JGS Group AU

Roses pruning last week

From little things, big things grow…

I am sure a lot of you have heard that song… well that is how John’s Gardening started. I started my business very slowly and with the help of a good friend, she was succeeded in getting me really interested in gardening and she taught me so much to help me get started and from there everyone has watched my business started to grow.

Ella was a good friend who taught me how to prune roses and I have never looked back. Ella is my guiding light and if that light keeps burning bright, I will continue to build up my business.
When I was in school, I was put down and laughed at when I told the teacher I wanted to be a businessman. I wanted to be a successful businessman. But back then I really had no idea what sort of business I wanted to run but I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do this, I was going to succeed.

I needed to make a name for myself and by leaving New Zealand felt like it was the only way I could do that. The put downs and the abuse I suffered at the hands of people I trusted, increased the desire to move away from my home in New Zealand to Australia where I could start my life over.

I worked in various jobs in Brisbane before moving to Western Australia. Moving to Perth was my chance to run my own business. I did not want to live on welfare, I needed to make my own way in the world and meeting Ella was incredible experience that I will never forget.

Watching her prune roses and then encouraging me to move forward and try, I have never looked back. She trusted and believed in me and we became good friends, and I became close to her family also. They have always supported me and with Ella’s passing they are there for me when I need help.

Before I continue let me just say that Ella showed me how to grow as a person. Her telling me she trusted me and believed in me was truly what I needed to start having the confidence in myself to not only start my own business but to improve my life.

With that confidence I got on my bike and visited the customers I had and some new ones as well. I started to believe in myself and knew I could grow my little business a little more by offering rose pruning. I was terrified the first time when I turned up to do a rose pruning job. But in the back of my mind Ella was telling me, I can do this… and I did.

15 years ago, today, I started John’s Gardening Service providing a small garden service to customers in my local area.
15 years on and I have come so far. I am not trying to brag; it is just that I cannot believe sometimes how far I have come. 15 years on and I have my business running under JGS Group AU and John’s Gardening is still with me every step of the way.

I am not going to say that those 15 years have been easy because they weren’t, it has been a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. And fortunately, I have had some great people helping me along the way. No business can grow on its own, mine included.

When Ella developed cancer, it devastated me, and I kept hoping it would go away. But it didn’t. I was fortunate enough to have been able to have some time with her before her passing. And now all my achievements I dedicate to Ella. I made her a promise that I would continue to grow my business and I have reached the 15-year milestone and I am still growing my business.

I am continuing to grow my business every day. 15 years on, I provide numerous services including; garden services – a huge range of garden services including garden maintenance, rose pruning, some small landscaping jobs including laying new lawns, and with the help of a great guy Pete new sprinkler systems that work perfectly are installed, garden bond services, window cleaning, high pressure cleaning and so much more…

To top that off the list of areas that we service has grown incredibly. I am no longer providing that service on my bike, I have a ute and trailer and we can now travel to more places.

We have invoicing systems in place to take us through to the next 5 – 10 years unless of course I decide to do things a little differently but at the moment everything is working well and we can keep working with that for the next many years.

There are several people who I need to thank for the help and support they have shown and provided over that 15 years. Ella and her wonderful family for being there for me regardless of the situation. I feel I am treated like family and I appreciate that so much. That support helps me grow more and more every day. Ella’s memory lives on inside me and I will continue to take on board her encouragement, support and her trust and her belief in me.
Steve, my good friend who believe me and is always there when I need advice.

My brother Robert, who drives me nuts sometimes but every day he works beside me. He works with me every day and I really do appreciate that. And to the guys who help me when I need the help providing a great service to my customers... thank you.

And Toni, who resurrected my website when someone lost it many years ago and continues to support me by providing the admin service and support that I need to help my business function. She keeps me in line and has finally been able to convince me to think things through before jumping up and down about things that aren’t going right.

To all my customers who support me by calling me up and allowing me to provide the services you require to keep your property looking great. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today… thank you.

Moving forward, my goal is to focus on the next 10 years… remember from little things, big things grow, and I want to continue growing my business.

I am already in talks to improve my business more. Changes to my websites, more ways to help my customers and how to expand into different areas so I can service more clients. My goal is to provide more small landscaping jobs, to increase the number of roses I prune every year and to continue providing a high-quality service to all my customers.

15 years on… and I am looking forward to growing my business for another 10 years.

I have come a long way from when I was told I would not succeed and even though I keep reflecting on the past, my focus is on how far I can go into the future. I am the businessman they told me I would never be.

John Kelly
JGS Group AU
Johns Gardening