At BizCover we seek to recognise and reward small business owners who go above and beyond for their customers. For people like Tom, being self-employed allows him the flexibility to spend time with his family as well as provide for them through his lawn mowing business.
The $2000 BizGiver grant is awarded each quarter to better the lives of small business owners and facilitate growth through a product or service. Our 48th round of BizGiver Australia received over 150 entries, making it highly difficult to select a winner. During our selection process, we provided a space for small business owners to share their story and tell us how they plan to use the BizGiver grant. At BizCover, we take this grant seriously. We share all the finalists’ stories with our staff and invite everyone to vote for who they think should receive the grant.
Congratulations to Tom Higgins, owner of Tom-Mow’s Lawn Maintenance in Nambucca Valley, NSW, for being crowned the winner of this round of BizGiver! Tom has Personal Accident & Illness Insurance with BizCover, providing him with peace of mind to know he’s covered if he becomes unwell. We are proud to support Tom through his small business journey!
We interviewed Tom about his passion for helping others and the significance of the grant. Here is his story.
When did you start your business?
I started my business in the beginning of 2018 as I had a baby boy and was working 3 jobs at the time to try cover expenses. I was working in 2 different retail stores and doing personal training around those hours. I started mowing lawns for some side income on the weekends to support my partner and baby. I’ve come a long way in 4 years, and I am fully self-employed now.
Why did you enter the BizGiver competition? Why did you wish for your particular wish?
I am insured through BizCover, and had received a few emails about the competitions before. I thought why not enter this time around!
I wished for a backpack leaf blower as I have wanted one for a while to help with work. I had been saving but couldn’t justify the purchase with the weather as income is unpredictable at the moment. The rain has been really making it difficult to work and to do a good job in less-than-ideal conditions.
How will winning this prize help your business?
Winning this prize has helped my business already! I needed the powerful leaf blower to actually move the wet grass and clippings around, being able to leave a tidier finish on my jobs and keep my customers happy.
What does being a small business owner mean to you?
Being a small business owner to me means freedom to book jobs around my home life. I never wanted to prioritise work over my family, and helping raise 2 children with my wife is made infinitely easier being self-employed. I don’t want to miss anything with the kids growing up, and have had past employers that wouldn’t let me take kids to the doctors or anything like that.
Why do you love your job?
I love my job because I can provide a service to clients on my own terms, being in control of that job outcome. Making sure my customers are happy with what I’ve done is very important to me.
Where do you see your business in 5 years’ time? What are your growth goals?
In 5 years’ time I see my business with more equipment, increasing revenue and more services we can provide to our customer base. In addition to this, I aim to have 5 or more contractors employed so that my business can create jobs, help cover more areas and service more clients.
What are the biggest challenges your business faces? Will winning the prize help?
The biggest challenges my business faces are having to work around recent bad weather. If it isn’t raining, it is still muddy, and it has been hard to leave jobs looking tidy. It’s also hard on the equipment and scheduling. Winning this prize is going to make a big difference in finish quality and clean-up time.
What have been your biggest achievements?
My biggest achievements have been building my customer base to over 100 regular jobs, replacing my casual work and being completely self-employed, as well as creating jobs by using contractors which I always wanted to do. I also help people where I can with a free service or whatever they may need; I am at the point where I can do that occasionally and I love that.
If you are interested in Tom’s services, please visit his website Tommows.com or Facebook page: Facebook.com/TomMows1
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