Exploring Life & Business with Jerry “BJ” Barnes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry “BJ” Barnes.

Hi BJ, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
As a Nashville native born and raised in the Antioch area, I have always loved my community. From the time I was little, I always had a tool in my hand and loved working on anything I could find that needed to be repaired or built! In my pre-teen years, around 10 years old, I remember walking up and down my neighborhood with a reeled push mower that my mom had found at a yard sale for $10, going up to doors and asking if anyone would like their yard mowed to earn some cash. I made a bit of money from mowing in the neighborhood and was finally able to afford my own push mower and weed eater by the age of 11.

So I guess you could say I was a born hustler, working hard to achieve my goals from a young age. Fast forward to adulthood, while having experience with a local landscaping company as a teen, I became a highly sought-after auto mechanic by trade, but my passion for lawn care and landscaping has still always been there. It’s something I love and enjoy doing! I had often mentioned to my wife that I would have loved to have had my own lawn care and landscaping company and we always talked about what that would look like, but we never fully made the jump. After many years of working as a mechanic, we finally decided in 2022 to start a lawn care business on the side along with my full-time job to see how it went.

To our surprise, we hit the ground running and by 2023 my wife and I were so busy juggling our jobs plus a busy lawn care & landscaping schedule in the evenings and weekends that I was almost always away from our home. This not only took a toll on me but on her and our 2 young daughters as well. We knew we wanted to go full-time with our business, but we weren’t sure when the time was right and quite frankly we were terrified to make the plunge! In April of this year, there was one day in particular that I was able to finish up and be home before my little girls would be in bed and my wife was telling them that daddy was on his way home! My 6-year-old daughter showed little interest, which wasn’t like her at all, being such a daddy’s girl.

She commented to my wife when she asked her if she misses Daddy. Her reply was “Not really…he’s just always gone.” And when I heard that, my heart sank. I didn’t make it home in time before they were already asleep. I was at a breaking point in fear that I was losing the most important thing to me in my life, which was my family, those girls…our father-daughter relationship. At that moment, without hesitation, I made the decision then and there that enough was enough and I was ALL IN. We were ALL IN! That night, I sent a message and put in my notice with my full-time job and the rest was history!

I was determined to make sure my daughter knew she came first! It’s been a scary leap of faith, but God provides and will always provide, as long as you lead with faith, hard work, and love. I am determined to build a business I am proud of and I am blessed to have the opportunity to make this dream of ours come true! Every day is challenging, but we push thru those “uncomfy” moments and continue to grow as humans, as a family, and as business owners!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some people have asked me, “Man, how do you do what you do? How do you do it all, with a smile on your face and with your determination?” Honestly, it’s tough, but the way I grew up, tough is what you had to be. My childhood came with its share of hard times, dark times, and struggles. My mom raised my sister and me by herself for most of our childhood. We struggled financially and emotionally, but we always had to push thru.

I didn’t always make the best decisions in my younger days, but I know now those experiences made me who I am today. I know the meaning of true, honest hard work to earn the things in life that you want. I am a true believer that no matter the situations you’ve encountered in your life or where you come from, you can always choose to persevere and not let your past define your outcome! I thank God every day for showing me grace and guiding me to where I am now and leading me and my family and our business daily!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Barnes & Co. Landscaping?
Barnes & Co. Landscaping was built differently from your average lawn care and landscaping business. As a small family-owned business, my wife and I have worked hard at turning my passion for landscaping and our shared love for genuine customer service into a successful company to fulfill a need for so many local home and business owners who have been struggling to find a company with all of the qualities they are looking for in a lawn care company.

We know how important it is to connect with our clients and potential clients and bring them honest, trusting, reliable quality work and strong communication. We want to be the ones they can truly count on and feel they are appreciated! We continue to grow our business to serve more clients and are always looking to better our company! Our services include mowing, lawn & flower bed maintenance, landscaping, pressure washing, deck & fence staining, trimming, small tree & shrub removal, planting, brush removal, fertilizing, mulching, sod installation, seasonal prepping & clean ups and so much more!

If you are in Murfreesboro or surrounding areas and are looking for a free estimate, we would love to see how we can serve you! Contact us at (615) 436-0062 or find us on Facebook!

What makes you happy?
Doing what I enjoy doing every day and getting such positive feedback from our community for the work we do as a company is what makes me the happiest.

All the hard work put into every day, helping as many people as we can a day, it is all worth it, every “thank you” makes us love what we do that much more! We just thank God, above all, that we can do what we do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/barnesandcolandscaping?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084490265991&mibextid=LQQJ4d