“What is the point of making good money if you are never home long enough to enjoy it?” This question, asked by his father, brought Bryan Smith to a crossroads.
Bryan Smith had established a successful career as a boat captain, but it required him to spend three weeks out of every month away from home. One day his father asked him, “What is the point of making good money if you are never home long enough to enjoy it?”
After some internal reflection, Smith realized his father was right. This realization would lead the two down a path towards entrepreneurship, signing a franchise agreement with U.S. Lawns for a territory in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Along that path, Smith had to overcome some significant concerns about his ability to be successful in this venture: he knew nothing about the lawn care industry and he had never run his own business before.
While concepts such as budgeting and profit and loss statements were foreign to him, he was confident in his ability to manage the people side of the business. As he progressed through the discovery process, he began to understand that the U.S. Lawns support team would be there to help him fill in the gaps. “There is no way I would be sitting here today without them” says Smith.
Early on, Smith played a dual role, managing the business and operating a truck to ensure all work got completed. He would bring a change of clothes to the job site so he could change quickly from landscaper to business owner, visiting surrounding properties to sell his services.
Over time he did exactly what U.S. Lawns asks their franchisees to do and stopped working in his business so he could work on his business. As revenues grew, he put his people skills to work and grew the team around him. Describing his team, Smith borrows a phrase from his time on the boat and says “The captain is only as good as his crew, and I’ve got a great crew.”
Today, Smith still works hard, but enjoys the flexibility that comes with success. He prefers to mix things up now, some days coming in early to meet with his crews before they start their day and other days coming in a little later to focus on business aspects. He is able to leave early to spend the afternoon with his son after picking him up from school and enjoys taking time off when he needs to without seeking anyone else’s approval.
While Smith’s father is no longer involved in the ownership of the business, he still enjoys spending time around the shop and repairing broken equipment. Of their original decision to invest, he says “We never thought in a million years that we would be where we are today.” Underlining his own satisfaction, the younger Smith recently doubled down on his investment by purchasing a neighboring territory in Brunswick, North Carolina to continue his success story.
When asked what he loves the most about U.S. Lawns, Smith highlights “the comradery of it all…the network of owners. I have made life-long friends that I never would have crossed paths with if it hadn’t been for this organization. Investing in U.S. Lawns is the smartest thing that I have ever done. They’ve created the road map, all you have to do is follow it.”
For more information about investing in your own U.S. Lawns franchise, click here.
U.S. Lawns wrapped up a series of two-day Regional Meetings, which were held in Orlando, Houston, Phoenix, Jackson, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Philadelphia.
“These regional meetings are so important to us as a brand,” said Ken Hutcheson. "They provide connectivity among the team and are a great venue to exchange information that is vital for growth. I’m excited about what this year holds in store for U.S. Lawns. The economic future is bright we’re ready to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead."
To view the entire press release: click here
Utility vehicles have become increasingly popular in in-house grounds departments at institutional and commercial facilities. While the vehicles might look like glorified golf carts to some, they offer great versatility to grounds departments.
Workers use them to transport equipment, supplies and people. They enable departments to perform a range of tasks, reduce manual labor, and increase efficiency. Departments use utility vehicles in part because they reduce the amount of time and effort that crews spend carrying around tools and equipment. The operator allows the machine to do the heavy lifting, and supervisors don’t have to worry about the equipment being too heavy to carry, thus reducing the chances of mistakes and injuries due to operator fatigue.
The offseason is typically defined as the period between your first and last typical frost dates. Soil temperatures dictate what plants need, not the dates on a calendar. This makes it that much more important to offer alternative services that aren’t reliant on the temperature of the soil. There are several challenges that the offseason presents to companies in the landscaping industry; the biggest of which is that while grounds care maintenance providers typically earn their lowest revenue during this time, they don’t want to lay off their employees. So, the challenge becomes how do you pay your overhead expenses while your revenue is down, while keeping your employees gainfully employed. While this can be challenging, it is possible, and many of our franchisees have been doing this successfully for years. The answer is two-fold: careful planning, and offering alternative services if your region allows for it.
U.S. Lawns Hall of Fame member Mike Kirk knows what it takes to retain customers and employees. He’s had one customer for over 12 years and one manager for 14 years. Other employees have been with him 4 to 10 years. What’s his formula?
There are a number of factors, the largest being Mike’s sincere love of people, which drives the loyalty of his team and his customers alike. Mike summed it up this way: “They’re like family, that’s the way we operate. We love them; it’s truly a family atmosphere. We know them personally and know their families and try to provide a good career for them so they can take care of their families.”
Success = Industry Expertise + Careful Planning + The Right People
But it has also taken industry expertise along with the ability to surround himself with the right people to realize his measure of success.
With a degree and background in accounting, Mike is a self-confessed numbers guy and is all about planning. A part of U.S. Lawns family since 2002, he owns the Northeast Mississippi territory, and operates in perfect harmony with U.S. Lawns’ model, culture, systems and philosophies.
He is quick to credit his faith for being “blessed with a very dynamic team that shares our culture, believes in our culture, and understands the importance of taking care of our customers.”
But he leaves nothing to chance, starting with his selective hiring process to vet new applicants and ensure they’ll be a good fit. He will even pay a finder’s fee to any employee that introduces a new hire that works out well and stays on for at least 90 days.
