I don’t know how it is in other parts of the country, but in Northwest Arkansas, it’s hard to find a lawn care company that’s taking new clients at this time of year. One of my clients spent three weeks this spring looking for someone who could mow their lawn! That’s a lot of grass to cut, not to mention the toll it took on their home’s curb appeal.

So, at dinner a few weeks ago, as my husband and I discussed this topic, my 16-year-old perked up and offered to help. He has always been a driven kid and was looking for a summer job… This seemed like the perfect solution.

We chatted about what this job might look like, and as we did, my other teenager joined the conversation and offered to help his brother. And just like that, the boys were planning a new business launch.

They came up with a name, service offerings, and a method for splitting their earnings. We talked about what a business plan is and how they would “finance” their startup. As a realtor here in NWA, I know just how important these preliminary factors are in the success of any entrepreneurial endeavor.

My sons then chose a new push mower at Home Depot, carefully considering their options and calling the Dad Advice Hotline every five minutes until they made their final decision. They also discussed how they would reinvest their earnings to create cards and flyers. Within a matter of days, they put together a marketing plan and decided they could offer to mow the lawns of friends and family members, as well as go door-to-door with their sales pitch.

Once Dad walked them through the manual skills required for this job, I taught them about technical details like writing invoices and basic accounting. My sons will sit down every week and keep a spreadsheet of income and expenses so they can figure out their profits and taxes. They have already picked up three clients and are eager to add more.

What can I say… I’m a proud mama! My boys are getting a crash course in finance, marketing, sales, accounting, economics, customer relations, scheduling, and good old-fashioned hard work.

They’re thoughtful, motivated, and excited about building their own business. If you or anyone you know needs basic yard work done, please consider giving these two new entrepreneurs a chance. You can contact Ben and Bro Lawn Care at (479) 319-9590.