Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristino Olguin.
Hi Cristino, 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?
Cristino originally started OCL in Miami, FL during the 2008 recession as a way to bring in extra income for his family. Working full time at a local grocery store, and mowing lawns on his weekends was the beginning of OCL. In 2018 he decided to relocate to Beaverton, OR and open OCL as a full service landscaping company. Over the next eight years, Cristino built OCL from the ground up, grassroots style into what we see today. Turning a weekend lawn mowing gig into a successful landscape construction business. His son, Cristian has been by his side the entire time. Cristian has been working with his dad since the very beginning. From tagging along as a kid to working on weekends with him in high school. He has been there every step of the way, cheering his dad on. After relocating to Beaverton, Cristian committed to continuing his education in the landscaping field with various certifications and licenses. In recent years, Cristian has taken on a more serious role within OCL, now managing the construction crew and their projects from start to finish. This father-son duo is truly the heart of OCL.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning and operating a business has challenges no matter the industry. The unique challenges that come with landscape construction however..are incomparable. In the beginning we all lived in a small apartment in Beaverton and rented a storage unit to store the construction materials and trailer. Everyday we would wake up and with no plan on what we would do for work, we set out. Building a business up grassroots style is difficult to say the least. Days spent knocking on doors and leaving flyers in mailboxes. Driving around for hours hanging signs and hoping someone will call. We would take any job that came our way no matter how far or how low the pay. It was very humble beginnings for OCL.
Most of the work approved for us to do was maintenance, cutting grass and picking up leafs. Transitioning from a maintenance based organization to a construction focused one was extremely difficult. Cutting grass and building paver patios are not the same thing. It was trail and error repeated for years. We tried all the marketing apps, Angies List, HomeGuide, Thumbtack, and Facebook. We got a lot of phone calls, but not a lot of business. We had (and continue to) get creative with our marketing and advertising. Now instead of knocking on doors and hanging signs, we are posting videos on social media and uploading photos to our website to show our work!
Landscaping in Oregon is very seasonal. We felt all the highs of the busy summer season and really felt the lows of the slow winter season. In the beginning we of course had to work day jobs in the winter to make up the lost income from the lack of business. It wasn’t until almost year 5 in business we went a full winter working at our business instead of day jobs.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Olguin C Landscaping LLC?
Olguin C Landscaping LLC is a full service landscape contractor. We design build and maintain outdoor spaces across the Portland Metro Area. We specialize in bringing our client visions into reality. Our free consultations get your vision from your head onto a design board with expert advice on planting, lighting and hardscape features. Our outdoor transformations not only bring smiles to homeowners faces but also money in their pockets in the future. Having a professionally landscaped yard can increase the value of your home by tens of thousands of dollars. We are most proud of how we are changing the way landscape construction is done. We offer zoom meetings and presentations with clients to ensure ultimate clarity on projects before we break ground. No guess work, no change orders, just clear and consistent communication from the beginning.
How do you define success?
I define success not as a monetary value, or threshold to hit but rather a mindset. To have a “successful” mindset one must have an unwavering commitment to their dreams, goals and most importantly, themselves. The commitment to dream big and take risk. The commitment to set goals and work on them daily until they are reached. Most importantly, the commitment to yourself. To improving yourself, learning, growing and never giving up.
My definition of success is not dollar signs, or projects finished but rather waking up and deciding no matter what the day has to throw at me, I will catch it.
Pricing:
- Design Consultation – $380.00
- Design Package – $1,500+
- Back-Flow Testing – $78.50
- Irrigation Winterizing – $168.49
- Spring Activation – $78.50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.olguinclandscaping.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olguinclandscaping/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/olguinclandscaping/
