He had a gig mowing lawns at 11. By 25, he had turned it into a multimillion-dollar landscaping business.

Cody Kuebler, 25, started mowing his neighbors' lawns when he was 11. CLK Landscape Construction He began by cutting neighbors' grass for about $25 a lawn. A move at 14 meant rebuilding his customer base from scratch. He now oversees millions of dollars' worth of equipment — and works six days a week. Some kids mow lawns for pocket money and move on. Cody Kuebler kept at it, turning the childhood gig into a multimillion-dollar business. Now 25, Kuebler said he spent his summers growing up cutting his neighbors' grass for around $25 a job, first with an aging push mower, and later with one his father gave him for his 11th birthday. The gift involved "a little bit of horse-trading," he said: He'd have to cut his dad's lawn.