The High School Math Teacher Who Built a $1M/Month Lawn Mower Re-selling Business
A few years ago, Matt Howe was a high school math teacher in Jackson, Michigan.
Salary: about $40,000 a year.
Wife at home.
Baby on the way.
Bank account… not really moving.
So he started looking for ways to make extra money.
Not crypto.
Not drop-shipping.
Not some fancy online thing.
He started buying random stuff and selling it on Facebook Marketplace.
Couches.
Washers and dryers.
Nintendo Wiis.
Church pews.
Eventually he stumbled into something better.
Lawn mowers.
Today Matt owns Howe Equipment and during the busy season his dealership has done over $1.1 million in revenue in a single month.
All from a business that started with one simple idea:
Buy things cheap. Sell them for what they’re actually worth.
Let me show you exactly how he did it.
And if you want to hear this same story recapped here, head over to The Koerner Office podcast and listen to episode # 282
Step 1: Start With Anything You Can Flip
Matt’s first “entrepreneurial moment” happened at an estate sale.
He saw a church pew priced at $80.
His thought process was simple:
“That’s worth more than $80.”
So he bought it.
Then he sold it for a few hundred bucks.
That’s when the light bulb went on.
Not because of the money.
But because he realized something important:
Deals are everywhere if you look for them.
Step 2: Move Into Higher-Value Items
At first Matt was flipping small stuff.
But he quickly realized something most people never figure out.
If you’re going to spend time finding deals…
Find deals on expensive items.
Selling something for $300 might make you $50.
Selling something worth $3,000 might make you $500.
Same amount of effort.
10x the upside.
His first big flip?
A 16-foot enclosed trailer posted for $300.
He sold it for $3,000.
Step 3: The Real Secret — Buy, Don’t Fix
Most people who flip equipment think the money is in repairing things.
Matt discovered the opposite.
“The value is not in fixing it. The value is in buying it low.”
He only buys equipment that:
• starts
• drives
• works
That’s it.
Then he sells it as-is at market price.
Fast turnaround.
No headaches.
Step 4: Focus on Speed
On Facebook Marketplace, speed wins deals.
Matt once bought a trailer because he saw the listing four minutes after it was posted.
He didn’t even go pick it up himself.
He sent someone else.
The key is building what he calls a “call list.”
A few people you can pay $20–$25/hour to:
• pick up equipment
• haul trailers
• deliver machines
That lets you buy deals anywhere.
Step 5: Build Your Tiny Team
After a few flips, Matt noticed something.
He was spending hours driving.
Driving wasn’t the valuable part.
Finding deals was.
So he hired people to handle:
• pickups
• deliveries
• mechanical work
One of his best hires?
A 70-year-old small engine mechanic he found by literally knocking on someone’s door.
That guy became his go-to repair guy.
Step 6: The Dealer Hack
Here’s the tactic that really changed everything.
Matt realized that lawn mower dealers hate dealing with used equipment.
They get trade-ins constantly.
But they’d rather sell new machines.
So he started calling dealerships and asking:
“Do you have any used mowers you want to move?”
One dealer alone was selling him 20–30 mowers a month.
Each one had $1,000–$2,500 of profit in it.
Step 7: Sell Fast (Don’t Maximize Every Dollar)
One of Matt’s rules:
Don’t try to make every penny.
Instead:
Sell at 80% of maximum price and move inventory quickly.
That keeps cash flowing and deals happening.
The goal isn’t one perfect sale.
The goal is volume.
Step 8: Turn It Into a Real Business
Eventually Matt quit teaching.
He bought a property with a barn.
Then a building that used to be a dance studio.
Over time he added brands:
• Toro
• Bad Boy
• trailer manufacturers
Now it’s a full equipment dealership.
During the busy season they’ve hit $1.1 million in monthly sales.
The Bigger Lesson
Matt’s story isn’t really about lawn mowers.
It’s about something else.
He said it himself during the interview:
“It’s not about lawn mowers. It’s about picking something and doing it for 10 years.”
Right now there are probably 10 things sitting on Facebook Marketplace in your town that are underpriced.
Maybe it’s:
• trailers
• sheds
• skid steers
• golf carts
• tractors
• restaurant equipment
• commercial lawn equipment
Someone who understands the market could make $500–$2,000 on each one.
Most people never do it.
Because they’re waiting for a “business idea.”
Matt didn’t.
He started with a church pew.
Check him out here: www.howeequipment.com
