🎙️ Unscripted Small Business Podcast
Grinding Out Success: Tyler Mumford from Corporate Sales to Stump Grinding
How a B2B software salesman made $9,000 in his first month grinding stumps — and why SaaS sales skills give him an edge in a niche where nobody else even runs a sales cycle.
Host: Jeremy Rivera | Unscripted Small Business Podcast
Guest: Tyler Mumford — Founder, Grind Time Stump Grinding
Best Quotes
“I come from a sales background — mainly B2B software sales. I always wanted to get out doing something on my own. I just didn’t know what.” — Tyler Mumford
“There’s zero people that talk about stump grinding online. So I have no idea what the top-end revenue potential is. I know I’m paying my bills and making pretty good money month over month.” — Tyler Mumford
“I’m coming in at a really good spot in the process — right there to ask for a review on a job I never had to market. That’s a double win.” — Tyler Mumford
Key Takeaways
- Specialized equipment creates real barriers to entry. Unlike lawn mowing, stump grinding requires significant equipment investment — filtering out casual competitors.
- B2B relationships (tree companies) are more scalable than consumer marketing. One good tree company relationship means recurring referrals without recurring marketing spend.
- Corporate sales skills transfer directly to trade business development. Cold texting, cold calling, pipeline management — the skills Tyler built in SaaS sales give him an edge where competitors mostly wait for the phone to ring.
- Negotiate your exit. Before leaving his corporate job, Tyler negotiated severance — funding the early months without emergency pressure.
- The “we” principle. Even as a solopreneur, Tyler uses “we” when talking to customers — signaling an established operation.
Corporate Sales to Stump Grinding
Tyler Mumford: I stumbled onto stump grinding through research into businesses that require specialized equipment. The equipment creates a moat. Not everyone can just show up with a lawn mower and compete. I bought a machine and started knocking on tree company doors. First month as a side hustle: $9,000 in revenue. I gave notice a month later.
“Lynn Colepaugh: Transforming Creators into Business Leaders” — the founder of Cyber PR Army on the biggest hurdle in creator entrepreneurship: convincing people who are creators at heart that they are, in fact, running a small business.
— Lynn Colepaugh, Cyber PR Army | Listen: Lynn Colepaugh on Creators & Business →
The B2B Sales Cycle Nobody Else is Running
Tyler: What I’m doing is taking B2B SaaS sales cycles — the methodology, the follow-up discipline, the pipeline thinking — and applying it to a niche where nobody else is doing anything close to that. My competitors mostly wait for the phone to ring. I’m actively building relationships. Cold texts. Cold calls. Dropping by in person. One good tree company relationship leads to warm introductions to others.
Connect with Tyler Mumford
- Website: grindtimestumpgrinding.com
The Unscripted Small Business Podcast features candid conversations with founders and operators. Hosted by Jeremy Rivera.