Building SK Driveways & Landscapes: Long Hours, Sacrifice, ADHD and the Journey That Changed My Life

If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be running my own landscaping and driveway company, employing people, supporting my family and completing over 160 projects, I'd probably have laughed.

Not because I didn't believe I could do it.

Because I'd tried before.

And failed.

More than once.

The truth is, SK Driveways & Landscapes wasn't built on some perfect business plan or years of careful preparation. It was built on obsession, determination, long hours, mistakes, sacrifice and a brain that I didn't fully understand at the time.

A brain that I would later discover had been living with ADHD all along.

Before SK Driveways & Landscapes

Before starting the business in October 2023, I worked for TPM Groundworks.

Working there changed a lot for me.

The owner was a good friend who invested time into helping me learn. He gave me opportunities to try different aspects of the job and trusted me with responsibilities that pushed me outside my comfort zone.

I listened.

I watched.

I learned.

Then I'd go home and watch videos about landscaping and construction in my own time.

Looking back, I was obsessed.

I wanted to know everything.

I always wanted more responsibility, more challenges, more opportunities to prove myself.

Then I suffered a bad injury.

Instead of being out on the tools, I ended up working in the office, helping with quotes and learning how the business side of a landscaping company worked.

At the time it felt frustrating.

Now I realise it was one of the best things that could have happened.

It gave me an insight into pricing, customers, enquiries, margins, scheduling and everything that happens behind the scenes that most people never see.

Eventually I left.

The problem was I had absolutely no idea what came next.

Leaving With No Plan

When I left TPM Groundworks in early 2023, I wasn't walking into another opportunity.

I was walking into uncertainty.

I picked up work at Blackpool Pleasure Beach to bring in enough money to get by while I figured things out.

But there was always something in the back of my mind.

A voice asking one question.

Why don't I just do this myself?

No investor.

No big savings.

No guarantees.

Just an idea.

Put my name on a van.

See what happens.

Looking back now, it sounds ridiculous.

At the time it felt terrifying.

Borrowing Money and Taking the Risk

When I started the business, my parents loaned me £5,000 to buy a van.

Very quickly that £5,000 became £10,000.

Because when you've never started a business before, you don't realise how many costs are involved.

Tools.

Insurance.

Fuel.

Materials.

Advertising.

Equipment.

Unexpected expenses.

Things going wrong.

Everything costs money.

And yet there was no safety net.

No guaranteed wage at the end of the week.

No certainty whatsoever.

Just pressure.

A lot of pressure.

The First Job

I'll never forget where my first job came from.

I bought a DeWalt drill from Facebook Marketplace.

When I went to collect it, the seller asked what I needed it for.

I told him I was starting my own landscaping business.

That conversation changed everything.

That person was James from Hadfield Hardware Store.

He needed his garden doing.

I quoted for it.

And somehow I got the job.

I still remember the feeling.

Pure disbelief.

Why had he chosen me?

Out of all the people he could have called, why me?

It felt surreal.

But somebody had trusted me.

And that trust became the foundation of everything that followed.

Living Job to Job

People often imagine business owners have this grand plan.

The reality was very different.

The first year felt like survival.

Every project mattered.

Every enquiry mattered.

Every quote mattered.

There were times when I genuinely didn't know if I had work lined up for the following week.

You finish one job and immediately start worrying about the next one.

The pressure never leaves.

In fact, as the business grows, the pressure often grows with it.

Customers depend on you.

Employees depend on you.

Families depend on you.

Bills don't stop arriving.

Neither do responsibilities.

The Long Hours Nobody Sees

I've worked 70-hour weeks.

Many of them.

The business completely took over my life.

And in truth, it still does sometimes.

The difference now is I've learned how to control it better.

When people talk about self-employment, they often say things like:

"You can choose your own hours."

Technically that's true.

But what nobody tells you is that your hours usually end up being far longer than when you worked for someone else.

You're not just doing the work.

You're pricing jobs.

Answering messages.

Managing suppliers.

Ordering materials.

Dealing with problems.

Planning future work.

Handling paperwork.

Dealing with customers.

The work doesn't end when you get home.

It follows you.

On holiday.

On evenings.

While you're trying to sleep.

The Missing Piece

For years I thought life was simply harder than other people made it look.

I couldn't understand why certain things seemed so difficult.

I struggled with pressure.

I struggled when things didn't happen quickly.

If I wanted something, I wanted it now.

Everything felt intense.

I was fast-paced.

Constantly thinking.

Constantly moving.

Constantly worrying.

Tunnel vision became normal.

The business became my entire world.

Sometimes to the detriment of everything else around me.

Relationships became harder.

Managing employees became harder.

Sometimes managing customers became harder.

