Last week, dozens of U.S. Lawns’ franchisees gathered, along with their managers and business developers, 
in Tampa Florida for the brand’s second annual Growth Summit. While all attendees are at different stages in their business growth cycles, the summit’s theme of Powering Personal and Business Growth in 2020 was designed to help all franchisees prepare for a year of success.
The two-day event focused on three key areas, all intended to stimulate significant growth in their business: building a sales focused culture, creating winning customer relationships and, an often disregarded area, pursuing personal growth. “We often find that behind a growing business is an owner who is consistently pursuing personal growth. Focus on improving the self often spills over into other areas and we didn’t want to overlook this key opportunity.” said senior director of franchise recruiting, David Wells.
The summit’s agenda included keynote speaker Meredith Elliot Powell; a business growth, sales and leadership expert; as well as Q&A sessions, informative topic discussions and breakout sessions. All franchisees departed with takeaway tactics and actionable steps they could immediately implement into their landscaping franchises.
Surrounded by other growth-minded business owners, franchises enjoyed plenty of networking and comradery at the summit. Tapping into the power of the network, franchises learned from each other and shared marketing and landscaping sales strategies, as well as best practices on how to grow the U.S. Lawns’ brand within their territories.
The Growth Summit dovetails the brand’s Vision 2020 theme of profitable growth of every territory and is one of the many resources and events the brand provides its franchisees with to help them achieve growth, both in their business and personal lives. “We are committed to giving our franchisees the tools they need to grow a thriving business.” said Wells. “100% franchisee satisfaction is not just a motto, it’s our mission and it is why we feel events like the annual Growth Summit are important.”
Seven and a half years ago, when his small residential landscape business had hit a ceiling, Owen Smith made a decision. Revenue had stalled, and he felt stuck on the mower day in and day out. Smith knew in order to take his business to the next level and create more financial and personal freedom in his life he had to rebrand his landscape business.
Smith turned to U.S. Lawns to help him reach his goals and converted his Sacramento, California residential landscape business in the brand’s commercial model. “I started out as a landscaper and with U.S. Lawns’ help, I became a business owner,” says Smith, “The systems and processes U.S. Lawns brings to the table are second to none. I wouldn’t have grown the way I wanted to without them.”
As Smith’s business has grown, he has found the support the brand provides to be comprehensive and ongoing. “When I first started out, a Franchise Advisor came out and taught me how to measure a property and how to bid jobs. They also taught me how to go about making community connections and how to purchase my first mower.”
He continues, “As I have grown and reached new levels in my business, the support has evolved. Now buying a mower and putting in bids are second nature. The focus is now on how I can grow as a leader and build a better culture for my employees. They are constantly helping me become better.”
Besides creating a sustainable business and personal wealth, the rewards go beyond that for Smith. “I have met some amazing people from all over and it has made me a better person. Being a landscaper and a business owner is great but having a positive impact the community and on people’s lives, offering a career path to my team, is all very satisfying. There is no better feeling. It’s a sense of purpose. Never in a million years did I think I would be able to do something like that.”
For Smith, the most important thing he says he has gained by joining U.S. Lawns has been flexibility with his time. “I have more time with my family now and can be present for them in a way I never was able to before. I can go to the school and sport events. You can never get that time back and to me that is priceless.”
Owning his own commercial landscaping business has been a great journey for Smith. Today, Smith has grown to running six maintenance trucks, two irrigation trucks, two enhancement trucks and two manager trucks. “It took a lot of hard work and long hours in the beginning, but it has paid off. I now have financial freedom and personal flexibility I set out to achieve and we are still growing.”
When asked if he had any advice for someone considering rebranding their landscape business, Smith responds, “Whatever you want to do with your business, they will help get you there. The possibilities are endless with U.S. Lawns.”
To explore your own possibilities, click here.
Franchise Business Review (FBR) recently released their 15th Annual Top 200 Franchises for 2020 and U.S. Lawns, the nation’s premier commercial lawncare franchise, has once again made the list. In addition to being named one of the best franchise opportunities available today, U.S. Lawns also received the distinct honor of being inducted into the industry leading market research firm’s Hall of Fame.
FBR’s mission is to help entrepreneurs identify the top franchise opportunities for their investment dollars. To compile its annual ranking, FBR analyzes data from the preceding 18 months and rates franchisees’ overall satisfaction with their decision to invest in the franchise and their likelihood to recommend it to others. Using 33 benchmarking questions, franchises who make the list are highly rated in areas such as training and support, leadership, core values, general satisfaction, financial opportunities and community.
To be included in FBR’s Hall of Fame, franchises must have been on the Top 200 franchise list ten separate years. FBR states, “Hall of Fame franchises have demonstrated a proven track record of success and a corporate team committed to franchisee success and satisfaction. This honor is reserved for franchises that have shown long-term dedication to listening and doing right by their franchises.”
For U.S. Lawns, being an FBR Top 200 Franchise Hall of Fame franchise is very important. David Wells, senior director of franchise recruiting with the brand says, “This list is very significant to us because it is based on actual U.S. Lawns franchisee feedback. Our primary goal is 100 percent franchisee satisfaction. We promise to work hard and go above and beyond to help our franchisees create a thriving business. Being chosen for this honor means we are making good on that commitment.”
