Meet Roderick White of Crisp Edges LawnCare

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roderick White.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Roderick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Crisp Edges was born out of the need for change. After a seven year stint in corporate accounting and another five years in sales and marketing I was faced with the forecast that the corporation I was working for would be downsizing. Working in accounting for many years, the writing on the wall was pretty obvious proceeding to the inexorable future. We were offered options to adjust our pay scale, but I had already begun to look ahead…

For many years I wanted to explore entrepreneurship, but was a little afraid to navigate the deep waters of uncertainty. I stayed anchored to being employed and the since of security that presented, mostly due to being a father of 3 and what it meant to provide for my children. When I ultimately decided to take the leap of faith, I wanted to choose a simple business model that was in the service industry. Passionate about gardening and outdoors, also thinking back to how I earned my first honest dollar when I was 12, I decided on lawn care. I started building a clientele base of family, friends, and coworkers that would eventually become my core group.

A couple of years in, the business had begun to grow. However, I would still carry a part time job to cover business expense and income adjustment. In the fall of 2013 we would unfortunately be hit with a major theft that almost put us out of business. We decided to merge with another lawn care company in the spring of 2014 to continue to be able to cover the clientele base we had established. Things again we’re looking up and we were moving forward. In the blink of an eye, lightning struck twice. Only this time it was June 2014 during peak lawn season that all of our equipment would be stolen yet again. This completely devastated me. Unsure of what to do next, I looked into an option that had been presented to me on occasion previously about working in North Dakota in the oil field being an erosion control supervisor. Based on the circumstances and the timing of the last theft I decided to take on the position. Leaving my family behind which was one of the hardest decisions I had ever made, I left began work in North Dakota.

The stay in North Dakota would be short-lived and I would eventually return home the fall of the same year. I had gained valuable experience while working in North Dakota, learning to operate heavy machinery and manage large crews.

I took most of 2015 off while I pondered my future and what direction I wanted to go in. Uncertain if I wanted to continue entrepreneurship verses returning to the corporate workforce, I did some soul searching and from there we change the name of the business from White’s family Lawn Care to Crisp Edge LawnCare. 2016 was the most humbling year of my life. Starting over from scratch with little capital base and minimal equipment I decided to push all in…

As of today’s date we have been blessed to see our accounts triple and our workforce grow. All of our equipment has been replaced (with additional equipment added). I am truly grateful for my family, close friends and loyal workforce. Without them we would not be achieving level of success that we are today.

Great, 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?
We overcame two major thefts that almost shut us down. We have always welcomed the challenge of learning new processes and procedures to enhance “The Customer Experience”.

Crisp Edges LawnCare – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in many different areas. Our goal to give the customer a high end well-manicured look. Whether it be hardscapes, seasonal bed designs, or just normal mowing edging and blowing; we bring our passion to your lawn. One question we most almost certainly ask of new customers is “what are your goals for your lawn?” and we most certainly look to bring those to life!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I guess for me overcoming adversity and challenges is always warming, but mostly the people who been a part of our success I’m most grateful for. Whether side by side with a shovel or behind the scenes processing invoices, I’m truly most proudest of the team.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crispedgeslawncare.com
• Phone: 404-828-0713 office or 404-769-8637 cell
• Email: crispedgeslawncare@gmail.com

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