Meet Paul Daniel Capote | CEO & Landscape contractor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Daniel Capote and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul Daniel, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m sure many of us have heard the saying “High Risk, High Reward”. I’d like to believe this has worked for me to get a step ahead of the curve. A lot of the decisions I’ve made in my business come at a moment when, right before I make the final move, I tell myself that it will take WORK. I work best under pressure. Therefore, I use risk as a leverage to motivate me to move at a faster and higher level. Taking risks makes you accountable if you are a responsible person. You can also easily bite more than you can chew if you take more risk than you are ready for. Timing has a lot to do with taking a big risk. Find the right time and take the plunge.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I started landscaping , I was very doubtful that I would stick around in the industry. I would see so many landscaping trucks and would question how I would ever be able to stand out. It was very overwhelming in the beginning. As a matter of fact, I was overwhelmed for about 7 years until I found a loophole. Even though I did well in the first 7 years in the landscape business (considering I started from scratch at such a young age), I put myself in a position I didn’t want to be in. I had a lot of work, but was making close to nothing just to grow the business. By the age of 23, I had 2 full teams working 5 days a week. I was tired of not seeing the growth I wanted in providing landscape maintenance, so I started experimenting more with landscape designs. When I found the loophole, my business model changed completely. That loop hole is INSTAGRAM. I have showcased my work with consistency and it has paid off tremendously. Using Instagram has put me ahead by using the Instagram Stories feature to inform and entertain viewers on new landscape ideas. This did not happen overnight either. Consistency is what put me where I am.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would invite my friends for a great weekend on the beach. Nothing beats a warm Miami day at the beach. If it’s a full moon, we would go enjoy the full moon drum circle on 79th Street. Maybe go on a boat tour to the islands around South Beach. Wynwood also has many great places to hang out and dance such as Centro, Lagniappe, Wood Tavern and many others. On a more laid back day, we would enjoy the ranch life down South in Homestead/The Redlands. You can get some of the best fruit smoothies at By Brothers and Robert is Here while enjoying wild animals. Schnebly’s Winery is also a beautiful spot to go see down South. Miami is very diverse. It all depends on what you want to see, because we have a little bit of everything.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have always been thankful for those who have put me where I am. Everyone has their part of the story in PGL. Starting with my parents – my Mother and Father have always supported me even though they did not see the bigger picture in the beginning. They thought I was crazy (which I am). The beginning stages were hell and I had many friends that have gone through the trenches with me such as Andrew Nieckolson, Alex Fernandez, Eddie Jofre, Brian Suarez, the Upthegrove brothers, Johnny a.k.a. Charles, El Cojo, and many many more. They have helped me build the foundation to the team we have now.  I want to thank my current team for pulling through another rough summer! Thank you Quiroz, Luis, Pacheco, Pichi, and Ramses for keeping the PGL SHOW running. There are so many more people – the list can go on and on. I have met people along the way that have pointed me in the right direction. In recent years, I’ve had some great guidance from a good friend “Gus” from Land Effects. His advice has gone a long way. Another person that I would like to thank is “Junior” from All Smooth Landscaping, for being living proof that a landscaper can do it BIG and for setting the standard in the industry and always showing love to the lil guys like me. We need successful people to show everyone that it takes tremendous work ethic to get to the top. Grant Cardone! Mr. 10X! Thank you for making me think big – average mentality won’t get us far. Last but not least, my fiancée Kimberly deserves a huge thank you for holding up the backend of the business and for always being there for moral support. She is a big reason why we have made it this far.

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