When I was a junior in high school, I started a small landscaping business. I provided weekly maintenance and developed a customer base of about twenty.  I used my dad’s old station wagon (and yes, with the wood panels on the sides) and later purchased a trailer for mulch and grass.  I did everything from installing yards, weeding beds, mulching, clean-ups…you name it.  It helped having an expert assist me since Google was not around then.  You see, my father and founder of Grosel Industrial Sales, started a landscaping business many years prior. His situation was a little different. He was a salesman for a power transmission company and basically told his boss to go fly a kite.  However, I heard that was not the exact vernacular.  The problem was that he had to go home to his wife and six children with little money in his pocket and no job.  So, he started and developed the landscaping company and the manufactures’ representative business (Grosel Industrial Sales) at the same time. 

I remember going landscaping with him a few times. I was about eight at the time and really admired my father.  He was a hard worker and commanded respect from his crew.  I recall being in awe and thought to myself that I will be like him one day.  Years later, I found old plastic business cards in my dad’s basement that said Grosel Landscaping… and that gave me the idea to start my first business.  I truly have an entrepreneurial spirit because of my father.  Grosel Industrial Sales was the second time that I followed in my dad’s footsteps.  He taught me that passion for what you are doing, hard work, and staying within process will help you attain any goal.  Understanding and being guided by a process has enabled me to do things right the first time and finish.  By following the designed roadmap and analyzing the steps along the way, I have found that the outcome is usually positive. If it is not, I continue to learn and keep moving forward toward my goals.

I know things were not always easy for my dad, but his willingness to succeed was immeasurable.  He always taught me to take care of the customer, which started as a landscaper.  When I would make a mistake in my landscaping business, he would just say, “go fix it and learn.”  The easy way takes little effort, but doing it right takes perseverance and commitment.  I realized how much he fostered my passion for learning and helping people.  This became second nature to me; from coaching to helping family members, friends, and neighbors with my hobby of remodeling and wood working.  This same mentality goes into my work at GIS.

I am fortunate to have a father, mentor, and boss who instilled those values.  The new lingo of “go fix it and learn” became do it right the first time. Today, I proudly acknowledge hard work, integrity, problem solving, reliability, and passion as a few of the values I learned from my dad.  I take these principles with me everywhere; it is who I have become.  If you love what you do, it is not a job.  Allow our expertise and love for business provide you solutions that will live up to your expectations… the first time.

Tags: Grosel Industrial Sales