Why Your Business Is Not Growing

You worked hard to start your own business. But after awhile, maybe you’ve forgotten why you did it in the first place. You feel stagnated, stuck in a pattern of zero growth. It’s a pattern that small, independent businesses are all too familiar with. You know there’s more out there, but don’t know how to tap into that larger market.

At U.S. Lawns, we help people start and grow their own successful landscape businesses. Here are some reasons we’ve seen in our 25+ years of experience to explain why your business is not growing--and what you can do to address it.

1. Your business is all residential. Residential landscaping can quickly come to a halt when the economy dips and people stop spending money on their homes. But commercial landscaping is usually more secure and profitable. The trouble is, breaking into the commercial market can be a challenge if you’re not a “big name.” That’s why we help our independent franchisees build impressive commercial portfolios at the local level by leveraging U.S. Lawns’ national reputation and resources.

2. You struggle to recruit and retain good talent. Thirty years ago, landscaping was one of the few jobs that paid entry level workers above minimum wage, making it an attractive opportunity despite the rough working conditions. Crew members also had the chance to work alongside the owners in a sort of “apprentice” relationship, until someday they might start their own landscape company. These days, recruiting someone for manual labor when an easy job at Starbucks pays the same is tricky. So, how do you make your company sound attractive? U.S. Lawns is dedicated to creating a culture that draws employees at all levels, including crews; we also believe in providing our franchisees with recruitment tools to help build the team.

3. You don’t know where to go for advice. Being your own boss is great, but the bad news is you’re on your own to solve problems. At U.S. Lawns, we don’t think any business owner should be alone--as we say, “go in business for yourself, not by yourself.” Our franchisees are part of a family, with 270+ business owners to help them out. And our network also includes personal business mentors to help you through the process of growing your business. In addition, we’ll even equip you with training and continuing education programs throughout the year.

4. You wear too many hats. Small business owners tend to have a D-I-Y attitude to begin with, but payroll constraints make it even more of a reality. Sometimes, the only one who can run your business is you--and that means it’s easy to get stretched too thin. Did you know that U.S. Lawns franchisees aren’t supposed to mow grass? That’s because our philosophy is that business owners should focus on running their business if they want to be successful. We offer tools like software to handle the he administrative aspects of your job. We arm you with the industry’s most advanced sales and marketing tools, so you can spend less time searching for clients. And we help you train your crews and employees to pick up more of the slack, so you can enjoy the benefits of owning your own company.

5. You get bogged down in hidden costs.  You already know how costly overhead can be.Many businesses fail to estimate the extent of their startup costs or plan for emergency equipment purchases. At U.S. Lawns, we’ve used our 25+ years of experience to make partnerships with the very best vendors, helping to give our franchisees a leg up on the competition when it comes to purchasing power. From equipment like mowers, vehicles and snowplows, to horticultural materials like fertilizer, U.S. Lawns can leverage national buying power to support your local business.

If you’d like to jump start your landscaping business, maybe a U.S. Lawns franchise is the answer you’re looking for. Considering you already have the equipment, joining our team requires a very small amount of capital. And we’ve been heralded as a top franchise by publications like Forbes, Success, and Entrepreneur magazines.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to join the big game. Reach out to us for more information, and get your business moving again.