The revelation of this break underscored the hidden nature of water problems and the need for meticulous observation and the right tools to diagnose and manage such issues effectively. The episode pivots to a discussion about data collection, particularly the innovative use of wireless technology. They replaced a failing wired system with a more robust wireless one, including soil moisture sensors and water meters with both analog and digital capabilities. This transition from wired to wireless signifies a substantial improvement in monitoring and managing the system, with the potential for real-time insights and rapid problem detection. Throughout the podcast, the hosts compare an irrigation system's vital signs to human vital signs, with pressure transducers acting like a blood pressure monitor, providing real-time feedback on system health. They argue that knowing the pressure in an irrigation system is paramount, even more crucial than flow rates in some cases, as it can instantly signal issues such as leaks or system malfunctions. A central theme is the emphasis on the importance of starting diagnostics at the water source rather than the controller and the need for constant pressure monitoring to ensure system integrity. This approach could potentially transform maintenance routines and system diagnostics in the industry. Key takeaways and insights include: The "vital signs" of irrigation systems, akin to those in medical practice, are crucial for diagnosis and management.The conversion from wired to wireless systems represents a significant step forward in monitoring capabilities.Real-time pressure monitoring can reveal issues that flow monitoring might not, highlighting the need for comprehensive diagnostic tools.The hidden nature of water systems necessitates the adoption of visual and digital tools for accurate assessment. Andy and Paul's dialogue underscores their commitment to innovation and their continual learning process, as they seek to enhance their understanding and management of irrigation systems. Their hope is to develop tools that will become industry standards, ensuring that businesses can effectively manage their water systems. As the episode concludes, the sense of partnership and mutual respect between the two is palpable, as they look forward to their next project with anticipation. Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of irrigation systems and the evolving technologies that monitor and manage them. Key Points: The importance of pressure in monitoring irrigation and plumbing systems.Discovery of a significant leak due to a mainline break on the project's large green rooftop.Transition from a problematic wired system to an innovative wireless one.The utility of wireless soil moisture sensors and dual water meters for both analog and digital monitoring.Comparison of irrigation system diagnostics to checking human vital signs, emphasizing the crucial role of pressure transducers.Importance of starting system diagnostics at the water source for accurate assessment and management.The discovery that booster pumps were cycling without effectively raising the pressure, affecting rooftop irrigation performance.The podcast's emphasis on continuous innovation and the application of new diagnostic tools to improve industry standards.

In this episode, Andy, delves into the nuanced debate of context versus control within the realm of management, particularly focusing on the irrigation industry. This concept, inspired by an episode of the Tim Ferriss show featuring Reed Hastings, co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, challenges traditional management styles by advocating for a more empowered approach to leadership. Through Reed Hastings' insights and his own reflections, Andy explores how setting clear contexts rather than imposing strict controls can lead to more innovative and motivated teams. Highlights Inspiration from Reed Hastings: The idea of context vs. control was sparked by Reed Hastings' discussion on the Tim Ferriss show, emphasizing creative management styles over conventional, control-based approaches.Definition of Context vs. Control: Control is described as a rigid, micromanagement style, whereas context provides goals and empowers employees to achieve them in their own way.Impact on the Irrigation Industry: Andy applies these concepts to the irrigation industry, suggesting that understanding the 'why' behind actions can lead to more engaged and self-sufficient teams.Reed Hastings' Metaphor: The comparison of industrial and creative companies illustrates how context-driven management can lead to innovation and unique customer experiences.Management Philosophy: Andy expresses his preference for a management style that sets a clear context, allowing for autonomy and self-guided decision-making within teams. Key Takeaways Setting the context in management involves clearly defining the goals and the 'why' behind tasks, and empowering team members to make decisions that align with company objectives.Context-driven management can foster a culture of innovation and flexibility, particularly beneficial in creative or service-oriented industries.Understanding and implementing the context vs. control management style can enhance team motivation, satisfaction, and overall performance.

In the episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy Humphrey and his guest, Paul, embark on a detailed discussion about the technical aspects of irrigation systems, specifically focusing on the importance of flow and pressure monitoring. Andy begins by recounting his observations of inefficient sprinkler systems at a resort, noting that a vast majority are functioning poorly. He suggests that the resort's irrigation system is so ineffective that it might as well not be in operation. This real-world issue leads him to reflect on the broader implications for the irrigation industry, particularly the innovations in flow and pressure monitoring technologies. To dive deeper into the topic, Andy introduces a thought experiment based on the game "Would You Rather?" The game is simple: one person poses a dilemma in the form of a question starting with "would you rather," and the other person chooses one of the options. Andy uses this format to pose a significant question to Paul: Given a choice between flow monitoring and pressure monitoring for a commercial irrigation system, which one would you choose? Paul acknowledges the complexity of the question. Traditionally, the industry relied heavily on flow monitoring, with pressure monitoring being a more recent development. He expresses a preference for both but understands that the question demands a choice. The conversation shifts to an in-depth analysis of the two monitoring methods. Flow monitoring is essential for understanding water usage and identifying leaks through abnormal flow patterns. It is a vital tool for water conservation and efficient system management. On the other hand, pressure monitoring provides diagnostic insights that are not immediately apparent through flow data alone. For instance, pressure fluctuations can indicate issues with the municipal water supply that could affect irrigation system performance. Andy and Paul discuss the scenarios where one type of monitoring may be more advantageous than the other. For example, Paul shares an anecdote about a situation in Washington, D.C., where several irrigation systems under his management experienced a drop in performance due to a reduction in municipal water pressure. This incident underscores the value of pressure monitoring, as it can provide early warnings about changes in water supply that are beyond the control of the irrigation system manager. The discussion delves into the practicalities of managing large-scale irrigation systems. They examine how continuous logging of pressure data can provide insights that intermittent readings cannot. Paul points out that as municipal water systems age, providers often reduce water pressure to extend the lifespan of the infrastructure, impacting irrigation systems connected to the municipal supply. This practice, while beneficial to the municipal system, can have unintended consequences for irrigation, making pressure monitoring an invaluable tool for understanding and adapting to these external changes. As they further explore the nuances of flow and pressure data, Andy and Paul consider the implications of having one without the other. They agree that while flow sensors are crucial for accounting for water usage, pressure sensors offer a more sensitive diagnostic tool that can help explain why certain anomalies in water usage may occur. Andy then offers a perspective that connects the physical observations of an irrigation system to the data provided by sensors. Walking around the resort, he notices visible signs of system failure, such as broken infrastructure and poorly performing sprinkler zones. He posits that either a flow sensor or a pressure sensor could indicate such problems, but each does so in a different way. A flow sensor could detect a broken pipe through abnormal water usage, while a pressure sensor could indicate a drop in performance due to pressure changes. As they wrap up their discussion, both Andy and Paul lean towards the importance of pressure monitoring when forced to choose. They liken pressure sensors to a doctor checking blood pressure—a critical first step in diagnosing a patient's health. They explore the idea that while flow is a measurement of consumption, pressure provides a more immediate reflection of system health. Paul highlights that from a management standpoint, pressure data is more actionable, especially when monitoring remotely. He also notes that installing pressure sensors can be simpler and less intrusive than installing flow sensors, which often require cutting into the mainline. This ease of installation makes pressure sensors a more attractive option for quickly and cost-effectively assessing system performance. In conclusion, Andy and Paul's conversation in the "Sprinkler Nerd Show" episode brings to light the strategic importance of choosing the right monitoring tools for irrigation systems. They discuss the trade-offs between flow and pressure monitoring and conclude that while both are essential, pressure monitoring may offer a slight edge in terms of diagnostics and system management, particularly when faced with the constraints of municipal water supplies and the need for remote system oversight. Their dialogue is a testament to the evolving technological landscape of irrigation and the need for professionals in the field to adapt and make informed decisions about the tools they use to manage water resources effectively.