I wasn't seeing the bigger picture.

I was only seeing the target.

As the pressure built, things became darker.

There were periods in my life that I'll talk about in another blog because they deserve their own conversation.

But what I can say is that I wasn't coping.

The Mistakes That Made Me Question Myself

ADHD doesn't always look how people think it does.

For me, one of the biggest issues was concentration.

I once ordered Indian stone instead of porcelain.

Three times.

Not once.

Three times.

I ended up with three pallets of material we didn't need.

I've over-ordered materials because I'd forgotten I'd already ordered them.

I've started ideas one day and abandoned them the next.

My laptop is full of unfinished documents and plans that made perfect sense at the time.

Every day seemed to bring a different idea.

A different direction.

A different obsession.

At the time I just thought I was disorganised.

Or careless.

Or not trying hard enough.

But I was wrong.

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

In January 2026, I was diagnosed with ADHD privately.

The feeling wasn't sadness.

It wasn't anger.

It was relief.

For the first time in my life, somebody explained why I was the way I was.

For years I'd assumed what I was experiencing was normal.

I genuinely believed everyone felt like this.

I thought life was simply this difficult for everybody.

Discovering it wasn't was eye-opening.

Suddenly decades of confusion started making sense.

Starting Medication

After my diagnosis, I began taking Elvanse.

The change was difficult to explain to anybody who hasn't experienced it.

For the first time, my mind became calmer.

My concentration improved.

My motivation improved.

I actually wanted to get out of bed in the morning.

Life didn't suddenly become perfect.

But it became manageable.

I could think.

I could process.

I could prioritise.

I could breathe.

The biggest change wasn't in my business.

It was in my quality of life.

The simplest way I can describe it is this:

Life became easier.

And after years of struggling, that meant everything.

In many ways, I genuinely believe medication saved my life.

The Sacrifices

Building this business has cost me a lot.

Not financially.

Personally.

I've missed school drop-offs.

School pick-ups.

Doctor appointments.

Dentist appointments.

Sports days.

Moments that matter.

The people around me have sacrificed just as much as I have.

Especially Lucy.

She understands something many people don't.

This business needs my time.

And my time needs this business.

Without that support, none of this would have been possible.

Even when I'm on holiday, work often comes with me.

I'm trying to get better at switching off.

But anyone who runs a business understands how difficult that can be.

What I'm Proud Of

Today, SK Driveways & Landscapes has completed around 160 projects.

We've built something I never thought was possible.

Most importantly, we've built it properly.

I'm proud that we do things the right way.

I'm proud that we respect our customers.

I'm proud that we care about details.

I'm proud that the business supports my family and the livelihoods of three other people.

But what I'm most proud of is proving myself wrong.

Over the years, I've started things that failed.

I've lost money.

I've doubted myself.

I've questioned whether I was capable.

This business erased those doubts.

Not because it's perfect.

Because it's real.

I built it.

And every mistake, every setback and every lesson helped create it.

What Success Means Now

When I started, success probably meant growth.

More work.

More money.

More opportunities.

Today, it's different.

Now success looks like a happy customer.

It looks like standing back at the end of a project and knowing we've transformed someone's home.

It looks like creating spaces where families will spend time together.

Where children will play.

Where people will make memories.

That's worth more than any invoice.

What I'd Tell Anyone Starting Out

If you're thinking about starting a business, plan properly.

Build a strong support network.

Understand that your family will be on the journey with you.

Be adaptable.

Be mentally strong.

And learn how to switch off.

If you're struggling with ADHD, don't ignore it.

Getting help changed my life.

For years I thought I was broken.

I wasn't.

I just didn't understand how my brain worked.

And if you're currently working long hours without seeing results, keep going.

Patience has never been my strongest quality.

There have been jobs that didn't go to plan.

Jobs that didn't make the profit I expected.

Days where I've questioned everything.

But the next morning I still got up and went again.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that success isn't about luck.

It's about attitude.

It's about showing up consistently.

It's about doing the right thing when nobody is watching.

And it's about remembering that every customer matters.

Whether they're spending their spare pocket money or their life savings, they deserve the same level of care, attention and respect.

That's the standard we set at SK Driveways & Landscapes.

And it's the standard we'll continue to uphold for years to come.

Why Read the Next Post?

One thing I've learned over the last three years is that not all contractors are created equal. Social media can make any company look successful, and a shiny photo of a finished driveway rarely tells the whole story. I often spot things that most homeowners would never notice.

In my next blog, I'll be sharing the things professionals look for before hiring a contractor, the warning signs that should raise questions, and why the cheapest quote can often become the most expensive mistake. If you're investing your hard-earned money into your home, this is a post you won't want to miss.