Why Buy a Lawn Mowing Franchise?

Are you thinking about a starting a lawn mowing business? Not sure if you want to go it alone or with a franchise?

Before I get started, let’s get the objection I get most of the time out of the way first: “Why wouldn’t I just buy a pickup truck and a lawnmower? Why would I pay money to someone to help me do something I could easily do on my own?”

Starting a Lawn Mowing Business vs Buying a Lawn Mowing Franchise

Let me just say that I already know that there are a bunch of lawn & landscape contractors out there who are going to take offence to this article, mainly because they are making money without a franchise. But they are the top 2-3% of the lawn and landscape guys out there. How can I be so sure? All you have to do is look at what percentage of landscapers can afford nice new branded vehicles. If they’re driving around in a beat-up 20-year-old pickup truck, it’s probably because they have no choice. The first thing a successful contractor does is buy a nice truck, because it represents who they are, and it’s where they spend most of their lives.

Now back to why a franchise, and the answer is deceptively simple. A lawnmower and a pickup truck doesn’t give you a successful landscaping business, just in the same way a grill and deep fryer don’t give you a successful restaurant. Buying a lawnmower and a pickup truck gets you lawnmower in a pickup truck. Nothing more, nothing less. You still have to build an actual business from there.

People think that once they have that magical “lawnmower and pickup truck” combination, customers will start bashing down their door to start giving them business and contracts, but believe me, they won’t. And if you don’t believe me, ask any of the 95% of landscapers driving around in one of those beat up pickup trucks I just mentioned. You know the guys; we see literally hundreds of them on our commutes every day.

You see, the problem with the magical pickup truck and lawnmower logic is that when the barriers to entry are that low, there’s nothing stopping 10,000 other guys from buying lawnmowers and pickup trucks too, all undercutting each other on price, placing ad after ad on craigslist because they’re free, fighting for the cheapest customers and the crumbs left over from the franchise and/or big guys in the business. The same guys who captured all the good customers with great brand, nice clean trucks & clean uniforms, great systems, and professional websites and marketing.

Franchise fees are usually between 6% and 10% of revenue – and if you calculated how much it costs to build a brand, build and run a website, launch and maintain a successful digital marketing campaign (and get that all right without wasting tons of money trying to figure out what works), it would literally cost you 10 times more. Most small businesses commit 10% of the revenue to advertising alone anyway, especially at startup, and all they get is advertising that may, or may not, work.

With a franchise you’re still paying 6-10% of revenue – and you still get the advertising, but it’s usually 10x to 100x more effective because it’s proven to work – and you participate in the pooled resources of the adverting funds that all franchisees contribute to in a franchise system. But with a franchise, and for that same 10%, with the advertising you also get the training, systems, support, and coaching derived from a winning formula to help you grow.

A lawnmower and pickup truck, is just equipment. Even with lots of customers, you still don’t have a business. Lots of businesses that had lots of customers have often failed over the years. You need the systems, training, and support to keep you on the right path, and often out of trouble! So there’s also the peace of mind that comes with knowing that what you’re doing has been proven to work hundreds of time before.

1. Trusted Brand that customers know delivers value
2. Professional Advertising you know works without wasting tons of money
3. Proven Systems and Support that deliver growth.
4. Coaching that helps you make good decisions and stops you from making bad ones.
5. For under $800 a month you get all of this and more with a Jim’s Mowing Franchise – Why would you risk spending thousands to go at it yourself?

1. Set your own prices
2. Set your own schedule
3. Take on only the jobs you love
4. Unlimited work area with a single franchise
5. Unlimited customers, workers, teams and trucks with a single franchise.
6. Great work/life balance (pick up kids from school – coach – vacation)