Community Highlights: Meet Josh Fontanez of Forni Landscaping Arts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Fontanez. 

Hi Josh, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I begin as summer help to a local landscaper that went to my church back when I was 14. Working with him through high school and college taught me the ins and outs of the business. I broke off on my own in 2006 and started my own company. That company grew over the course of the next 10 years or so. We were faced with challenges that unfortunately forced my wife and I to close up. Shortly after, I partnered with my best friend who was also facing similar challenges of growth. As his company specialized in lawn maintenance and small landscape installs, and mine specialized in large-scale projects and outdoor living, we decided it would be great to combine forces and see where it went. 5 years later Forni Landscaping Arts is a strong multi-million-dollar company, employing over 25 people at the peak season and running roughly around 20 vehicles. There’s a lot of meat between the bones in my story but I’ll keep the general journey brief to explain the path. 

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?
Not at all. Like I stated in the previous tab, we had to close our first business. We were landscapers first and businessmen second. Therefore, a lot of things on the financial side and legal side were things we didn’t exactly do right the first time around. Cash flow is always a difficult hurdle in any business along with employee retention… especially after Covid hit. Learning to navigate the ups and downs of the economy, educating ourselves from a a legal and financial perspective… these are just a few things. Knowing when it’s time to run lean and when it’s time to bulk up. Far from a smooth road. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a premier landscaping company that specializes in outdoor living (pools, decks, and patios), along with property maintenance, landscape installations, outdoor lighting, snow and ice management for commercial properties. The company has been incorporated since 2007 and does north of two million dollars in sales. We employee around 25 people with field crews and admin staff. My day-to-day used to primarily focus on sales and running the company with my partner. As of late, we onboarded our first saleswoman to help with just the sales side of things that freed me up to focus on large-scale designs when they came in and building and growing our brand. The local recognition of our trucks and crews is what we’re most proud of. Along with being a 5-star company on almost every platform online. We take great pride in what we do. Our families and friends have always backed us and have allowed us to grow into the well-known company we are today. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Grant Cardone’s the 10x rule completely changed the way I operate both my professional life and personal life. I also tried to apply the 80-20 rule everywhere I can in business to help push the most productive ways of doing things. Other podcast I enjoy are Entrepreneurs On Fire and miscellaneous “goal-achieving” podcasts. 

Pricing:

• Patios- starting at $10,000
• Pools- starting at $90,000
• Landscape Design- starting at $800
• Maintenance Package- starting at $3,000
• Outdoor Lighting- starting at $3,500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fornilandscaping.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fornilandscapingarts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fornilandscaping