Engineering Drafting & Design student Aaron Rasmussen is finding success in business and at Dunwoody.
Not many 19-year-olds can say they own a business. Even fewer can say they started that business when they were 12. But Dunwoody Engineering Drafting & Design student Aaron Rasmussen can.
Rasmussen is the sole owner of Rasmussen and Associates, a lawn care, cleaning and moving service in Winsted, Minnesota. Despite being just out of high school, Rasmussen has upwards of 30 seasonal employees as well as some major customers. And the client list keeps growing.
Recently Rasmussen & Associates was hired on by several local banks to help clean out and spruce up foreclosed properties all over the state, including towns like Bemidji and Detroit Lakes.
What started out as a friendly favor quickly evolved into a large, successful business; and likely no one is more surprised by that than Rasmussen himself.
Starting Rasmussen & Associates
Rasmussen has always had an interest in managing. From high school clubs to part-time jobs, Rasmussen has consistently found himself in leadership positions.
But when it came to starting his own lawn care business? Well, according to Rasmussen, that venture began almost unintentionally.
It all started when Rasmussen’s neighbor asked him to cut her grass. He agreed, not anticipating how much his neighbor would like the end result. Word traveled quickly, and soon Rasmussen was working all over the neighborhood.
It didn’t take long before Rasmussen had more requests than he could handle. He needed help. So, he asked a few of his friends to join him, splitting the payment.
“I realized I could make money doing that,” he said. And just like that Rasmussen and Associates was born.
Finding success in 3-D Printing
As if balancing high school, his lawn care business, and his part-time job wasn’t enough, Rasmussen also had a second part-time job working at Lester Building Systems, a leading pole barn manufacturer.
Here Rasmussen managed the company’s 3-D printing activity, specifically designing products to improve the day-to-day activities of residential construction workers.
Several of Rasmussen’s ideas have been adopted and mass-produced by the organization. In fact, next summer Rasmussen will visit Lester’s corporate headquarters in South Carolina to see a machine he designed become a reality.
Rasmussen said it was during his time at Lester Building Systems that he realized his love for designing and 3-D printing. And despite owning a successful business, Rasmussen knew he was ready for something more. So, when he saw that Dunwoody had a degree in Engineering Drafting & Design — and access to some of the most advanced 3-D printers in the world — Rasmussen was sold.
Despite only being a few weeks in, Rasmussen has already founded a Combat Robots club and was elected Treasurer of Student Government.
Moving toward the dream job
After college, Rasmussen wants to continue with product development, specifically in 3-D printing for the construction industry. A Dunwoody degree will help with that, he said. And one day owning his own 3-D printing company? Well, that would be the dream job.
His advice for young entrepreneurs out there is to just do it. But make sure you’re a personable boss and you’re okay with putting in long days.
“I don’t sleep much,” he laughed. “But, other than that, it’s pretty good.”