A landscaping franchise bloomed into a livelihood for this grad.

http://www.uslawns.com

Being an entrepreneur was the furthest thing from Michael Carlo's mind when he graduated from college with an interest in computer programming. Now, 14 years later, Carlo, 37, is the quintessential entrepreneur. He's co-owner of six U.S. Lawns franchises and expects to gross $6.3 million this year alone--and he can't imagine working for anyone else but himself.

It all started in 1990, when Carlo's sister and brother-in-law asked him to invest some sweat equity in a franchise by running it for them. Carlo had never been interested in running his own business, but all it took was some sisterly persuasion to convince him that running a franchise would be a great opportunity. The family researched many different companies before discovering U.S. Lawns, a landscape maintenance franchise. It sounded like exactly what they were looking for: U.S. Lawns offered room for growth, low overhead costs, and a good year-round business in the warm Florida weather.

Fresh out of college, Carlo began running his family's franchise in Port St. Lucy, Florida. He built a clientele by knocking on doors and cold-calling potential customers for the first six months. Though his first year's salary was meager, business picked up steadily, and the franchise nearly doubled its business every year for the following three years. Eventually, Carlo invested $20,000 in the business and became the sole owner.

Carlo sold that first franchise in 1995 and purchased another one in Sarasota, Florida, before deciding to merge with longtime friend and fellow U.S. Lawns franchisee Todd Moerchen in 1998. Carlo met Moerchen, 40, during his initial franchise training, and they developed a close camaraderie. "It can get lonely and tough sometimes," Carlo says of being a business owner. "[It's helpful to be able to] get on the phone or visit a franchisee who's going through the same thing you are."

Together, Carlo and Moerchen own five franchises in Florida and one in Lexington, Kentucky. They are now the longest-running U.S. Lawns franchise owners and expect continued growth and success. "I'm very happy with the company," Carlo says. "They teach you the right way to do things, and I've never been denied help when I needed it. When I [have] raised my hand, they've always been there."

$1 Million From Gardening

Lars Hundley Story

While caring for his own garden, Lars Hundley had a vision of protecting the world's gardens as well. So this former freelance writer put down his pen, bought six push lawn mowers for $100 each and began CleanAirGardening.com, which sells environmentally friendly gardening products, such as gas-free push mowers, organic fertilizers and electric trimmers/weed-eaters.

To cut costs, Hundley used his cell phone as a business line, built his own website and sold mowers from his apartment. He made his share of mistakes along the way, from overspending on ineffective advertising to stocking too many mowers in his apartment. When CleanAirGardening.com began to take off, the business initially suffered because it wasn't set up to accept credit cards. Hundley solved that problem by hosting his site through Yahoo! Stores and letting them handle the secure credit card transactions.

Hundley, who now works from an office in his three-bedroom home, expects 2005 sales to hit $1 million. Yet his focus is less on profits and more on finding new environmentally safe products and educating customers about the importance of conservation. In addition to promoting eco-friendly products such as rain barrels and reel mowers, his site offers a comprehensive list of websites that teach people about healthy gardening practices.

"I don't know how many of my customers I am converting to an environmentally friendly lifestyle," says Hundley, 35. "But judging by how many questions I answer from people who have never composted, collected rainwater or used a reel mower before, I think I am certainly making a difference."