Buying and running a landscaping company

Acquiring an existing landscaping company in South Florida instead of starting from scratch. The episode covers rebuilding after losing most of the team and clients, and using simple AI tools to save admin time.

Source
Andrea Palacio on Side Hustle Nation with Nick Loper, “She Bought A "Boring Business"... It Almost Ruined Her Life”, July 27, 2026.

Self-reported by Andrea Palacio: added around $300,000 in equity value in a couple of years Not verified by us.

Watch or read the source

The summary above is ours. Any income figures are the operator’s own claims, in the source.

More services and freelancing ideas

  • The operator started by repairing brick mailboxes and grew into masonry work for homeowner associations, using crews for the labor. Income is per-job fees.
    Services and freelancingPart-time
    The Koerner Office
  • A seasonal service installs holiday lights for homeowners and businesses, with multi-year contracts to repeat the work. It was started by a teacher on the side.
    Services and freelancing
    The Koerner Office
  • The operator began by selling tote shelves and expanded into general handyman work for local customers. Income is per-job fees.
    Services and freelancing
    The Koerner Office
  • The operator audits the landing pages of established trades companies, offers AI-built funnels and booked-job systems, and wins clients through a free case-study build, mail and local meetups.
    Services and freelancingPart-time
    The Startup Ideas Podcast, 2026
  • A large laundromat with a commercial laundry operation and remote management technology, now offered as a franchise.
    Services and freelancingOver $10k
    The Koerner Office, 2026
  • Writing and editing articles for companies that pay for human experience and voice, with AI tools used as helpers. Clients come from Upwork and cold outreach.
    Services and freelancingUnder $100Part-time
    The Koerner Office, 2026