Lots of kids mow lawns. But RJ Duarte turned lawn mowing into a lucrative business.
A 17-year-old high school senior in Golden, Colorado, Duarte started mowing lawns alongside his brother when he was 6 or 7. Now he juggles school, college visits and the demands of his company, Green Worx Landscaping, which offers lawn care, cleanups, snow removal and more in Colorado, and is on track, Duarte says, to pull in a little over $100,000 this year.
“I found something that I enjoyed doing,” he said. “It might sound weird, but mowing lawns when you’re little is kind of fun.”
During middle school, Duarte realized he needed help with a growing roster of clients and teamed up with his classmate Owen Johnson.
The pair realized they worked well together when they both had jobs in the school cafeteria. At Green Worx, they lead crews of their fellow high schoolers, who they start at $10 an hour, slightly above Colorado’s minimum wage. The company’s biggest commercial client this year is a waterpark and golf course; they planted thousands of flowers at the property, which they maintain.
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