Will Johnson and his mother, Nancy Johnson, started 2 Crazy Gardeners ten years ago. Nancy retired from her teaching job and Will was looking for a job while attending college.
“We started with a lawnmower in the back of our truck and a few lawn accounts and clean-ups,” Will said.
After a few years, he discovered he had a passion for the business and really enjoyed the creative aspect of landscape design.
“We love what we do. Customers service is our number one priority and we go beyond what our clients expect,” Will said. The service provided by 2 Crazy Gardeners doesn’t just stop at the installation of a landscape, they visit the yard many times to see how the plants are growing and to make sure all of the installations are running smoothly. It is important to them that the customers are happy with the landscape all year long, not just in one season.
After trying to juggle projects with a few trucks and rental equipment, Will and Nancy decided that they needed to invest in their own equipment. They contacted Gracie Bartholet, an advisor at the Nevada Small Business Development Center (Nevada SBDC), for help obtaining financing. Gracie guided them through the process of writing a business plan, looking at the efficiency of the operation, and directing them to resources for loans and financing. Will explained how beneficial it was to their operation to go through the process of writing a business plan.
“It really makes you think about your business, how you want it run and what direction you are going,” he said.
Gracie successfully walked them through the process and they were able to invest in their dream – owning their own equipment.
“Have a plan,” is the simple advice Will gives fellow business owners. 2 Crazy Gardeners now has six employees, their own landscaping equipment and trucks and dozens of happy clients. In the current economy, they were able to make smart decisions and, with the help from the Nevada SBDC, were able to invest in their company for future growth.
2 Crazy Gardeners specializes in landscape installation, design, waterfalls and ponds, softscapes, rockscapes, and landscape maintenance. They can be found online at www.2crazygardeners.com.