In the latest episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy shares his insights on the importance of being unconventional in the irrigation and landscape industry. Below are key thoughts highlighted from the discussion: Embrace Unconventionality: Humphrey emphasizes the need for businesses to stand out by being the "orange in the apple bin," advocating for a distinct approach to conventional industry practices. Question the Status Quo: He encourages listeners to think differently by asking unique questions to clients, proposing innovative solutions, and redefining the customer interaction experience to set themselves apart from competitors. Redefine Industry Standards: By adopting unconventional methods, such as integrating advanced technologies like soil moisture sensors, businesses can lead the market and force competitors to follow their innovative practices. Zig When Others Zag: Humphrey highlights the advantage of going against the grain, suggesting that by choosing less traveled paths, businesses can find shorter lines to success, symbolizing less competition and a more distinct market position. Challenge Perceived Limitations: He inspires businesses to question why certain practices are avoided in the industry and to explore these areas as potential opportunities for innovation and differentiation. Change the Game: Humphrey posits that by being unconventional, businesses can not only set new trends but also change the rules of the game, compelling even large competitors to adapt to these new standards. Seek Opportunities for Innovation: The discussion suggests looking for what is missing in current offerings and exploring unconventional solutions that could potentially change the future of the industry. Encourage a Mindset of Exploration: By sharing his upcoming vacation plans and the prospect of unconventional thoughts it might inspire, Humphrey models the behavior of seeking inspiration from outside the industry to bring fresh ideas to one's business. Value of Continuous Learning: Ending on the note of appreciating his audience for seeking knowledge through podcasts, Humphrey underscores the importance of continuous learning and staying open to new ideas as a way to achieve unconventional success. This summary captures Andy Humphrey’s message of leveraging unconventional thinking as a strategic tool for differentiation and leadership in the irrigation and landscape industry, encouraging businesses to innovate and redefine industry standards.

In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey shares his experiences and insights from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he visits OpConnect and spends quality time with his son at the University of Utah. He looks forward to enjoying St. Paddy's Day weekend activities, including drinking green beer and skiing. Amidst his travels, Andy seizes the opportunity to engage in a thoughtful discussion on the topic of soil moisture sensing technology, its applications, and the broader implications of experimenting in life and business. Andy underscores the podcast's mission to assist irrigation professionals, regardless of their experience level, in leveraging technology to enhance their services and gain competitive advantages. He passionately discusses the experimental nature of life, encouraging listeners to embrace trial and error in both personal and professional contexts. Andy advocates for a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation, particularly in the realm of soil moisture sensing, to better understand and optimize irrigation practices. Highlighting recent conversations on soil moisture sensing, Andy delves into the practical benefits and transformative potential of this technology. He emphasizes the importance of data collection and analysis to validate assumptions about soil conditions, which can lead to more informed decision-making in irrigation management. Through a series of anecdotal insights, Andy illustrates how soil moisture sensors can reveal the nuanced behaviors of soil under various conditions, offering a more scientific approach to irrigation that challenges traditional assumptions and practices. Andy encourages his listeners to adopt an experimental approach when utilizing new technologies, viewing them as tools for discovery and improvement. He stresses the significance of observing and interpreting data over time to gain deeper insights into soil moisture levels and their impact on irrigation efficiency. By promoting an inquisitive and open-minded attitude towards technology, Andy hopes to inspire irrigation professionals to explore new possibilities, question established norms, and ultimately, enhance their expertise. Concluding the episode, Andy extends an invitation for feedback and engagement, emphasizing his openness to connecting with the audience and sharing knowledge. He leaves his listeners with a message of encouragement to remain curious, willing to experiment, and committed to advancing their skills in the ever-evolving field of irrigation.

Self-reflection is the key. It's the process of questioning our methods, our decisions, and our attitudes towards change and adversity. It's about asking, "Am I the bottleneck in my team's performance? Do I resist new technologies or methods that could enhance our service? How can I lead better, communicate clearer, and inspire my team?"

Smart controllers don’t save water. Nozzles don't save water. They CAN, but I believe that Irrigation professionals, who are CURIOUS ENOUGH to know how to use smart controllers have the potential to save water. 20 years is a long time not to have an answer for something that seems so basic, and I've come to the realization that it is easy to connect the dots looking backwards. We can laugh at Steve Ballmer now, but at the time, he MIGHT have been right...so, here is my message for you today - The future doesn't create itself, someone has to create it. I encourage you to stay curious, and to borrow a phrase from Reid Hoffman co-founder of LinkedIn, “things that seem totally Nut Balls, 10 years later, that’s just the way you do it!”

