Sean’s story starts in 7th and 8th grade, when he and his brothers, Brian and Steven, would watch The Price Is Right, load two mowers into the back of a Trailblazer, and go cut grass for $20 a lawn. There was no marketing plan. The neighbors told other neighbors, and Collins Cutters grew entirely by word of mouth around Huntingdon Valley, Rydal, and Jenkintown. By junior year of high school, he was reinvesting in a trailer and better equipment. Then a friend he’d hired for weekend help mentioned that his neighbor, the owner of a landscaping company in Malvern, wanted to retire. That conversation changed everything.
Sean went to work for the owner while he was still in school, and he took on much bigger properties, with 3 to 5 acre homes instead of half-acre lots. He worked a full day in Malvern, came home to handle Collins Cutters jobs at night, and kept going on weekends, all while finishing a horticulture degree at Delaware Valley University in three and a half years by loading up on credits. When the time came to buy, the deal was owner-financed over five years. He paid interest each season, let the balance roll, and wrote the check at the end of the year. The business he bought was called Garden Views, and he’s been building on it ever since.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro and Sponsor
02:40 Meet Sean Collins and Garden Views
07:30 From Pulling Weeds to Collins Cutters
10:01 A High Schooler Meets a Retiring Business Owner
13:40 College, Two Jobs, and Owner Financing
22:00 Garden Views Today: Family, Crews, and Scale
26:10 Expanding to Harleysville
28:44 The Big Debate: VA Cold Calls vs. Warm Introductions
33:30 The Cemetery Account Story and the Debate Heats Up
36:25 Commercial Maintenance vs. Residential
40:02 Email Newsletters and Touch Points
45:45 Work Hard, Play Harder: Staffing Struggles and the Tip
Connect with Sean Collins:
Website: https://www.gardenviewsllc.com/
HomeAdvisor: https://www.homeadvisor.com/rated.GardenViewsLLC.97796469.html
Google: https://share.google/uX8UNgLvEOymtjOSU
This episode is brought to you by Property Management Redefined. PMR builds long-term partnerships with property owners through accountability, reliability, and a results-driven approach. Reach out at manage@gopmr.com or 267-753-6005.
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