How teen entrepreneur cultivated a thriving 'weed' franchise

Original and full post on Mother Nature NetworkBy David Mielach, BusinessNewsDailyTue, Apr 02 2013Gairad DeCastro started what would become Weed Man of North America — a leading lawn care franchise today — when he was just 17.When most teenagers are worrying about the trials of high school, Gairad DeCastro was saving money to start his own business. At the age of 17, DeCastro realized that dream and today that business, DeCastro Landscaping, has grown to have 14 workers. In March 2013, DeCastro opened his own Weed Man of North America location in Newport, R.I. Weed Man of North America is a leading lawn care franchise company with more than 265 territories in the United States. BusinessNewsDaily spoke with DeCastro about the challenges of starting a business at a young age, the benefits of franchising and how challenges shaped his career.Click here to read full article.