Study of a Person in Business - Mr Harrith's Lawnmower Shop

When Mr. Harrith was given sole ownership of the lawnmower shop he had personal fears. The main obstacle in his life was the fear of failure. What he knew for sure was that while he watched his dad and educated himself, he could repair a mower as well as maintain the books for the company.  But Mr. Harrith was ready for change and wanted to create it correctly.  He knew that his dad had established positive relationships with the companies that supplied the parts or lawn mower equipment.  He saw an opportunity for growth and increase by presenting a business proposal to the suppliers and setting up an account where he could establish credit and a worthy reputation. The business plan was exceptional; it explained all the information required to make the plan concise, complete and compelling. He saw the opportunity for sales to increase if he could obtain contracts with companies such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart, were he would buy the refurbished mowers for a very low price. He would repair the mower and either resale or use for parts.  He presented the business plan to the company’s and they accepted the proposal.  Now Mr. Harrith are in accordance with two of the largest companies that exist worldwide all because he asked and overcame the emotion of fear.  One of the other opportunities that he saw was to become a supplier and sale parts.  He is in the process of approaching one of the largest suppliers of small engine parts-Oscar Wilson. Mr. Harrith has created a business proposal to present to the company to buy parts and supplies in bulk for a very reasonable rate.  From what I gathered this would really be an excellent investment for the company and create a great deal of growth and increase. When customers come in and just want to buy a specific part the company almost always did not have the part.  Oscar Wilson has tremendous power and directly affects JLMS margins; they are the dominant suppliers of small engine parts and supplies.  When Oscar Wilson accepts the proposal Mr. Harrith will invest in obtaining liability insurance to cover claims against their business for product liability and other possible tort claims. The company began as a seasonal company open from March thru September, but the opportunity Mr. Harrith saw was to be open year round. The company is now open year round and repairs all types of small engines (snow-blowers, generators, go-carts etc.) through the winter months as well as sale parts and supplies. The employee staff is increased during those months, and basically he works the physical and Mrs. Harrith takes the calls and submits work-orders.  

Mr. Harrith have been successful in running this company because, after he was given sole ownership he studied the business and knew what he had to do to stay or fail. He has always wanted to own and operate the shop so the personal drive was there. The environment is great a middle class area where there are many home owners and they care about how their neighborhood look. The organizational level of the company has increased drastically over the forty years.  All the workers are in uniform with their names on their shirts; this is an excellent customer service idea. The customers have been placed in a data base and the business is transitioning to a less paper environment.  The ideals for the business and the financing for the ideal to be implemented are excellent.  The Harriths do not have loans on the business, but they do have credit accounts and use Angel investors. The Harriths will begin to research information on obtaining a small business loan to extend the building and create a customer service department.  Mr. Harrith did not have all successes in fact the business took a great down fall about five years ago when he made a bad business decision. He had three Angel investors, (mom –n- law, daughter, and uncle) and the investment was in tool boxes. Mr. Harrith knew about a company going out of business so they sold him all their tool boxes on wheels. Unfortunately the tool boxes did not sale and he had to reimburse the investors their invested amount and trash the tool boxes after several years of no sale. After a few years he had to remove them to the outside because of lack of room for lawn mowers. To reduce the risk of losing all that revenue and trashing assets he could have purchased a few at a time and paced himself according to the sales. It was a personal choice he made because he favored the rolling tool boxes. He made the investment at Father’s Day thinking the tool boxes would be excellent presents. My theory was people are so accustomed purchasing what they want and where they want to buy it.

The income generated from sales and service generates revenue which makes the company successful. JLMS strategy is to repair a mower with the best quality parts in a high speed time at a low price. With JLMS the number of customers having their lawnmowers repaired has the greatest influence on the revenue generated. The company has many other drivers that influence their revenue, such as how much they sale lawnmowers for and how many are sold. Another revenue driver this company utilizes is the people that just come in and want soda and chips and buy small parts.  The largest driver force of the company was the opening of another business. This location accepted large equipment such as tractors, riding mowers, and go carts. The most enjoyment the Harrith family experienced were vacations once a year, normally a 3-5 day cruise. Mr. Harrith sacrificed his livelihood to provide a better living for his family. He also sacrificed useless spending which allowed him to save money and purchase the second building for cash.  

I enjoyed speaking and hanging out with this family, not only did I witness love and unity but a powerful, praying, hardworking family. I am really interested in investing with this company, because I see a great potential for growth and increase.  I think as long the business continue to pride themselves with great customer service skills, and keep the focus on GOD the growth potential is unlimited.  Homeowners will always want to have their lawn cut and broken equipment repaired. During my interview I spoke with the Harrith family about being an Angel Investor. Although they did not approve of me investing, they did allow my husband to bring our lawn mower in for complete service, free of charge.  Mr. Harrith would be like a supervisor sent from heaven; I would enjoy being his employee. This God fearing man would understand that I too am a God fearing woman and my family is the most important aspect of my life. Basically they are the reason that I pray daily to keep going and for the strength to endure my journey.  I learned from the Harrith family that with mere determination and keeping your focus on God there is nothing that is impossible. I want to open a business and actually after watching and spending time with this family made me more eager to begin my process of entrepreneurship.  I am aware now that a business plan is essential and not to be afraid to ask for what I want. There are a few things that I do not want to do, and the most important is taking out loans. Therefore I will need to establish a plan to generate capital and go to my family to ask for help and gather Angel investors.  But after being with Mr. Harrith I know that I will need my own capital and not rely on others. The most important information I obtained from this entrepreneur was to NEVER give up and the family that PRAY together STAY together.