Marqus Smith hated it when his stepfather got him out of bed to tend the lawn or help shovel snow. But now it pays off.
“A light bulb went out in my head saying I could probably make some real money with this,” Smith said.
He is the CEO and Founder of Blue Green Lawns, and for the past year and a half has been looking after the lawns in the community. This winter he started shoveling the aisles.
“If you go around, even now, around the neighborhood, you’ll see that there are a lot of people who haven’t even come out of the ground yet,” Smith said. “A lot of the big boys usually have a high rate or are all full. So that means for me doing everything in my family van is fine, but there’s also a lot of money that I potentially leave on the floor. .
What would you like to know
- Blue Green Lawn Care at Beacon is a black owned business founded by Marqus Smith
- He applied for a small business loan from local banks to expand his business
- The banks said no, so now he’s looking for the support of his community to keep growing
This family van, which doubles as a work vehicle, has been through it all, with all the scratches and gasoline stains to prove it. This led Smith to seek a small business loan from local banks.
He applied for a loan of $ 50,000 for a company vehicle and other equipment. But his request was denied and he says he received no helpful or creative suggestions on how to try to get a loan.
“One banker in particular, or a bank loan officer, even told me that business credit didn’t even matter. Which is outrageous to say, because it matters, ”Smith said.
He is not alone.
According to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, federal Small Business Administration guaranteed loans to black-owned businesses fell from eight to three percent.
“If you know the right people, then you will get the loan. They’ll find creative ways to apply things and get things to help you, ”Smith said.
He won’t give up and is now seeking community help to secure funding for a business truck through GoFundMe.
“This will not only catapult me into running my business full time, but I think it will also help me hire more, grow and serve the community I love.”
You can find more information on the Go Fund Me page here.
