At just 13 years old, Daniel Piszczek pulls up to homes across Justice and nearby towns, trailer hitched and ready. What started with a push mower and as a favor for his grandmother has grown into a booming side hustle — fueled by determination, word of mouth, and heart.
“I started just mowing down the block with my push mower when I was 9,” Daniel said. “I just liked cutting grass.”
His first customer outside of the family came after he and his mom, Cheryl, handed out homemade flyers. “Nobody said anything except one lady down the block,” Daniel recalled. “She just wanted me to cut her grass.”
From a push mower to a business on wheels
One lawn led to another. But Daniel’s biggest boost came when a neighbor made an offer: a nearly new Cub Cadet riding mower sitting unused behind her house.
“She said, ‘I’ll give it to you if you cut my grass for two seasons,’” Daniel said.
“It was nearly brand new,” Cheryl said. “It was her ex-husband’s mower — barely used. She just wanted it gone.”
The next challenge? Getting the mower home. Without a hitch on their car, Daniel and Cheryl folded his old push mower into the trunk. Help came unexpectedly when a neighbor offered Daniel a rusty trailer from his back yard.
“It was just metal and rust,” Cheryl said. “The tires barely worked.”
Daniel and his dad rolled up their sleeves and got to work — welding new walls, spray-painting the frame, rewiring lights, and adding hooks for his gear.
“We built it all together,” Daniel said proudly. “It was just bare minimum when we got it.”
Today, the trailer — once scrap — rolls behind their car, carrying Daniel’s equipment from house to house.
Balancing blades and books
Daniel juggles classes, Boy Scouts, soccer, and a growing lawn care schedule.
As Daniel’s customer list grew, so did his responsibilities. Cheryl now helps him post in community groups, but Daniel handles scheduling and quotes, carefully matching customers’ preferred times.
“This year, I had him start putting everything into his own calendar,” Cheryl said. “Now he tracks which lawns he’s cutting each day.”
Most jobs pay between $40 and $50, depending on lawn size and access. Some, like a recent thigh-high yard, take extra grit.
“It took a couple of hours,” Daniel said. “My self-propel doesn’t work anymore, so I had to just push it.”
Despite the challenges, he keeps a good sense of humor.
“I don’t mind if it’s a little warm outside,” he said. “But when it’s really, really hot, that’s when it’s hard.”
If things get too busy — between Boy Scouts, soccer, and school — Daniel’s older brother Donnie, 14, steps in to help.
Sometimes, Daniel’s biggest reward isn’t just the paycheck.
“It’s seeing the yards when they’re done,” he said. “When it’s all tall and messy, and then you make it look really nice.”
Saving for big dreams (and animatronics)
Daniel saves most of his earnings, occasionally dipping in for small treats like gas station snacks. But his real goal is saving for Spirit Halloween animatronics — elaborate decorations for the family’s over-the-top Halloween displays.
“Last year, he decorated the whole house,” Cheryl said. “We have fog machines, live actors. It’s a whole thing.”
Between yard work, Daniel also finds time to fix things around the house — everything from changing car oil to plumbing repairs — skills he picked up helping his dad, who is handicapped.
“I like doing stuff with my hands,” Daniel said. “I have to stay busy.”
With dreams of attending Argo High School’s four-year automotive program, Daniel already has an eye on the future — maybe even owning a shop someday.
Advice for other kids
For kids thinking about starting their own business, Daniel’s advice is simple and honest:
“Just start. If you have a push mower, you can do it,” he said.
And if bugs or snakes give you second thoughts? Daniel just shrugged.
“I’d probably just grab it and bring it to my mom’s window,” he joked.
Cheryl laughed. “Please don’t do that.”
Daniel shrugged.
For Daniel, it’s simple: cut the grass, save for Halloween, maybe prank your mom if there’s a snake. That’s just good business.