A Budding Landscaper Owns His Future

Marc Middlebrooks works seven days a week. When he’s not working in his position as a code enforcement inspector for the city of Memphis, he’s taking care of 16 landscaping clients through a lawn care business he started in 2020.

In 2020, Middlebrooks was a teaching assistant at Ridgeway High School in Memphis and had been mowing lawns during the summers. A local medical office approached Middlebrooks about caring for its grounds but said he’d need to do so as a licensed business. So he approached three banks in Memphis, seeking step-by-step guidance on creating a business. They told him to research the process on the internet.

After the other banks turned him away, he came to HOPE, which walked him through the process of establishing a business, helped him open a commercial account, and arranged the $5,000 loan he needed to build credit for his budding gardening company.

“When I went to HOPE, it was so nice. They actually explained to me what was necessary,” Middlebrooks said. “I felt comfortable with HOPE because they gave me the opportunity to actually get a business account.” HOPE staff walked him through the process, and he opened his business account on the same day.

Two years later, Middlebrooks had gone from one client to 16, with the demand for his services expanding from cutting grass to debris removal and other landscaping projects. He needed a second riding mower, a debris loader, and more staff. “I work in rain, shine, sleet, or snow,” Middlebrooks said enthusiastically. Knowing he would need capital to keep growing the business, he approached HOPE about a business loan.

“Our main goal is to make sure that we’re not just assisting them with funds but teaching them how to properly manage those funds to build their business,” said Karina Brewer, HOPE Senior Member Service Representative. “We’re trying to help them through the process so they don’t feel lost, so they’re comfortable coming to us with any issues.”

Middlebrooks credits HOPE with equipping him to succeed. “It is exhilarating. You start with a small goal, and then it expands into something great and gets greater,” said Middlebrooks, adding that he never expected his company to grow so quickly.

Middlebrooks hopes that more Black residents of Memphis will turn to HOPE to begin small businesses. “It’s extremely important that we have more Black businesses in Memphis because we have a huge demographic here. Instead of being shown in a negative light, we should show that Black men and women can actually own businesses and contribute to the community as well. We can actually make a change or a difference,” he said. “Hopefully, I can help guide other people to realize that they don’t always have to work for someone else but that they can own their own business. Hopefully, it’s an inspiration to others.”

The growing landscaping business brings Middlebrooks the extra income he sought to provide for his daughter and son, who are eager to help with the work. “They believe in me because I believe in them. And that’s what makes this dream possible because they believe that Daddy can do anything,” he said. “Since they believe in me, I have to do it. It’s just been a blessing all over. Everything happened when it was supposed to happen. I’m just truly grateful and thankful for everything.”