Small business owners need to consider their business goals first to understand what they need from their tools and equipment.
As small business owners step into the journey of growing their business, identifying the equipment that supports you in working the way you work can make an incredible impact on the trajectory of your business. It's important to understand what kind of tools and equipment can bolster your business, and what kind could hold you back. For a small business owner, each decision can make a big difference.
Small business owners need to consider their business goals first to understand what they need from their tools and equipment. The owner of a family-owned landscaping business shared his perspective on what to look for when choosing landscaping equipment.
Family-Owned Small Business
Mulder Maintenance and Services (MMS) is a family-owned commercial and residential hardscaping and landscaping business in northern Indiana. Owned and operated by Andy Mulder, MMS has been designing, building and maintaining landscaping sites since 2013.
Mulder started his career in high school, working after classes, on weekends and on school breaks. After graduation, he entered the field of landscaping and snow maintenance full time. In 2013, he had already spent more than a decade in the industry and was ready to branch out and start a business of his own. For more than 15 years, Mulder has utilized his skill, expertise, creativity and craftsmanship to grow his business, give back to his community and provide residential and commercial property owners with their ideal outdoor spaces.
Identify Priorities
For MMS, the right tools and equipment were key to steady growth over time. In the early years of business ownership, Mulder knew he had to make an investment into the tools and equipment that would support him in working on his own terms. When it came time to choose a truck trailer, he needed to make sure he was making the right decision.
"I was looking for something that was more heavy-duty and could handle the larger equipment we kept purchasing as we were growing so much," he said.
After going over his business goals and tapping into the experiences he has had up until that point, the key decision-making factors were: build, quality, weight capacity and customization capability.
Good Equipment Makes Difference
Armed with an understanding of how he wanted to grow his business, Mulder went to his local dealership to discuss trailer options.
"I had heard nothing but good things about Towmaster from my dealer and also from watching the trailers that Tom [The Dirt Ninja] had on his Youtube channel. My dealer let me try a T14DT for an afternoon and allowed me to haul my 10,000-lb. track loader around and I was sold instantly."
Mulder ultimately chose Towmaster because of the build quality.
"I have never used a trailer that feels more solid than these. You literally don't even know it's loaded with the weight you put on it," he said. "The I-beam frame is a big selling feature. They are just night and day different from other trailers I have used in the past. I also love that you can get different style ramps for any trailer you want."
Mulder's first trailer was customized exactly to his needs, and as a result, he was able to grow his business on his terms. Now, MMS has grown into a company of six people who focus on creative outdoor landscaping solutions that require a high level of attention to detail.
Future of Mulder Maintenance and Services
The future is bright for Mulder Maintenance and Services, as business continues to grow and expand its customer base. As his business advances, Mulder will continue to tap into the experiences of his team and his business goals to understand what equipment he'll need in the future.
"The next time we buy a trailer we will be buying a T-50 that can haul two to three machines at the same time with one truck," he said. "I couldn't be happier with my Towmaster trailers."
Today's top stories
![“I had heard nothing but good things about Towmaster from my dealer and also from watching the trailers that Tom [The Dirt Ninja] had on his Youtube channel,” said Andy Mulder, owner and operator of Mulder Maintenance and Services.](https://dmt55mxnkgbz2.cloudfront.net/900x0_s3-56325-M-TR-TOW-MMS--2.jpg)
