We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexi Dinerstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alexi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

I guess this is the craziest and funniest story with a good ending. I had completed a job in June of 2024 and the homeowner posted a review on Facebook. A woman contacted me a couple weeks later via the review to install some belgian block pavers that had been removed elsewhere from the property and were to line a newly poured concrete path. The project ended up taking a little longer than expected and included an unexpected solicitation from the homeowner’s daughter, who left a leftover fajita on my cooler (apparently, that was a token of appreciation). Upon completing this project, I was backing out of their driveway and felt a jarring thump. My truck was unable to move and I got out to inspect. I could clearly see that the axle was cracked and the truck was resting on the wheel! I called a tow company to come get my truck, which ended up taking a couple of hours. As the sun set, the homeowner offered me an impossible burger, which was kind.

When the tow truck finally arrived, the tow truck driver was trying to narrowly navigate the lack of space between my truck and the driveway (this company is apparently notorious for delays and not always responding adequately to calls). First, while attempting to maneuver around my truck, the tow truck driver got stuck! I immediately though to myself, who tows a tow truck? Then, while hopping around to get his tow truck out the driveway, the tow truck driver twisted his ankle. I was thinking, could this get any more complicated? Finally, at about 8:30 or so as darkness approached, my truck was finally lifted onto the tow truck and shortly thereafter deposited at my place.

Fortunately, thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to find a replacement part and replace the axle myself. Equally fortuitous is that I continued to work for this homeowner and have completed several other projects. So, in the end, I got stuck in a good situation!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I mowed lawns in high school and worked for a Philadelphia landscaper briefly after college. Due to a peculiar course of life events, I ended up back in the Philadelphia area and needed a more consistent means of employment. I had completed a landscape technician certificate via Penn Foster’s online program during the pandemic to keep doors open. Although entrepreneurship was not something I ever considered, having researched business startups in my 2 years attempting to break into the copywriting field, I had a modest understanding of the essentials for starting a business. With a variety of motivations and experience, I started my business as a sole proprietorship in June of 2022.

My business is sustainably oriented where possible, although I perform a variety of generic landscaping tasks as well. I have completed a variety of projects in this business, from veneer masonry to small storm water projects to landscape design. If it involves the outdoors, I have pretty much pursued that project (just about)!

I think I do a pretty good job at providing a quality service that meets client’s goals while also being relatively affordable. One of the means I have tried to distinguish myself from competition is in using salvaged materials of various sources, from reclaimed pavers and repurposed wood to discarded coffee grounds from a coffee shop. And generally speaking, people seem to be relatively happy! Most people that is…

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2023 I found out that the Toyota Tacoma I had purchased a year earlier had failed inspection for the same reason it failed inspection in 2019, the famed rusted frame. Around that time the brakes went, which was the cherry on top of a misery sundae. The next few months would involve me hastily searching for a vehicle, filing a small claims case while trying to rent vehicles or work local jobs where I could carry tools (no small feat to wheelbarrow tools!). Fortunately, I was able to find a reasonable truck a couple months later and I won the case, so that worked out relatively well.

I found myself in a similar, although not quite as extended, situation in 2025 when the transmission went on the second truck in the middle of landscaping season. I was just about to embark on a somewhat extensive job and ended up renting a uhaul for a few days while installing a paver patio. I think both episodes demonstrated my resiliency in continuing despite obstacles and finding ways to get jobs done without a truck!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson I have had to unlearn is trying to make services affordable without taking into consideration how long the project will actually take. Underbidding is my forte. I would say within the first 4 years of my business I would underbid at least 50% of the time, generally unintentionally because I thought that the project would be that much faster or because I was afraid of actually asking for what I thought the project would be like. While this was fine for building a portfolio at first and receiving the occasional review, I have realized that I need to have some semblance of sanity with regard to generating an income and that it’s generally better for all parties involved to ask for a fair price. My portfolio will grow enough as a result and hopefully my bank account, too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whyecoworks.com
• Instagram: Ecoworks LLC
• Facebook: Ecoworks LLC
• Yelp: Ecoworks LLC

Image Credits

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