BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
SCOTT FRIEDMAN Twelve-year-old entrepreneur Billy Kloos manages his own lawn-cutting, landscaping and snow-removal service in the East Brunswick/Spotswood area, complete with advertising business cards, postcards, sticky pads, stamps and magnets. EAST BRUNSWICK – Twelve-year-old Billy Kloos has a green thumb, both from gardening and from making money.
The seventh-grader began B.K.’s Lawn Service two years ago, developing a legitimate business out of his love of cutting grass with his father, his enjoyment of the outdoors and his drive to make some extra money.
“I figured each house was only one job, but I guess with a business there would be more jobs,” he said.
Billy offers lawn cutting and minor landscaping such as small tree removal, bush planting, stonework, mulching and seeding in the East Brunswick/Spotswood area. He owns a weed trimmer, manual and ride-on lawnmowers, hedge clippers and a brand-new backpack leaf blower. He charges about $25 to $30 for lawn cutting, with other job costs dependent upon size. In addition, during the winter he did snow removal, clearing streets and sidewalks.
SCOTT FRIEDMAN Billy Kloos prepares an estimate to plant privacy bushes where a fallen tree once stood. The 12-year-old has managed his own lawn-cutting and landscaping business, under the supervision of his father, for the last two years. “I’ve been doing this for a couple of years. I do it with my father and he’s been doing it since he was young,” Billy said of his dad, Bill, a lieutenant with the North Brunswick Police Department, who oversees the business, although he lets Billy manage it. The two have worked together to order business cards, fliers, postcards, notepads, stamps and magnets to advertise their services.
Billy said that although the positive aspects of having a real business are meeting people, being outside, exercising and shopping for new equipment, he doesn’t like how expensive it is to buy or fix equipment. As a result, his father implemented a 40-40-20 rule: 40 percent of the profits are kept for Billy, 40 percent goes to his father as an employee fee and 20 percent gets put back into the business. Thus far, the money made from clearing sidewalks and streets this winter enabled Billy to pay off his new snowblower, and he’s already started to pay off his new leaf blower.
“If you spend all of your money, you have no money to pay for [equipment], or if something breaks, you have no money to fix it,” he said.
Besides the value of money, Billy has also learned time management, the value of time in relation to money, and the importance of spending a little more money to buy a quality product. In addition, another perk has been spending quality time with his father.
In the future, Billy hopes to be able to purchase a quad with his own money, and his next business-oriented purchase will be a zero-turn lawnmower, which can move precisely around tough corners or tree bases. He is also considering
expanding his business to include landscape design and paving and after he secures a few more jobs, possibly more people to help him work.
“I can’t wait until we get into pavers,” he said. “They’re expensive jobs but they’re a lot of work.”
On the other hand, Billy is still enjoying his youth, doing typical teenage activities such as going to the mall and the movies, riding on his friend’s quads and playing on the computer. However, he feels he has been presented with a good opportunity in managing a business at such a young age.
“I just like it all,” he said. “I know how to do it now. If I want to open up a business in the future, I know how.”
To schedule lawn service, call (908) 616-0564 or (908) 420- 7696 or e-mail [email protected].