PATENT REFERENCE: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/3b/0b/7d/58dc2a23a7e96e/US3808385.pdf     Background on the Invention: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive. Also, upon completion of the rainfall, automatic reopening of the sprinkling system is desired. Moisture-responsive actuators have been known to operate in response to the weight of rainfall captured in a receptacle attached thereto or in response to certain types of moisture absorptive mechanisms associated therewith. Also, ground sensors and probes have been used. However, such devices have proven to be inefficient, of short life, and relatively costly to manufacture.   Can you guess what the Patent is?   I'll give you a moment to think.   Let me repeat the first sentence: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive.   Can you guess?   RAIN SENSOR. Although for the purpose of a Patent, the name is, MOISTURE RESPONSIVE SWITCH ACTUATOR.   Why am I mentioning this to you?   Because this patent was issued on August 11, 1972   We are still using a device that supposedly makes an irrigation controller, "SMART", that was invented in 1972.   Now I'd like to read you the Patent Abstract to add a bit of clarity.   Patent Abstract: A moisture-responsive actuator is employed for controlling the operation of a fluid-operated sprinkling or irrigating system or the like. The moisture-responsive actuator is provided with hygroscopic material which expands in response to contact with rainwater to de-press a switch to deactivate the sprinkling system, the hygroscopic material contracting upon a drying thereof to release said switch whereupon the sprinkling system is activated.   WHY?   Why are we still using this technology?   I don't have an answer, I'm simply offering you the opportunity to ask.   It is thisexample fo Curiosity, that may lead you to your next big breakthrough. The breakthrough can be anything, not necessarilty a product invention. It could be a new way of doing something in your business, and new way of organizing something in your home.   It is the act of being Curious, to question things, to ask why, the evokes change and growth.   With this in mind, I'd like to propose that Curiosity is a Catalyst for Innovation.   Curiosity as a catalyst for innovation highlights impact of asking "What if?" and "Why not?" "I wonder what would happen if.."   This mindset has the potential to propel us beyond accepted norms, challenging us to reimagine possibilities. Curiosity can breakdown barriers to innovation, urging us to explore the unknown and question the status quo.   It's a reminder that the pursuit of knowledge is endless, and it's through this curious mindset that it becomes possible to uncover new paths to progress and solutions to our most complex problems.   Like, why are we still using a Rain Sensor that was invented in 1972, and doesn't actually "SENSE" the rain?   It is actually more like a Sponge/Switch. When the sponge is wet, it swells, and trips the switch.   Yet, every manufacture today still uses it.   Yes, My own curiosity kicked in and I do have a new apporach to this, but I'm not going to share it with you today. You'll need to come to my keynote speech next week in Ontario Canada to find out..   My final thought for today is on the potential to nurture a world that is continuously evolving and enhancing, and that embracing curiosity unlocks limitless opportunities, showing that the pursuit of knowledge and the bravery to question are fundamental to progress and, even, human advancement

Tim Ferris Show Reference: Episode #721 Master Negotiator William Ury   ==========   William Ury introduces the concept of self-mastery and the critical role of self-regulation in negotiation and conflict resolution. He suggests that the power to influence others is rooted in our ability to first influence ourselves, acknowledging our inherent tendency towards reactivity. Ury employs the "balcony" metaphor to illustrate a mental vantage point from which we can detach, refocus on our primary objectives, and assess situations with greater clarity.   This elevated balcony view encourages a momentary pause between provocation and reaction, providing a pathway to navigate conflicts thoughtfully and avoid impulsive decisions we might regret, like hastily sent emails or messages.   I once received advice never to send an email, make a phone call, or send a text when feeling emotional or reactive. Ury echoes this sentiment, suggesting that such a moment of pause to reflect is not just a learned skill but an inherent human capacity that we must consciously practice.   So, when you're on the cusp of an immediate reply to an email, as you sense that emotional trigger, take a pause. Hold off. Give it 24 hours. Practice this discipline.

Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the Sprinkler Nerd Show. It's been a while since we last spoke. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey, and this is episode 154. You might notice that I sound a bit under the weather today—I've caught a cold. Though I lost my sense of smell last night, which is funny, I don't think it's COVID. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel, from the Consumer Electronics Show to Calgary for a significant event, then directly to Europe for a week with my wife. I got home and the very next day, I fell sick. Despite this, I'm eager to kick my ass into gear, start producing more content, and get back to regular updates. I appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing my thoughts again on a regular basis. If you're a regular listener, you might have noticed my absence. It's been since Friday, January 5, since I last released an episode. Life has been happening—fast and hard. I've been incredibly busy, and today, I thought I would do something a bit different. I'm going to play for you a recording of a keynote presentation I gave for the Canadian Prairie Chapter of the Irrigation Association in Calgary, Canada. I was invited to their annual irrigation conference to give a presentation, and I had to think hard about what I wanted to talk about. It's easy to focus on products, their features, and benefits, but those concepts are fleeting. There's always a new product, a new feature, and such things aren't what truly motivate me. Instead, I chose to share a bit about my journey in irrigation, why I chose this industry—and interestingly, it was indeed a choice. Despite the common joke that nobody intentionally enters the irrigation industry, for me, it was a deliberate decision. I was intrigued early on by the fact that sprinklers operated based on a schedule—Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6 AM—and I wondered why there wasn't better technology to guide water application in the landscape. So, without further ado, I am excited to share with you my keynote presentation. Before we dive in, I'd like to extend a special thanks to everyone in Calgary I had the pleasure of meeting, especially the entire Board of Directors of the local Irrigation Association, the Prairie Chapter. They have built a fantastic community, and I was genuinely impressed by the level of interest and curiosity everyone showed towards the topic I presented. Thank you so much for your curiosity and for giving me the opportunity to speak at your conference. Here is my presentation.

