Rob Corporon was a self-employed DJ and lounge promoter for over a decade before his new side hustle in lawn care became his livelihood.

“I had been borrowing my dad’s ride-on lawnmower, using my vehicle with “Music Man DJ” on the side. People would see it and laugh, saying “playing music for the grass, are ya?” when I was on a job,” Rob recalls.

He had done a bit of landscaping work back in the nineties, so in May of 2008, Rob put an ad in The Vanguard about mowing lawns. By July of that year, he had registered his business and was mowing 55 lawns. That summer, I-Care Landscaping was born.

“Mowing lawns is the main part of our business,” Rob explains. “In peak season, the record for us was 45 lawns in a single day, with a profit of $5,500.”

Over the past five years, the business has expanded its service offerings to traditional landscaping – fixing and building lawns, trimming hedges, cleaning up flower beds. The I-Care crew is typically four employees – up to 10 in peak season.

Originally focused on serving Yarmouth – which accounts for 80 per cent of I-Care’s customers – they also serve Lakeport, Pleasant Valley and communities within a 25km radius. When Rob moved to Main Street in Yarmouth in 2015, business tripled.

The company owns three trucks, branded with decals, for the main mowing work, as well as 12 whipper snippers and many mowers from Top Line Industrial Sales. Quality equipment isn’t cheap.

“I learned really quick that you’ve got to spend money to make money,” Rob says.

Rob secured a business loan from CBDC to help keep up with equipment costs.

“I went to CBDC – I’ve never had an issue with them,” he explains. “I’ve never been denied what I asked for. I’m grateful.”

After being in business for a busy 15 years, what’s next for I-Care Landscapers?

“I’d like to maintain where we’re at,” Rob says. “So far, so good. It would be nice to get a few more lawns.”