05 — Customers & ICP

Who buys (overview)

Evergreen & Oak serves homeowners in the Grand Rapids, MI suburbs of Ada, East Grand Rapids, and Forest Hills, plus a small number of HOA boards and small commercial properties. Most work starts as either a design-build project on a new or unfinished yard, or a recurring maintenance contract for a homeowner who wants the yard handled without thinking about it. [VERIFIED: 2026-07-12]

Segments

Segment 1 — New-build homeowner in Ada with a bare yard

• Profile: A homeowner, usually 30s to 40s, who closed on a new-build or recently renovated house in Ada within the last year. The yard is bare dirt, sod, or a builder-grade afterthought. They have the budget for a real project and want it handled once, correctly, rather than pieced together over several seasons. [UNVERIFIED: assumed household income and homeownership stage based on Ada's new-construction activity]
• Needs, pain points, motivations: They are tired of looking at an unfinished lot, want the outdoor space to match the money they put into the house, and do not want to manage subcontractors themselves. The motivation is often social too — hosting, curb appeal, keeping up with neighbors on a street of similar new builds. [UNVERIFIED]
• Buying behavior & decision factors: They compare 2-3 design-build quotes, weigh portfolio photos heavily, and want a single point of contact rather than a crew of strangers. Price sensitivity is moderate; they will pay more for a design they trust and a firm timeline. A rushed or vague estimate kills the deal. [UNVERIFIED]
• Where to reach them: Instagram before-and-after posts, Google Business Profile reviews, and referrals from their realtor or builder. [UNVERIFIED: no attribution data confirms this, inferred from how design-build leads typically arrive]
• Size & growth potential: [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: how many new-build homes are closing in Ada per year, and is that pace holding, growing, or slowing?]

Segment 2 — Established professional in East Grand Rapids who wants the yard off their plate

• Profile: A dual-income household in East Grand Rapids, established in their home for several years, with a demanding job and no interest in spending weekends mowing or mulching. They already have discretionary income earmarked for keeping the house running. [UNVERIFIED]
• Needs, pain points, motivations: They want the yard to simply look good without their involvement. The trigger is usually a bad mowing season, a move, or reaching a point where their time is worth more than the cost of a maintenance contract. Reliability matters more than creativity here. [UNVERIFIED]
• Buying behavior & decision factors: They decide fast once they trust the crew will show up on schedule without follow-up calls. Price sensitivity is lower than Segment 1's, but consistency is non-negotiable — a missed visit or a sloppy edge is what causes churn. [UNVERIFIED]
• Where to reach them: Google Business Profile (reviews and search), neighbor referrals, and door hangers or mailers in-season. [UNVERIFIED]
• Size & growth potential: Likely the largest and steadiest segment by volume, since maintenance contracts are the recurring backbone of the business, but [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: what share of current revenue actually comes from this segment versus design-build?]

Segment 3 — HOA boards and small commercial properties

• Profile: A property manager or HOA board member responsible for common-area landscaping and, in winter, snow removal, across a shared community or a small commercial lot. Decisions usually route through a board vote or a property management company rather than one person. [UNVERIFIED]
• Needs, pain points, motivations: They need dependable service, clear invoicing, and a vendor who won't create liability headaches — especially for snow removal, where a missed clearing has real consequences. They are less interested in design and more interested in a contract that just works. [UNVERIFIED]
• Buying behavior & decision factors: Slower to close, often requiring a written proposal, proof of insurance, and board approval. Price still matters, but reliability and paperwork readiness usually decide it. Once signed, contracts tend to run multiple years. [UNVERIFIED]
• Where to reach them: Direct outreach to property management companies, HOA board introductions, and word of mouth among boards in the same area. [UNVERIFIED]
• Size & growth potential: A smaller number of accounts, but each is worth more and sticks around longer than a single-homeowner contract. [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: how many HOA or commercial accounts does the business currently hold, and is that number growing?]

Segment priority

Segment 2 (East Grand Rapids maintenance) is the priority: it is the highest-volume, most predictable revenue, and the easiest to close once trust is established. Segment 1 (Ada design-build) is the highest-margin, highest-visibility work and worth pursuing aggressively for its portfolio value, but each deal takes longer to close and is more dependent on new-construction pace. Segment 3 (HOA/commercial) is the slowest to close and requires more paperwork, but the payoff is multi-year contract stability, so it is worth pursuing steadily rather than urgently. [UNVERIFIED: this ranking is inferred from the nature of each segment, not from confirmed revenue mix]

How the offering fits each segment

• New-build homeowner in Ada: Lead with the design-build service and the portfolio of finished yards. The pitch is "done once, done right," not price.
• Established professional in East Grand Rapids: Lead with the seasonal maintenance contract and the promise of reliability — the yard handled, no calls needed.
• HOA boards and small commercial properties: Lead with the combined maintenance-plus-snow-removal contract, proof of insurance, and a clear, professional proposal process.

Who is NOT a fit

• Homeowners looking for one-off mowing with no interest in a contract. The crew scheduling and route economics don't work for single visits.
• Properties more than about a 25-minute drive from the shop. Travel time erodes the margin on both design-build and recurring visits. (or: [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: are there other property types or budgets the business has learned to turn away?])

Last updated: 2026-07-12