Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew.
Hi Andrew, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started this lawn care business the summer after freshman year of high school. I wanted to make money, and I knew that I wanted to start a business to be my own boss. I went with lawn care because everyone knows how to cut grass right? It can’t be that hard I said to myself. So I bought an $80 lawn mower off of craigslist, a used trimmer and blower. I made everything fit in a 2001 Toyota Celica, a two door coupe. I started off with a couple lawns from family friends and neighbors for that summer. Then during sophomore year, I designed flyers in my graphics class with the help of my graphics design teacher. I started going door to door in nearby neighborhoods. I remember the excitement I got when I received my first call, a client that I had gotten all by myself. I remember running back to my parents house and telling my mom I got my first client, and she said “I’ve never seen anyone get so excited to cut someone’s grass before.” That feeling is a high that I still chase to this day. It felt like a win that I created from nothing. Nothing but determination and aspirations. Fast forward to today, I’ve built a big enough clientele list to make it my full time job, and to hire a full time employee. Two trucks, commercial equipment, trailers, all started off with an $80 mower off of craigslist.
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?
No. Equipment breaks, and not enough money to hire someone to fix it. Being up at midnight and through to night trying to equipment fixed before the morning. Saying yes to jobs with no guidance on how to do them, and no idea where to start, just because I wanted to take every job I could when I first started out. As a highschool kid, I had no experience or knowledge on how to run a business. It was all figuring it out along the way. Figuring out what worked and what didn’t work, I had a full schedule mentally and physically. Cutting a lawn is one thing, but learning how to run a business is a different beast. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve lost money, I’ve lost clients, I’ve dwindled close friendships. I’m grateful for these challenges that I’ve faced though, because I’ve learned a lot from them and they’ve made me who I am today. Learning how to lose and keep going.
We’ve been impressed with Solomon Landscaping LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a small local business mainly operating in Prince William County within northern Virginia. I specialize in lawn care services to provide my clients with a beautiful and manicured lawn. The main services I provide is mowing, mulching, fertilizing, aeration and seeding, and yard clean ups. These services can transform a lawn into something beautiful, and I love bringing a malnourished and neglected lawn back to life. I’d say the thing that sets us apart from others is that we have compassion. I understand the challenges that everyday life can bring you. I’m very easy to work with, and if life gets in the way, lawn care is the last thing you want to worry about. I don’t have my clients sign a contract for our lawn maintenance services. They’re free to cancel whenever they feel like it, no questions asked. Also, if my client is willing, I love getting to know them better than just a ”client’.’ I can call a lot of my clients friends, getting to know them better over the years, I’ve built a small community within my lawn care business.
How do you think about luck?
Lucky enough to have supportive parents along the way. I think a solid support background and people to fall back onto when things get tough, is crucial for growth. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without my parents, and I feel very lucky to have them. Other than that, my business was, and is continuing on growing through hard work and overcoming adversities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.solomonlandscapingllc.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SolomonLandscapingLLC
