Matthew Cendejas joins Behind the Redwood Curtain to share how he built a successful lawn care business without originally planning to become an entrepreneur. What started as hands on labor and small jobs slowly turned into a full scale business through experience, mentorship, and learning from costly mistakes.

In this episode Matt talks about overcoming early financial missteps, the importance of focusing on revenue generating activities, and what it takes to grow a business in a competitive service industry. He also shares stories about real operational challenges including equipment loss, scaling a team, and discovering the hidden opportunities inside industries many people overlook.

The conversation explores the realities of blue collar entrepreneurship, building stability through service based work, and how practical experience can shape stronger business instincts than traditional education alone.

0:00 Intro3:51 How Matt Cendejas and Andrew Met6:04 Matt’s Early Career and Entrepreneurial Roots10:09 Building Inspire 1 and Launching an International Nonprofit18:32 Why Inspire 1 Shut Down20:46 How Inspire 1 Impacted Uganda’s Economy22:00 Lessons Matt Took From Nonprofit Work Into Business23:07 Transitioning Into Lawn Care Entrepreneurship26:07 Launching Lost Coast Plastics29:36 Going All In On Matthews Lawn Care35:13 Teaching Entrepreneurship at College of the Redwoods37:25 Finding Mentorship and Business Guidance42:42 When Matt’s Work Truck Was Stolen45:35 Bayshore Mall Business Conflict and Lessons Learned55:09 Supporting StartUp Humboldt and Local Entrepreneurship1:04:03 Is College Still Worth It For Entrepreneurs?1:09:04 Does Humboldt’s Economy Limit Business Growth?1:12:59 Humboldt’s Biggest Future Challenge1:18:05 The Arcata Fire and Community Impact1:20:46 Starting the Humboldt Young Professionals Mixer1:23:38 Final Advice and Closing Thoughts