He Started a Business at Age 13 and Made $85 His First Year. Now, He Brings in Up to $100,000 Per Job.

Chase Gallagher’s story begins with a single lawn mower and his parents’ yard. As a 13-year-old, he was getting paid $20 a week to mow his parents’ lawn, and he realized that lawn care was the only skill he could immediately monetize. He lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and there were plenty of lawns he could take care of.

He searched for clients, stuffing flyers advertising his skills into mailboxes around the neighborhood. He landed just two clients in his first year, generating a total of $85 in revenue, and recalls a formative day picking weeds just to make $40. 

“I just remember I wanted to quit,” he tells Entrepreneur. “I wanted to quit, but I just kept pulling those weeds.”

That experience taught him a lifelong lesson he still carries with him: “I have to respect money,” he says.

Hiding his age

Starting so young meant that Gallagher faced a credibility challenge. He tried to mask that he was a 13-year-old. Customers would call his company, and he would avoid speaking on the phone: “I would try to give them an estimate without talking to them because I didn’t want them to hear my voice,” he says. 

Because he couldn’t yet drive, he enlisted his mother’s help. “I’d have my mom drive me by their house late at night [and] give them an estimate for their weekly lawn mowing via email,” he explains.

By the time he showed up to mow, most clients had never met him and had already hired the company based on the quote. “They weren’t going to fire me, but I’m sure some of them were definitely shocked,” he says. At the same time, he was battling “a massive, massive fear of just calling people back,” relying on texts and emails to communicate while quietly learning how to handle customers.

From Buzz Cut Lawn Care to CMG Landscaping

Gallagher’s first venture carried the name Buzz Cut Lawn Care, which he grew steadily through his teenage years. By high school graduation, he had turned the side hustle into a real company: “I had a full‑blown business with two or three guys, and I was just making a full-person salary, as much as my teachers,” he says. 

At age 18, in 2019, he made a pivotal move to expand to better-paying jobs. “I sold that side of the business — I sold lawn mowing, I sold all my lawn equipment,” he says. “I rebranded to CMG Landscaping.” 

The rebrand marked a shift from $50 lawn projects to more extensive work that brings in $5,000 to $100,000 per job. Today, CMG focuses on outdoor living spaces in the Philadelphia suburbs, like walkways, patios, plants, trees and lights that the company designs and installs. The business currently brings in over $2 million in annual revenue, Gallagher disclosed.

Gallagher’s experiences paid off. This year, the 25-year-old was selected for Housecall Pro’s 2026 Trades 40 Under 40, which highlights young professionals building careers across the skilled trades.  

“Chase started CMG Landscaping as a kid with a vision,” Housecall Pro co-founder Roland Ligtenberg said in an emailed statement. “Watching that turn into a real business is one of the best parts of this work. He’s exactly what we’re seeing across the trades. A rising generation that looks at blue-collar work and sees an opportunity to build something of their own.”

Skipping college

Gallagher says that he chose well by bypassing college. It saved him four years of work and substantial tuition fees.

The turning point for his work ethic came in 10th grade. He convinced his mother to let him complete 11th and 12th grade via online high school, just weeks after getting his driver’s license. “That’s where my business, my life, my energy took off because all I want to do is work, even to this day,” he says.

His routine took up all of his time: “I would work all day for my own business, help out other landscaping companies that needed help, and then I would do my online high school at night,” he explains. 

His commitment to saving and reinvesting began in childhood and continued into adulthood. “Every birthday gift money I’ve gotten I put it in the bank, and I save, I save, I save,” he says. By the time he was finishing high school, he had “saved over six figures” and remembers, “I felt so rich back then.” 

Today, he still believes in living below his means: “I’ve lived below my means since I was 13 years old. That has allowed me to be financially free in a sense,” he says. 

Kidney transplant and a new lease on life

One of the most defining chapters in Gallagher’s story is when he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease at age 20, which nearly knocked him out of business. He recalls being 19 years old and the doctor telling him that he needed a kidney transplant, which forced him to think of all the contracts he might not be able to fulfill. 

By the time of surgery, he only had 3% kidney function and was carrying 40 pounds of toxic water weight.

Post‑transplant, he started improving. Once out of the hospital, he started walking daily and feeling “better and better and better,” he says. That second lease on life changed how he works. “You just operate a little differently,” he explains. “You’re running at a completely different rate.”

Advice for entrepreneurs

Gallagher’s advice for would-be entrepreneurs is simple. He believes that if someone wants to build a home service business, college is usually a waste of time, even if parents cover tuition. His advice is to leave college and start immediately on the venture.

“Don’t think about the name, don’t think about your website, don’t think about your clothing,” Gallagher says. “Go think about how you’re going to collect your first dollar. People get tripped up about all these little details. Go knock on someone’s door and offer to mow the lawn or something, and let’s collect some revenue first.”