NFIB/Window Accessory Young Entrepreneur Award Winner Profile: Austin Solomon, Clean & Green Lawncare

Date: May 20, 2015

In December of 2012, he started putting the wheels in motion by creating brochures for Clean & Green Lawncare, which provides mowing, spring/fall clean up and thatching services while being environmentally-conscientious.

Austin Solomon, owner of Clean & Green Lawncare in Schofield, Wisconsin, is a born businessman.

“Ever since I was younger, I have always looked for ways to make money,” Solomon says. “In the summer, it was selling lemonade on the roadside, and in the winter, it was going door to door after each snowfall. As I got older, I thought about the things that I could do to start a business. I really enjoyed doing outdoor jobs and had some skills in that area. I took those skills and would end up starting a lawn care business.”

In December of 2012, he started putting the wheels in motion by creating brochures for Clean & Green Lawncare, which provides mowing, spring/fall clean up and thatching services while being environmentally-conscientious.

When spring of 2013 rolled around, Solomon went door-to-door in his neighborhood to see if anyone wanted any outdoor tasks completed. He began by doing a lot of physical tasks, like hauling rocks and pulling weeds, and word of mouth helped him increase his client base. The following spring, he retained six previous clients for weekly mowing services and grew to 25 regular clients as the year went on. He also refined his services to specialize in mowing, seasonal cleanups and fertilization, moving away from more labor-intensive, entry-level jobs.

As business grew, Solomon learned from unexpected challenges.

“I have learned that when you need your equipment the most, it seems to fail,” he says. “There was a week last summer where it rained for five out of the seven days of the week, and the weather left me with two days to take care of the lawns that needed to be mowed. While on the first or second lawn of the day, my main mower broke down, and it would end up taking a week to get it back into action. I returned to lawns that were overgrown and a few unhappy customers. The lesson I learned here was to always have a backup plan, so when things go wrong, you’ll be prepared.”

Solomon says his business’ success can be boiled down to his motivation to help others and his strong work ethic.

“My favorite part of running my own business is looking at a property before and after, and having a sense of pride in knowing that I did a good job,” he says. “I also enjoy building a relationship with each one of my clients and seeing the joy I bring them.”

Solomon will soon graduate from DC Everest High School, and in the fall he will be attending University of Wisconsin-Marathon County. He will complete two years there before transferring to University of Wisconsin-Madison to obtain a degree in a business-related field. Since UWMC is a local school, he plans to continue running his business for the next two years.

In the meantime, he offers some advice for other young entrepreneurs.

“I’m used to listening to words of wisdom from others and have never really given my own,” he says. “On that note, I would say that it’s important to talk to people in your area of business. I talked to three past lawn care business owners, and they definitely helped me get off on the right foot. Also, most businesspeople are more than willing to talk about what they’ve learned; all you have to do is ask.”


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