When you’re 48 years old and looking to launch a new career in lawn maintenance, a reputable equipment dealer is a good place to go for advice. That’s exactly what Wayne Bascle did in 2010 when he grew tired of his job as a commercial graphics installer.
“The commercial graphics business, at least around New Orleans, is a lot of feast or famine,” Wayne says. “There just isn’t enough work to really stay full-time, so you have to go on the road. That’s what I did for quite a while. But then my wife and I had a toddler, and I just got tired of traveling.”
Wayne had some friends who were making good money mowing lawns. “One day I just thought to myself, ‘Old man, you’re going to cut grass, too,’” Wayne relates.
Wayne went to Bob’s Bicycle & Lawnmower Shop in his hometown of Metairie, Louisiana. He asked what he needed to get started as an owner/operator.
“The dealer said I needed a Walker Mower,” Wayne recalls. “I was confused. I said I wanted a riding mower. The dealer explained it was Walker Manufacturing that made a unique riding mower that could do the job of two people. I could go around a property to trim and edge everything, blow it up on the lawn, and then mow over everything and suck it all up. I was really intrigued.”
It just so happened that another lawn maintenance contractor was at the dealership. He had a 36-inch Model C on his trailer. “He drove that mower off his trailer to let me try it out in the parking lot,” Wayne tells. “Not realizing I had four feet behind me when I made a pivot, I nearly took out the owner of that business because I knocked him on his butt.”
Fortunately, the owner was unharmed and everyone had a good laugh. Wayne quickly improved his operator skills and was ready to take the leap into the lawnmowing business.
Wayne Bascle, owner/operator of Nova Lawn Services in Metairie, Louisiana
“I already had my truck paid off, and I had squirreled enough money away to buy the other equipment I would need,” Wayne says. “I told the dealer to get everything ready for me, because I’d be back later that week to pick it up. I went and bought a trailer, went back to Bob’s to get my equipment, and I was off and running.”
Mowing lawns is actually Wayne’s third profession. He was also a paramedic for many years while working as a graphics installer. Now, 15 years into his lawnmowing career and age 62, Wayne has no regrets about making the change. In fact, his only regret is not doing it sooner.
“Right after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, my wife said I should start cutting grass,” Wayne says, adding that there weren’t enough contractors offering lawn services at that time because everyone who stuck around was focused on fixing houses. “I told my wife there was no way I would cut grass for a living. To be honest, there was a time when I looked down on people who cut grass. I hate to say it, but I was being a snob. I just figured that if they were cutting grass, they couldn’t do anything else. What I’ve found is that lawn maintenance takes a lot of skill and commitment.
“Cutting grass has given me an enormous amount of freedom,” Wayne continues. “I can set my own hours. I don’t have to ask a boss for time off. I can choose which types of clients I work for. And if I’m reliable and do a good job, I can hang onto most of those clients. So the moral of this story is that you should always listen to your wife, because she is correct 99.9% of the time. To this day, I kick myself in the fanny for not listening to my wife and starting my business sooner.”
From Slow Start to a Need for Speed
When Wayne did start his business in 2010, he put out 600 flyers in the neighborhoods he wanted to work. He only got one phone call. He could have easily grown discouraged and thrown in the towel, but he remained patient, and it paid off. One client gradually led to another.
“The majority of my initial customers were people who pulled up when I was mowing other properties, wondering if I could give them a price,” Wayne says. Before long, Wayne was mowing enough properties that a lot of eyeballs were seeing his work. The referrals came pouring in. Conditioned to be conscientious of cash flow from his days in the feast-or-famine commercial graphics business, Wayne says he didn’t start feeling comfortable until his fifth year in business. That’s when he had far more business opportunities than he could handle and was in a position to start squirreling money away again.
Wayne Bascle’s go-to mower is a Model B27i with a 48-inch mulching deck.
Wayne mows around 70 lawns these days, primarily mid-size residentials, with a few commercial properties mixed in that he services on Saturday mornings. Until recently, a cluster of his residential lawns was on the other side of the Mississippi River. Wayne says he’d waste an hour a day stuck in traffic going over the bridge. When he had the opportunity to buy a dozen accounts closer to home from another contractor in 2022, he couldn’t write the check fast enough.
Working by himself in one of the rainiest parts of the country, Wayne says he simply cannot afford to waste time. That’s why the Walker Model C was such an appealing option 15 years ago when he first got started. Over time, however, Wayne has become even more enamored with a different Walker model.
“I realized several years ago that the only way I could grow and take on more properties was to get faster,” Wayne says. “The Model B, with its speed, maneuverability and ability to mulch so well—afforded me that luxury.”
Wayne’s primary machine today is a Model B27i with a 48-inch mulching deck. He has also purchased a second Model B27i with a 36-inch mulching deck for those properties with a tight backyard gate. Wayne worked with his dealer to set up both of his Model B’s for peak efficiency. It starts with the mulching deck that allows him to deliver a clean, even cut without the need to collect the clippings. Then, Wayne has added several optional features like the big-tire fork kit for extra speed, armrests for enhanced comfort, and a utility bed for added versatility.
The armrests and utility bed have provided Wayne with another efficiency advantage. He sets his backpack blower in the utility bed, secures the straps around the armrests, and adds a bungee cord for good measure. This allows Wayne to carry his blower with him while he hops from one lawn to the next. Some segments of his routes include neighborhoods with five-plus homes spread out along a couple hundred yards of roadway. Wayne says it’s a blessing to not have to walk that entire stretch anymore. It was really a blessing prior to having both knees replaced a couple years ago.
As much as he likes his Model B’s, Wayne still has the original Model C he purchased 15 years ago. He’s put a new engine in it, of course, and continues to put a few hours on it every year. He pulls it off the trailer when mowing after a storm, vacuuming up the countless sticks, leaves and cyprus tree needles that are blanketing his lawns.
Wayne Bascle keeps a second Model B27i on his trailer, this one with a 36-inch mulching deck. He uses it to mow backyards where he can’t quite fit through the gate with a 48-inch deck.
Wayne has come a long way since he first barreled over another contractor while trying out that Model C in the dealership parking lot. “I have thousands and thousands of hours on a Walker, so operating one really comes naturally now,” Wayne relates.
The lawn maintenance business in general comes quite naturally to Wayne Bascle. He’s 62 years old, but still has a lot of grass he wants to cut. He has two new knees and two Model B’s, along with the drive to continue doing what he’s come to love doing over the past 15 years.
“I think I’ll quit mowing lawns when I’m dead,” Wayne says with a grin. “Everyone in my neighborhood who watched me grow up have all passed away now. Without exception, they all went downhill fast after they stopped working. So the older I get, the less sedentary I like to be. As weird as it might sound, mowing lawns has become my dream job. Why would I want to give that up?”
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