Serving crews of all stages and sizes is what we do best at Gemplers, and what we love most about our job is seeing customers succeed. We are here to share a little bit about one of our customers, Aaron Walls, owner of Purple Walrus Lawn Company in Lewisport, Kentucky. Aaron is a longtime lover of landscaping, mowing, and outdoor projects. In 2020, he started his company, Purple Walrus Lawn Company. He specializes in mowing services and lighting solutions for his customers. Some of Aaron’s favorite Gemplers products are a variety of Bully Tools and the Cobrahead Cultivator for perfecting lighting and landscape projects. Purple Walrus is a fairly new company and is just starting to hit the ground running. We asked Aaron for some advice and tips for other landscapers out there who might just be starting out with their own businesses. What does it take to be successful? How do you make that leap from side projects to full-time landscaping business? After talking with Aaron, we learned several great pieces of advice about starting a new landscaping business from the ground up. We’re here to share that with you.
Like many other landscape pros out there Aaron got his start mowing lawns and fell in love with the work and enjoying the weather and fresh air on a daily basis. However, Aaron continued to work his full-time job while he was building up Purple Walrus. Many times, small landscapes companies start as more of a side business rather than a large-scale operation. Aaron told us that one of his biggest challenges was balance. Being able to find time to see his family was very important to him, but so was getting the landscaping jobs done. So, it is important to have a plan, prepare, and balance life’s many activities and obstacles. After two years in the business,and a lot of word of mouth, Aaron is hoping this spring season rush will give him the extra push he needs to go to full-time landscaping!
Along those lines, Aaron told us that to succeed in the landscaping business, you must be able to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Many days, employees at Aaron’s full-time job see Aaron’s full lineup of mowing equipment out in the parking lot. Well, that was because Aaron would load up everything he needed for the day so he could go straight to mowing as soon as he was done with work. He would then mow until the light was gone and then do it all over again the next day. It takes a lot of work and perseverance to start a landscaping business off strong and having a determined attitude is just as important as the work itself.
Purple Walrus is quite a unique name for a landscaping business, Aaron was hoping for just that when he came up with it. Aaron did his research and learned that in marketing it is great to be unique and memorable, which is what he wanted for his company. Another way that Aaron makes his company stand out and differentiate itself from others is how he communicates. Aaron says he is an over communicator, which really shows how much he loves the business that he’s in and customers see that reflected in his work. If you are passionate about the job you are doing, you will see success.
Lastly, Aaron tells us not to be afraid to ask questions. He has learned a lot from other green industry pros in the field and has taken advice from others to continually learn more to improve his landscaping skills and business. Sharing tips and tools with one another is something we love about the green industry. We would like to extend a big thank you to Aaron for sharing some of the wins and challenges he has endured in the first two years of business, and we are celebrating you and wishing many more successful years for Purple Walrus Lawn Company.
