Have you given up on mulching your yard in favor of sitting poolside? 

Is your lawn looking dead in this summer heat? Are your weeds overtaking the pansies you planted last week? If so, then reach out to Task Teens!

Started by Jack Lannin, this service allows users in the Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland areas to post a task (such as weeding, mulching, lawn mowing, and other yard work) to an online website. Likewise, teens can post their services to the website, showing they’re willing to give back to the community, work on their terms for comparable money, and learn from getting the odd jobs done.

There’s even an executive program, where VIP users can receive VIP rewards—and that goes for both homeowners and teens!

The website is incredibly accessible and easy to use, with clear explanations on how the system works. 

Lannin hopes to introduce a mobile app sometime next year to make posting and accepting jobs even easier.

Although he and two friends tried to set this project up a few years ago, they realized it wasn’t taking off. This past May, however, he resolved to give it another go since it had “the potential to be a big thing.” He says the prior knowledge of his experiences has helped him figure out what works and doesn’t.

He referenced how many lawn companies just show up, do the job, and get paid, without any real acknowledgement between the two parties. That kind of stiff awkwardness is not what he wants.

“For companies it’s so easy to schedule someone, but [homeowners] don't get a feel for who they’re working with," Lannin said. “We always try to make sure every customer gets personalized care.”

For adolescents, Task Teens is a great way to make decent money while giving back to the community. Kids are "scared to get up and knock on doors,” Lannin explained. But having a website gives teens the opportunity to see who needs what project done in a communication medium they prefer and understand.

The problem? They have more workers than they have jobs.

“We have 110 teens signed up," Lannin said. "They’re capable of servicing the whole area. Unexpectedly [our] problems is we have more kids that want to work than we can give job.” 

The overall process is easy. Instead of requesting a quote to have your lawn inspected, homeowners can take a minute to post on the website and glance through the reasonable prices. Once the job is complete, they will receive an invoice and can pay via PayPal, Venmo, or with a credit or debit card.

Courtesy of Task Teens

Customer satisfaction has been at a solid 100 percent so far. If homeowners aren’t happy with the job, another team will be sent out without extra charge to re-work the job. Lannin emphasizes it’s their way of showing that they truly do care about the customer.

“As a whole, it warms my heart," Lannin explained. "The calls and texts saying thanks so much for the opportunity, enables me to get out of our house, work while so many have lost jobs during COVID.”

So what are you waiting for? Need some work done? Check out their website here!