About Me

My background, in a nutshell…(updated 12/9/2024)

Hi, I’m Chris, and I’ve spent most of my life in the lawn and landscaping industry. Growing up in Northern Virginia and the Washington D.C. area, I worked for my dad’s landscaping business starting in my teens. From age 15 to 25, I gained hands-on experience doing everything from spreading mulch to leading crews, both for my dad’s business and my uncle’s home-building company.

In my mid-to-late twenties, I joined my best friend Dave Castleman at his growing lawn care business, A Cut Above, working off and on while pursuing a degree in business management at night and running my own sprinkler company. After graduating college around age 30, I made the big decision to team up with Dave full-time as his business partner and Chief Operating Officer. Over the past decade, we’ve transformed A Cut Above into a thriving residential lawn maintenance business with 15+ crews, 30+ seasonal employees, and more than 1,500 customers annually.

Beyond my work at A Cut Above, I run this blog, Lawn Business 101, to share insights and tips for running a successful lawn care business. I also founded A Cut Above Software (acutabovesoftware.com) to develop tools that help business owners streamline their operations and improve profitability.

Looking ahead to 2025, my key goals include increasing A Cut Above’s net profit margin from 10% to 20% and reaching $100,000 in annual revenue for my software company.

Let’s connect! I’m active on Instagram, where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my businesses and provide practical tips for lawn care entrepreneurs. Follow me: @a.cut.above