When nine-year-old Josh McKay was “made redundant” from his single-lawn mowing enterprise, he decided it was time to advertise and expand his business.
The Richmond School student wrote a note explaining he had been made redundant, had his own lawn mower and gave his desired quote for a mow, then dropped the note into letterboxes around his neighbourhood.
Josh has been mowing his parent’s lawn since he was five and for the past three years has been mowing the lawn of his client, Marjorie, until she moved into a rest home and gave him her lawn mower.
“I kind of enjoy it – I enjoy getting the money so I can do the things I want to do. And I’ve never missed a day in my life, not even when I had a broken arm. Though I didn’t know it was broken.”
His mother, Laura, says Josh began mowing lawns to buy a second-hand kayak after he was told he would have to earn the money.
“It’s teaching them money doesn’t grow on trees,” she says. “It all costs money, so he has to go out and earn it.”
Mowing lawns and a “little loan of $50” from his parents resulted in his kayak and now he is earning his way towards more parts for his remote-controlled cars to set them up for racing.
“Earn money so I can fulfil my dreams and hobbies!”
He has been trying to lift the price for mowing mum and dad’s lawn because “the price should be going up with inflation” but he is still working on that. His focus is on making money to support his hobbies, but he also has a business goal to one day become a commercial fisherman, with a YouTube channel on fishing.
He can explain his focus and growing business acumen.
“I’m autistic with a definite touch of dyslexia – not quite dyslexia but nearly there.”
He says 10 lawns would be the maximum number he could mow, though five lawns would be a comfortable number.
“No poles on the lawn. They’re hard. And if they’ve got a dog, I’m not picking up their dog poo.”