Sprinkler Nerd Unite (theme song) [Verse] We're the nerds of the green, the rulers of the lawn Dressed in flannel shirts, rockin' shades like we're cool With our spray heads and rotors, we conquer all terrain We're the ones who make it rain, oh yeah (oh yeah) [Chorus] Sprinkler nerds, rise up and take a stand (take a stand) We're the smart ones, leading the irrigation land (oh-oh-oh) With our wrenches and timers, we're the heroes in disguise Sprinkler nerds, let's light up the skies, yeah! (ooh yeah)

GET YOUR T-SHIRT HERE: https://sprinklernerd.com/unfuckit --------------------------- Andy (00:46.717): Joining me again today is Paul Bassett for our annual Prediction Show. Welcome, Paul. Paul Bassett (00:53.61): Oh, I'm so happy to be here. This is one of my funniest shows of the year, where we get to banter about the year prior and how our predictions were. So, I was looking forward to this day all year. Andy (01:05.953): And we are going to provide some banter today. This is a guarantee because Paul doesn't have any idea what we are going to talk about today or what this episode is about. I baited him in because we do our annual predictions episode, but I'm going to make a change. Paul Bassett (01:28.254): Okay, this is definitely new. Andy (01:29.029): Because, and this is like a resolution, you know, I want, in 2024, I want to be more honest with myself. Not because I've been lying or anything like that. I just want to sort of lean into my own intuition and try to acknowledge myself and what's interesting to me. And like the prediction episode honestly wasn't that inspiring for me. And I think that it's because it wasn't original. So, and what I mean by that is I didn't come up with the concept for a predictions episode. It wasn't my original thought or idea. I copied the idea from my friend, Andrew Udarian, who runs the podcast, Ecommerce Fuel. And I liked what he did with that kind of approach for predictions and looking back. And so I took it and kind of modeled with it, but... Paul Bassett (02:25.609): And... Andy (02:25.817): You know, as I think about trying to be more honest with myself, I don't think it was that, you know, it was kind of cool and whatnot, but really it wasn't that inspiring to me because I want to create more original content instead of, you know, sort of copying what somebody else has done and try to make it my own. And so with that in mind, I want to make a change. So what we need to do, Paul, is we need to unfuck this episode, this predictions episode. So this is the unfuck it episode. Paul Bassett (02:53.742): Thanks, Bill. All right. Andy (02:55.813): Let's unfuck 2023. You know, what are people still doing in 2023 that needs to be unfucked for 2024? Paul Bassett (02:59.874): All right, that's a good place to start. Paul Bassett (03:10.53): Good thought. It makes my mind spin. Are you asking me, or do you just want me to come up with some thoughts, or are these your thoughts? Paul Bassett (03:38.315): All the time. Andy (03:40.107): Yeah, I... Andy (03:48.65): And just sort of like more rapid prototyping in terms of like, what can we do in our lives, our jobs, our industry, to help move the needle and create that change? And change means you got to unfuck something and change it. Paul Bassett (04:08.826): I love the term. Every time you say it I get giddy like a kid hearing a curse word. Andy (04:15.569): We're allowed to, right? I mean, yeah, I'm gonna tag this episode as not safe for children. Paul Bassett (04:17.59): Yeah, yeah, we're on the internet. Paul Bassett (04:24.718): Oh man, my 10-year-old's not too far from me. And we're gonna say 'unfuck it' at least ten times every minute. Andy (04:34.165): And if you are interested, I'm not saying this to you, but if you're listening and you're interested, you can get yourself a Bill Beckley original 'unfuck it' t-shirt. Visit sprinklernerd.com forward slash unfuck it, and you will find the t-shirt available for sale. Paul Bassett (04:44.542): You can. It's one of the best. Paul Bassett (04:52.278): Well, at least we're going to have more laughs per podcast on this episode than before. Just hearing you say it. Andy (04:56.697): Yeah, right? And this is original, you know, we are not scripting off of a list of shit to talk about. And I think that, you know, it kind of dawned on me a little bit when I replayed the episode number one. So if you're, you know, if you haven't listened to episode number one, and again, I don't mean you, I just mean the listeners, listen to episode number one, which I just put out there a couple of episodes ago, and I was afraid to put it out. But then... Paul Bassett (05:13.023): Yeah. Andy (05:23.961): Once I put it out there and started listening to it, I really appreciated how unscripted our thoughts were, and they were just natural, thought-provoking ideas and conversation, and I want more of that. Paul Bassett (05:38.142): Okay, I mean, dude, that's how you and I live our life. So I prefer that way than any other way. Although I did have some notes, but my notes now that I look at them, going... Andy (05:46.345): Well, we can still use your notes because I'm just trying to like loosen the script a little bit so that we can maybe look at your list and talk about them through the lens of like, you know, unfucking things. Paul Bassett (05:57.45): Oh, and my list was really preparing 10 minutes before our call. Okay, Paul, what are you going to think about? What are you going to do? Like, what are your, you know, predictions or thoughts really? And it's not like I sat for hours at a time and determining, OK, what am I going to think about? I don't need that anymore. It's something you and I do all the time anyway. Andy (06:20.633): Okay, well, do you want me to start off with something, or do you want to start off with something really? So again, I'm just kind of going, you know, the tip of my tongue here. I didn't have a list and I wanted to be a bit more organic, you know, and just have a thought on the fly. So what I'm thinking about first is more like again that inward reflection sort of set of saying, Let's unfuck a thing or widget or a way of doing something. It's like I think we all need a little unfucking of our own meaning. It's really easy to... Paul Bassett (06:24.214): Yeah, go ahead. You start it off. Andy (06:50.365): Grab onto a thought and just ride one perspective, one point of view. And I think we need to carry, we need to think what would it be like if we could carry both perspectives at the same time? So maybe for instance, okay, switching to a matched precipitation rate nozzle might be the right thing to do. We carry that flag, we wave that flag, but what would it also be like if we didn't do that? Is there another way to do it? Would it be okay as well? So can we carry like the two, you know, sort of contradicting thoughts at the same time? Paul Bassett (07:31.318): And I think, Andy, you turned me on to this thought. I mean, another podcast you put in front of me, I don't know how many months ago it was, you know, when this thought came up. But of course you can. And the thing that I when you say that is like, who even cares? Who's even analyzing? Did match precip rate and I'll just make a big difference in the way I water my grass. No. Why is that? You have no way to even freaking tell whether match precip or the regular nozzles infiltrated the soil at a different rate. How do you tell that? Who even cares? How do you know? Does it matter? Andy (08:11.761): And what will even uniform you can do with? Paul Bassett (08:16.114): Exactly. So even if you did switch one zone was matched, precip and the other one was not, how in the world do you tell? Is it just visually coloring of the grass? Or is there another way to that? That's about, that's the only way you don't know. You can, you know, one of the thoughts you, you gave me, and when I think about it now, I'm trying