I have a yard-guy . . . landscaper, or whatever you want to call him . . . and he's awesome.
Let's call him "Carmine."
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Some 8-9 years ago, Carmine was a hired lead-man of a landscaping crew, and he, along with everyone else on his team, built a stone retaining wall in our backyard. They were back there for about two weeks working on all the landscaping surrounding our new pool.
Retaining wall | Source: Houzz
Driven to impress
That wall was an absolutely amazing piece of construction that -- still to this day -- retains its stability and attractiveness. And I strongly believe it stands as proud as it does today, because, while Carmine was building it along with managing the crew and everything else, he'd carefully chip away at each rock to make sure the shapes within the wall were as perfect as can be. His attention to detail and work ethic intrigued me. He and I chatted quite a bit during the process and I could sense that there was definitely something special about him. You know, he had it.
When the job was complete I told him to keep in touch and that, if he ever went into business for himself, he should let me know.
Source: Our Empty Nest
Driven to serve
Well, about six months later, Carmine was standing proudly at my front door with his cowboy hat, a big smile on his face, and a handful of business cards with his name on them.
Even though I wasn't able to hire him right away (I was already under contract with someone else), I did call him back over to my house six months later in need of his services. And just like I remembered him from the previous visit, he promptly arrived at my front door, business cards in hand, wearing his cowboy hat and a big smile.
His rates were high though. He quoted me a price that was more than I'd ever paid before for the maintenance of my lawn and garden.
But you know what? I didn't flinch, I hired him anyway, because I knew he was a hard worker who took great pride in the quality of his craft.
Source: Instagram
Driven to please
After a few months, with my yard looking better than all the others on the block, my neighbor -- who is remarkably particular about the look of his lawn -- came to me to inquire about Carmine. I gladly gave him Carmine's number and suggested he give him a call.
It wasn't long after I had recommended him that I was taking a quick stroll outside and noticed Carmine, with a smile on his face and cowboy hat on his head, manicuring the lawn of one of our neighborhood's most meticulous homeowners.
I was happy to have driven some new business his way.
Source: Instagram
Driven to succeed
I'm pleased to say that Carmine is still my yardman. Not only that, but he's won the respect of just about everyone else in the neighborhood too, because he's also become their go-to yard guy. And I'm not even going to try to guess how many other clients he has throughout the city, but I'm sure there are many.
Sure, Carmine is more expensive than his competition, but that doesn't seem to affect his business, because I often see his trucks all over this area. I mean . . . after seeing his work . . . how could you NOT hire him?! He's sooooo good, reliable, trustworthy, and when his crew gets finished with your yard, you can't help but be blown away by how good it looks!
He works all the time, on weekends, in the rain, and never does he miss a day when the sun is shining.
