Today we’d like to introduce you to Talisha Harper.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey has truly been a blessing. As long as I can remember, my heart has always been called to serve. I was born and raised in Chicago but moved to Northwest Indiana in middle school. I had seen so many things in my life whether it was good, bad, or ugly. I truly believe those experiences shape who you become in life. One person in my life that I’ve always looked up to is my sister. I saw at a young age how hard work pays off. My sister, Tamika Banks, is a real-life hero! I’ve seen her go through so many obstacles to be where she is today. She’s a nurse practitioner. This is where I learned to give all that I have. My GRIT.
As a young adult, my first true calling was law enforcement. At the age of 21, I was sworn in to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, in Indianapolis, IN. This is where I learned discipline. I learned the importance of community and how to serve those in need. It’s so rewarding in its own. It taught me how to engage with people from in all levels of life. More importantly, I learned how to respect and appreciate every interaction.
In 2012, I relocated to Danville, Virginia. I felt that I had more to offer and I wanted to have freedom to explore beyond the Midwest. I left law enforcement behind because I wanted to serve my community in other ways. I held management positions and was an investigator for several companies before I decided that I wanted a traditional work schedule. Needless to say, this scheduling wouldn’t last long, but in a great way.
I remember being home from work when I got the text that really changed my life. It was Spring 2020 when a friend of mine, who later became a mentor for me in this industry, asked me if I wanted to help him with some side jobs. I said “sure!” I was told that I just needed to show up. We were going to go around cutting properties and I didn’t need any equipment. I thought, “People are going to pay me to sit on a mower and cut grass?! Sign me up!” I cut my own lawn and thought I did pretty good so getting paid to do others was awesome! I was such an amateur! I didn’t know that there was a science to cutting. There are right and wrong ways to cutting. My trimming wasn’t crisp and I didn’t know how to edge. I had a lot to learn if I was going to be paid well. Fortunately for me, Tyler Mathena took me under his wings.
Tyler would have me come to his commercial and residential properties to cut alongside him. One day, I caught the attention of an elderly couple who had just moved to the area. They were looking for someone to cut their lawn in a prominent neighborhood. I offered my services for just $40 per cut. At this time, I was starting to feel more confident in my skills that I could take on customers solo. Once I got into this neighborhood, people started noticing how well kept my client’s property was. I was asked to cut four more properties on this street. I was so excited! I had been working for Tyler for one year at this point and he told me, “I’m paying you too much money. You need to start your own business!” I was so excited that he had seen my growth. I had learned to professionally maintenance a lawn by cutting, edging, weed eating, and even started landscaping.
In 2021, Harper’s Lawn Care was established.
I had about 10 residential properties and was just meeting with an owner for Bojangles’. I went through a drive through and noticed that the property was severely neglected. I called the manager and asked him if he was happy with his lawn care services. He told me he was not and I offered to submit a proposal for services. The next day the owner was on site and wanted to meet me. I walked out with a signed contract and I was beyond excited.
I felt that I made it big! My first commercial contract! I knew that the expectations were going to be higher. I needed to raise the bar and set new goals. First thing, make sure I am 100% legit. I made sure I had full coverage business insurance since I was already licensed. I needed to make sure my equipment was up for the challenge and if not, upgrade when ready. I wanted to make sure that nothing would stall my success. I finally earned a seat at the table and could be just as confident as the next person.
Over the next few years, I worked on perfecting my craft. I wanted people to see how hard I worked in this male dominated industry. When I look left and look right, I don’t see many people like me. I guess this is what makes me unique. I really wanted people to see me but more importantly see my value. I want people to see how I give quality to their property and that I respect them. It never seemed to fail that I was being praised for good work on my commercial properties. I would invest so much time into making sure they were always presentable. It always melted my heart when people would stop me from working and tell me, “Girl, you doing good job!” Or the time someone posted in a community Facebook group that I had Bojangles’ and Circle K looking great. The woman didn’t even know my name. Somehow, I got tagged in it and the comments were so overwhelmingly beautiful.
