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When I was 16, my parents helped me start my first business cutting lawns in the neighborhood. At the peak of my thriving landscaping business, I had six accounts and pulled in $600 per month.
Mom and Dad, also both entrepreneurs, happily invested in my business. They funded all of my equipment ā a riding lawnmower, weed wacker, and blower.
I even āborrowedā the family walk-behind mower for smaller patches of lawns.
My Dad even found me a little trailer that attached to the back of the mower. I used it to transport all of my supplies to and from jobs.
It was not uncommon to spot me cruising in my Sears riding mower, up and down Esposito Drive every Saturday and Sunday. What I would pay for a video of thatā¦
There was nothing stopping me from winning every property in my neighborhood. I was a local kid folks knew, I did great work (seriously, I was meticulous), and was 30% cheaper than the big landscaping crews out there.
Accounting for school work and sports, I could have scaled to 15 accounts and increased my revenue to $1,800 per month. In 1992, thatād be a shit-ton of money for a teenager to pocket. It was all cash. No Venmo. No credit cards. No taxes. Shh š¤«
The territory was mine for the takingā¦
Except, one Friday night in the summer, while riding my bike home from my girlfriendās house, I passed Dave DaCostaās house. A couple years older than me, he was loading his shiny new pickup truck with his supplies for tomorrowās landscaping jobs.
Dave was my competition. Except, he was further ahead of my little startup. He had started his business three years ago.
He now had 1-2 guys helping him, and fancier equipment. That meant, in the time it took me to cut one lawn, he finished three.
He also had a license and truck, which meant he could not only get to his jobs faster, but could cover a much wider territory than me and my rig.
My shoulders rounded and my head droppedā¦ Thereās no way Iāll ever be able to compete with Dave, I thought to myself. In that moment, barely one year into my first business, I decided that I couldnāt win the Fairfield landscaping market.
I finished my summer cuts, and did a mediocre job with fall cleanups. But my attitude had changed. I couldnāt escape the idea that Iād never catch up to Dave.
I was not only stuck in the comparison game, I had failed to see how much actual opportunity lay in front of me ā more lawns than me, Dave, and 20 other landscapers could handle.
But the narrative in my head was so blinding that I couldnāt see the potentialā¦ Iām too inexperienced, I donāt drive, and (mostly) other landscapers are better than me, I convinced myself.
And Iām far from the only entrepreneur that thinks this way. I talk with 5-10 business owners every single week about growing their business. Undoubtedly, I hear doubts and fears that keep them stuckā¦
That others have it all figured out.
That any competition is a sign that the end is near.
That alternative solutions means no one will buy from them.
That their market is already saturated.
That they should just give up.
What I concede now but my 16-year-old self couldnāt, is that the world is way bigger than I could have possibly perceivedā¦ 7.9 billion people. That number is hard to wrap our heads around.
And yet, one minute weāll be stoked to be building our business. The next, we see a single social media post from another person doing something similar to us and weāll leap to the conclusion that everyone will buy from them, not us. That theyāre further ahead. That theyāve got it all figured out. And even if they donāt, our customers will just use ChatGPT instead of hiring us.
How ridiculous does this all sound? And yet, we buy into our own bullshit for one reason and one reason onlyā¦
To keep us safe from trying.
If you think you canāt win because of some external condition, you 100% wonāt. Donāt believe me? Maybe youāll believe Winnieā¦
Truth is, there can be 100 people solving the problem you do, but there will always be a market for your work. For the way you show up. For the solution you offer. For the experience you procure. For the personality you bring.
Give yourself grace. Ignore the overnight rags-to-riches headlines. Celebrate the little wins ā especially the ones that took longer and more work than you imagined.
And please keep going. If all else fails, you and I can start a landscaping business together. But I get to ride the mower!
P.S. A nod to my friend, Renee, who reminds me about the power of stories. I hope you enjoyed mine today.
I just kicked off a series of free workshops, where Iām teaching one specific strategy that will systematize and scale your business growth, with less hustle.
Youāll learn how to escape the sales hamster wheel of relentless prospecting and start attracting prospects who need and want your services.
The folks who attended the first one on Friday seemed to get good value from it. They also received a bonus guide I created so they can implement the method I taught.
Join me for the next one: Thurs, Oct 3 @ 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT.
I promise youāll leave feeling inspired and informed. Plus, youāll get a copy of the practical, actionable guide. (but you have to show up to get it)
š The Rabbit Hole
šŖ Jose writes La Chispa to serve young Latinos get a better view of the news
See you next Sunday!
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Jay Melone
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