ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110080
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
He's not your average teen-ager mowing lawns for the neighbors.
Aaron Sells, sole proprietor of KLARC Mowing & Landscaping, graduated in 1995 from Lord Botetourt High School with a full-time business already up and running.
He established it in May l990, the summer before his freshman year; since then, the business has grown from approximately $10,000 in gross profits to $30,000 last year. Sells said his goal in 1996 - now that he's working full time - is $40,000 to $45,000.
The name of his business derives from the first initial of everyone in his family, and in some ways that's an accurate reflection of his business.
Sells said his dad "kicked me out the door and told me to get a job if I wanted a vehicle of my own. I'm not the type of person who can stay indoors, and I didn't want a job in the fast-food business or a clothing store."
His dad let him borrow a riding mower, and his mother drove him around and helped him out with the work until he got his driver's license in the 10th grade. His 6-year-old brother even helps out, "sometimes more help than you probably need."
Sells added that his parents have always gardened and have always had at least 31/2 acres. In addition, Sells said his dad is a workaholic. "He loves to spend time with the family. We're usually working together. He's been like that, and it's in my blood."
At first, Sells' business was mostly mowing and trimming. When the new Roanoke Regional Airport was built (his father, an engineer with Branch Highways Inc., helped design and build it, according to Sells), KLARC Mowing & Landscaping took care of the mowing until a private crew took over. That was mid-May 1990, and Sells said it gave his business the starting push it needed.
After a year, he had saved enough money to buy his own Kubota riding mower. He soon added a couple of push mowers, two string trimmers and a blower. Next came a Bobcat front-end loader, and now he boasts a Ford pickup truck as well. Sells said he recently bought a trailer to replace the one he and his father built to haul around the equipment.
Buying the heavy equipment is the hardest part of owning his own business, Sells said. He has about $35,000 in equipment so far. He often wondered if there was going to be enough money to make the payments. But through high school, he and a friend would often work until 10 p.m. during the summers, just to get a job done.
The business soon turned into a daily, after-school job. Sells said he would come home about 7 on school nights - "work was top priority over school" - and somehow, he'd find a way to get his homework done. "It's been tough just getting started, but I love work."
Sells has never advertised, yet last summer he was so busy he had to turn down several jobs. He now has customers sign yearly mowing contracts, and relies on repeat business and word of mouth to keep going.
Eventually, Sells said, he would like his business to be big enough to support himself and a family. But there's a down side of being big. According to Sells, his business's small size allows him to remain competitive and give personal attention to his customers.
Sells said his business is exclusively residential, and he plans to expand his territory north to Lexington and south to Christiansburg.
Price is one of the main factors in his success. Now that his friend and co-worker has moved away, Sells is the only employee. He has no payroll, and except for his equipment, no overhead costs. His office, now in his bedroom, will soon be in a new barn. He's building that along with his family's new home.
About two years ago, after Sells added landscaping services - planting, mulching, trimming trees - and bought more equipment, his businessnearly doubled in profit. He also seeds, reconditions, sprays and fertilizes lawns, and tills gardens.
During the winter, he removes snow. It's all been self-taught, said Sells, who also has helped his father build three homes.He also reads books, talks to his father, and picks up information from his suppliers.
"I feel that if I'm going to do the work, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm honest about that. I have a lot of respect for my customers."
KLARC Mowing
& Landscaping Inc
4631 N. Rome Drive|
992-4754
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