Every now and then, I get to sit down with someone whose story really opens up the world a bit—and this chat with Andreas Baumgart did just that.

Andreas runs a landscaping company in central Germany and joined us for an episode of The Kid Contractor Podcast that turned into a fascinating dive into how landscaping is done across the Atlantic. Let me just say—despite the language and miles between us, the challenges, victories, and philosophies in our work are strikingly similar.

Andreas, who you’ll find on Instagram under the handle @wir_lieben_gaerten (which translates to “we love gardens”), shared the journey of how he took over what was once his family’s struggling business. After his parents’ company ran into legal and financial trouble, Andreas and his wife took a huge leap of faith—started from scratch, took out a major bank loan, and launched their own company in 2019.

What I loved most about our talk was hearing how deeply connected Andreas is to both the design and build ...