TECHNICIAN
tuesday april
20 2010
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Entrepreneurs succeed in tough economy Students take initiative to build own businesses despite economic downturn.
STUDENT BUSINESSES Capital City Groundskeeping, Llc. • (919) 604-3611 • www.CapitalCityNC.com
Annie Albright
YardScape Services, Inc. • (919) 827-6560
News Editor
Several N.C. State students are working to overcome the low economy and successfully build their business alongside keeping up with their studies. Ryan Walsh, a sophomore in turfgrass science, said his business, Capital City Groundskeeping, has been very successful. “I do full maintenance and install on commercial and residential properties,” Walsh said. “I started out by mowing lawns for my neighbors about eight years ago and have expanded to where I can support multiple employees.” Walsh said the business is growing at an exponential rate, doubling in size and income each year. Despite the low economy, Walsh said, there are still willing customers who may cut back on other household or leisurely expenses in order to maintain their property. “In my opinion there is still a lot of money to be made out there,” Walsh said. “You just have to find your niche.” Walsh said he also works for an advertising company and has started an additional, small retail business. “I attribute a lot of my success to quality work, advertising and word of mouth from customers,” Walsh said. “My fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi, has been another excel-
SOURCE: RYAN WALSH AND DANIEL WALSER
JOSE TAPIA/TECHNICIAN
Ryan Walsh, owner of Capital City Groundskeeping LLC. and Daniel Walser, owner of YardScape Services Inc. work out of their trucks managing their respective landscaping companies, which operate in the Raleigh area. Walsh has seen increasing numbers in clientele, saying “even though we are in a bad economy, we already did double what we did last year.” The two have been friends since high school, and though Walsh and Walser say their companies are relatively new, they have been working in the landscaping business for a long time. “My oldest customer... I’ve been mowing her yard for eight and a half, nine years,” Walsh said.
lent resource for business contacts, employment and it helps to have a place to go to relax at the end of the day.” Taylor Kiker, a sophomore in business administration and a brother of Delta Sigma Phi, said he does everything from landscaping to planting trees for the company. “Walsh has been a great mentor in helping me to learn the insides of running your own personal business,” Kiker said. “I am considering a concentration in entrepreneurship.” Daniel Walser, a freshman in
business administration, said he began his business, YardScape Services, about four years ago. “It’s in the expansion process,” Walser said. “This year has been on fire. Sales for mulch and pine straw installs have been much better than 2009.” Walser said his gross numbers for 2010 are more than twice what they were for the entire year of 2009. “Many do-it-yourself homeowners are starting to let up on their penny-pinching habits and money is starting to circulate again,” Walser said.
Walser said he hopes to triple his gross profits for 2010 and is on track to reach this goal. “I’ve started out by mowing a few neighbors lawns in the neighborhood and I have expanded into both commercial and residential maintenance,” Walser said. “I’ve found throughout the years, customers are always willing to spend money as long as I can deliver my services on time and to the customer’s satisfaction. I find that doing a good job is the best way to advertise because it is the best way to get word of mouth advertising.”
While his business is a high priority, Walsh said academics are also very important to his success. “I have commitments on both ends that need to be met,” Walsh said. “My opinion is they are both equal; I can’t put one over the other.” Walsh said he even schedules his course schedule so he can work on his business in the afternoon. “It has gotten so big, I need to hire a full time crew,” Walsh said. “Basically, while I’m in school I stay about a week and a half to two weeks behind on business projects. My regular customers take priority for general maintenance, so when we’re busy, it’s hard to schedule in big side projects.” Capital City, Walsh said, covers mowing, fertilizing, pesticides, mulching and much more. He said the company is capable of completing almost any project a customer requests. “I think it’s important to do the administrative work of the business, like focus on your accounting, books and having a good software program,” Walsh said. “That way you can track sales and focus on where the money is going.”
Athletes With Talent lights up the stage Annual charity show featured nine performances from individuals of different sports teams to benefit Kids Café program
proceeds for this year will be since the location of the event changed from last year, when the show was held to a sold-out crowd in Witherspoon Student Cinema. “We absorbed all the finances for the show so 100 percent of the proceeds from all the sales will go straight to Laura Wilkinson Kids Café,” Angel said. Life & Style Editor As part of the women’s volleyball Monday night at 7:30 in Reynolds team, Angel said she was proud of Coliseum, the annual Athletes With freshmen Kelly Burns and Sarah Talent Charity Show featured mem- Griggs, who stepped up and came up bers of several University sports teams with their team’s idea of synchronized performing various talents, from a swimming – without the water. “We all got together and choreoscantily-clad Thriller dance to synchronized “swimming” to a cello solo. graphed it, and I’m just really proud of the girls that Jana Angel, a they all decided junior in interto pa r t icipate national studies a nd put t heir and coordinae gos away to tor of this year’s raise money for talent show, said children who rea l l proceeds ally do need some from the event help,” Angel said. will benefit Kids Taylor Café, a program Pritchard, a judesigned to supnior in nutrition por t ch i ld ren Taylor Pritchard, junior in nutrition science and also who do not get science a member of the enough to eat women’s volleyevery day. “Kids Café is an after-school pro- ball team, said the experience was gram that provides meals and snacks fun, especially since the event helps for children who don’t have those those in need. “It’s always fun to take part in someopportunities at home,” Angel said. “Actually, recently their funding has thing like this because no matter the gone down and they’ve only been able outcome it’s for a good cause. So even to provide snacks and not full meals, if you fall, it’s fine,” Pritchard said. Pritchard also said the event coordiso we’re hoping that our contribution can help them push funding back to nators invites student athletes to bond providing full meals for those children as a team and to show students a difthat are in need.” Angel said she is not sure what the TALENT continued page 3
“It’s always fun to take part in something like this because no matter the outcome it’s for a good cause.”
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Peter Domenig, a cheerleader and junior in biomedical engineering, plays an original composition at the Athletes With Talent Charity Show in Reynolds Coliseum Monday night.
Underclassmen take advantage of opportunity in Kay Yow game See page 8.
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Women’s basketball players Emili Tasler and Brittany Strachan perform “Jingle Bell Rock” from “Mean Girls” at the Athletes With Talent Charity Show in Reynolds Coliseum Monday night.
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