Lawn mowing business becomes a family affair

Since making headlines with his lawn mowing business, 15-year-old Jaydon Tibby has had to take on an apprentice– his 9-year-old sister Meilee Rose.

Jaydon, who is sporting a new mullet he gave himself, started the business two years ago and rides his 10-speed bike to jobs with all the equipment stacked up on a trailer attached to the back.

When he featured in the Taranaki Daily

News earlier this month with his leather cowboy hat and Red Band gumboots, he became a big hit at his school Spotswood College.

“I’ve been popular, everywhere I go; there’s been a lot of talk about it.”

While clients have been lining up for him to mow their lawns, the family have also received messages from around the country commending Jaydon for his work ethic.

One man from the Kapiti Coast messaged to say the story had “totally renewed his faith in young people”.

The number of Jaydon’s clients has doubled to 10 lawns and so now sometimes sister Meilee Rose Tibby will tag along to help.

“She helps out sometimes when she’s not in a mood. She’s good enough, she’s learning.”

“I did the edging yesterday,” Meilee Rose piped up.

Jaydon said his little sister still had a lot to learn, though. She goes too quickly for a start, he said.

“She doesn’t always keep the tyre on the first cut, she goes zig-zag. But she’s got around $15.”

His sister isn’t the only one trying to get work off Jaydon. He’s had friends at school pestering him to employ them, but for now, Jaydon said he was at capacity.

“My mate Brixton is always trying to get me to hire him and I said when I get my car, when I get my licence, when I get more clients, maybe.

“I’m quite happy that I’ve got the jobs actually, it gives me something to do and different challenges, because different yards have different obstacles.”

Jaydon’s nan Lyn says all his teachers had been so proud of him for the recognition he was getting and that he had taken the newspaper out to show the people at camp this school holidays, too.

He does all the “handyman stuff” at camp, she said. “He likes tinkering and fixing things.”

“I can do anything now,” Jaydon adds.

Jaydon Tibby and his sister Meilee Rose Tibby are now working together since the story of his lawn business made the paper and he got more clients.

LISA BURD/ STUFF 15-year-old Jaydon has also had a lot of attention at school since the story was published.