to visualize how the water goes through the air. Andy (08:28.797): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (08:42.25): Hits the ground and then infiltrates into the soil and what that profile of soil moisture moving through the soil looks like. Who's to even know today? I don't know, do you know? No, I don't have a tool to do it. It's just my imagination thinking it's flowing through the soil in the same aspect as it was before. So it is a thought. Good one. Andy (09:06.789): Yeah, and again, I literally came up with the MP, or not MP, match precipitation rate thought on the fly. It could be anything. We tend to like to grab a hold of something, stand on a soapbox, say, this is the way. So I guess my challenge would be, what if we were to unfuck that and say, well, what if it wasn't? Can we carry the alternate thought at the same time so that we have two different perspectives or viewpoints so that... The mind stays open to new thoughts coming in versus trying to channel down a one-way street. Paul Bassett (09:38.774): And that is a very good thought that a lot of people can't wrap their head around, right? Unless you're open, like either you're a Democrat or a Republican, you can't be one or the other, can you? Andy (09:51.921): Why can't you just be purple? Paul Bassett (09:56.071): True that both of us with our purple on today, although because the Ravens are playing right now, but it's true. Andy (10:02.041): Yeah, why does it need more blue? We need more purple. Paul Bassett (10:05.194): We need more purple for sure. So that's a good thought. Because sometimes we all get conditioned to think this way is the right way. Why don't you think the other way? Why can't ear green controllers and sprinkler heads work differently than someone else? Because you've been conditioned that this is the way it's always done and we've always done it. And this is the way I'm always gonna do it. I don't wanna change. I like it the way it is. No, you're right. It's so much better to have an open mind. Andy (10:14.057): Mm-hmm. Andy (10:22.77): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (10:34.891): And be an accepting. Andy (10:34.961): So, unfuck ourselves. I guess that was my first thing is like, before we can think about maybe somebody else or a gadget or a gizmo or a process or a software needs to change, what if it was like we could look at ourselves first and see, unfuck our own thoughts to have, to hold both thoughts to be true at the same time. Paul Bassett (10:57.886): And for you and I, we are open-minded people. We are not red or we are not green. We're certainly purple for sure. I think this thought-provoking is for those of the folks that are listening to Andy and I right now. You know, we're challenging you in the new year to think differently, right? Unfuck the way you think things and think of it another way. Because there are other ways to look at the glass. Is it half empty? Is it half full? It doesn't matter. You just got to have your own perspective on how you see something. And we are encouraging more thought-provoking thoughts. Andy (11:37.741): Yeah, and I'll read a quote that you sent to me recently, which has to do with change. And I guess that's what we're talking about here, to some extent. And the conclusion of this quote, I don't remember who said it, was a story about Nokia and Nokia not changing, you know, and getting eaten alive. And the conclusion was the advantage you had yesterday will be replaced by the trends of tomorrow. You don't have to do anything wrong. As long as your competitors catch the wave and do it right, you can lose and fail. To change and improve yourself is giving yourself a second chance. To be forced by others to change is like being discarded. Those who refuse to learn and improve will definitely one day become redundant and not relevant to the industry. They will learn the lesson in a hard and expensive way. And again, this is not, you don't have to do anything wrong. You just, if you do nothing and your competition changes, that is just like doing something wrong. You don't have to do anything as long as your competition keeps changing and evolving and you don't, you know, that's a problem and you'll learn the lesson the hard and expensive way. So if everybody's switching to Wi-Fi controllers and whatever else and ET and soil moisture and this, that and the other, you gotta give it a shot. Paul Bassett (13:05.57): You know, it's funny you say that and thank you because, you know, every time I see an article or some kind of quote like that, you know, it's good for me to send to you because you and I think on the same wavelength when it comes to those types of things, right? And I'm a little bit older than you, you know, I'm 54 and I like different stuff. I mean, I could change my entire career and profession every other year because it's not that I get bored, but I like new. I like change. Change feels comfortable and good to me. I don't like stasis. So I like it when something changes. I like when there's new stuff out there. I like new things, right? Because I want to test the boundaries of technology. And that's why you and I are on the same wavelength. Andy (13:55.557): And the boundaries of people and industry and it's nice to be able to stick yourself out there a little bit and wonder what it's like to fall off the end of the ocean because if the world's flat you might reach the end. So let's go figure out what's at the end. Paul Bassett (14:11.682): You know, it's funny you say that because, you know, there's something that I see in outside of our business, you can look at other companies and other people and other technology as it comes through and disrupts a company in a business. I'm seeing something similar happening and morphing in the water sector and the irrigation where there's other companies and people entering into our space that is going to disrupt and change the way our irrigation businesses are developed in the future. And that's what I'm seeing, right, Drew, based on the change factor. Andy (14:53.401): Mm-hmm. And even if we don't know specifically, you can kind of, your intuition tells you that it's out there. It may be to be determined who and what it looks like, but it's out there. Wait, it's coming. Paul Bassett (15:07.914): I mean, you could feel it, right? I mean, because as long as I've been in this business, there's always some gut, you know, if you have your finger or your pulse onto, you know, the market, you can kind of sense it. You can kind of feel a groundswell coming on. And I'm feeling this similar groundswell coming on right now, whether it happens next year or not, but I mean, it's happening today. Andy (15:31.593): So let what? Is there anything that comes to mind specifically that you can share? Paul Bassett (15:37.994): Well, to me, it's more about technology now. When I say technology, that's certainly a big broad stroke, but I feel there's a lot of additional technology from outside businesses and outside our space entering into our space, right? Whether it's wireless soil moisture, whether it's flow, it's solar, there's a lot of different tech coming in our space. And the reason I feel it is because I see it, right? Because I'm in it, we're in the top, right? And you can sense it, but you know, as even at the IA show, you can see more tech coming out when you go to different places and do different things. Because fortunately for me and my business, I'm not just touching irrigation. You know, we're touching a lot of other water stuff. So there's so many other technologies that are coming into our space because of the perceived abuse or waste of water in our space. And people outside of our industry want to understand why that is and get into it and help. Andy (16:52.941): Mm-hmm. Yep. I can see that. And so for me, I would agree. And I think that, let's see, what's in my gut and intuition is