Meet Nathan Fox, the owner and founder of Foxscapes. Since his childhood, Nathan was intrigued by lawn care and landscaping, and it has turned into his passion. Hear Nathan's passion about caring for his community and making genuine relationships through excellent lawn care and services. Watch the video now at the link in our profile.
Yep, that’s me. This picture is from 2005 at the age of four. I’d imagine my parents never thought that this $60 plastic tractor would turn into my career, but it did. I remember my 3rd birthday even to this day at the age of 19, running down the stairs with excitement to see a big gift covered with a blanket. It would be my best friend, my go-to toy, and the best investment my parents would make to keep me out of the house. I spent my summer days watching my dad mow the lawn and follow him with my push mower or that plastic tractor. I guess it wasn’t ever really a question in my mind when I was growing up as to what I was going to be, but rather how I could get a big green tractor like my grandpa. That drive has led me to have passion for business, people, and the green industry.
I spent the majority of my life working with plants, shrubs, trees, and grass. In my early years, I remember working out in the yard redesigning flower beds, mowing and trimming trees with my father. After I was tall enough to independently mow the lawn with our push mower, I felt inspired to pursue this type of work. I realized it was my dream and passion to do this type of work for others in my community, and eventually to serve those with the highest quality of service.
THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
2009-2012
From the age of 8-11 years old, I began mowing my neighbors’ lawn with our push mower. Over the following spring, summer, and fall, I developed my skills as I connected with my neighbor Mike who owned a lawn care and landscaping company. Word began to travel around the neighborhood about the type of work I was looking for, and within a few weeks, I had ten accounts. With countless hours of abuse and broke parts, it was time for a tractor. Very thankfully, this need was filled when a very generous friend at a local lawnmower shop provided one to borrow while I saved money for the zero-turn mower I would eventually purchase.
2013-2014
When I was 12 years old, I began growing my company and started offering small landscaping services in my neighborhood. I also felt my skills and knowledge were improving drastically with each project I completed. My work quickly grew out of the machines I owned, and I upgraded as the company began to prosper. My customers were satisfied and I was creating authentic relationships with those customers in my community. That’s still something I hold as a core value of Foxscapes. Eventually, I was able to expand my service zone to many more homes in the area.
2015-2017
Between the ages of 14-16, I continued to grow the relationship with his mentors Mike and Bryant and grew my mowing route to over 25 accounts. During this time I was learning about other aspects of landscape business including snow removal, landscape design, and operating an efficient and successful company. I ended up buying a truck from Mike, my mentor and began to expand my service area. Offering additional services, such as snow removal, came along with this growth. During this eighth season, I was grateful to have been offered the opportunity to purchase over 20 customer accounts from Bryant, my other mentor. I was able to expand my Holt service area and enter the Okemos market. Through all of these experiences, I gained fruitful knowledge and relationships that I still maintain to this day, with my customers, and with my industry.
2018 - Present
Since then, I have graduated from Holt High School and I am currently attending Michigan State University for Landscape and Nursery Management. I am excited to continue my learning process all the while continuing to provide excellent service to my community. I am now able to employ two to six people seasonally and offer full landscape design-build-maintenance services.
In early 2020, I launched Foxscapes, rebranding my former company, with a new vision for our mission and our core values. In the near future, I aim to share my knowledge with those trying to start their own companies and organizations, just like what Mike and Bryant did for me, and I am forever indebted to them. My company’s mission is to build connections, provide service over a lifetime, and invest in others, and that’s what I aim to do.
Thank you for reading about the history of my company and a bit about me. I hope this blog serves you well in your journey, and please feel free to reach out!