The Pursuit of Perfect Credit & Small Business Success: A Conversation with RD’s Total Lawn
Table of Contents
The Quest for a Perfect Credit Score: Is It Worth It?
In the first segment of our latest Not Just Numbers episode, we explored an intriguing story about Steve Mitchell, a Texas engineer who spent five years pursuing the elusive perfect credit score of 850. Despite already having an excellent score in the 840s, Mitchell meticulously experimented with credit card balances, payment timing, and account closures to achieve this goal.
Mike Garry, CFP® practitioner and founder of Yardley Wealth Management, shared his insights on this pursuit. “As an engineer, Mitchell likely tried to figure out how the credit bureaus’ system works,” Garry noted. “But it’s essentially a rigged game where you can’t actually find out exactly how they judge things.”
Key Takeaways on Credit Scores:
The credit scoring system remains frustratingly opaque, with consumers often left in the dark about exact calculations. Garry advocates for greater transparency from credit bureaus, arguing that since they wield significant power over consumers’ financial lives, they should clearly explain their scoring methods.
For most people, pursuing a perfect score isn’t worthwhile. As Garry explains, “There’s little practical difference between a score of 750 and 850 in terms of loan rates.” Instead, he recommends focusing on fundamental financial habits:
- Regularly check your credit reports for accuracy
- Make timely payments
- Maintain reasonable credit utilization
- Avoid opening unnecessary credit accounts
- Monitor your score periodically through free services
Building a Successful Local Business: RD’s Total Lawn
The second half of our episode featured an inspiring conversation with Ryan Dittes, owner of RD’s Total Lawn, a thriving lawn care and landscaping business in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
From Side Hustle to Success
What started as a way to help his wife extend her maternity leave has grown into a successful business employing up to 15 people. Dittes shared how working at Coca-Cola while growing his business actually benefited him: “Since I had a day job, I was forced to do certain things that made it more like a business. I had to hire people and create systems and processes.”
Keys to Business Growth
Dittes emphasized several crucial factors in his company’s success:
- Professional Communication
- Over-communicating with customers
- Keeping clients informed about schedules and services
- Promptly responding to inquiries
- Team Building
- Hiring for attitude and energy over experience
- Creating simple, repeatable processes
- Investing in employee growth and development
- Business Evolution
- Adapting operations as the company grows
- Finding efficient solutions to scale challenges
- Maintaining quality while expanding services
Building a Strong Company Culture
RD’s Total Lawn emphasizes professionalism as a core value. “We conduct business professionally,” Dittes explains. “Our team members are the face of the company, and many customers only interact with our field staff. It’s crucial that they understand our mission and values.”
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Dittes offers valuable insights for those considering starting their own business:
- Gain Experience
- Working for others provides valuable insights
- Learn from both related and unrelated industries
- Understand business principles before starting your own venture
- Assess Fit
- Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone
- Consider the 24/7 nature of business ownership
- Evaluate your comfort with risk and responsibility
- Continue Learning
- Stay current with industry trends
- Learn from others’ experiences
- Utilize available resources and technology
Final Thoughts
The path to business success isn’t about achieving perfection – whether in credit scores or operations. Instead, it’s about maintaining consistent, professional practices while continuously adapting and improving. As both segments of our episode demonstrated, success comes from focusing on fundamentals while remaining flexible enough to evolve with changing circumstances.
For more information about RD’s Total Lawn, visit rdtotallawn.com or find them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. To learn more about Yardley Wealth Management and Yardley Estate Planning, visit yardleywealth.net and yardleyestate.net.
