Modrn Businss is a highly rated podcast which explores and discusses business technology and lessons from leaders in franchising. The podcast’s most recent series “Emerging and Essential Businesses” has been highlighting franchises that have been deemed essential services in the pandemic and exploring how they have adapted. U.S. Lawns was invited to participate in the series to represent how the essential brand is handling COVID.
Listen as host Zack Fishman interviews U.S. Lawns’ President, Ken Hutcheson on how the brand is thriving as it has adapted its business operations to better serve its franchisees and how they are “staying close” to their clients and employees.
Highlights include:
When examining whether a franchise opportunity is a good fit for you, insights gained from validation are invaluable. Interviewing existing franchisees will help you gain perspective on how the systems and culture of the franchise actually play out and if the franchisor is delivering on its value proposition. It will also help you set expectations as you move forward.
U.S. Lawns is committed to 100% franchise satisfaction and we believe that starts with you finding the business model that best aligns with you. Therefore, we want to provide you with all the information needed to make your most educated decision. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your validation process to give you the information you need to make the decision that is right for you:
Validation gives you an honest look inside a franchise system. It can help you determine overall franchisee satisfaction and whether the franchisor is delivering on promised support. Keep in mind that support systems often change over time and more tenured franchisees may have had different experiences than you will. Your goal is to talk to as many franchisees as necessary to determine if the franchisor offers a viable and successful business opportunity and whether that opportunity is a fit for your personal goals and objectives.
One of the most visited pages on the U.S. Lawns Franchise website is our available territories page. How we define those territories is also one of the questions we get asked the most. Because we understand how important location is when making the decision to invest, we wanted to give you a little insight into our process to help you understand why a particular territory is open or closed.
You have likely already visited our available territories page to see what markets are open near you. Our experienced franchise development team has done an extensive analysis and identified areas where there is demand and opportunity to provide landscape maintenance services under our brand name. We are dedicated to 100 percent franchisee satisfaction and this starts with positioning them for success.
What if the market I am interested in isn’t available?
If you do not see an available market near you, this means that all nearby viable markets are already serviced by existing U.S. Lawns franchisees. This does not mean that there will never be an opportunity near you, just that there are no available opportunities currently. Feel free to complete the request form and we will notify you if opportunities come available near you.
How fixed are market boundaries?
Cities listed on the available markets page are placeholders for territories that will ultimately encompass that city and areas around it, your area of operation and growth potential are not limited by city limits. The minimum size of a territory is a ten-mile radius from the center point, although actual territory size can vary considerably based on commercial property density.
For example, a large well-developed area like Chicago will likely be divided into several smaller sub-urban territories as there will be ample opportunity to build sustainable businesses in concise geographic footprints. On the other hand, in more rural secondary or tertiary markets, territories will necessarily be larger to ensure there is ample opportunity for the franchisee to profitably provide our core services.
The final boundaries of your territory will be determined through conversation between you and us. Territory boundaries typically follow major roads or highways; natural boundaries like rivers or green spaces; or jurisdictional boundaries like state or county lines. Before selling any territory, U.S. Lawns completes a proprietary market vertical analysis to ensure that it meets a standard set of criteria used to establish territory viability.
What does having the rights to a specific territory mean and what do I need to know?
During the term of your Franchise Agreement (10 years plus renewal options), you will have protected rights to provide landscape maintenance services under the U.S. Lawns brand name. We will not offer or provide landscape maintenance services under the U.S. Lawns brand within your territory, or license any other franchisee to do so, without your explicit consent.
Understand that customers do not always recognize or appreciate territory boundaries. For this reason, it is important to develop strong working relationships with neighboring franchisees so you can work together productively to meet customer needs and expectations.
When you look at what U.S. Lawns markets are available, rest assured that these markets have been methodically chosen with franchisee success in mind. When finalizing territories, we work with franchisees to create boundaries that are viable for sustainability and growth. Whether or not the exact territory you are interested in is available, we are happy to have a conversation with you about what opportunities might best fit your goals.
In times of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to become the optimistic leader your team needs. Optimistic leaders are best when they are able to balance positivity while remaining grounded in reality.
As the Covid-19 pandemic impacts small businesses across the globe, those able to remain focused on their vision will prevail and embrace the strongest bounce backs. As difficult as it may be, optimism is an intelligent approach to reframing how you think about business.
Optimistic leaders with a solution-based approach motivate teams, promote creativity and innovative thinking, and show confidence in the future despite setbacks.
For U.S. Lawns, the brand position of “Improve Your Community. Improve Your Life.” is more than just a tagline, it’s an important part of our brand DNA. United by a passion for service to our neighbors, we are committed to providing first rate landscape maintenance crews and commercial grounds management excellence. We do this through supporting and participating in the success of our franchisees, in turn, enabling them to improve their communities. Here are some of the ways we live this out:
Commercial landscaping inherently improves the community. It brings character and individuality to a property as well as vitality and wealth. By preserving and increasing property value, well maintained properties attract higher quality tenants, thus allowing property owners to charge higher rent. Commercial landscape is essentially an advertisement for the business. People will perceive how well you take care of your grounds as how well you treat your clients.
