When Anderson Goldmon started mowing lawns full-time in 2000, he had one goal in mind. The prison job he left was paying $35,000 annually and he was bringing home $28,000 mowing lawns part-time. Within the next year, he wanted to make as much money mowing lawns as he had been making in his job. His goal, then, was a modest $7,000 increase in sales.
The owner of Goldmon Lawn Care in Little Rock, Arkansas, beat his goal and then some. In fact, by the end of the following year, mowing revenue approached the $100,000 mark. “In October 2000, I purchased my first Walker Mower, and that machine was largely responsible for my jump in productivity,” Goldmon remarks. “I thought, if I can make $100,000 with one Walker Mower, imagine what I could make with two, three, four, five, or even six.”
Today he has six, but discovered that the $100,000-to-one formula would only apply if he operated all six machines himself. Still, this owner is doing very well with two crews, seven employees and a mix of residential, HOA and commercial properties.
Ag Roots
Goldmon, along with 10 siblings, was raised on a family farm in Pine Bluff, about an hour’s drive south of Little Rock. “I enjoyed farming but wasn’t very successful at it,” he recalls. “From 1978 to 1985, I ran the farm with one of my brothers. Unfortunately, our tenure cut through the recession and we just couldn’t make a go of it. Even though we ultimately failed, I learned a hard lesson about how important it is to be business savvy and watch your money.”
To this day, fear of failure drives Goldmon. Failure is something he says, he never wants to experience again.
Goldmon’s path to lawn maintenance led next to a position as a farm supervisor at a prison in Grady, AR, near Pine Bluff. It was a big farm, which operated with the help of 200 inmates, 25 of whom worked for Goldmon. In 1995, he took a new position at a prison near Little Rock in Benton, AR, where he worked security for a work release program.
Having a 4 p.m. to midnight shift caused Goldmon to “twiddle his thumbs” during the day looking for something else to do. He took a few day jobs, including selling knives and working for a couple of landscape companies, but eventually settled on mowing and maintaining yards around his neighborhood. “At one point, I had 10 accounts and decided mowing lawns had potential,” says Goldmon. “So I started keeping records and discovered I could probably make as much mowing as I did working for the prison.”
In January 2000, he pulled the plug on the prison job, set his dollar goal, and launched a new career.
Learning Curve
Goldmon worked with walk-behind mowers until that fall when Little Rock dealer, Cleve Addie, sold him a 26-hp EFI Walker Mower. “Company President, Craig Addie, is a straight shooter and encouraged me to buy the mower,” remarks Goldmon. “But I was already partially convinced it was the machine I wanted because I saw the way it striped lawns, plus its design reminded me of a cotton picker.”
Having never operated a Walker Mower, the purchase was a bit foreign to the new owner. “After seven days, I was ready to take it back,” he admits. “I just couldn’t get the hang of running it, but I suffered through and soon became comfortable with its operation.” And how! “That original machine has 7,000 hours on it,” Goldmon notes. “I’ve replaced the engine once, but the pumps are original.”
In 2002, he purchased his second Walker Mower, another 26-hp EFI. At the same time, he started to manage growth and maximize what he had.
Part of what he had was developing a mix of properties and providing full service. In fact, when not mowing, Goldmon still does the annual color and applies fertilizer and weed control. “Gardening is my pastime, so I truly enjoy installing spring and fall color and creating interesting designs. It’s just something that helps set us apart,” he adds.
In addition to his initial residential accounts, Goldmon soon picked up some HOAs and they immediately became his biggest customers. In 2002, his local bank in Pine Bluff opened a branch in Little Rock and the two, the customer and the lawn care company, began growing together.
“The bank was my first real commercial account. When I obtained the business, the bank manager told me that he wanted his bank’s landscape to look better than the bank’s across the street. That wasn’t a problem until I got that account, as well,” laughs Goldmon. Talk about an incentive to make every mowing job look better!
Competitive Advantages
“When I compete for a job against larger companies, I always tell the property owner that I personally will be on their property every week. Bigger companies can’t say that,” says Goldmon.
His six Walker Mowers, all 26-hp EFI models with GHS decks, are thought to provide another advantage. He explains, “It’s their finished cut that stands out. No, a Walker Mower isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want a nice finished look, then this machine isn’t for you.
“Sure, there are more rugged machines on the market, but I don’t need mine to be tough. There are faster mowers, too, but I don’t need mine to be fast. In fact, I don’t want my employees operating mowers wide open, unless they’re going down the street to dump some clippings.”
His hard-working employees comprise another competitive advantage. “If you want employees to grow with you, then you have to take them out of their comfort zone,” he emphasizes. “I also tell them to work just as if the homeowner or property owner is watching them through a window.”
Success Secrets
Fear of failure may be a great motivator for Goldmon, but another, even more significant secret to success, he explains, is surrounding himself with good people. “I have a saying: ‘Occasionally, a good person may do something bad, but rarely will a bad person ever do anything good.’ If you surround yourself with good people, good things will happen.”
Among good things, his company has been a finalist twice, in 2006 and 2012, for Best of the Best of Central Arkansas in the Landscape Company category. He recognizes his employees and customers, dealer, Cleve Addie, and Renee, his wife of two years, and office manager/daughter, Adrea Goldmon-Gilliam, as partners in this success.
As this Walker owner has demonstrated, it pays to have a goal. But even more important is surrounding yourself with good people to help you reach that goal.
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