that there was technology coming, let's say 15 years ago that was new at that time. So let's roll back to like 2003 or four or five or six. You could say that two wire was new and it was technology. You could say that the first ET controllers were new and that was technology. And what I sense that's different is that now users, contractors, people, industry, now kind of questions it more, meaning in order to question it, you have to understand it and learn it. And back in the time, people just said, nope, I'm good, man, doing it the way I've been doing it. And there's a little bit more like, okay, bring it on. What's that? Let me check that out. Bring it on. And 15 years ago, there wasn't really a bring it on attitude. And I'm not saying to bring it on attitude is everywhere, but I feel like it didn't even exist back then. And now there's a little bit of bring it on. In addition, I feel like the technology that was brought on, now people are questioning it. So as it relates to like ET controllers, weather-based, now people want to know why is it doing what it's doing? And in order to have a thought like that, it means you have to be curious enough to want to know and want to understand. And that is, I think it's those thoughts that'll move the industry forward, not just I'm gonna buy this thing and hang it up there, but now we're at a point where users really want to know how it's working, is it working correctly? Is there a better way to do it? And I don't think that was as strong 15 years ago. Paul Bassett (18:49.862): And you're right, even to a point that I think about as I process your thoughts into my mind, and I equate it to my business, I can see that because I'm more curious even to try to understand what do the algorithms that these ET controllers do precisely to a program? Like, I want to see inside and outside, what is it doing and how is it doing and where is it physically saving me water or schedule times or all the above. So you are right on. Andy (19:24.977): Right, do you trust it? And that's really the question, is if you don't trust it, it's maybe because you don't know how it's working. So how can you trust something if you don't even know what it's doing? Why it's doing it. Paul Bassett (19:38.442): So we do, you know, clearly you and I are more curious than most folks in our business. But yeah, I mean, it's true. I personally want to know, I mean, how many times did the device suspend watering due to the ET threshold that we established? Show me where that happened. Right. And why did it do that? Right. So you're right. The technology and the data now that's available allows people who are more curious to really uncover what is going on under the hood of these devices. Andy (20:10.921): Mm-hmm. Yeah, so again, I think that's just the people are different. They're a little bit more hungry for new than they were 15 years ago. Paul Bassett (20:23.306): And when you say 15, guess when the iPhone was invented. So more of us have the ability to see the technology a little clearer with these devices at the end of the day. So Apple's certainly done a lot of technology businesses good because now we can see the information a lot clearer at the palm of our hands too. Andy (20:48.793): Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, maybe just since we're since this is not the end of the predictions episode, maybe we should just talk about when you got on your list that you that you like that you feel more passionate about. Paul Bassett (21:02.722): Well, whether it's a prediction or not, I mean, I think you and I, you know, we're trying to gain the pulse of tech and industry, right? Every day of every year. So it allows us to at least look back on what we thought at the end of the year and maybe look forward, right? One of the benefits of us is, you know, we were looking at tech, whether it's inside or outside of our business. But I know one of the things that I saw, and we talk about it constantly is I feel there's gonna be more and more controller accessories, meaning devices and sensors in the market coming on, outside of the big companies. I do see that. I mean, I feel it. I'm looking at things that are coming in and the IA show even proved it more to me last, here a couple of weeks back. There are a lot of tools and things that we can now use to help us, whether it's... Andy (21:38.737): Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (21:58.498): ...ties directly into a controller or not that are gonna be better for us in the future. So, again, whether it's a prediction for this year, last year, next year, I'm just seeing a lot more of these things and a lot more people getting into our space than ever before. Andy (22:13.081): Yeah, that made me think just as an example, which does not exist today, but it could based on being an accessory to a control platform is what would it look like if a locator, if a locator was connected to a controller so that data that was coming in from the locator could be connected to the same platform. That'd be pretty amazing. Yeah. You know, if there was GPS, so you could track and then, you know, there's just some kind of an integration where you're not, the locator is not being used independently, but it's being used with data coming from the controller and it's sending information back to the control system. Paul Bassett (22:33.898): In the locator like what a wire locator or when you say a locator. Okay. That it had. Paul Bassett (22:56.394): Yeah, I do like that. And that also spurred another thought because again, I'm just going to reference back to, you know, to the irrigation conference. Not too long back, but I did see that one company that is, you know, using this wireless valve actuation technology, which I'm so happy to see. I've been doing, you know, this 30 some years and oh man, how many valves get, you know, orphaned in the middle of somewhere and you can't communicate to it or takes whatever. So I can't wait to see more and more of these wireless valves come into play and allow us to communicate to these things without power. Andy (23:39.113): Cool, all right, that's a good one. More accessories to control platforms. And as right now, that's where most of the tech is, is in the control. But I think, like you said, the tech's moving out of the control and into other pieces of equipment as well. Paul Bassett (23:56.598): I mean, there are technology companies to get into our space where they don't have to build a controller. Really, they can build other things. Even like your the guy that you had on your podcast, it's, you know, was outside of our building those fittings. You know, I thought that was. Thought that was great idea, I mean, hearing him and what he had to say, and that's something that I mean, gosh, I don't know how many swing elves that Andy (24:14.667): Yeah, yeah. Paul Bassett (24:24.842): ...my company's installed over the years. I never thought, oh my God, why can't we make one in the two or two in the one, right? Hello. It just takes somebody from outside to look in to make the change. Andy (24:37.225): Mm-hmm. Very good. Okay. You have anything else there? Perfect. Paul Bassett (24:43.302): Oh yeah. You know how... Ha ha! Andy (24:48.489): Thanks for watching! Paul Bassett (24:48.834): So, you know, speaking of technology, there's another thing that I'm seeing the ground swell in, and we're gonna see a lot more of it is the increase of tech in the R space, meaning IE as I'm gonna get on it, but AI and wireless, as I've just mentioned before, solar and other things, but I do think that there's gonna be an embrace of automated or artificial intelligence into our space. And I think the first company that's sort of spec'ing it or bringing it on into there, I think is CalSense. I saw that they're the ones that are bringing it to market first, I guess, because they got some folks that they brought into their company