The entrepreneur that I would like to look into today is my father. Being an extremely optimistic person, he loves almost any new idea. If you ever need some encouragement, he is your go to guy. Over the years of his life, he has worked basically every career in the book. From making donuts to painting roads to phone service to sales man, he has gained knowledge in so many different fields.The first business opportunity he took advantage of was lawn care. When my family first moved into the area that is now known as Lakewood Ranch, there was no major businesses around them just suburbs, fields of cows, and dirt roads. Being one of the first homeowners in the area, he realized how much suburban expansion there was going to be and knew these people will be needing lawn service. He then started a company, Tailored Lawn Care (inspiration=my name). With this company he got his first taste of what it's like to run your own business. Investing in equipment, scheduling employees, running payroll, employee paperwork, managing clients, and creating marketing material were just some of the tasks he had to overcome. He ran that company for over 6 years.
Once he decided he wanted to move on from that, he tried out a couple different jobs. His latest venture is home improvement and renovations. He's always loved being creative, building new things, and the bottom line: helping people. Castor Services Corporation is now his company that is doing anything from basic hanging of pictures to full kitchen remodels. He loves getting to visit and meet so many new people while also helping them fix problems or make their vision come to life.
Being a people person has made is career path look more like a mountain range than a plain. It has been a hard journey to realize not every person you meet can be trusted and they might not have your best interest in mind. It has been difficult to watch him get hurt by people who he had invested time into just to learn that they were using him. Thankfully, in this recent season of life he has found business partners that believe in him and value him. I always wish him the best when any new opportunity finds him. He has impacted so many people throughout his career and his life. I respect him and his ability to see a need and pursue it; not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others. That to me is a true entrepreneur.
Hey Taylor, I also read your bug list, and I really like the way you organize your posts. They are very easy to follow, and you do a great job getting your point across. It was also interesting to read about your entrepreneurship story. The story about your father was very inspiring, and I hope you get to be the person that you see him as.
ReplyDeleteHey Taylor, the story about your father was inspiring and impressive. He displayed the entrepreneurial spirit and the foresight to understand the business situation of your new residential area and start a business of that opportunity. I think you make a great point about enjoying what you do . It's important to make sure you a pursuing a career and job path that you really enjoy, such as your father seems to have done.
ReplyDeleteHey Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI could really relate to your entrepreneurship story because my dad is also an entrepreneur. He too has worked every job imaginable: he was a waiter, construction worker, painter, decorative concrete installer, and even a pastor. My dad has been a huge inspiration for me in my entrepreneurship journey and I really admire someone like your father who never gives up and works hard to accomplish their goals.
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteIt is really awesome that you have your dad as a role model in a business sense. I think it is cool that your dad moved on from his first successful company and started something new. A lot of people wouldn't have the courage to leave something that was doing well to take a risk on a new venture. I am excited to read your future posts!
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteSometimes those are the most interesting people, the ones who have done it all. Here is Florida, lawn care companies are a dime a dozen but, they usually are just a family operation that doesn't deal with the employee aspect of a business and the majority of their marketing is word-of-mouth. That being said, it's impressive that your Dad built a full blown lawn care business with employees and even more impressive that he decided to move on from that successful business in order to try something new.