How Capital Landscapes Went from Mow on the Go to Luxury Landscape Design | News

“I knew nothing about mowing lawns”

Oak Park-based entrepreneur Sruli (Michael) Klein, 28, founder and CEO of Capital Landscapes, is no stranger to launching and expanding companies. The Farber Hebrew Day School graduate launched his first landscape company “Mow on the Go” at age 14.

“I knew nothing about mowing lawns,” he recalls. “But I had a push mower, and I would just figure it out.”

By the time he was 17, he had three landscaping trucks to his name and five people working for him full time. Klein, who also owns Klein’s Rentals (a kosher traveling rental service), eventually grew the company to a multi-million-dollar business before selling the brand in 2017.

During this time, he moved on to launch Emergency Response Services Inc., a property restoration company that he sold in 2020. Yet Mow on the Go was always on the back of his mind, and when Klein received a call from the then-owner to help him restore the business, which had fallen apart with poor customer service, Klein offered to buy it back.

In November 2022, Klein purchased Mow on the Go and rebranded it to Capital Landscapes. “The business had fallen apart, and they lost every customer,” Klein explains. “I rebranded and kept one employee.”

In just two years, the business has gone from zero customers to 17 vehicles in Klein’s fleet, as well as 32 people that work for him full-time under the new name.

The business expansion was made possible with Hebrew Free Loan’s Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan, which granted Capital Landscapes $100,000 to grow the company.

From Standard Landscaping to Luxury Design

Capital Landscapes now services most of the Metro Detroit area from as far south as Detroit to as far north as Bloomfield Hills, then as east as Warren and as west as Northville.

Klein decided to go beyond standard landscaping services. By expanding the service offerings, he transformed Capital Landscapes to a full-size landscape design firm that specializes in creating everything from simple to luxurious outdoor environments.

“We build high-end landscapes for several hundred-thousand dollars each, and we also do commercial landscaping where we build massive retaining walls and fountains,” he explains.

In the winter months, Capital Landscapes also offers residential and commercial snow removal.

Still, it wasn’t an easy journey to get the business to where it is today. In its early years as Mow on the Go, Klein regularly clocked 60-to-70 hours per week growing the business. He also had to navigate bringing a business back to life that had essentially been run into the ground.

To rebuild the brand, Klein focused on what initially made it successful: great customer service.

“Customer service is the biggest thing in landscaping,” he says. “I learned that most people don’t really care what company mows their grass, plows their snow, does their mulch or flowers. It’s really about having an effortless relationship and not wondering if a company will show up this week.”

Yet at the basics is one guiding principle: “honest, quality work,” Klein explains.

“We’re always communicating with people,” Klein says. “When someone calls, we answer. We call them back.”

Learn more at caplandscapes.com.