Alawnso Services & Endurant lawn colorants transform Texas neighborhoods & ‘wow’ internet
A father and son lawn care business based out of Houston, Texas sought a way to work and profit year round. Otherwise, business stopped for Alawnso Services when the lawns stopped growing each winter.
Endurant lawn painting became the answer—and more than they expected.
Ruben Alonso, Jr and son Ruben J Alonso, who goes by “Ru,” researched ways to expand their offerings at Alawnso Services from mowing to more.
“In the summertime, my son asked me, ‘what will we do in the winter? The grass isn’t going to be growing.’”
“We’ll figure it out,” Alonso replied “Something will come up.”
When they learned about grass paint, they realized they could find a market for people who wanted a great looking green lawn even in the winter months. They could go back to mowing them in the summer months.
Colorant would provide the annual work and income sought after for Alawnso Services.
“But I wasn’t ready for the burst of opportunities that was coming,” said Alonso.
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Alawnso Services and Endurant turf colorants are transforming Texas neighborhoods as Ruben Alonso and son "Ru" wow the world online[/caption]
Comparing Brands: Endurant Lands on Top
Alonso and Ru researched turf colorant and grass paint brands. They looked into the potential in their local market.
In addition to the organic pigment base of Endurant, its natural appearance and reputation, the bottom line was the bottom line, said Alonso.
Ru looked at coverage rates, price per gallon, cost per square foot, mix rates and other factors to learn what would work best.
“The Endurant product was the commercial friendly product in terms of margins,” said Alonso.
Lawn Painting: A Business Start Up with a Low Cost of Entry
The business startup cost was one of the lowest.
“I broke into the business with one gallon of Endurant Premium bought from
Amazon for about $82 and a $30 sprayer bought from Home Depot. Maybe I bought a few towels and Simple Green. Let’s say it even cost $150 – that’s nothing to get into a business,” said Alonso.
He charged his first customer $130 to apply colorant on his first lawn.
“The margins are there. The opportunities are there,” said Alonso.
What happened next was unexpected and opened more doors.
TikTok: Business Takes Off in No Time
“The main thing that happened was TikTok. Our first video from
TikTok went crazy,” said Alonso.
It was his 16-year-old daughter who made it for him and he credits her for much of his recent success.
“The before and after images get people. The difference is just insane,” he said.
“There’s no arguing with the results. It draws people in. Every time we paint, the neighbors ask about it. They ask if it’s safe and the word spreads,” said Alonso.
Alawnso Services painted their first lawn on December 16, and by early February, the family business had painted 30 lawns.
“We get marketing in the right neighborhoods, they see a great product, they see the effect and wow factor It’s instant gratification,” said Alonso.
When the neighbors start asking questions, Alonso and Ru love providing all the answers: the pigments are organic; Endurant is non-toxic; it’s safe for kids and dogs to play on it.
“All the questions, all the stuff they ask, we have all good answers with this product,” Alonso said.
The only caution: watch out for concrete, Alonso added. “But that’s on the operator.”
[Tips for concrete: Avoid it; use a blocking devise or wheel sprayer for precision; wet the pavement in advance; use water to spray off any over spray or accidentals spills immediately, before the paint dries.]
As Business Grew, Potential Continued Growing Too
With all the exposure on
Instagram,
TikTok,
Facebook ads, people started asking Alawnso Services not just to the paint their home lawns, but also how to start their own business like him.
“I helped five people to start their own businesses. I’m new myself, but people are already coming to me for advice,” said Alonso.
With his own lawn painting business taking off, and people looking to him for education, Alonso became a sales representative, earning commission selling the paints.
“Once I got rolling, the people at Geoponics started pouring into me and helping me out to get the lawn painting business growing even more,” said Ruben Alonso, Jr., owner of Alawnso Services offering Endurant lawn painting and startup support.
Soon, he will be a distributor, selling in pallet quantities.
“I’m really pushing the lawn painting business startup, seeking entrepreneurs and helping them get going,” he said.
Lawn Care Crews Convert to Lawn Painting Crews
For many, a lawn business can be seasonal, but when you add paint to the business, it’s year round now, said Alonso.
When adding products like HumaWet or
plant nutrition, water usage can be reduced and plant health can be better than ever without harming the environment.
“These other
Geoponics products add to the credibility of Endurant,” said Alonso.
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Ruben Alonso and son Ru of Alawnso Services took their neighborhood and the internet by storm transforming lawns using Endurant turf colorants, made with organic pigments and nontoxic binders[/caption]
Social Media: Making It Socially Acceptable to Paint Grass
Alonso was talking to people on the other side of the planet about grass paint within weeks of launching his lawn painting business.
He was talking to people in Kuwait, Dubai, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, and across North America.
“This was the worldwide effect of
TikTok,” he said.
[Visit here for the TikTok that started it all]
It was a challenge to respond to all the requests and opportunities.
One thing that was interesting, he said, was seeing the market become more receptive to lawn paint – for it to become socially acceptable to paint the lawn.
“What carried a lot of weight for me and for other people, is seeing Endurant on the PGA tour, at Waste Management Pheonix Open,” said Alonso. [Read more about
Endurant at the WM Pheonix Open here.]
“One of my first ads on
Facebook was titled, ‘Crazy People Painting Grass.’ That was the hook to make people look at it,” said Alonso.
“When it comes to business, I’m impulsive and hyper. I’ll just go for it,” he said.
The Endurance of Endurant
Endurant holds up to all the questions. Such as this one posed to Alonso by a customer: “If it’s made with organic ingredients mixed with nontoxic ingredients, why can’t I eat it or get it in my eye?” she asked.
“What can you put in your eye and not get irritated?” Alonso pondered aloud.
When he heard Endurant lasted up to three months, he wondered, how is that possible?
So he didn’t promise three months or even use the terminology up to three months. Instead, he told clients it lasts approximately 8 to 12 weeks. And, it holds up.
“Grass painting is such a shocking idea. It’s so different. People aren’t thinking whether the grass is growing or not growing,” said Alonso.
So, Endurant lasts up to 12 weeks when the grass is not growing and the weather conditions are not intense to cause fading. If you don’t have to mow the grass, and thus cut the colorant off of it, you can expect lasting results—such as in the case of dormant turfgrass for most of the U.S. and North America in winter months.
Even so, fading may occur over time, but the natural green tone remains.
Endurant Is Going to Be Big
The business opportunity grew into more than a solution to the question of: “What will we do in the winter?”
“This is a real business. It’s a new market, an emerging market,” said Alonso.
While he acknowledges that people have been painting grass for years—professionals and sports field operators—but for home lawns, it’s a relatively new idea for many people.
“This is a great opportunity for an entrepreneur or ‘lawn-trepreneur.’ It’s not an IPO, Facebook or Uber, but it’s going to be big. It’s not going away,” said Alonso
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