The Big Dreams of an Eleven-Year-Old Entrepreneur
When I was eleven years old, my head was all over the place; most commonly up in the clouds. However, there was one thing I knew for sure; I desperately desired some cash to buy the latest LEGO set or get Mcdonald’s after school. I contemplated for quite some time, it turns out there aren’t too many options for a pre-teen to earn a bit of extra change. After much thought, I concluded that my best bet was to cut the grass around the neighborhood. I was in good shape from my soccer team and enjoyed the outdoors so it seemed logical. I told my parents about my new aspirations to become a lawn care millionaire and right from the get-go they were my biggest supporters. My father helped me learn to mow like a pro with our little residential grade trimmer and push mower. The only thing I needed was someone to work for. With help from my mother, I handed out about a hundred very amateur-looking flyers and received my first customer. I was in business.
I purchased a cheap trimmer and mower with the money I had made from shoveling for my grandma during the winter (the exact ones above). The last thing I did before starting was I bought a little blue wagon to carry my equipment. I put my things in the wagon and pulled it a couple of blocks down to my customer’s house and got to work. I was making $20 a cut which made me feel like Bill Gates at the time. Looking back, I realize just how much that first customer did to help me. I always put my all into the work and tried to make sure it was done properly but admittedly, an eleven-year-old can only cut the grass so well. I’m sure I left my fair share of bald spots in the grass but over the season I improved drastically and by the time winter came I had gained myself two more customers. I was now working for three neighbors…and my grandma.
Covid Hits the Business
I repeated this for another two years while picking up more customers here and there and slowly purchasing more equipment. I started to get ready for my fourth season…and then covid came in like a bullet train. At first, it seemed as though the world was ending, and then it struck me; I was now at home all day long with nothing to do! I quickly took advantage of this and started marketing for my business, I put an ad in the local newsletter and handed out some more flyers. I ended up starting the season with about ten weekly customers. I decided to order some red polo shirts so people would recognize me. At this point, I was quite proficient at providing quality lawn care and people started to notice. I became known in the neighborhood as the kid in the red shirt who pulls a wagon and cuts grass really well. I realized I needed something to do with my newfound earnings and set the goal of buying a truck by the time a turned sixteen. I worked non-stop from spring to fall. I set new boundaries for myself and concluded that I was capable of achieving quite a bit. I quickly reached my goal and started the search for a truck.
So Then What?
5 It became apparent that this whole lawn care thing was working for me and I needed to make a more detailed plan for the future. I spent all winter plotting and planning. In no time I realized that running a real business was no piece of cake. The list of to-dos just goes on and on. Opening business bank accounts, getting credit cards, starting a website, marketing, purchasing equipment, getting legal advice, trademarking, accounting, hiring employees, buying commercial insurance, and SO MUCH MORE. All before even doing any lawn care work. Throughout this whole experience, I have learned a great deal and my appreciation for small business owners has gone through the roof. The business is a rollercoaster. There have been times where I felt like quitting was the only sane thing to do. Once last summer, I accidentally shattered one of my customer’s windows when a rock got caught in my trimmer. A million thoughts went through my head. I was terrified about how that would reflect on my business and what the customer might say. In the end, I covered the cost of it and kept working for them, but I dodged a bullet. Many times I’ve had expensive commercial-grade equipment break down and gone totally broke replacing it. However, throughout all of the ups and downs, there have been a few things that make the work well worth it. My family has been with me every step of the way to offer assistance and encouragement. A few key role models have helped me with things I otherwise couldn’t accomplish like taxes and legal advice. I like to think I know it all but this business has made me very humble. I have created long-lasting relationships in the community and even gotten to know some younger kids who like to follow me around while I work. This form of education blows any unit test out of the water. I am ever grateful for the experiences I have had and the people who always have my back. I now work with more than seventy-five customers and plan to meet many more this season. The story of my eleven-year-old dream is just beginning, the blue wagon is now a truck and the business is incorporated but I look forward to growing and working with the same amount of passion as when I was just the little kid pulling his wagon to cut the neighbors’ lawn.