Aside from enhancing a community monetarily as well as in appearance, health and safety are also improved by quality commercial landscaping. Attractive landscaping promotes positive feelings. Studies have shown that natural elements improve productivity and focus in addition to increasing health and general well-being. It also lowers blood pressure.
In terms of safety, when a property is neglected, aside from money lost due to deterioration, erosion and tripping hazards become more common. Neglect of a property is also associated with higher rates of crime. In areas where storms, snow and ice are a concern, U.S. Lawns’ dedication to planning ahead is a major asset. Proper maintenance can mitigate potential storm damage, such as trimming trees to reduce limb breakage. And after a storm, clearing debris or snowfall and deicing of walkways, parking lots for example will lessen inconveniences such as access issues and closures that could affect your bottom line.
As business leaders in their communities, U.S. Lawns franchisees improve their communities in concrete and quantifiable ways, like providing employment opportunities. Starting from the top, U.S. Lawns maintains a “best place to work” culture by treating employees right and providing opportunities for both personal and career growth and development. Employees who are treated right and like where they work will in turn provide excellent customer service to their clients and the community they serve.
In addition to providing employment opportunities, U.S. Lawns business model allows individuals to take charge of their own future through entrepreneurship.. U.S. Lawns provides a vehicle for entrepreneurship to business minded individuals to build sustainable businesses in their communities.
The brand also maintains a culture of consistent community involvement as a way to enhance the lives of those in their communities. From supporting local charities, to volunteer work, to helping community members in times of crisis, we're active in giving back to our neighbors. Time and again we see U.S. Lawns franchisees coming to the aid of community members, as well as proactively contributing their time and resources for the betterment of those around them.
A local community service project is also a much looked-forward to part of our annual conference with previous projects including home building with Habitat for Humanity, donation sorting at local food banks and bike building for underprivileged children. Community service is part of the U.S. Lawns culture.
With a deep commitment to the core principles U.S. Lawns was built on, the brand actively puts into practice the values of service, stability, discipline, integrity, responsiveness, professionalism, community, nature and environmentalism. Committed to 100% franchisee satisfaction and client retention, U.S. Lawns provides constant training and education of Home Office staff, franchise owners and employees and works hard to stay current on industry trends, tools, products, and processes. This comes down to being responsive to the needs of our franchisees and their communities and working together to improve communities and lives is ways you can see.
For over 30 years, it has been U.S. Lawns’ honor and privilege to contribute in positive ways to the communities we service. Leveraging the power of a national brand, we provide support and resources to our franchisees, who know and care about their individual communities. It is one of the things that gives us an edge on our competition: local owners and their relationships within the community.
As we all personally and professionally navigate uncharted territory during the current global health crisis, being a friend is more important than ever. The U.S. Lawns brand promise is: “To be there, be responsive, be excellent, and be a friend”, emphasized in our mantra “close to the customer and close to the employee.” This time of crisis has provided the unique opportunity for our franchisees to live the U.S. Lawns brand promise in innovative ways.
With social distancing and widespread closures, U.S. Lawns franchisees quickly mobilized within their communities. Franchisees are proactively reaching out to customers whose businesses have been impacted by current events.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many local businesses have said they hadn’t heard from any of their service providers during the crisis and are expressing sincere gratitude to someone taking time out of their day to check on their needs.
Here are some examples of how U.S. Lawns franchisees are carrying out the brand promise in their communities:
Going the extra mile and being responsive are part of U.S. Lawns’ core values. We have built our business around making lasting connections. Our franchisees have developed close, personal relationships that go well beyond the typical customer/service provider relationship. Backed with the resources and support that come with a national brand, at the end of the day our franchisees are community members committed to improving the communities around them.
Local commitment is what distinguishes U.S. Lawns from other large landscaping companies. Businesses aren’t dealing with a branch manager; they are working with another business owner who understands their needs and is a partner in achieving their long-term goals. Through responsiveness, two-way communication, and by staying close to the customer, U.S. Lawns franchisees exceed expectations. This is where the brand promise (“To be there, be responsive, be excellent, and be a friend”) comes into play.
In addition to staying close to the customer, franchisees deliver on the brand promise by staying close to their employees. By taking good care of employee, you ensure that they take good care of the customer, and that creates opportunity for everyone involved. Franchisees do this by taking a sincere interest in employees lives and well-being, checking in on family members by name and understanding personal challenges and goals. This is also done by aligning business interests with personal interests and helping employees to reach personal and financial goals. People are your most important assets in business and focusing on you employees is the first step in serving your customers.