that are outside of the irrigation and they see it as an opportunity. So again, you're gonna see more things outside of our spectrum come into the irrigation industry and push it forward, whether we like it or not. And Andy, you know how I feel about AI. I think it's definitely a positive influence on us, help us make and do our job a little easier and faster. So I'm ready. Let's see what it brings on. Andy (26:10.821): I couldn't agree more. To me, it's just a tool that makes what you do more efficient. So you can do more things in less time, which is very beneficial to be more efficient. And I think that's really, yes, AI is a huge topic. And we could talk about it forever. And there's certainly lots of risk and scary stuff out there. But for the most part, it's a tool that allows someone to be more efficient in their job. Paul Bassett (26:37.178): And fortunately for me, I have you as a friend and a mentor who just embraces the tech and you know, whenever you tell me about something, I mean, I know it's going to be spot on because we've been buddies and friends and your business associates for more than 20 years. And I don't think there's been anything that you brought to me or maybe one or two, but that we talked about and encouraged and, um, tested that wasn't, wasn't beneficial. So I mean, I heard the groundswell of AI, but it wasn't until you and I started really integrating it or testing it out where, you know, I'm full on, I'm all in on this tech. Andy (27:22.117): I'm learning a lot from my son right now, because he's 20 years old in college and uses these tools all the time, you know, and I'll sit with him here at my computer and he'll say, "No, no, dad, you have to do it like this and ask it like this way." You know, and I'm saying, well, how come let's say the chatbot always, you know, kind of rewrites what I've written and I don't, he's like, we have to say don't do not modify this, just simply correct it for grammar and spelling, but don't modify, you know, what I've written. So he's just, he helps me learn how to do things to make improvements where I was getting stuck a little bit. And certainly I could have Googled it and whatnot, I watched YouTube videos, but just the fact that the younger generation, either it picks it up more intuitively, or they're using it so much they're more advanced users, which also means for us, when I'm saying us, anyone probably over 25 better start using these tools a lot because these young kids, you know, are hungry, quick, smart, and if they know how to use these tools, that is a threat to those who don't know how to use the tools. Paul Bassett (28:23.35): And then too, I like being able to hopefully at some point bring these kids up into our space. It's hard, as you know, one of the hardest things in our industry today is farming the younger generation to come into our businesses. We're a dying breed. I have one of my other associates who works with me. He's in his 60s. He outworks anybody that I know as a human being in his 60s. But it's when he's out, I got nobody to backfill him. Right? We need more people like your son to come into our space. Andy (28:59.793): Good question because of what if again, this is like having two thoughts at the same time. Yes, we need more people ask anyone in our industry, they will say I need more people. Okay, well, what if that was not going to be fixed? Let's just say that wasn't possible. There are not going to be more people. What if that were true? Then we'd have to figure out if one guy can manage five projects, how could one guy manage 10 projects? How could one guy manage 50 projects without the quality of work going down? How could people do more with less if fewer people are coming into the industry, which could entirely be true. Paul Bassett (29:44.726): You're going to need some sort of technology to help you. Andy (29:47.685): You can't keep doing the same thing every day and hoping someone's going to come in and join the company, but that isn't going to happen. Paul Bassett (29:50.794): And expecting the same results or different results. Yeah, yeah, spot on. Andy (29:59.137): Or could it be that the tools help us hire someone who is less skilled because it might be that people in our industry are looking for like, you know, they're looking for the needle in the haystack. I want someone who's been doing irrigation for 20 years as an expert and da, you know, and they may never hire him because that is never going to exist. It's easier to hire someone who knows nothing because the tools are available so that you don't have... Paul Bassett (30:19.774): Right. True. Andy (30:26.109): ...to have read the 600 page irrigation Bible to know everything. Paul Bassett (30:32.862): And even for me too, I don't mind bringing in folks who are outside of our industry, as long as they have a good work ethic and they have a good moral compass, we can teach irrigation. You can't teach moral compass. You can't teach integrity. Those are things that it's inside of you. It's in your heart and your soul. So I'm happy to bring in folks that are not irrigation trained. Andy (30:48.136): Mm-hmm. Andy (31:00.385): Yeah, as long as they're teachable and they like to learn. And that's it because that's all we have. We need the ability to learn because what we're going to need to know in 20 years probably isn't what we know right now. So we're going to need to learn things every single day. Andy (31:18.917): All right, well, so far so good on unfucking ourselves a bit, the industry thoughts and predictions. Should we do one more off your list? Paul Bassett (31:32.278): Well, I kind of, when you started talking to me, I discussed like, I'd started from the bottom up. So I had three initial sort of thoughts, whether we call them predictions or not Andy, when I have thoughts all the time. So it's just a matter of, and I, you know, my last thought really came back to my first thought was that there's just, there's going to be more companies coming into the water space from outside our industry. That was my really first thought, but it came back because I see it and I have seen it and I've seen it in the water business space for the last 15 years, you know, as more tech is generated and created, especially out of the Silicon Valley, more folks want to get into the space. And you can see the hub of tech. Although I can see it morphing now. But, you know, the Silicon Valley, California hub with all of the water companies out there, HydroPoint, CalSense, you know, those creators of controllers came into the big space of Rainbird Hunter Toro, right? And then taking market share. And then there's another move afoot to what I see is the Silicon slopes of the world where coming out of the Utah area where there's a lot of techie guys and gals burgeoning in that space as well. So there's just a lot more people Andy (32:37.193): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (33:02.562): ...folks getting into our space. And you know, your friends too, in our mind as well, the guys coming in from OpConnect, right? That's something that hasn't been in our space where we've had the ability to connect to our own router or modem and transmit data. We've had it to be dependable or dependent on, you know, what the major manufacturers are giving us. So, you know, those are other things, again, that I see that are happening that are coming into our space which again, I embrace, I think it's beneficial. Andy (33:36.473): Yeah, 15 years ago. I just keep saying 15 because it's a round number and it's probably pretty accurate. There wasn't a market for OpConnect because there wasn't any connected controllers and I say there wasn't any, there were a few. And so, you know, that market wasn't ready, even if they had what they had and maybe they did, I don't know. But it's like that analogy that you could have the world's most fastest efficient train ever