How Two Military Veterans Built A Successful Business In One Season

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When Brian Boase and his wife Kristy were deciding what they wanted to do after retiring from active military duty, they looked at the needs of military families in the community.

“We looked at demographics of our area and it’s growing. And grass always grows, too,” says Brian, who lives in Adams, Tennessee, just 45 minutes away from Fort Campbell, which lies on the other side of the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

The pair researched the demographics of their community — full of active duty military personnel, reservists or veterans — and designed a business to serve their needs. They even factored the community in when they came up with a name for the lawn care company: MIL-SPEC, meaning military specifications.

In the spring of 2017, MIL-SPEC Lawn Care mowed their first property. Come fall, they were at capacity and giving jobs away to trusted competitors.

How did they do it? According to the co-owners, their success comes down to a technology-focused competitive edge. Here, they share specifics on how a smart use of technology built a booming business in one season.

MIL-Spec Lawn Care
Photo: Jobber

1. Their customers are online, so that’s where MIL-SPEC is.

Having a strong social media presence and a well-designed website was a top priority for MIL-SPEC from the very beginning.

They’ve got consistent branding from their website to T-shirts to the truck decals. “They see our trailer and look at our marketing, they find us on Facebook or Instagram, and they go to our website, and they read our reviews, and it seals the deal,” Kristy says.

Brian and Kristy use Jobber’s work requests feature on their website and Facebook page so their customers can quickly and easily request a quote or new work.

2. They make customer communication a priority.

According to Brian, managing customer expectations and communication is a key pillar of their daily operations.

“You have to be able to manage customer expectations and explain how things like weather affect your schedule,” he says. “Set expectations at the beginning of the client relationship and that will save you heartache later down the road. There is nothing more important than communicating with your clients and doing it on a consistent basis.”

Read More from Jobber: Top 6 Lawn Care Industry Trends To Watch In 2018

3. They invest in business-scheduling software.

In this on-demand world, Brian and Kristy understand the importance of using technology to find efficiencies in their business.

“If you’re managing more than a few clients, a good software system is imperative to help you manage everything or you just become that company that isn’t reliable or dependable,” Brian says. “Sixty percent of our clients come from other companies who failed them by not showing up and by not communicating anything to their clients.”

This content is sponsored by Jobber. Jobber is business management software that helps lawn care and landscape businesses quote, schedule, invoice and get paid faster.

Sponsored content is authorized by the client and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Turf Magazine editorial team.

1 COMMENT

  1. First: Thank you for your service.
    Second: Your wife is absolutely stunning.
    Third: Great job starting a successful business!!!

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