Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Herr.
Hi Joshua, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Our company was originally founded in 1990 by my parents when I was three years old. It started out as a love for all things gardening-related. Throughout my younger years, I was often in-tow to gardening social clubs, meetings and talks. At the time I didn’t really appreciate it (as most young kids don’t), but looking back they were some of my most formative years.
In 2005 I graduated from high school and wasn’t really sure what direction I wanted to go with my career. So I decided to join alongside my parents and start to learn the family business.
Then in 2007, my mother unexpectedly passed away from a pulmonary embolism the day after Thanksgiving. We were all grieving, she was the backbone of the company, she did everything client-related and excelled at it, and most importantly she was my mom.
My dad and I didn’t know what to do, we had a lot of learning and growing to do along the way and eventually found our groove. Unfortunately, during 2008 and 2009 we suffered major setbacks during the economic recession, we didn’t know if it would ever end. Slowly, things began to pick back up during 2010 and 2011 and as we got busier, my dad began to talk about retiring and creating my own landscaping company. We both kind of dragged our feet for a couple of years, until he finally retired and Herr’s Landscape Services was launched in 2014.
During the company launch in 2014, there wasn’t much difference from what we had already been doing. But we’ve continued to grow and expand over the past 8 years, every year adding to our skillset and portfolio and most importantly – changing lives with our landscapes. We have been truly blessed to have many clients turned into friends over the years and creating countless smiles along the way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think I know anyone that has had a smooth journey in the small business world. We all have our struggles and make daily decisions in how to best overcome them. Aside from the death of my mom and the economic recession, we’ve had hurricanes, droughts, major flooding, winter storms and everything in between.
Just last year my father-in-law passed away (He was an incredibly supportive and inspirational man). Then recently my oldest son (Sage, 10) was diagnosed T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The past three months have been absolutely insane as we navigate these foreign waters, but so far we’re all remaining positive and our path is leading us in the right direction.
I know this isn’t going to be the last bump in the road, but whatever may come, we will make the best of it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Herr’s Landscape Services, we specialize in taking ordinary properties and turning them into EXTRAORDINARY pieces of art. No two jobs are alike and we’ve created some seriously amazing landscapes and living spaces.
Our job is to listen to each client and create what we best feel they desire for their property, whether it be pollinator-friendly gardens, streambeds/water features, fire pits, or outdoor living areas. Our list of services is nearly never-ending when it comes to beautifying your property.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
As a child, I was really never a risk taker. However, in this industry, you have to step out of your comfort zone in order to expand, learn and grow. Although I still am EXTREMELY cautious of risks, we take our time to research, analyze and learn about each thing that comes our way – nothing is rushed.
We’ve done a lot of personal and physical growth over the years and hope to continue to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.herrslandscape.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/herrslandscape
- Facebook: www.fb.com/herrslandscape
- Phone: 281-723-2458
