12 20 || feature feature // the the standard standard // may may 2021 2021
Building a Business Three students share how they started their own businesses during high school
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Sophomore Adam Stone began his lawn care business at 10 years old. Photo courtesy of Stone.
MS Lawn Service is a profitable lawn care business started by sophomore Adam Stone at a young age. “I started [my lawn care] business when I was 10 years old,” Stone said. After being a business owner for nearly six years, Stone said he considers himself to be a professional at this point, with all of the right qualifications, equipment and experience. “I am professional,” Stone said. “I have invested in state of the art equipment as well as always learning new ways to provide the best lawn services in the area.” While his business growth has been exponential, Stone said some of his business successes have far surpassed the rest. One of these being the purchase of his very own truck. “Making enough money last year to get a truck, trailer and fleet of equipment [have
been my greatest business successes],” Stone said. There are many positive aspects to owning a business, but Stone said there are a few that are more impactful than others. “My favorite aspect is definitely that I’m my own boss and I can choose what I want to do and how to do it,” Stone said. Stone said while his business is very successful, he has encountered challenges along the way as well. “The biggest challenge for me has been finding good help that will be reliable but also put in effort,” Stone said. When going into the business world it is important to understand the value of the company from the get go. “Know what you are worth,” Stone said. “Don’t be cheap, go in confident and you will be paid what you are worth.”
