Building a Business: The Growth of a Landscaping Company

Kevin and Christine Hausrath thought starting a business was out of reach; the two had never finished high school. Kevin worked at a tool manufacturing plant, and Christine had been laid off from the local Chevrolet factory. With an infant son and growing debt, the couple felt unprepared to chase what appeared to be an impossible dream. A $1,500 loan from Christine’s mother, however, helped the pair purchase a pickup truck with the hope of making some extra cash to pay the bills. 

“We started out just plowing snow with our old truck,” Christine remembers. “We only had one or two commercial sites.” 

When spring arrived, a snow client desperate for lawn maintenance services approached Kevin. She offered him a deal: If he invested in the necessary equipment, she’d bring in 25 customers to make the expense worthwhile. 

One lawnmower and 90 clients later, the Hausraths began to see a future for their business. 

As rumors of layoffs began to spread through the manufacturing plant where Kevin worked, he and Christine knew it was time to make a change. The choice seemed clear. With a leap of faith, Kevin left his job and dove headfirst into small business ownership. 

Hausrath Landscape Maintenance’s beginning, although humble, focused on delivering high-quality services and creating positive client relationships. As word-of-mouth grew, job requests flooded in and the couple’s workload increased dramatically.