made. Paul Bassett (33:42.867): iPhone 15 is just to say it. iPhone 15. Andy (34:03.785): The problem in the US is there's no tracks. You gotta wait for the tracks to be laid. And so some of this tech that might be here can't really be deployed or distributed because the infrastructure that it needs hasn't been built yet. So OpConnect needed there to be some tracks being laid for them to put their trains on, i.e. wireless and Wi-Fi controllers. Paul Bassett (34:27.853): Yeah, I mean, it's you're spot on. And, you know, I think what was the last I mean, even with the iPhone, but it was device magic. That's what it was. Remember device magic, that little spur of a business from Apple that bounced out initially in those of you who are on the call or listening to this podcast, fascinating story called device magic. And it was it was it was a spawn by Steve Jobs and some of the really unique, creative people at Apple where they wanted to come up with this really neat device that, you know, at least today we know it as the iPhone, but it failed. Originally in Device Magic, the company ended up folding and failing, although all of the people who were part of that now run and have created some other wonderful business. But there wasn't tracks laid yet when that original device came out. And it failed because as you said, they're, they're just the... The infrastructure was not there and ready for that device 20 years ago. Andy (35:32.361): Right. And that's why timing matters. You know, somebody said once, you know, luck, timing, ability, you get those three things together and it's going to be, you know, fireworks, timing, timing matters. And like Paul said, if you listen, if you listen, when I say listen to the book, that's how I consume content. Now I listen to books, which again, 30 years ago, people are like, you do what? Well, that's not true because there's this book on tape, book on CD. But I listen to books and you can listen to build. Paul Bassett (36:09.661): Correct. Paul Bassett (36:24.694): Because if you're listening to this podcast, you're different than most people, right? You like and you're encouraged by those who are changing and have the ability to change. But yes, Andy and I both listened to Build last year and it was extremely inspiring to me. I mean, we quoted all the time. So if you take anything from Andy and our show today, get that book. Read the book, listen to the book. I actually got it on audio, because Andy recommended it to me, but I had to buy the actual book itself because there's a bunch of really cool artwork that came out of that book from, again, gosh, I'm quoting wrong, the vice magic. I can't remember, something magic that you see all of the new, because Tony Faddo for all you folks, he was the gentleman who came from that. Andy (37:13.413): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (37:22.278): And Apple and started Nest and built Nest. And Tony was part of the development of the iPhone and the early iPhone. So part of his book, Build, shows a lot of the initial prototypes that they created and generated when Apple was starting the iPhone project. Andy (37:42.629): Yep. That's Andy (38:12.773): So maybe that's a good way to polish this off, Paul, for 2023. I think we unfucked it enough. Hope that doesn't offend anyone. Actually, I don't really give a fuck if it does. Paul Bassett (38:28.342): That's my boy right there. Love that. You got to the point now, Andy, where you don't really care what other people think of you, which is amazing. Andy (38:38.217): I do. That's the hard part. I do. But again, that's why this show is not sponsored because I want to be able to say and do whatever the fuck I want. That's part about being honest with myself is if I can entertain myself with creative thoughts, surely there's someone else that will be entertained too. Even if it's just you, Paul, I'm good with that. Me and you just entertain. Paul Bassett (38:55.686): You entertain me. I listen to every podcast as soon as you send it to me. I'm listening. I get inspired all the time. So bring it on, brother. Not enough. Andy (39:06.729): Appreciate it. Likewise. And yeah, sprinkler nerd.com forward slash unfuck it. You can find your t-shirt there. Please buy one. Please post a picture of yourself with, you know, your favorite sprinkler brand in your hand with your unfuck it t-shirt. How fucking awesome would that be? And that's a wrap, Paul. 2023 in the books. Paul Bassett (39:26.894): Oh my god. All right, brother, it's been a good year and I can't wait till next. Appreciate you. Andy (39:32.517): Yes, thank you.

Every entrepreneur begins with a dream, a vision that feels timeless, much like creating a classic album. When Smashing Pumpkins, the band behind 'Siamese Dream', started their project, they were sure they were creating something classic. In the world of entrepreneurship, this conviction is your starting point. It's the belief in your idea's potential, in its ability to stand out and make an impact. But how do you nurture this belief, especially in the face of doubt and uncertainty?

Recorded in January 2019 - Episode #1 has never been published, until now.   ----- What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of failure? Does the fear of failure trick you into believing that perhaps perfection is the goal? Does fear prevent you from starting? Why do people have great ideas, but do nothing with them? I'd like to introduce today's episode as something that although was a bit of a failure at the time, was simply the first attempt. And I thought it would be important to show all of you an example for attempt #1. And to encourage you to keep trying at whatever it is you have a vision for. What you are about to hear is Podcast Episode #1, that was never released. Why? Because it didn't meet my expectation, and I was embarrassed, or perhaps scared of failure, scared of what other people might think, those other people being you, and sometimes are not actually afraid to fail, we are afraid to BE SEEN failing. Think about that! It is not missing the shot that is scary, it is being seen missing the shot that is scary. So, this episode is for me. It's my turn to be seen missing the shot. Even though this was my very first shot, I was too afraid to play it, so I'm going to lean in and play my failure for you. This was recorded in January of 2019, before I knew anything about podcasting and I was just experimenting. Before we jump into it. I have 2 thoughts that would encourage you to embrace. #1 is the concept of TRYING: TEN STEPS TO INNOVATION! TRYTRY AGAINTRY ONCE MORETRY A LITTLE DIFFERENTLYTRY IT AGAIN TOMORROWTRY AND ASK FOR HELPTRY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN HELPTRY TO FIX WHAT IS NOT WORKINGTRY TO EXPAND WHAT IS WORKINGJUST KEEP TRYING UNTIL YOU SUCCEED   #2 is to frame life as an experiment. How can you fail if this is just an experiment. Life is often like a vast experiment, a perspective that holds profound truth. Like an experiment, life is filled with hypotheses, trials, errors, and results—each phase a critical component of the journey. This analogy beautifully mirrors our own experiences, where each attempt, each 'try and try again,' becomes a stepping stone to unforeseen outcomes and valuable lessons.

My special guest today is Chris Sinsel, inventor of Efficient Fittings, the universal sprinkler fitting. FREE SAMPLE HERE >> Free Sample Form  "You know, I wanted to make something universal, and I needed something for a 3/4" sprinkler head and a 1/2" sprinkler head. So I was taking measurements because, and I screwed a 1/2" sprinkler head onto a fitting completely tight and went to take measurements. I realized you only use approximately half the threads on that fitting. And for some reason I just had this idea that I wonder if I could fit that 1/2" threaded portion into a 3/4" inch sprinkler head and see if that worked."