I think we're on to something here

Gas-powered lawn mowers, are they worth it?

For years, homeowners and professionals alike have found gas-powered lawn mowers and trimmers to be the most effective method of maintaining a healthy lawn. Unfortunately, the convenience provided by this equipment comes at a cost. Most lawn care equipment is loud, polluting and contributes to poor air-quality, high smog levels, and ozone depletion. Not to mention being woken up by a neighbor mowing their lawn at the crack of dawn is the worst way to start your day.  

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a new gas-powered lawn mower produces as much pollution as 11 cars for every hour of use
• 
  Every year, millions of gallons of gasoline are spilled while filling up lawn mowers and trimmers
• According to the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse (NPC), a typical gas-powered mower can produce the 85 to 90 decibels of noise, audible from a quarter mile away.
• The sound level produced can cause hearing damage after only 15 minutes of use

What can you do to help?

Elevation Yard Care is the only company of its kind in Broomfield. We are committed to offering customers a GREEN alternative for their lawn mowing services. Here at Elevation, we exclusively use reel-powered lawn mowers. These aren't the heavy, clunky reel-mowers of the past; a resurgence in environmental consciousness has brought these mowers back to market with improved technology for easier and more efficient lawn mowing. In addition, the rapid increase in battery technology over the last few years allows us to use quiet, non-polluting, battery powered trimmers while still providing the same level of effectiveness as a traditional gas powered trimmer.

• Reel-powered mowers are quieter, lighter and less damaging to your lawn
  
• The cutting action of reel-powered mowers shears the blades of grass instead of the tearing action of traditional mowers, resulting in a healthier happier lawn
• Our battery powered trimmers eliminate the obnoxious noise level typically associated with gas-powered trimmers
• All of our equipment is pollution-free
• We only use high-grade natural fertilizers for your lawn

Elevation Yard Care isn’t just a lawn mowing company, we are a team of individuals committed to providing the highest quality of service to our customers while maintaining and promoting our commitment to creating a greener earth.

Fear Kills Success

Telling people you plan on starting a business incites a broad range of reactions ranging from a burst of excitement to downright dismissive, but one thing I hear often is, "I wish I would do something like that." When I first began hearing this it became obvious that these people have probably thought about following through on one of their big ideas but have a hard time taking those first steps involved in committing themselves to a project.

We all know building a business is challenging but overcoming the fear of failure can be the most challenging step of all. After all that's the point where most ideas stay to wither away and die.

A piece of advice I've heard often is "It's time to do something even if its wrong." Never trying anything is guaranteed failure, but every effort put forth has the chance of succeeding.

So What's Happening?

Wednesday, March 20:
Began listening to Dan and Ian from the lifestyle business podcast. Started my journey down the road of income independence. Everyone should give these dudes a listen and absorb the wisdom the is Rip, Pivot, and Jam.

Friday, March 22:
After a frantic couple days churning out an endless stream of flowcharts for my operations class,  I finally had time to sit down and apply some of what I had been hearing from the podcast. Leveraging my existing skills and contacts, I noticed a potential opportunity doing lawn and garden care. That night I sat down with my assistant entrepreneur Scott to start putting the pieces together.

Sat. 23rd - Mon. 25th:
With ADD hyperfocus kicking in and coffee coursing through my veins, I spent these 3 days re-learning Wordpress and developing the website, with Dan and Ian feeding me their ever so satisfying knowledge in the background. The logo was developed during this time as well as registering as an llc.

Wed. 27th:
I used this day to take a shot at deal-making with the owner of a garden center I've worked for over the last few years. She is the now owner of a bunch of beaten up lawn care and landscaping equipment from the previous owner. I've used the equiptment before and it works alright, but more than anything I was wanting to provide some value to her in  hopes of further developing what could be a profitable relationship.

Thurs, March 28th - Sat, March 30th:
Started fussing over SEO and online marketing strategies. Not a good use of time this early in the game.

Sunday, April 1st:

Last year I tried pitching an idea for a new website for the garden center, built by me and for cheap. I wanted nothing more than a quick buck and some experience building Wordpress sites but every time I brought it up to the owner I received the same response, "we don't have the budget for a new website." No. You don't have the budget to keep the maintaining that website you already have that looks like it was pulled straight out of a 1995 html how-to guide.

I went in to the garden center again this Sunday to speak with the owner about building the website again but I took a very different approach. Last year I came to the owner asking to be paid for a service that she didn't request and I wasn't able to establish a significant enough value proposition. This year I offered to build the website for free. Offering such a valuable and time consuming service at a time when I have no income to support me was a challenging pill to swallow, but it serves to advance a larger set of goals. Building the garden center a free website such a his accomplishes several things for me.

1. Sets a concrete goal forcing me further develop my Wordpress skills.
2. Creates value for myself in that I will be the only one who knows how to operate the website.
3. Builds an avenue where I can pursue other projects like developing their mission and vision and developing effective marketing strategies.
4. Allows me to strategically position myself as an essential piece of their process of doing business.
5. Gives me leverage if I can show the website is producing income.

After listening to Dan and Ian on the lifestyle business podcast, they hit a home run when they made the point that an entrepreneur is a giver. He creates ten times the value that he earns on any given day. I tried to sell my website design as a freelancer and it didn't work. Now i'm going to help them grow their business.

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