Meet Jean Cottereau | Landscaping Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jean Cottereau and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jean, what inspires you?
I’m inspired by uncommon people. People who took the jump and figured out how to be successful. The uncommon people who went left instead of right. Inspiration to me is someone that took a risk, and put everything on the line to ensure their business would succeed.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up I always listened to my elders. They were constantly telling me to save as much money as I can so that when the time comes (for whatever reason it may be) I was ready financially. Luckily enough they were right so when I decided to kickstart Legionnaire Landscaping, the overhead was already taken care of due to me saving all those years. That took most of the stressors a new business will face off on my plate so I could focus on the details. The follow up to that, is simple the word “commitment”. Everyone talks about it but you have to simply be about it. I was A full time student pursuing credentials to be an aircraft mechanic. That required me to drive 35 min to school, 6 hours of class time Monday through Friday, a 25 minute drive to Boeing (where I was working at the time), work for 5 hours, then 30 min back home to grind out the days homework. On top of all of that, I had to service as many clients as I could on the weekend. It was a tough lifestyle, but once everything began to smooth out I realized that is an example of a hardship a new business must go through for it to be successful. Nothing is ever given to you, it must be earned.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In my opinion people discredit the beauty of Arizona. I’d would suggest they come around the winter so they can enjoy everything we have to offer. Heading up to snow bowl (even though I cant Snowboard) would be an absolute. Outsiders need to realize Arizona has an eclectic landscape, ranging from dirt to grass, to snow and pine trees. I’m a foody who enjoys trying new eateries, so eating out several times throughout the week would be a must. I’m a sucker for the small local taco shops, nothing can compete with those. I’d show em’ around old town Scottsdale. That’s where I grew up so I would take them around Fashion Square and Old town. Show them the nightlife and all the little shops that are around. I’d be taking them to a baseball game or even a Cardinals game to show them the “family like” atmosphere Arizona possesses. The last thing I would do is take my best friend to Zipps. Slam a few golden style wings with an ice cold beer or even a Zipparita.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this segment to my beautiful girlfriend, Monica Walsh. She is the reason why I started this business, and my driving force to becoming successful. Monica is the owner and operator of Ideal Bridal, and all of her business accolades are what inspire me to get up and continue to grow.

Website: legionnairelandscaping.com
Instagram: legionnairelandscaping
Facebook: Legionnaire Landscaping
Yelp: Legionnaire Landscaping

Image Credits
@JoeyBradfisch