Rising Stars: Meet Jaime Collins of Chandler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Collins.

Hi Jaime, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started DIY yards while living in the countryside in central California. Where people had a lot of land, skills, and equipment, but not a lot of money to pay someone else to do their yards. It was 2016 and wells were drying up and people simply didn’t know what to do if they couldn’t have grass and many would just “drop rock”. I launched DIY yards to help people re-envision their yards using low water use plants and cutting back on, or eliminating, grass. The goal was to provide people with a plan that they could implement themselves, or with help, over time. Because putting things in the wrong place (patios, pools, trees, etc.), only to realize it later, is even more costly…or you get stuck with a layout you hate.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We moved back to Arizona a couple of years after launching, so I had to start over here. I also had the crazy idea to start a retail store…right before the 2020 lockdown. So that year was rough, but it was also the time I met some of the contractors I work with most today (and one because of the store) and allowed myself to shift from solely serving clients directly to working with/through local contractors and their clients. Then, in 2022 I basically got divorced and had to decide if I would stay self-employed or get a job (I was only working part-time at the time). After one interview I knew I couldn’t do a 9-5, especially while my daughter is in school as I want to be involved as much as I can, while I can. Today I am full-time and have a couple of very part-time helpers. I still serve individuals who want a design for their own home, but I also work with several contractors doing anything from just design and drafting services to estimating the project for them.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My Whys:
I truly believe in the value of being outside. Many people never spend time in their yard because they simply don’t like (or even hate) their yard. They also think yards are high maintenance (grass may be, but shrubs really only need pruning 1-2X/year). Once they get a yard they love people spend more time outdoors…which includes their children. From simple yards for play, to habitat and vegetable gardens, kids will become engaged in the yard if the parent does. Creating spaces to hang out and enjoy nature is really the at the root of why I do what I do.

Choosing plants that provide habitat for native pollinators and birds is also an important aspect of my work. While some people want sterile yards, I relish the client that looks to build a space for them and the local wildlife.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck? Fate? Destiny? Manifest? Let’s just say I feel I have been fortunate. Bad has often morphed into good for me

– a severe drought led to the creation of my business
– a bad retail concept/timing led to meeting a contractor that shifted how I work (and have a learned a lot working for)
– a separation and becoming a single parent lead to a choice that has allowed me to grow my business and still be heavily involved in my daughter’s school/life

I try not to let tough times/things get me down. When things get hard I just try to remind myself that things always happen for a reason and look for the silver lining or new opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://diy-yards.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diy_yards/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DIYyards/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-collins-567235b/