He’s 24-years-old and has operated a lawn mowing business for a dozen years. Spencer B., who prefers to not use his last name, used his lawn skills to help pay for college. Now, a newlywed, he’s still mowing lawns professionally as SB Mowing, but makes it a point to find grass that’s in trouble, or people who need some encouragement for their day. “I drive around my city, here in Wichita, Kansas, and the surrounding areas and I go find the craziest overgrown lawns. And whoever lives there, I go up and knock on the door and offer to clean-up for free for them. I make YouTube videos out of it and people enjoy watching it – and watching the transformation – and people just like seeing the kindness that I’m kind of bringing around my city.”
The Beginning
A couple of years back, Spencer noticed on social media that some people were cutting grass for free to help others. And it was, “Hey, you know. Why can’t I do that?” And he gave it a shot. “I got a lot of response on it. A lot of positive response and I just kept doing it,” averaging one free mowing job a week. “It’s really rewarding. Just being able to help somebody out who’s unable to help themselves or unable to pay for it. And a lot of these people are really in a pickle because they can’t take care of it and they’re getting city violation notices,” and some were being fined for tall grass. “It really brightens up someone’s day…just the simple act of mowing their lawn and making it look good again, them coming home from work, it just brightens up their day because that’s the first thing they see, and it makes them feel like their home is actually a home.”
I Don't Believe You
With so many scams going on, Spencer explains he does get some skeptical reactions when he knocks on a door, such as: “’I don’t believe you. You’re going to charge me somehow.’ Or, ‘You’re going to leave here a put a lien on my house,’” Spencer chuckles. He also noted that “nowadays, people don’t even knock on doors anymore. So, when I knock and tell them I’m going to do it for free, they think I’m lying.” But Spencer calmly shares why he does the free care – and even shows people his social media account to back-up his credibility. Usually that’s enough to eliminate the suspicion, and once the lawn is groomed, the residents are very appreciative.
Success
Besides being on YouTube as SB Mowing, Spencer’s videos can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. And the more who watch, the more he can do.
But wait, there’s more
This creative entrepreneur also has a pressure washing channel and, you guessed it, he looks for “really dirty driveways” and offers select service for free. “A lot of the people I do that for are elderly and their driveways get so dirty that when they even get the slightest bit damp, they’re really slippery,” and could cause the owner to suffer a dangerous fall.
Confirming just how many people like to watch Spenser’s acts of kindness, “Between all those platforms and my two channels, we’re a little over one-and-a-half billion views and about 13-million followers.” Because of his influence on social media, he’s getting sponsorship from companies who want to reach his followers. “It’s just turned into, like, this thing that has just completely blessed my life – and I can bless other peoples’ lives.”
In one case, he was able to donate a like-new Hustler Raptor lawnmower to a woman who had just been through a marital situation and was trying to take care of her children. Spencer mowed her very out-of-control lawn and then “I just handed her the keys and said, ‘I want to give you my lawn mower.’ It was so cool to do that. And she was completely stunned to say the least.”
In our complete podcast interview just below, hear Spencer describe the most challenging lawn projects he’s ever encountered. And what his plans might be for the future.
