We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Bautista. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.
Jonathan, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
This is a great question. Over time, I have learned how to implement a “failing forward” mindset to overcome setbacks and difficult times.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I recently started my own landscaping and lawn care company. I was motivated to do so because after working for many terrible bosses and some good ones, I realized that I would never lower my work ethic standards to “milk the clock” or put up with nonsense from managers or bosses who abused their positions over their employees. Many of the places I have worked in did not match my values. So, I found a way to start my own business to maintain my standards and values and answer to nobody except Uncle Sam regarding taxes. ;D
Even though my business is still in its first year, it is more of a job I’ve created for myself than an actual business, at least for now. It is humbling, and I am figuring out systems and processes as I go. I am applying all the skills I have acquired, like excellent customer service and value-focused services. It is wonderful to create something of my own to this scale, and I am only getting started! I pray and focus on building a culture that promotes personal development and where my employees can be treated with dignity and respect. I also look forward to mentoring my employees professionally and personally for their goals and dreams. As much as I would love to keep employees forever, I would rather see them and support them however they define their meaning of success. That may sound corny, but corn is all I got!
I focus on quality, integrity, and, above all else, creating lasting relationships with my clients. I believe in what I do because it allows me to express my creativity and detail-oriented inner artist. Whether servicing a lawn with a weekly mow or regrading and reseeding an entire property, I consider myself the artist and the landscape my canvas. Don’t get me wrong, some days are mundane, but I would rather that feeling be directed towards myself rather than for someone else. I have had those hard days where I have moments of reflection, asking myself, “Why am I working here?” at other jobs I have hated.
I served 5 years active duty in the Marines and 3 years in the Illinois army national guard. I loved both jobs, working and flying as a crew chief on helicopters during my service. I am grateful for the opportunities this great nation has presented to me, and I love to continue serving my local communities in a manner that creates value for my clients and helps me express my creativity and craftmanship. Plus, I get paid to work out!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My hard work ethic, optimistic mindset, and faith in Jesus contributed the most to my current state. I developed my work ethic and optimistic mindset from both of my parents, and over time, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. All three took constant work and reflection to understand the impact they have had and will have on my life trajectory.
All three things took determination and prayer to refine over the years. So I would say to anyone who is beginning their journey, define your vision. Make a target. Make a goal. Reverse engineer how you could get there and figure out the nitty-gritty details as you go. The path to a goal is never a straight line. That is where faith and prayer come into play. We must adapt and re-strategize constantly. Easier said than done, especially when bills, kids, marriage, and other responsibilities seem to take up so much of our limited time. But that is okay; the prize is in the journey. We must learn to give ourselves grace and not be so hard on ourselves. Enjoy the little wins, and the small moments will make up most of our memories over the years. Even if we don’t accomplish our goals, the amount of courage it takes to go after something is commendable. In our great nation, we are privileged to have the opportunity to pursue our dreams. Every day is a blessing, and we must not let our true fallen heroes’ sacrifices be in vain. We must not let our parents’ sacrifices be in vain. We must create the best environment for our children’s success.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There are many excellent books, like Rich Dad Poor Dad, The 12 Rules for Life, Atomic Habits, The 5 AM Club, The Alchemist, Never Split the Difference: As If Your Life Depended On It, and The Art of Focus. But I would say that one of the most impactful books I have read is The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*** by Mark Manson. The title got my attention, but after a few chapters, I realized how Mark was trying to relay his message to his audience. Not caring about other people’s thoughts is another way of translating the title. This book has excellent and relatable examples of implementing this IDGAF mentality, but not in a negative or bitter sense.
This helped accelerate my “failing forward” mindset. Allow me to elaborate, I use to work door to door sales in my early twenties after my active duty military service. I won’t lie to you; I was still nervous and feared rejection doing D2D, even after all of my experiences in the Marines! Imagine that! But I read Mark’s book and asked myself, “What if I get rejected?!” So what if I botched a pitch or mispoke?. Who cares if I made mistakes? Nobody got hurt in that sense, and it was all experience I was gaining. So, I started strategizing how to capitalize on my failures. I learned that winning is winning, and losing is winning. If I win at something, I must humble myself to reflect and appreciate the work put into that success, but if I fail or lose, that is just another way of learning. I learned how not to say something, how not to represent an idea or service, and how not to take failures so hard. I implemented giving myself grace, and I began to look forward to failing because that meant I would have an opportunity to learn something about myself! The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*** sewed an idea that blossomed into a confidence-boosting mindset!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lawnheroesllc.jobbersites.com/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lawn-heroes-carol-stream?uid=ymq5ooRwctdeWaGV7DdUBQ&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/Fucf6ZH
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
