Kansas City Student Earns LawnStarter Lawntrepreneur Scholarship
by John Egan
February 06, 2017
Five years ago, at age 13, Patrick Flynn plowed into the lawn-mowing business in his neighborhood in Kansas City, MO. Yet money wasn’t his motivation. It was deeper than that.
“I did this to help the elderly people in our neighborhood who were unable to mow for themselves,” Flynn says. “I often did this for little or no pay, as they could not afford to pay me. I had people who would make cookies for me to show their appreciation.”
Hard Work Pays Off
Now, it’s our turn to show appreciation for Flynn’s labor, both in the workforce and at school. Flynn is the recipient of the second LawnStarter Lawntrepreneur Scholarship, which recognizes and supports future entrepreneurs in lawn care or any other business.
“We are extremely impressed with Patrick,” says Armin Gafurovic, scholarship coordinator at LawnStarter. “Not only is his academic record great, but Patrick’s dedication to his community makes him stand out. To see someone at his age so committed to giving back to the community makes us proud to award him the LawnStarter Lawntrepreneur Scholarship.”
Flynn says he will put the $1,000 scholarship toward studies in mechanical engineering at either the University of Missouri-Kansas City or the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
“This scholarship proves to me that all my hard work mowing while trying to keep up my grades in school paid off,” Flynn says.
Patrick Flynn has operated a lawn-mowing business since 2012.
Flynn -- an 18-year-old senior at Staley High School, part of the North Kansas City School District -- has managed to post solid grades while maintaining the lawn-mowing business he founded in 2012. During the most recent mowing season, Flynn regularly tended to 12 yards. Flynn, son of Patrick and Nancy Flynn, is scheduled to graduate from high school this spring and plans to head off to college in the fall.
As a true lawntrepreneur, Flynn says he’s learned to take only those mowing jobs that are a short distance from his home so that he’s got time to do yard work and homework. In fact, he’s turned down mowing jobs so that his schedule doesn’t become overloaded and his yard work doesn’t suffer.
Also, he’s limited the number of mowing jobs he takes after being hired in 2015 as a part-time ranch hand at S&J Ranch in Smithville, MO.
“I mainly work there in the summer due to school, but I still work there a couple of hours here and there through the winter months,” Flynn says.
Giving It Your All
Whatever he tackles -- schoolwork, yard work or ranch work -- Flynn approaches it with gusto.
“I feel that in order to make it in life, you need to be passionate about what you do. If you only give half of what you have, then you will only get half of the satisfaction,” he says. “If you give something your all, it will show in the end and people will notice. If you slack off and only do a partial job, that is noticed as well, and you will not go near as far in life.”
Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be a LawnStarter Lawntrepreneur Scholarship winner like Patrick Flynn? Learn more about our scholarship program at www.lawnstarter.com/scholarship.
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