Each month we showcase some of the fantastic stories our community of business owners and professionals have to share.
This month Kyle Cassidy, the founder of LazyLawn Lincolnshire speaks to Virtalent about what made him start the business, his remarkable story of how he got where he is and his plans for the future.
Hi Kyle, could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do?
My name is Kyle Cassidy, and I’m a 20-year old business owner. Our company (LazyLawn Lincolnshire) believe in helping customers achieve low maintenance, safe, and beautiful outdoor areas for sports, leisure, home and play, through the supply and installation of our award-winning Artificial Grass products.
Thanks, Kyle. So, what would you say a typical day look like for you?
There are two types of typical day for me – usually, I’m in the office, but if I’m not I’ll be on the road to sales appointments or in meetings! Typically I spend the first 30-60 minutes of my day catching up with emails, social media and other general small tasks that need attention. I tend to get into the office for 8am and from this point onwards I will be working on all areas of the business, including managing our installs, sales, accounting, and marketing – under the guidance of the marketing guru that is Joe at Virtalent! I love the gym and always make time to get in between 5-7pm. If I’m on the road, I tend to leave as early as possible in the morning so that I can get as many appointments in as possible, and it also gives me some chance to work on any quotations or designs that may need doing from that day. After the gym, I’ll usually have dinner with my dad (he is the best cook ever!), and will spend some downtime with him or family and friends. To end the day, I like to look over our social channels and create content. I’m a massive music lover so I usually use this as some downtime whilst listening to some of my favourite albums.
It looks like you have extremely packed and varied days – you must really love what you do. Why exactly did you choose to work in your industry?
I came out of college with a keen eye for sales and marketing. The position came up and I joined our company as an apprentice just over 3 years ago, in a business development role working with trade customers. The company grew rapidly and I took on additional responsibilities in management and logistics on the domestic side, which I really enjoyed. The construction and landscaping industry is a great one to work in as there are always so many avenues to explore, with so many opportunities available.
“I’m currently working with Joe who has been amazing since day one. We have been working directly on marketing and have focused mainly on social media advertising which is already proving very successful for ourselves and our customers.”
Wow! That sounds like quite a remarkable journey, in only 3 years. I imagine it is not always been so straightforward, there must have have been tough times. What has been your biggest challenge since starting your company?
As I joined the company years ago, there were a lot of areas I gained very useful experience in when employed, which dramatically helped my confidence and ability when I made the leap into ownership. I think the biggest transition challenge from employee to owner is the finance element of the business – you suddenly become responsible for and have to understand how to manage your cashflow, company taxes & VAT, payroll and all of the other accounting tasks that come along with running a business.
So, what does the future look like? What is your vision or long-term aim for the business?
LazyLawn is a nationwide brand, and our company runs the license for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. We aim to consistently provide our customers with massive value and long term support with their installations whilst helping our head office develop products, technical systems and customer service schemes, which are extremely important to us as our business is very much built on reviews and referrals!
We strive to be at the top of our game consistently, so making sure that we are constantly innovating and developing is our priority. We are currently launching a new brand of stone-based aggregate to complement our Artificial Grass called LazyResin, so our aim is to develop these products and install methods in the same way as our lawn products over the years, so that we can bring a fresh, new approach to another new market. Innovation really is key and we love having a variety of systems that work closely together in order to deliver the best overall package, all from one company.
Excellent! It sounds like you are always growing and looking for new solutions for your customers, that must be fun. How did you hear about Virtalent?
I came across Virtalent from a Google search after looking for marketing support.
Oh Google, of course. So, after finding Virtalent what tasks and projects have we been supporting you with? How has this support changed the way you work?
I’m currently working with Joe, who has been amazing since day one. We have been working directly on marketing and have focussed mainly on social media advertising which is already proving very successful for ourselves and our customers. I’ve always been creative, but with the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter constantly changing the way their algorithms and advertising methods work, I knew I needed to bring in a professional if I had any chance of any successful marketing campaigns!
The results are speaking for themselves in terms of lead generation and local brand awareness, we are adding to our current community feel which is exactly what we love. Joe also works on creating content for us which has been so helpful as he’s picked up our playful yet informative style and has quickly adapted to this approach by delivering exactly what our customers like to learn (and be entertained by)!
Its freed up so much of my time not having to worry about organising campaigns or creating lots of quality content without assistance – we discuss our ideas, come up with a plan, take action, and the results speak for themselves.
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