Journey of a self-made businessman struggling in slowing economy

We are attending college because we believe it will help us find a good job. It was ingrained in us during high school and is, today, the societal norm. However, it is not the only pathway to success.

Leaving Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks region of New York during his first semester, my father, Todd Antrim, was soon drawn to a career in landscaping. His studies in the ecology and environmental technology department were leading him down an undesired career path. "Basically, it was preparing people to work in a waste water treatment plant," he said.

He began working for a landscaper in New Jersey. "I very much enjoyed the fact that when you plan something or build something at somebody's house, the rewards are very tangible." After working for a time in Delaware, he relocated to Connecticut. He married and bought his first home. He worked for about 6 years at a landscaping contracting company affiliated with a large garden center.

His career plans were put on hold with the birth of two sons, the first in 1987 and the second in 1990. While his wife worked full-time, he took care of the kids. Dubbed "Mr. Mom," he spent almost 10 years as a stay-at-home dad. As the boys grew older, he slowly began working again. "By the time the youngest was 11 years old, he was able to get off the school bus by himself," he said. "So I worked on weekends and started working a little bit when both boys were in school for a full day."

The work took the form of his own landscape construction business, called Pyramid Landscape. The business, which specializes in plantings, garden maintenance, and the creation of stonewalls, walkways and patios, has steadily grown since its founding. "Every year the volume of business has increased and so has the profit margin."

The growth of the business has hit a snag, however, in the struggling economy. The rise is gas prices as well as the struggling housing market have affected the bottom line. The increase in gas prices has translated into higher transportation costs.

"One aspect in which the economy has severely hurt my business is the cost of fuel," he said. "Outside of purchasing materials, the two biggest expenditures are fuel and insurance. It looks like my fuel costs will basically double from about $ 7,000 last year to, I'm going to guess somewhere between $ 13,000 and $ 15,000."

As construction of new homes has virtually stalled, and as consumers cut back on expenditures, the demand for landscaping is lower. "I get less phone calls. Generally, a phone call will generate a site visit or an official meeting with a customer. I've gotten less of those this year."

When asked about the future of his business, my father recognizes his own limitations.

"I can see myself doing it for another 5 or 10 years, but I never, I never assume that I will be. I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open for the proper opportunity, not necessarily to expand my business, but to utilize my talents and skills to find to job that's maybe not as physically demanding," he said. "Every year as a person gets older, you tend to feel more aches and pains. As far as where the economy will be in 5 or 10 years and how that affects my business, I'm not sure."