Many students maintain jobs during the school year and even more so over the summer. However, not many students are running their own businesses like senior Jack Matthews. Matthews runs his own yard care and landscaping business year-round, sometimes even hiring friends to help him out.

“I worked for a landscaping company for the summers between my freshman- and sophomore-years and sophomore- and junior-years,” Matthews said. “That is how I got the idea, and then, my neighbors needed their lawns mowed one day, and so, I mowed it for them and just grew it from there, [reaching] out to people about lawn mowing.” 

Matthews started the business last spring, and since then, he has made almost $20,000 from this business alone. A majority of this money is going toward his future plans. 

“I needed money for college,” Matthews said. “I wanted a job that was flexible, so I can work when I need to, and I can have time off when I need it.”

Matthews dedicates most of his time on days he works to the business, often spending almost the entire day on yard work.

“I’ll get up around seven, then, I’ll start getting my equipment ready around eight, and I’ll go out and work if I’m doing mowings, I’ll get back around six- or seven o’ clock,” Matthews said. “If it’s landscaping, depending on the size, I could be home around two or maybe around sunset, so closer to nine. For mowing in a small neighborhood property, it usually takes me about 20-30 minutes, but if I have a friend working for me, [it’s] usually closer to 15-20 minutes.”

Matthews often enlists the help of his friends to get the jobs done quicker without sacrificing quality.

“During the school year, I hire friends because I need the help, but during the summer, I tend to do more by myself, but I still try to hire at least one person,” Matthews said.

Matthews utilizes several different tools and types of machinery to mow, care for, and do landscaping for properties.

“I have a couple of large riding mowers, I have a backhoe, and I have a few smaller handheld tools like wheelbarrows, shovels, weed eaters and leaf blowers,” Matthews said. “It cost me almost nothing to get started because I already had the equipment; the mower [was] from my house, and my dad already had some of the other equipment.”

While obtaining the equipment was not an issue for Matthews, he did have troubles with other aspects of running a business.

“Getting my name out there and getting recognition for my work was the biggest challenge, and getting  people to reach out to me, advertising basically,” Matthews said.

Matthews utilized a couple of different methods to get his name out there in order to grow his business.

“I put out posts on the Nextdoor app, which is like Facebook for your local area, and I had previous customers recommend me to other people,” Matthew said.

 As summer approaches and the reality of college life begins to set in, Matthews’s business is surely primed to amp up in the coming weeks.