Part-time gig evolves into flourishing lawn and snow care app for Haskayne grad

• Above: University of Calgary alumnus Aidan Klingbeil started MowSnowPros, an on-demand residential yard services company, three years ago. The business is now in 10 cities across the country with more expansion on the horizon.

Aidan Klingbeil, BComm’13, started his first business when he was just 13 years old.

It was a lawn care and snow removal business that was originally intended to help him pay for his university education. Little did he know that his education at the Haskayne School of Business would help catapult his side hustle into a growing company after graduation. In 2017, Klingbeil and his team of contractors fulfilled 1,100 lawn care and 1,800 snow removal requests.

Klingbeil began his studies at Haskayne in 2009. An entrepreneur at heart, he naturally gravitated towards the courses in entrepreneurial thinking offered by the school. Taking at least one entrepreneurship class is mandatory for all undergraduate and graduate students at Haskayne, but Klingbeil loved it so much he decided to pursue it as his major.

After graduation, Klingbeil spent a few years working in Calgary’s tech start-up scene learning the ropes and applying his Haskayne knowledge to emerging businesses in the ecosystem. But there came a tipping point when he decided to strike out on his own, and that’s when MowSnowPros was born. “I quit my stable job before I was really truly ready. It was a bit of a risk, but it was a great time to start a business in Calgary so I decided to go for it,” he says. MowSnowPros is an on-demand residential yard services company. Modeled after peer-to-peer businesses like Uber, MowSnowPros offers no-contract lawn care and snow removal services. The start-up is celebrating its third anniversary this year.

Entrepreneurial skills put to use

Like any skilled entrepreneur, Klingbeil tapped into his own expertise, identified a gap in the market and capitalized on the opportunity. The value proposition of the company disrupts the traditional lawn care and snow removal service model where customers are locked into monthly or seasonal contracts. MowSnowPros customers simply download the app, create an account and request services when needed.

This business is scaling at a quick pace — MowSnowPros is now in 10 cities across the country with more additions planned for 2019. In response to this rapid growth, Klingbeil enlisted the help of friend and fellow Haskayne entrepreneurship grad Cody Steele, BComm’14. Steele is focused on the contractor side of the business equation. “We want to provide clarity and support for our MowSnowPros contractors. My job is to enable them to do quality work at a speed unmatched by our competitors. Our average delivery time, from user request to job completion, was three hours and 51 minutes last week. That’s the wow factor customers will come back for,” says Steele. Since launching, MowSnowPros has provided over 260 contractors with the opportunity to earn additional income.

Staying connected and giving back

Since graduating and starting this business, both Klingbeil and Steele are giving back to their alma mater in a tangible way. The pair are signed up to be mentors with the BMO Mentorship Program at the Haskayne School of Business this fall where students are matched with a mentor based on their personality traits, career objectives and industry of interest. Klingbeil and Steele are also working with the Haskayne Career Centre to find a university student to help with their social media efforts.

When asked what advice they have for students, both Klingbeil and Steele replied with similar words of inspiration. Passionately share your business ideas with anyone you trust and whose opinion you respect. Get your ideas out of your head and into a conversation. Your connections will allow you to be successful.

Stay connected MowSnowPros by visiting their website or following them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Global Entrepreneurship Week

Do you have a start-up you’re working on? Want to learn more about the world of entrepreneurship? The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Haskayne is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week from Nov. 13 to 16, 2018. Dive into coffee chats, business plan and intellectual property workshops and hear from seasoned entrepreneurs during The Sessions. Learn more and register for free here.