I’ve come a long way from 2021 and I’m grateful for it. I’ve had a support from family and friends. We’ve secured multiple commercial property contracts. Our residential clientele is growing year over year and I’m thankful for that. The marketing team we’ve secured this year as really put HLC visible in the online community. We are the first lawn care company that shows up in Google searches for our area. This has created a lot of organic leads for both residential and commercial companies. Our social media presence has given us exposure to larger companies and other influencers. We’ve been able to partner with Petra Tools and Petra Max offering a wide range of products for lawn care and landscaping. So much is true that I was featured on a Youtube Channel for Ladies of Lawn Care with GirlzLawn. This feature gave so much support to the company. I walked away with two great supporters and mentors, PJ (GirlzLawn) and India (mvplawncarellc). Additions to my success and a true blessing. God, Family and Friends are the reasons why I’m where I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It all starts as an idea. Then you plan to make it a reality. All the steps you take are what will define you in the end. Having a lawn care company is hard. My journey was hard because I am a woman. Most people don’t think your lawn care and landscaping company is going to be ran by the owner/operator female. They don’t think you are strong enough to put down 20-30 cubic yards of mulch/rock, trim all the shrubs, use a chainsaw to cut a tree down, haul off junk, or anything else that requires muscles. I love proving that I can! I believe that this is the biggest, physical obstacle to hurdle. In the beginning, to win a client, I had to prove that I could do the job versus them hiring a man. It’s not insulting but a challenge that I’ve overcome and no longer must entertain if it becomes questionable.
On the administrative and business side, funding is always hard for a start-up. I started out with a 6×12 open trailer, a John Deere D105 tractor mower, a Ryobi gas string trimmer, and a Husqvarna backpack blower attached to my 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. My set up was all I had at the time. The John Deere was too slow, so I went to Lowes and bought a Husqvarna riding mower and bagger. As I grew the company, I outgrew these equipment’s. I saved enough money to buy a high mileage 2004 F150, a used but well maintained 52-inch Bobcat Zero Turn, and an Echo string trimmer. I only got a new Stihl backpack blower because my Husqvarna went out on me. As of today, I have a 2023 F-150, an enclosed trailer, open trailer, two zero turns, three backpack blowers, three hedge trimmers, three string trimmers, landscape bed definer, and some other stuff. All this so that the next person just needs to show up. I have the equipment.
Everything I’ve ever purchased for the business has been self-funded. I worked a full-time job while running the business to fund it. One thing I learned later was that there are grants that will help you run your business if you don’t want to get a business loan. It just takes a lot of research and time if you qualify.
The last challenge that I face is finding help. This is a physical demanding job that works in all elements of weather. It’s not for everyone and I’ve seen that over the years. Either people can’t keep up with the demand and expectations, or they just want to work when they want to work. I have yet to find a consistent employee that is available during business needs. I’ve been hired for large landscaping contracts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hired my friends and family members to come help on a job. I hire family every year when the City of Danville wants a mulch job done in a weekend. My friends come and support but once in a while, you’ll get a young man wanting to make some money outside of school. That is when I see a young responsible adult trying to learn and I’m okay with it. I just wish I could multiply that mentality.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Harper’s Lawn Care is a full lawn care and landscaping business. We are fully licensed and insured. We pride ourselves on servicing the community we live in. We offer customized packages for residential and commercial services. All quotes are completely free without an obligation.
Our lawn maintenance services include cut, weed control, trimming, edging and clearing debris.
Our landscaping services include mulching, rock installation, retaining wall/patio, commercial weed barrier, bed redefining, mulch and rock glue, hedge trimming/tree trimming.
We do Spring and Fall clean-ups. In the Fall we offer full aeration services which includes a certified A listed seed, fertilizer, and lime with humic acid. We can customize this service with a pre-emergent or post emergent herbicide for weed control as well.
As of 2026, we are offering junk removal to our services.
The most important thing I want readers to know about Harper’s Lawn Care is that we are committed to our community. A smile is free and it could change someone’s day. Serving your community could change someone’s life. We offer senior, military and public safety discounts. Senior services are price locked without an increase due to fixed incomes.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Viola Davis – Finding Me
Girlz Lawn – Instagram.com/girlzlawn or Youtube.com/girlzlawn
Mel Robbins – MelRobbins.com
Pricing:
- Lawn Maintenance $65 (cut, weed eat, edge, blow off)
- Mulch/Rock + Install $120 cubic yard
- Trimming $150+
- Free Estimates
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.harperslawncare.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/hlc_danville
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/harperslawncaredanville
