Meet David Wagner | Landscape Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Wagner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I worked on the contractor side of landscaping for just short of a decade. During this time I found that homeowners and contractors would run into the same headaches at the same points, project after project. Some were minor and others major, but I knew there was a better process that could eliminate most, if not all, of these headaches. On the homeowner side, people don’t like sitting down with three or four contractors, just to get three or four different ideas that all have different price points. It’s very hard for a homeowner to determine who is giving them the best value for their money when it’s done this way. Instead, in my approach, we work together and come up with one plan that meets the homeowner’s needs, wants and style. Now you can have the same three or four companies bidding on one design giving you an apple to apples comparison. Both homeowners and contractors like the 3D rendering because it ensures that all parties are on the same page as to what the project should look like. Homeowners also like having a non biased opinion when going into a project like this. As an independent designer, my job is to design an outdoor living space you can enjoy, not to upsell you. This no pressure design approach makes this process much more fun and exciting. Landscaping isn’t cheap and the last thing you want to do is spend your hard-earned money on a diagram and hope the project turns out the way you think it will. 3D renderings ensure that the contractor knows exactly what you want and expect. You would never buy a car based on a drawing on graph paper. Why would you landscape this way? 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Creativity has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. As a kid I used to customize my toys or make my own if I didn’t save up enough allowance to buy what I wanted. I remember getting in trouble as a kid for making rubber band guns and selling them to other neighborhood kids. That might have been where my entrepreneurship started too. My passion for design only grew as I got older. The projects have become bigger and more complex, but the enjoyment of designing and building is the same as when I was a child. If you were to ever come visit my home you would find furniture I have built, jewelry I have designed and motorcycles that I have rebuilt and customized. I really enjoy upcycling. There are art pieces and furniture made from old or unneeded car and motorcycle parts throughout my home. One of my favorite projects was taking a picnic table from my wife’s old house and turning it into bedroom furniture. When we got married, we moved into the place I was living, and I wanted her to have something from her old home, because it was no longer my house, but ours.

I eventually went to art school. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do until I had a teacher tell me “You have one of the best artistic and creative minds, too bad you don’t have the skill to go with it.” At this point I knew I was not meant to be a painter, so I got my degree in graphic design. Unfortunately, by the time I graduated the market was over saturated with graphic designers and there were few jobs available and the ones that were open were lower paying than my part time college job. Not knowing what to do, I went into sales. It was an easy way to make good money. While I was successful, I didn’t have the passion for it that I do for art and design. I eventually started working as a sales/designer in the landscaping industry. I loved the design side but was no longer interested in the sales side. I spent some time with a career development coach and we just couldn’t find that perfect fit for me. So, instead of finding a job, I decided to create my own.

While I would encourage anybody with an idea or passion to find a way to make a living off it, I would also caution that it is a lot of hard work. A small business is not a get rich quick process. Because what I do is not widely known to the public, getting my name and idea out there was the biggest challenge. Getting this company off the ground meant a lot of cold calling (something I dreaded doing), door knocking and networking. None of which come naturally for me, despite a successful history in sales. To have a successful business, you must be willing to do the parts of the job you don’t enjoy or are uncomfortable with. While no journey is without its hiccups, there are a lot of great people who are all about supporting small business, and they’ve been instrumental in this business taking off.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Mountains, mountains, mountains. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful state that we would have to head west. Ideally, we would bounce from one mountain town to another. A perfect week would consist of hiking one of our many 14’ers, mountain biking in Fruita or Winter Park, taking the motorcycles through the Loveland pass, exploring new restaurants and of course grabbing a beer at a local brewery. One of my favorite Colorado spots is Glenwood Springs. If you ever go you must check out Ming’s Café. For all you natives, you know all out of state visitors must go to Casa Bonita (once it opens again). Being a big motorsports guy, Colorado National Speedway would make it on the itinerary as well. It’s a cheap way of spending a fun Saturday evening. I’ve even had the chance to race on that track myself. With three hundred days of sun, outdoor activities in Colorado are great to do with friends. Especially the ones that are in better shape than me. Once the altitude hits them, I start to feel really good about myself. Unless it’s my sister-in-law who comes from sea level but can still run circles around me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve been blessed to have so many people in my life that have been an instrumental part of who I have become. My family taught me about honesty and integrity. My coaches taught me the value of hard work, punctuality, and discipline. I’ve been privileged enough to have some great bosses that have helped with my professional career development. If I were to hand out an award for the person who has been my biggest fan, that would go to my amazing wife. I remember when I came up with this idea for this business, I shared it with my wife, but I finished by saying “I don’t think I could run a business though.” She couldn’t have disagreed more. We went over how I’ve made decisions before with past companies that set a new positive trajectory. We talked about all the leadership positions I have had. I was hesitant, but with her encouragement I decided to take a leap of faith and I’m so glad I did. Being thankful for her is an understatement. Whether work or hobbies she has always encouraged me to chase my dreams and thanks to her, I have done just that.

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