Wyatt Boyer plans to be a diesel mechanic and says that skills gained from his entrepreneurship SAE will prove useful in the future.
Wyatt Boyer from the Centennial FFA Chapter in southeastern Nebraska is mowing a path to success through his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Boyer started an outdoor services business in the summer of his eighth-grade year. Wyatt’s Outdoor Lawn Services offers a diverse range of lawn services.
While this entrepreneurship started small, mowing just two neighborhood lawns to make a little extra spending cash, Boyer is now finding success and his path. While he never thought his SAE would be anything more than a little gig to bring in extra money, his business has grown to over 17 consistent customers and has taken care of more than 30 lawns since freshman year.
Through this SAE, Boyer has learned about the importance of quality customer service and offering a wide variety of accommodations to meet customer needs. Boyer finds enjoyment in spending time outdoors and helping others. He feels a sense of pride and accomplishment when he fulfills a need within the community.
Boyer charges his customers an hourly rate for all services. These include mowing, yard cleanup, edging, leaf removal, moving snow during the winter months and more.
Boyer mowing for a local customer.
He has learned a lot about lawn care and maintenance through his business. One method that Boyer has used to increase his knowledge is joining lawn care and maintenance groups on social media, allowing him to learn best practices from others and stay updated on the latest information about lawn care and maintenance. One example of his learning deals with the timing of his services, and learning about the correlation between temperature and the length at which to cut grass. Boyer is continuing to learn more about how to improve his business everyday.
Boyer has learned about more than just outdoor maintenance through his SAE. He has improved his customer service skills and learned about the importance of promoting his business. He works hard to build connections through networking with community members and has recognized that his reputation is reflected in his business.
Four years into his SAE, Boyer now owns three snowblowers, a mower, multiple rakes and shovels, a Weedwacker, a leaf blower, and an edger. He has been able to purchase these with the profits earned through his SAE. Wyatt travels in a 15-mile radius from the local school and has customers of all ages. Most customers pay upfront; in other cases, Wyatt sends invoices following each outdoor maintenance season.
Boyer is planning to hire a younger student in the near future to help keep up with customer demand. He also hopes he can sell his business to them after graduating college. He says he doesn’t plan on making this his career but he doesn’t want to see the need go unfulfilled in the community.
Boyer working on tidying up a downtown lawn.
Boyer plans to be a diesel mechanic and says that the service skills, along with learning about business organization and management, will prove useful in his future. Another skill Boyer has gained is the process of sending invoices and recording business finances separate from personal cash. He says he will directly be able to apply these skills in his future, even across different industries.
Boyer’s advice to younger members starting their SAE is to “keep your customers happy by diversifying the services you offer and accommodating to their needs.”
He also mentions that, above all, you will need to be willing to work hard. Boyer is an example of FFA members mowing their own path to success!
