Today, we’d like to introduce you to Curtis Kinsey.
Hi Curtis, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2016, I was fired from corporate for the 20th time, it feels like. I already had the name GI-Mow since I’m both a veteran and a big fan of the old GI Joe movies; it just clicked. I had some side mowing jobs on the weekends for extra cash, and then when I had no more corporate jobs, I started pushing out business cards. My wife and I had just gotten married and bought a house, but I hadn’t been here for a week since I got fired from corporate. I had to hustle and put this goal in my head that I had to make $200 a day, and if I could do that, we could still keep everything we had and live in this house. I did as much advertising as I could- put out a bunch of cards and walked the neighborhoods and businesses leaving business cards. Eventually, people started calling, and my day started filling up with mowing jobs.
Less than a year after I had started, I hired the first guy and then, a month later, two other guys. One of those guys is still with us as my right-hand man. After that, we added another vehicle, added some more employees, and I think by the end of year two we were running three rigs. All three rigs would be gone mowing all day long and could mow 15-30 yards per rig. Eventually, we got tired of the residential customers not paying their bills on time or complaining about the smallest things, so I started trying to get out of that and shifted focus to city contracts and commercial properties.
By the end of our second year, we were awarded our first contract for the city of Fort Worth, and then after that, we were able to drop some residentials. We got another contract with the Parks & Rec dept, and it was all downhill after that, I guess. We operated out of our house for the first four years until Code Compliance got us, then moved down the road into a rental shop. We’re coming up on our five-year lease term at this place, and looking to buy property currently. We’d like to build a big headquarters so we can open up another location in the next couple of years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha ha ha ha, has it been a smooth road, and have there been any obstacles? Has it been a smooth road? Yes and no. We have been able to navigate in the right direction overall pretty smoothly. Some speed bumps have been caused by employee issues and broken equipment. When COVID shut everything down in 2020, we were considered essential and had a record year. However, this greatly impacted equipment and parts availability and skyrocketed gas prices and wages. 2021 was pretty rough in that regard.
We made a few mistakes along the way, took on too much to grow too quickly, and had to drop a couple of contracts. During that time, we weren’t really doing a great job at anything, and our team was overworked and burnt out but had great paychecks. That was a good learning experience of what we can and can’t handle and how we can grow at a slower, more planned-out rate. I’ve got a good amount of gray in my hair these last few years.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our business is known for the meat and potatoes – mow, edge, blow, and litter removal. That’s what we excel at and what 90% of our properties are. We maintain several large parks and can knock that stuff out faster than most. In our non-growing season (winter), we are known locally for our firewood, selling about 200 cords each year. We are also working to grow our brother companies: GI-Glow for holiday, permanent, and special event lighting and Mil-Spec Dumpster Rentals for well dumpster rentals.
What really sets us apart from everybody else is our culture. I believe employees come first and customers come second. I always think we should take care of our employees like we would our children, and in turn, they will take care of the customer. I believe there are two sides to every story, and the customer isn’t always right. We don’t tolerate dishonesty – whether from employees or customers trying to pull one over.
About nine years ago, I had the logo designed. I had something in my head as far as red, white, and blue being, you know, my favorite set of colors together, a very patriotic feeling. I had a military in mind because that’s how the culture was going to be – very direct with a chain of command in place. I wanted the brand to be self-explanatory. At a quick glance, people see a veteran-owned, American company, very bold and resembling a shield. I see it as a badge of honor. In order to wear this, you have to exhibit many qualities to be an employee here. Our core values kind of mimic the military – honesty, integrity, mission accomplishment, and brotherhood, doing the right thing when nobody is watching. I want our brand everywhere, on every piece of clothing our team wears. Ironically, we actually have a few people with the logo tattooed on them.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Grew up in the really small town of Vega, Texas, outside of Amarillo. I was the class clown, always in trouble. I spent a lot of time in the principal’s office for swats, but I never liked to be late or miss school for any reason. I studied just hard enough to pass tests and pass the class. I liked the sports, played football and kept the basketball bench warm. Sports helped to keep me out of so much trouble as I got older and could drive. I started working at the age of 10, plowing, farming, and taking care of cattle. Got paid every summer. I worked until I graduated and went into the military.
Contact Info:
- Website: GI-Mow.com
- Instagram: gimowtx
- Facebook: facebook.com/gimowtx
