KST Landscaping is a landscaping business that provides a variety of different services. The bulk of what they do is shrub removal and mulching, but they also have experience in bush trimming, lawn mowing, fallen limb removal, spring and fall leaf cleanup and snow and ice removal in the winter.
No event in particular inspired Tobie Etheridge, Sam Crum and Kruse Metzmeier to start their own business. The idea to create KST Landscaping came about when the three were working for Etheridge’s dad doing and landscaping jobs on the side for family and friends.
One day they were off of work and decided to go door to door asking people with dead shrubs if they wanted them removed. That day, they did two jobs and made a little over $400 each. After that day, they made an agreement to go all in on their own landscaping company. A few weeks later they created KST Landscaping.
They will do most of their work in Middletown and St. Matthews, but have done work pretty much everywhere. They have done some jobs in J-Town, Shelbyville, Oldham County, LaGrange, and they have even done some work down at Nolin Lake. They prefer to do the majority of our work near Middletown and St. Mathews but will go wherever the customer asks.
“Running this company has taught us lots of life lessons; the main one is commitment,” Etheridge said. “When you tell someone you’ll be somewhere to do it, you go. When you don’t go it looks very bad on you. Another thing we have learned a lot about while running KST is how to communicate well with strangers. Whether it’s through text, over the phone, or in person, talking to a customer is a lot different than talking to a buddy.”
The biggest challenge they have faced is consistently finding work. Because they do not mow many lawns, they do not have very many jobs to do every week. This makes it hard to keep money coming in at times. To fix this problem, they basically just promoted their company the best they could.
They made an Instagram and Facebook account to promote themselves on social media. They also made t-shirts to wear while working so people know that they are a legitimate business. They also asked all of their customers to recommend them for anyone they know who need any work done. All of these things helped them to overcome the challenge of finding consistent work.
“By hiring us you can expect hard working, respectful young men who will do whatever you ask, for the best price,” Etheridge said.
If you need to contact KST, call or text them at (502)-457-4916, or direct message them on Facebook or Instagram at KST Landscaping (Facebook) or KST_landscaping (Instagram).