In light of current events, U.S. Lawns has taken additional safety precautions have been taken to ensure the safety and health of not only our customers, but also our employees. Read more about those measures here. We continue to provide support to our teams who are working hard during these precarious times, going above and beyond wherever possible.
U.S. Lawns has been committed to being a friend in business for over 30 years. As we all work together to get through these trying times, U.S. Lawns has only deepened in that commitment and continues to promise to be there, be responsive, be excellent, and most importantly, be a friend.
In these uncertain times, as we all work together to abate the spread of COVID-19, U.S. Lawns is continuing to support our franchise network and our clients while keeping the health and safety of our teams, their families and their communities as a top priority.
U.S. Lawns franchisees are still hard at work improving communities in ways everyone can see, and the Home Office is here to help.
In accordance with guidelines set forth by government and health officials, we have implemented extra preventative measures for the health and well-being of our Home Office team, our franchisees, their team members and the communities they serve. These are in addition to our standard safety protocols and best practices. These extra measures include:
We have encouraged our franchisees to communicate proactively with their employees and customers and seek win-win solutions to the very real problems they are facing.
As the situation is still evolving, we will continue to closely monitor and respond accordingly as to how to best serve our network.
In the meantime, we understand this pandemic has affected many, especially business owners, and we want to provide some resources to help decipher and add clarity as to what the franchise community as a whole is doing to help.
One such resource is the International Franchise Association (IFA). Since 1960, the IFA has been a leading source of information, resources and advocacy for the franchise community. The IFA has set up a comprehensive COVID-19 resource page for franchisees that can be found at https://www.franchise.org/coronavirus. There you will find advocacy resources such as ways to send a letter to government leaders and request relief. You can also listen in on their Daily Government Activity call; hear their discussions with Congress, Administration and elected officials responsible for providing relief to small business owners; receive real-time daily updates; and ask questions. There are ways to sign up for an ongoing webinar series that provides an overview of the current legislation situation and ways you can enact positive change in the franchise community on a personal level. Finally, there are links to other COVID-19 related resources.
As U.S. Lawns continues to go above and beyond to improve communities and lives, we want to remind everyone to take care of one another. We will continue to take care of our franchisees and clients. Stay safe and healthy.
Has your independent landscaping business struggled to meet your growth expectations? Do you find yourself spending more time working in the business rather than on the business? Have you considered how converting your business into a franchise might benefit your operation? For many independent landscape business owners converting to a U.S. Lawns franchise has proven to be an effective growth strategy, enabling them to implement the systems and processes necessary to remove themselves from the day-to-day operations and truly take their businesses to the next level.
Understandably, converting is not a decision to be taken lightly, and a discerning business person like yourself might have some reservations. Our goal is to give you all the information you need to make the decision that best aligns with your personal and business goals. To help you better understand our business offering, we will examine four of the most common myths about converting to a U.S. Lawns franchise.
U.S. Lawns owners are in business for themselves, but not by themselves. Under the franchise model you will continue to own your own business while leveraging the branding, support and network of a nationally recognized brand. You will be gaining a roadmap to help you expand your business and maximize your earning potential.
Franchising is a solution that allows small business operators to compete with big business. Franchises operate as a network of affiliated businesses that share a brand and operating system. They remain independently owned and operated and typically fall under the Small Business Administration’s definition of a small business. By pooling resources and knowledge, franchisees can compete on a national level with much larger and better capitalized brands.
While your business will operate under the U.S. Lawns brand name, your existing business entity will continue to exist, operating under a “doing business as” arrangement. (For example, Joe’s Landscaping, LLC dba U.S. Lawns). You will remain the face and driving force behind your business and continue to maintain and develop customer relationships. The U.S. Lawns brand and professional image with help open new doors to commercial customers who expect a high level of professionalism and service.
Independent operators who convert to U.S. Lawns generally find the benefits far outweigh the costs and that they are more profitable after making the transition. For example, U.S. Lawns franchisee in Toledo, Tom Curdes reported 85% growth in gross sales in his first year after joining U.S. Lawns. In addition to growth, franchisees typically experience greater efficiency in prospecting, bidding, estimating, and servicing properties that often result in a significant increase in profit margins. Not to mention the added benefit of the brand’s supplier relations, with exclusive supplier discounts that come with the power of nationally negotiated contracts. These discounts alone often more than cover the initial fees and royalty payments.
By leveraging the advantages of a strong brand and proven business model, converting to a U.S. Lawns franchise has helped many independent landscape business owners grow their businesses and maximize their revenue potential. No longer alone, franchises have the power of the network behind them, along with other added benefits, creating a business with unlimited growth potential far greater than if they had done it alone. Is converting the next step for your growth strategy? Let’s talk.
