Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Bivens.
Hi Joshua, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up yard work was either a chore or a punishment. My Dad would consistently ask me if I wanted to make some money doing yard work & I would always reply with “No thank you”. Every time he would return in no later than 10 minutes and make me do it for free. Every time. I ended up in some trouble in my early twenties & spent 6 months in a prison work camp doing road detail & learned a few more skills there. The day before I was released, the older guys in my dorm sat me down & told me that I don’t belong in a place like this, that I’m too smart. They told me to take what I learned and start my own business. Like most guys fresh out I did the complete opposite, but I eventually heard them & I haven’t been back. I was also inspired by my Grandfather Eddie Lee Porter. He was a hardworking man who was self made, self sufficient & kept a clean professional appearance. I remember him being 70+ years old climbing on the top of our house flashing that smile he passed down to my mother. And even in his final moments, his smile maintained a level of strength I strive to achieve every day.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. I mean from the jump I had a good habit of saving and saved just over $5000 dollars to buy my 1st zero turn out right. But the timing chain on my truck decided to go out and that cost me $3000 to fix. I was going to give up, but something inside told me to just…go to the dealership. Come to find out, with my credit score I was eligible for a low down payment & a 0% interest rate! All praises to the Most High! I’ve had equipment sabotaged & stolen. One run of bad luck had all 3 of my mowers + the push in the shop. I had to go into debt for another one to keep business rolling and long gone were the days of 0% interest. In retrospect I can appreciate having back ups for all of my machines, but my new hurdle is maintaining a mechanic for 2 of the machines of the same brand. Dealerships and mechanics are declining to work on them because of the hassle that goes into repair & finding parts. All I can do is brace for impact. Last year due to burnout I decided to restructure the company in the middle of peak season. That included letting undesirable clients go, going solo, raising prices & switching to a card on file system which lost me a few more clients. At the time it was extremely stressful, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far. This road has been anything but smooth, but it keeps the fire inside lit ya know?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a landscaper who specializes in lawn care, clean ups & installs. That includes your basic mow, blow, trimming of the hedges, etc, leaf cleanups, brush clearing, over seeding, aeration along with sod, pine straw & mulch installation. What sets me apart from the competition is communication & professionalism. I sometimes feel like I over communicate, but I treat people how I want to be treated and from my experience most problems can be avoided with proper communication. And when problems do arise I maintain a professional composure and make sure the client is satisfied with the finished result before I close the ticket.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I learned a lot of what I know on the job. A big part of that was being honest with people when I didn’t know what I was doing. Clients and mechanics. I would advise to stay humble & honest about any lack of knowledge you may have and ask questions. Be innovative, when you see a problem find a solution. Try everything once, see what you like & what you don’t like. If you don’t like it, don’t do it or add tax.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://porterhouselawn.com
- Instagram: @porterhouselawn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/porterhouselawn/
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/porterhouse-lawn-snellville
- Other: https://nextdoor.com/pages/porterhouse-lawn-snellville-ga/