Ken Hutcheson, president of U.S. Lawns adds, “We have a hard-working team that takes a lot of time and care to make sure our franchisees are as successful as they want to be.”
To hear more about what U.S. Lawns franchisees have to say, click here.
U.S. Lawns, the nation’s leading commercial landscaping franchise, has announced their strategic development plans for 2020. Ohio has been identified as a market poised for substantial growth as part of the brand's overall vision. Slated for 10 new territories over the next three years, the Midwest state is entering an aggressive development stage. With six successful franchises already operating throughout the state, the business-minded individual can build upon current brand-recognition and take advantage of the brand's personalized and comprehensive support system.
“We’ve lived in the area our whole lives, and have built a business and family here,” shared Tom Curdes, who owned and operated his own snow removal business in Toledo since 1977 before converting to a U.S. Lawns franchise. “For years we’d looked for systems to run our maintenance business on, and U.S. Lawns gave us the tools to locate commercial clients and processes to service them.”
Surrounded by a strong network of successful franchises in eastern markets, Ohio presents a natural extension of the brand's existing footprint and a logical next step for targeted growth. The state’s abundant economic opportunity combined with the presense of premium territories makes Ohio an attractive market. Franchises benefit from the home office support and comprehensive training, helping them maximize their revenue potential. Parties interested in owning a landscaping business are advised to act quickly. Premium territories in markets surrounding large population centers like Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati are not anticipated to last long.
Read more about the announcement here.
To learn more about franchise opportunities in the Ohio market or others, click here.
So you think you’ve found the perfect franchise opportunity to achieve your personal and financial goals. You’ve done your research, had several conversations with the franchise representative and franchisees, reviewed the FDD, visited the home office and decided this is the opportunity for you. Just as your excitement in making a significant life change reaches its peak, the franchisor presents you with a franchise agreement and your excitement begins to dissipate as fear and anxiety take hold.
At first glance, looking over the franchise agreement feels daunting. There is a lot of onerous language that feels a little one-sided. There is an extensive list of things you must and can’t do and the legal remedies that could be taken should you not comply. You suddenly feel at the mercy of the franchisor who had already told you that the agreement is non-negotiable.
Instead of packing your bags and running for the hills, take deep breath and consider the purpose of the franchise agreement. Could it be that the concise verbiage of the agreement actually serves to protect your investment?
It’s absolutely true, there is a collective benefit to this intimidating list of do’s and don’ts. Think of it as if you were buying a house and the franchise agreement is the homeowner’s agreement (HOA). You found the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood that fits your lifestyle. You look over the HOA rules and feel it’s a little nitpicky. “I have to bring in my trash cans the same day, or else?! I can’t park on the street overnight?!”, and so on….
However, picture this: Your neighbor decides to install a series of upcycled toilets, spray painted pink, as planters in their front yard. While your neighbors take pride in their artistic vision, you are beyond annoyed and concerned that it could have a negative impact on resale value. Who wants to live next to a toilet art installation, right? So, you call the HOA and they make the tacky decorator fall into compliance with the architectural guidelines of the neighborhood. Problem solved; property value salvaged.
In the same way the HOA protects your home investment, the franchise agreement protects your business investment. Much of a franchise’s customer loyalty comes the level of consistency they can expect from the brand. Compliance of the franchise agreement throughout the system protects the brand’s reputation, and in turn, your investment.
When investing in a franchise, look closely at whether the franchisor will be a good steward of the franchise agreement. Here are a few things to consider:
Remember, the franchise agreement not only protects the brand reputation and image, it safeguards your investment. The language may seem one-sided and a bit overwhelming but at the end of the day it is in the best interest of the brand, the franchisees, and ultimately, you.
As teenagers working on a dairy farm in Beaver Creek, Virginia, high school friends Tim Harrell and Chris Seaborne had no idea what the future held for them. After high school Harrell and Seaborne went their separate ways. Harrell worked for a lift company and Seaborne did arbor work. Both mowed lawns on the side. After grinding away for a few years, they both wanted more. They decided that if they wanted to get ahead, they should team up and buy a U.S. Lawns franchise.
Over the next two decades the pair followed the U.S. Lawns system and built an extremely sustainable and profitable commercial landscape business. “We didn’t really have a growth plan, but U.S. Lawns showed us where to put our resources and focus to take our business to the next level,” says Seaborne.
“We started out in our first territory, we had one truck, a small trailer, one commercial mower and some landscaping tools. Today we have two territories, a dozen trucks, commercial mowers and up to 40 employees during our peak season. We service 150 commercial clients and are enjoying year over year revenue growth.”
Over the years, Harrell and Seaborne have demonstrated themselves as leaders and an inspiration to other U.S. Lawn franchisees. In 2016, they were inducted in the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the brand.
As their business has grown, Harrell and Seaborne’s business eventually outgrew their rented office, work and storage space. Recently, the pair decided it was time to build home base for their business.
Coming full circle, the franchisee team purchased land in the same area where they worked on the dairy farm as teenagers to build an expansive 9,000 square foot building to accommodate their growing landscape maintenance business.
By becoming U.S. Lawns franchisees, Harrell and Seaborne had a roadmap for building a sustainable business, one that would grow beyond what they envisioned when they first started out. By following the system, even though they did not start out with a plan, today they have a business that continues to grow and has created personal wealth and freedom in their lives.
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