Erik Zamora Strategizing a STARTUP

Under 30 Leader | Erik Zamora Talks About Scaling His Family’s New Design & Build Business

Every successful business idea faces its own set of challenges. For Erik and his brother, Jose, it began when two engineering students decided they wanted to start a landscaping business on the side while continuing their schooling. That decision would result in a big move, a lot of discomfort, low-paying gigs and spending their last dollar on a marketing boot camp after months of trying to build a social media presence and networking to build their company on their own.

“We spent the last money we had going over there,” Erik recalls. But they were inspired and now knew how to turn their inspiration into a thriving company.

A Change of Plans

Erik and Jose came from a family that highly valued getting a degree to land a stable job. They were both working toward their engineering degrees when, one day, out of the blue, Jose told Erik that he and their father had been discussing starting a landscaping company. The idea hadn’t even been in Erik’s mind before that day. But as they began talking it through, it began to look like a family business idea they wanted to explore … as a side hustle while they continued schooling.

But they soon found out they were onto something more.

Building a Landscaping Startup

Drawing on their engineering experience but with a little landscaping knowledge, Erik and his brother attempted to grow a landscaping business on their own using conventional methods, starting a Facebook page and using an online home services job platform to find customers. But they quickly found themselves in bidding wars to rock bottom prices with other landscapers on the site. On top of that, the platform took a chunk of their meager earnings.

On the one hand, they knew that they might have to “pay their dues” doing jobs for little to gain experience and referrals, but as they continued to work themselves to the bone, they realized they weren’t making progress. Until they stopped working without a strategy, they’d never dig out of this hole.

“Our Last $200”

Erik realized they had a lot to learn and were wasting time trying to teach themselves how to run a successful business, so they spent what little money they had saved to attend a marketing boot camp in Miami. There, they learned valuable lessons about sales, marketing and scaling a business. Erik realized they might have been stuck forever if they hadn’t stopped what they were doing and taken some time to learn from others. “We came back home with, like, $200,” Erik recalls, highlighting the financial strain but newfound motivation.

Starting Fresh in a New Town

After the boot camp, one thing became crystal clear: The market in their hometown could not support a growing landscaping company. They faced a big decision. They could move their business to a bigger town where they didn’t know anyone. Or, they could continue to try to build with a limited customer base.

They realized they needed to expand their reach and explore new opportunities to grow their business further. So, they found a town near home where they could continue working toward their degrees while building a landscaping company.

“We decided to move to Kennesaw [Georgia],” Erik explains. “It was a tough choice because we were leaving behind everything we had built, but we knew we needed a fresh start to take our business to the next level.”

But moving brought new challenges. “We had to start from scratch, knocking on doors again, introducing ourselves to a whole new community,” Erik recalls. “But we knew it was the right move for us. We had to get out there and make ourselves known.”

Seeking Mentors

As Erik and his brother continued to navigate challenges, they sought inspiration and mentorship from others who had built great landscaping companies. They met with someone who was running a $10 million landscaping company. “We saw these massive projects with pools, decks and pool houses. It was inspiring to see someone who started just like us and had grown to such heights.” Erik says his eyes were opened, and he could finally see what was possible. “We thought, if we invest in ourselves, we can only get better.”

The brothers immersed themselves in the daily operations, watched how they interacted with clients and absorbed everything. “We asked about overhead, understood his mindset and learned what it takes to get uncomfortable in the business.”

What they learned surprised them.

“You have to get uncomfortable.” their mentor told them. “If you’re not uncomfortable in business, you’re not growing.”

“Learning that somebody else felt that way [uncomfortable] allowed me to be like, ‘OK, so this is how it’s supposed to feel,’” Erik says. Seeing his mentor’s success gave Erik the confidence to push forward.

From then on, “the only thing we did was reinvest the profits that we made into the business.”

Growing a Landscaping Business from the Ground Up

They landed a steady job working for an HOA, mowing yards and fixing neglected landscaping when HOA residents did not maintain their yards as they should. Erik admits he thought the neighbors would see them as the “bad guy,” enforcing HOA policy. However, this opened up new job opportunities as neighbors saw the skill and dedication the brothers demonstrated. They wanted Erik and Jose’s company to manage their yards.

Inspired by their mentor and equipped with new skills, they expanded their services to include design and build, which made good use of their engineering education. “[Design] is a different skill set than building [or yard maintenance],” Erik explains, noting the importance of diversifying their offerings.

Sharing with Others

Recognizing how important networking and mentorship had been in their journey and with a desire to help others avoid common mistakes, they started a community. “We started a group called Rise and Build for guys starting in the industry that are trying to learn how we were and we created this community.”

They have set ambitious goals to double their revenues next year. “Our goal within the next year is to double in size and hit the $3 million mark,” Erik shares.

We look forward to seeing him at our upcoming SYNKD Live event.