So who is Chris Penny 101?
For starters the “101” and “Ottawa” are added on for SEO reasons.
There are a lot of Chris Pennys in the world.
I add these on to distinguish myself from the others!
You may be looking for someone else.
If so, thanks for contributing to my bounce rate. See ya!
Looking for the blond haired, blue eyed, digital marketing obsessed, 28 y/o nerd in Ottawa?
The guy who learned it all running a lawn care business for 10 years?
It’s me!
Welcome to my website.
Here’s a bit about me:
Early Days as an Entrepreneur
I ran a lawn care business from when I was 15 years old until I was 28. It first started as the “kid down the street” services, where neighbours would tempt me to mow their lawns with $20 bills. It grew into a business that provided multiple lawn care services. I learned how to manage a business model, finances and client care.
Me as a moody teenager
Pretty soon, I was making (and learning) a lot more than my part time deli job. With my Dad’s encouragement, I made a flyer and proceeded to drain the family printer of it’s ink.
My first flyer.
Dragging a mower was taking too much time (I had teenager stuff to do!), so I built a flatbed trailer for my bike to cut down on travel time. Business grew, so did my territory…and my reputation as a hard worker grew with it.
I also caught some lucky breaks. Mrs. Hyndman, a loyal client, had a car she no longer needed: a beautiful light blue 1985 Honda Civic Wagon (yes, it was older than me, but at 16, most things were). It had a semi-automatic shifter (shifting but no clutch).
And from a kid with a mower, my business grew…and I grew with it.
1987 Honda Civic Wagon. I used to occasionally help my friend Mike Lau with his Student Works Painting franchise. He showed me how to sell services door to door.
Franchising the Business
The demand grew so quickly, I couldn’t take on new customers. This is when I developed my business model: a franchise structure. I set up my friends with similar tools and they expanded into territories I couldn’t service. I managed the business structure, the finances and the customer service relationships. It was also a blast working with my friends.
Top franchisees on a Caribbean cruise.
The Mature Business
As my friends grew and left town, I decided to change the business model. I moved away from using students. Instead I expanded the service lines and extended the work season (something I couldn’t do with students). I devoted my winters to building the company and my summers to equipment maintenance. And I focused on making sure our services had the highest standards. Of the many things I learned, this was one of the most important: a happy client is a repeat client.
I learned a lot about the importance of systems. I implemented as much technology as possible. This made our services repeatable and kept the standards high.
Thus my love of digital marketing was born…
Transition from Lawn and Garden Care to Brand Enhancement and Digital Marketing
Coming soon. 🙂
Early Days of Digital Marketing
Coming soon
Family background
Here’s a bit about me:
I was born Oct. 1, 1987 in Montreal. I grew up in Kanata, Ontario, the eldest of 4, son of Andrew and Monica. My parents each run their own businesses. My father is a management consultant and my mother is a relationship counsellor.
