It may sound a little far fetched, but it's true, claims Ray Albert, owner of Ray Albert Landscaping in Vancouver, Washington. "I used to walk 40 miles a day mowing before I purchased my Walker." Now, he says he walks a lot less, makes more money and has more time to enjoy what he does best - gardening and melding together all the elements of a landscape.

Akehurst, Akehurst, Akehurst, Akehurst and Akehurst! Five generations later and this family-owned business shows no signs of slowing down. Why? The answer is in their genes and the family's ability to adapt to changing times.

Graduation is only five days away and Larry Rhodes is moving fast. As manager of landscaping and grounds for Elon College in Elon College, North Carolina, he is largely responsible for how the campus will look on its biggest day of the year.

It's a new day. Big is better, borrowed money works better than your own, and when equipment breaks, you throw it away instead of fixing it.

Successful lawn maintenance contractors come in all shapes and sizes. That's one of the strengths of this industry. You don't have to be a conformist to succeed.

How long would you stay in business if you charged upwards of 30% more for your services than the competition? What if you operated with a two-complaint rule, meaning that on the second complaint, you simply told your customer to find another landscaper? Or, perish the thought, what if you maintained a property according to Mother Nature's schedule and not that of the customer?