Successes

Juvenal Pancarte started David & Aron Landscaping after gaining experience in the industry when he first came to the US from Mexico. He started by doing jobs on the side and then decided it was time to go on his own. He and his wife Ruby discovered MOBI through partner Yacanex Community, and the curriculum helped them improve the organization, financial management, and marketing of their business.

How it got started: Juvenal Plancarte began his landscaping business, David & Aron Landscaping (named after his two oldest sons) in 2015. When he started David & Aron Landscaping, Juvenal already had many years of experience in the industry. He worked for another landscape company when he and his wife Ruby came to the US from Mexico. He enjoyed the work and learned how different designs and small changes in landscaping can enhance homes, buildings, and businesses. He began picking up side jobs on the weekends, and eventually he and Ruby decided to start their own business. David & Aron Landscaping now has over 70 customers.

How MOBI helped: Juvenal and Ruby learned about the My Own Business Institute through MOBI partner Yacanex Community. Yacanex Community offered the MOBI curriculum in Spanish through a course called “Emprendete: Iniciar un Negocio,” which was taught online with monthly in-person meetings led by founder Yacanex Posadas. David & Aron Landscaping is a family business, so Ruby took the course to learn more about business ownership, management, and finance. Business insurance was one of the most important topics Ruby learned about through MOBI. Business insurance is an important requirement for landscaping companies to bid on larger installation jobs or long-term maintenance contracts for schools, businesses, and other organizations. In addition, Ruby learned more about bookkeeping and accounting so she can help with the company’s finances. At the time she took the course, MOBI had just launched its comprehensive Spanish website, offering a full translation of the additional content available on the English site.

What’s next? Juvenal and Ruby believe in dreaming “little by little” to achieve their bigger goals. They recently bought another truck for the business, and they would like to hire another employee and continue to grow their business. Juvenal especially enjoys the planning side of his business, creating landscape and hardscape designs that come to life as colors and shapes change over time. He would like to have more opportunities to design larger projects, and potentially pursue a landscape contractor’s license in the future.

Juvenal and Ruby recently participated in the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative (NPI) program at Santa Clara University through which they collaborated with a group of undergraduate students from the Leavey School of Business with the goal of improving their business. Working together with the students, Juvenal and Ruby designed a new logo, produced business cards, established a Yelp page, and created other marketing materials to establish their brand, increase awareness, and attract new customers. They also finalized some of the steps to register their business. Later they were awarded a maintenance contract with a local elementary school. 

When asked about the challenges of owning his business Juvenal says, “The responsibility is all on me. It can be hard to make all the decisions, plan the schedule, and hire enough people. It can be more stressful.” However, when asked about the advantages of owning a business, Juvenal says it allows him to manage his own time and spend more time with his family. These benefits far outweigh the challenges, and for Juvenal owning a business is a dream.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences have been difficult for David & Aron Landscaping as with other small businesses. Juvenal and Ruby remain hopeful for continued growth in the future, and gain strength and support from their family and other small business owners in their community.