‘It is a lot of work, but it’s worth it:’ Dominic’s journey with WorkBC

Dominic Lenton has always had a love of trees and the outdoors. When he had the opportunity to join the Self-Employment Program at WorkBC Centre Vernon, he knew right away that he wanted to open a landscaping business.

“I love being outside, being in nature,” says Dominic. “There’s always so much to learn about plants and trees.”

After several years of working at a local nursery, Dominic had a strong background—but he knew he had plenty to learn about running a business.

In November 2024, Dominic began the Self-Employment Program and dove into business planning.

“The program really guides you in building that business plan and showing you the steps of what you need to do and how to accomplish those steps. You’re doing this deep dive into how your business will run and then you really find out where your business can go.”

Dominic says the business planning guidance was “extremely helpful,” particularly the sections that covered financials.

By the spring of 2025, he had his equipment and a business plan that showed Lenton Landscaping was, indeed, a viable business. Once the sun was out, Dominic says he was ready to put his “boots on the ground.”

“I got this glimpse of my life, doing the work during the day and coming home in the evening to do some paperwork. I enjoy it deeply. It feels really good, working for myself.”

In his first season, Dominic set out to take all kinds of yard maintenance and landscaping work—and to do the best job he could. He did everything from pulling weeds to planning trees. The feedback he was getting from his first clients were reassuring.

“To finish up a job when the client hasn’t seen it all day and have them say, ‘Oh my gosh. I love it.’ It’s great to be able to do that for people.”

In addition to building strong referrals, Dominic has also focused on advice given to him during the program to connect with other contractors and builders.

“That’s opening a lot of doors,” he says, adding a project manager he once worked with has been thinking of Lenton Landscaping when projects that are a fit arise. “That’s been huge

for me.” Dominic says for him, a successful start came down to a strong business plan, strong experience and a willingness to “get out there.”

This spring, he has some exciting projects lined up, from a feature retaining wall to a site where he’ll be in charge of irrigation and planted pavers. Soon, he’s hoping to hire his first staff members.

“It is a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” he says. “It’s great to building something for yourself and something you can be proud of.”

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