Michael Fournier has been taking care of lawns since he was eight years old. The 30-year-old started working with his grandfather, Leonard “Lenny” Fournier, as a kid, and following his graduation from high school, he started his own lawn care business in 2012, appropriately named Fournier’s Lawn Care. 

“I’ve done this my whole life,” he said. “My grandfather played a huge role in my life. We were very close, and getting to work alongside him for so long gave me a passion for it. I wanted to do it. It’s in my blood.” 

The early days

Michael initially started his lawn care business as a side hustle. He had been working full-time at Agway and landscaping on weekends, but eventually, it got to the point where he had so much work on his plate that he was able to transition to lawn care as his full-time business. 

Currently, Michael has two employees who work with him full-time, and he has another additional part-time employee. More often than not, you can find Michael on-site at a job location, meeting with customers and maintaining the personal connections that are so vital for a successful business. 

“We have so many accounts now that it’s impossible for the guys to do everything, every day,” he said. “I can send them out to mow if I have something else I need to do, but for the most part, I try to be present at every job.” 

When he first started his business, Michael’s goal was to have 100 accounts and two employees. By the end of his first decade in business, he had surpassed that by quite a bit. He started out focusing mainly on mowing and clean-ups but has since expanded to provide a variety of services including lawn care, tree work, and driveway installation. Michael also maintains all of his own equipment and does billing on his own, adding to his responsibilities. 

When he started his business, he acquired a handful of his grandfather’s clients. Name recognition proved to be more than enough to grow, as Michael frequently had customers contact him because they knew he was Lenny’s grandson. 

“Everybody knew him, and when they found out I had my own business, I had people call me and say things like, ‘Oh my God, you’re Lenny’s grandson, we need you!’ It was pretty cool,” Michael laughed. 

Lessons from Lenny 

Working with his grandfather for so many years also imparted one of the most important lessons for any business owner: how to interact with people. 

“I like to think I have an old soul. I watched how my grandfather dealt with and spoke to customers, and at the end of the day, you’re not talking to your friends, you’re talking to your customers. You have to be professional,” he said. “That was the biggest thing for sure, learning how to deal with the public.” 

One of Michael’s biggest challenges with owning a lawn care business is nature. “You can never depend on the weather. We have a tight schedule to follow, therefore, we often have to work in the rain and on very hot days. While it isn’t ideal to work in the rain, we also depend on it to keep the lawns healthy.” 

Like any other business owner, the thing Michael struggles with the most is balancing his time between his work and his family. He shares two daughters with his wife Melissa, Rylie and Kaitlyn, both under the age of ten. 

Michael notes that while it’s very rewarding to be a business owner, it can be particularly hard when trying to maintain a work-life balance. “When you’re self-employed, it’s difficult to find time to enjoy life outside of work, but I am able to step away to enjoy time with my family every year in the Smoky Mountains.” While Michael is away, his employees continue to provide the quality work he takes pride in. 

However, the most important thing for Michael is the ability to carry on his grandfather’s legacy. “To be able to do what he did and make him proud, that’s my biggest achievement.” •

To learn more about Fournier’s Lawn Care, contact Michael via email at fournierslawncare1@gmail.com.