Landscaper’s 5 Tips to Build a Booming Business

Did you know what you wanted to do for a living at age 10? Danny Reisdorfer did.

While other kids barricaded themselves in their bedrooms playing video games, Danny was earning his keep at his dad’s family-run lawn and landscaping company. He used that experience to start his own side business at the ripe “old” age of 12. Years later, when demand grew bigger than his part-time schedule could handle, he branched off to start his own company.

But when his father left to serve in the military following 9/11, Danny dropped out of college to oversee the family business. After his deployment, Danny’s dad returned to a booming business, which led him to make one of his best decisions ever – letting Danny continue to call the shots.

Here are 5 tips, in Danny’s own words, that any entrepreneur should use to make their professional pipedream a reality.

1. Know the value of a dollar.

“When I was 10, I opened a Sears credit card with my mom co-signing and I bought my first lawn mower and weed eater. My parents didn’t give me money. That taught me a lot about working for what I have.”

2. Commit to your passion.

“Work ethic will take you far. Especially if it’s something you’re passionate about. Since I was 12 I knew I wanted to run my own business. Today, we have around 1,000 customers. We always get compliments when we’re done with the job because we take pride in the work we do.”

3. Work hard.

“I worked for my dad’s business since I was 10 years old. When I was done with school, I had to go mow lawns. I would just push my lawn mower to the different homes that were in my neighborhood, and my parents let me do it on my own. We weren't a big company, so we relied on family to help. I don't know if I'd have the same work ethic if I didn't work like that when I was younger.”

4. Treat customers like you’d treat yourself.

“I always tell my employees to treat the customer’s property like it’s your property because you'd want the job done well at your own house. And if you do good quality work, word gets out. That’s the most powerful advertising by far, and that's how your business can really explode.” 

5. Pick good people.

“When I started my own business, I was good friends with my Bobcat guy, Chris Dennis, and I bought my first Bobcat® skid-steer loader. When I had maintenance work done on it, they picked up my machine and then brought me one to use for free while mine was being serviced. I had never experienced that before. They actually care about you, and they want to make sure you succeed.

“That service helped turn my dad and all my brothers into Bobcat business owners.”

Here’s the equipment that helped make Danny and his family Bobcat business owners for life:

• Bobcat S770 skid-steer loader (2)
• Bobcat T650 compact track loader
• Bobcat MT100 mini track loader
• Bobcat E10 compact excavator
• Bobcat E32 compact excavator

Parting Words

There’s no secret sauce or one-size-fits-all solution for starting and maintaining a business. But Danny thinks anyone can write their success story if they have the right mindset. “I help people start their own business all the time. I just tell them to stay positive. You'll have your ups and downs, but in the long run, it's worth it.”