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

Joshua, appreciate you joining us today. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

When I first started our company I was in college and It started as a side hustle. It started as a side hustle that I would tend to during my summer, fall, and winter breaks just so that I could have money to eat/live.

It was definitely the right choice and I’m super happy I made the decision. At the time I was 17-18 and I just finished my first year of college. My parents wanted me to be a doctor so I took an internship at the ICU at a local hospital and quickly realized it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Shortly after the internship ended, I begged my dad to print 100 flyers out so that I could do some odds/ends for others in the neighborhood since I was already doing them for my parents for free!

This is how I landed our first clients. I posted these flyers in Mailboxes, restaurants, gas stations, laundry mats, and everywhere in between and then I landed our first client!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Josh Adkins. Currently, I run a landscaping construction company in Michigan. A lot of what we do is create the best outdoor living spaces in Michigan for working-class homeowners to enjoy and improve the quality of their life.

One thing that says apart from the average company in our industry is our use of technology and applying it to a business that typically doesn’t use technology much. Landscapers, and most contractors in general, are known for paper estimates, poor communication, and zero to no internet presence. And those are all three things that we pride ourselves on heavily and tend to be a factor for why clients choose us over the next company.

I’m most proud of having the same team for the last three years. It’s not easy to build a team that can stay together through ups and downs and I believe that we have a great team that believes in each other and knows that we can win.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Facebook and SEO (Google)

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Our business partner and I met around 10 years old. We were both in the same boy scout troop–Troop 160. In our youth we spent a lot of time outdoors, hiking, white water rafting, skiing, camping, and more!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.odd-jobs.co
• Instagram: @Oddjobs.mi
• Facebook: @OddJobsLLC1
• Youtube: Odd Jobs Design Build