An important step in evaluating any franchise opportunity is a review of the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). By the time you receive this document, you’ve probably had a conversation or two with a representative from the brand and just as you begin to develop a picture of your life as a franchisee, a 200 page legal document is dropped in your lap. “Here’s this, have fun.”
Hopefully the brand representative did a better job of explaining this federally mandated document before giving it to you, but assuming they didn’t, let’s review that here. In order to understand this critical document and its purpose in your due diligence process, it is important to first understand where it came from and its intent.
Back in the early “wild, wild, west” days of franchising, there were no laws governing disclosure and, as such, exploitation ran rampant. Fraudulent scams disguised as franchise opportunities were sold in high pressure sales environments where unwitting investors often lost their life savings. Recognizing the need to protect the consumer, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stepped in in 1979 and passed the first franchise disclosure law, known as the Franchise Rule.
While updates and changes have been made to the Franchise Rule since then, the basic requirement of disclosure remains in place. Today, the FTC mandates that all franchisors disclose a potential franchise buyer with a standardized, 23-item document that includes the relevant information a buyer would need to make a decision about the opportunity. The FTC also mandates a 14-day review period that begins once the document has been received by the potential buyer, during which no agreements can be signed or monies can be exchanged.
A thorough review of the FDD is a crucial step in your due diligence process. With a keen eye, reading the document should paint a clear picture of what you can expect from your franchisor and what the franchisor may expect from you. In addition to your own personal review, you may also want to consult a franchise lawyer and make sure that any questions that come up are answered by the franchisor.
While all 23 items in the FDD contain vital information, here is a summary of points of interest to which you may want to pay particularly close attention:
Initial fees are typically straight-forward and non-negotiable. While there may be discounts available in specific instances (veteran discounts are fairly common, for example) the initial fee is the “cost of entry” and provides access to the brand’s trademarks, operating systems, training, support and network.
These fees are often pooled costs of doing business and generally cannot be avoided. While fees can vary from one franchise to another, some are more common than others. Royalty fees, marketing fees, technology fees, transfer fees and renewal fees are all very common, but can vary greatly in amount. As you review the fees, consider perceived value and discuss with other franchisees during the validation process. Do the fees make sense? Are any of them out of line? What latitude does the franchisor allow itself to make in term increases or decreases?
Here you will see a detailed breakdown of investment ranges, including initial fees, operating expenses and working capital. It is important to note that some FDDs are intentionally broad about investment costs, especially if there are different operating arrangements available. An owner-operator franchisee, for example, may see lower initial operating expenses than someone who plans manage from afar and install a management team from day one. For a detailed look at U.S. Lawns investment costs, visit our Franchise Start-Up Costs page.
This item details the assistance the franchisor is contractually obligated to provide. Keep in mind, the franchisor may go well above and beyond what is outlined in Item 11 in terms of support to its franchisees, but any promises of support not detailed in this item should be validated with other franchisees in your conversations.
When it comes to training, pay particular attention to the depth of the training team and the years of experience in instruction.
This particular item is optional to disclose, and not all franchisors choose to include it. If it is excluded, ask yourself why. What is included and how the information is presented can also vary greatly from one franchise to another. Some choose to focus solely on top line revenue, while others will show more detail regarding costs and profitability. A strong Item 19 will also breakdown averages at different phases of the business growth in addition to providing an overall network average. Use this information to determine if the opportunity will meet your expectations in both the short and long term. Get a sneak peek at U.S. Lawns Item 19 by visiting our Franchising ROI page.
The most valuable source of information about any franchise system is existing franchisees. Use this list for validation purposes. Plan to call several franchisees and, if possible, visit them in their businesses. Try to speak to established franchisees, as well as those newer to the brand to get an idea of both short and long term satisfaction. Understand that every franchise will have its detractors, but your goal is to get a sense of the prevailing attitude of the group. Are most of the franchisees positive and happy about the decision they made? When speaking to an unhappy franchisee, listen to their complaints, but also determine what makes this franchisee different from the rest and whether theirs is an isolated case.
Making the decision to join a franchise is not a decision to be taken lightly. Remember, while intimidating in size and scope, the FDD is there to help you understand the opportunity in front of you and make a reasonable comparison to other opportunities you may be evaluating.
When it comes down to it, investing in a franchise is not just about making money, it’s about creating a lifestyle that will give you and your family what you are looking for in life. Alignment is critical and you need to make sure the brand shares your personal goals and values.
If you’d like to review the U.S. Lawns Franchise Disclosure Document, begin by completing the Request for More Information.
Our own president, Ken Hutcheson, was recently asked by Inc. Magazine to share his number one tip for keeping employees happy and motivated. See what Ken, and other business leaders, had to say about the topic by viewing the article at Inc.com.
All Rights Reserved. | Powered by U.S. Lawns © 2022 | Sitemap | Disclaimer
