After he was laid off twice, a 27-year-old Louisiana man took stock, then took control of his fate, turning his 10 “side hustles” into a booming business.
Today, Tyrone Smith of Houma provides a spectrum of services that range from lawn care to food delivery, to “rent-a-husband,” and home repairs, under the tagline, “You Can Call Tyrone.”
Getting laid off from jobs with Terrebonne Council on Aging and with an energy company after three years was hard for Tyrone, who didn’t pursue education beyond high school.
“I was so hurt because it was my ego; my ego had gotten in the way of doing [my job],” he told The Epoch Times. “I had to follow the rules, and at the time, I didn’t follow the rules. I wanted to play my own game.”
Yet quickly, Tyrone realized he already had the skills to start something of his own, having worked side jobs in the past. He had years of experience in lawn care, so this seemed like the obvious place to start.
The lawn service idea had come to him as he was working for three years at the oil job. At that time, he said he would come home and play games until the next day when he went back to work, and he wasn’t feeling very productive—until he had a light bulb moment with a friend.
“One of my friends, an older guy, he was telling me that life is all about supply and demand,” Tyrone recalled. “When he said that, a light went off in my head ... people always need grass cut!”
In an attempt to create an impact on people, Tyrone bought a push mower and turned a water heater into a blower to move grass. This was like a side hustle for him at that time.
Thus after getting laid off from his job, although Tyrone was disappointed, he decided to make the lawn service his main job.
He started his company, Stat Lawn Care, in 2016, and advertised his other services too.
“Stat means ’standing tall and talented.' That’s me, because I’m actually 6 feet, 6 inches tall,” he said.
The determined youngster, who lost his role model at the age of 10 when his father died, was keen to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“When my dad passed, it really motivated me to be something more in life,” he said. “He was an entrepreneur, too. ... I had to think about what he taught me when he was living, and I had to just follow the blueprint.”
He bought everything he needed to start his own delivery service, advertising his most popular services on the side of the van: food delivery, lawn care, moving services, bounce houses, photography, and pressure washing.
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“Recently I had a ‘first,’” Tyrone said. “Somebody called me to be an exterminator because they had a possum. ... I was scared!”
Reflecting back on the past few years, Tyrone said: “Throughout the whole process of me striving to become a better person and grow my business, the best thing about this whole situation is that I stayed me the whole time. I didn’t pretend to be anyone else.”
Tyrone, who is now living out of a “very peaceful camper” since his home was damaged by Hurricane Ida, claims the biggest challenge he faces as a multi-service provider is a massive influx of information, every single day.
“Sometimes I have to do things just off my gut feeling. ... Sometimes I may end up undercharging for the job, and I might lose out because I don’t have the knowledge,” he said. “That’s one of the trials that I go through, trying to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong.”
Yet for Tyrone, hard work comes easily; drawing on his own experience and the expertise of others, he collects the skills he needs as he goes. Through all the jobs he’s done, he’s learned that being friendly, humble, and genuine with his customers is paramount.
Looking to the future, Tyrone wants to invest in a 12- or 16-foot box truck for his growing supplies, and will advertise on the side “like a billboard.”
His end goal is to build a nationwide franchise.
“People around the world need people like me in their area,” he said. “I would love to have people do what I do in different areas, and grow and grow and grow.
“I still have a cloud nine mental state, because it just feels so, so good that I’m really doing something with my life.”
