Old before his time? Hardly. Mature? You bet! Jason Binder, owner of Jason’s Lawn Care in Fleming Island, Florida, is only 17 years old, but already has been mowing lawns for six years. His truck and second-season Walker Mower, along with the rest of his equipment, are squeaky clean, and Jason approaches each of his 25 lawns with the same commitment to quality.
Jason pulls up to a property with his truck and trailer, edges and trims the yard, mows with his Walker Mower, and then blows debris off of the walk and drive. He dumps clippings into plastic bags that are left curbside for the city to pick up. The routing coordinates with pickup days.
From start to finish, the job takes approximately 35 minutes, for which customers pay an average of $30. “I’m Dependable, Meticulous and Consistent,” says Jason, thinking about what makes his operation tick and the reason so many of his customers have stuck with him from the beginning when he was just a sixth-grader.
“I wanted to find a way to make some money,” Jason recalls. “So I asked our neighbors if I could mow their lawns.” When a few of them agreed, Jason’s father, Scott, purchased a Craftsman mower for his son who paid him back in full with his new-found earnings. Two years later, while in the eighth grade, Jason upgraded to a used John Deere walkbehind mower. He then could be seen around the neighborhood after school towing the mower behind a golf cart.
“We thought the mower was too big for him,” Jason’s mother Susan relates. “He was so small and the mower was so big. “But Jason was determined, and he practiced on our lawn several times before actually using it.” The mower, which cost $1,200, was Jason’s staple for three years until he upgraded last year to a new 20-hp Walker Mower Model C with a 42-inch GHS deck.
“My son had a hard time convincing me that it made sense to buy a mower that costs as much as a car,” says Scott. “He had the funds, though, and his mind was made up.”
“I first saw the mower at a landscaping website and was later directed to nearby dealer Florida-Georgia Distributor Company in Jacksonville from the Walker Manufacturing website,” Jason recalls. “I wanted a mower with a 42-inch deck that would collect clippings, and, frankly, I wanted to ride.”
The move paid off. Jason’s account total immediately jumped to 40 lawns, a number that forced his dad into evening service during the school year. This spring, Scott informed his son that he was on his own, so Jason pared back to a more manageable 25 lawns. “I could mow more accounts during the summer, but I like my free time,” says the young entrepreneur. “I work less hours and make more money than my friends who work at McDonald’s. You can’t beat it.”
When asked what advice he would give other young operators, Scott says, “Don’t purchase more equipment than you need. Start small, and buy from a reputable dealer.”
“Conserve your cash, too,” Scott adds. “Jason likes his toys. He has a nice pickup, a boat, not to mention a full complement of equipment. Yet we’ve always encouraged him to put money away so he can one day buy a home. It’s very easy to overspend and get yourself into financial trouble.”
In addition to mentoring and helping out during crunch times, Scott, an Information Technology (IT) professional, developed a website (jasonslawncare.com) for his son four years ago. “We thought the name was more personable than something like Fleming Island Lawn Care,” Scott explains. “Having a presence on the Internet is important these days and gives business owners, especially newer companies, additional credibility.”
The website and word-of-mouth could create growth issues, but the owner is committed to keeping his business small, at least for the time being. This summer, Jason starts work at 8 a.m. and ends by 1 p.m., well before the Florida heat and humidity take their toll. The schedule will get more hectic this fall when Jason is dual enrolled as a high school senior and college freshman.
“I want to get a degree in either business or engineering,” Jason remarks. “But owning and operating a lawn maintenance business for a career isn’t out of the question, either. I like what I’m doing and there’s a definite advantage to being your own boss.”
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