Leading up to my sixteenth birthday, I only wanted one thing — a truck. I believed it to be a perfectly reasonable request for a teenage boy, and there was only one thing that stood in my way: my parents. After a bit of convincing, I eventually won over my Dad, but Mom still remained strongly opposed. As time went on, I wore her down and she offered me a deal. Mom agreed that they would pay for the truck, but I had to cover the gas, maintenance, and mechanical expenses. Her intention was to discourage me, but the effect was quite the opposite — it motivated me. I stuck out my hand and we had a deal.
My mom reminded me that I didn’t have a job, and I immediately responded “I know, but I will get one.” We bought the truck and I was forced to stare at in the driveway for quite some time. After searching for jobs and never finding anything that would work with my schedule as an aspiring athlete, it struck me: start a landscaping business.
I began as simply as possible: one truck, one lawnmower and one goal. I started cutting my grandmother’s yard for 25 dollars every other week. Eventually it caught the neighbor’s eye and before long I had earned most of the cul-de-sac’s business. What started as a basic job to cover gas money developed into a dream that I could grow this business to a larger scale, so I started saving money to finance new equipment as my services expanded.
In the fall of 2012, I enrolled at Samford University where I also played on the football team as a place-kicker. From here, the name — Specialist Landscaping — was born. Just as my business acumen developed, my business grew. Quickly, I realized that what began as small neighborhood jobs could turn into and livelihood. In 2015, I won the Regions New Venture Challenge — a seed capital entrepreneurship competition sponsored by Regions Bank and hosted with Samford University — after presenting in several rounds of competition and was awarded $7,500. I purchased my first trailer and went to work building clientele and capital in order to turn Specialist Landscaping into something larger. With every step, I’m making my dream a reality.
As each day, each meeting and each client comes, my focus has not changed: helping homeowners fulfill their landscaping vision. Through a collaborative effort, I help you make your goals a reality while building my company to realize my dream.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to meet you soon!
Warren Handrahan