Kirk said of building a successful business, “It’s kind of like eating an elephant. It’s one bite at a time, and that’s how you get there.”
Mike plans not only for the coming year, but also takes a longer view with a three year plan. He sets out the budgets and together with his team, lays out a roadmap for how they’re going to get where they want to go.
Mike involves everyone to some extent: his managers and even some crew leaders and gardeners. It’s all part of his culture, which he aptly refers to as a family culture.
Foster Individual Accountability
His experience has proven that by understanding what it will take to get there, and setting the goals to make it happen, everyone feels some responsibility for the company’s success. At the same time, they can each see a promising career path emerging. This is just one way Mike cultivates individual accountability, which is vital.
Celebrate Accomplishments
Kirk and his management team are quick to celebrate the things employees do well. They do routine performance evaluations with employees, and offer real incentives for exemplary behavior, safe practices, and going above and beyond for the customer.
There is even a monthly “All Star” award, based on standards that include: attendance and punctuality, conduct on the job site, being properly uniformed, weekly maintenance of trucks and equipment, turning in paperwork correctly every day, keeping log books up to date, housekeeping and grounds care at the shop, completion of nightly paperwork, making the 7:02 dispatch every morning, and avoiding GPS violations such as speeding or reckless driving.
Performance recordkeeping takes place on a whiteboard out in the shop that starts each month with everyone’s name on it. If an employee commits an infraction, their name is removed. Then at the first monthly safety meeting there is a drawing from all the names remaining on the board, which awards a $300 Visa card to the winner.
Treasure Family Above All Else
They also have employee and family activities; most recently, their annual family Christmas party. Mike finds it to be most well-received when they hold it at his home as opposed to a public venue.
They provide other events throughout the year, such as taking an afternoon off with pay, or setting up games and enjoying a cookout at the shop. According to Mike, “Our workdays are long, we get tired and run down, and there never seems to be enough hours in the day to take care of everything. But we’ve found if we’ll just take some time and invest back in the team and just truly show our appreciation to them, then when we work 12 and 13 hour days they’ll hang in with us and get the job done.”
It’s not uncommon for him to take a crew to lunch when he sees they’re doing a particularly good job. And even though salary is obviously integral to keeping the team happy, he’s actually had people leave for a higher paying job only to return because they missed their U.S. Lawns family so much.
Have High Expectations And Invest In Your Team
Although Kirk may have high expectations, he’s willing to invest in his team in many ways, and he understands it matters greatly for his employees to know how much they are appreciated. He’s also an exception to the norm, as one of the original franchisees to recognize the value of keeping his team employed and together, even during the off season–an act which promotes the culture of family, and also benefits customers by having an experienced crew ready to go at spring startup.
Mike has even been known to hire in the off season if he finds a candidate he doesn’t want to lose. In his words, “If we see a good person, we make an investment in them even during a time when we really don’t need them so we’ll have them when we do. It’s an investment that has paid off for us; we’ve found exceptional people by doing it.”
Now you may wonder how to keep a crew busy in the off season, but Mike has that covered too. It takes aggressive planning and good customer relationships. The long and short of it is, by working with customers each year to establish their annual landscaping budgets and then managing to perform under budget, the result is left over money at the year’s end–a surplus customers often choose to invest on recommended enhancements that can be accomplished during the off season.
Other ways Kirk ensures the wellbeing of his team is by utilizing the comprehensive training tools provided by U.S. Lawns Home Office and investing in his facilities, vehicles, on-site training and equipment. After all, as he so perfectly articulates it, “Our jobs are tough enough with good equipment.”
Make Sure They Know How Much You Appreciate Them
In the end, Mike’s greatest motivator for his team comes from this basic philosophy: “You show someone you appreciate what they do. I still personally hand out every paycheck and shake their hands and just let them know I appreciate what they do every day. I can build relationships with the customer and sell the work, but I’m just part of the process, I can’t do it without them, and I make sure they know that.”
His is a formula that’s tried and true, and U.S. Lawns is proud to count him among our own.
While 2016 has been memorable for many reasons, for U.S. Lawns, the year has been an especially gratifying tribute to our fundamental basis for doing business: Improving lives and improving communities.
Making History As We Celebrate 30 Years
For the first time in U.S. Lawns’ history, we kicked off our annual conference in Orlando, Florida by teaming up and working as a family. On a Thursday morning in late July, the U.S. Lawns owners, managers, Home Office team members, and even some of our spouses and children banded together to make improvements to the grounds of a local Veterans shelter. It was the perfect way to commemorate an important milestone for U.S. Lawns: our 30th Anniversary.
Improving Communities While Resonating Across Boundaries
A moment which really captures the feel of the day happened while I was on my hands and knees spreading mulch. I looked up to see the son and daughter of a U.S. Lawns franchisee painting the pull-up bars on the playground. The recognition of just how many lives are influenced when we work in harmony towards the betterment of our community, struck a deep chord within me. And based on the stories told by so many others involved in the day’s activities, it was a rewarding experience for everyone there—one which resonated across every boundary.
More recently, it’s been so neat to see pictures and hear about the end of season celebrations held in our territories throughout the country. In alignment with U.S. Lawns principles, our franchise owners have been putting on their own “mini-conferences” so they can treat employees to a nice dinner, family entertainment and an awards ceremony to honor the achievements of their teams. It’s an uncommon pleasure to see on one side, what it means to employees to be openly appreciated for their hard work; and on the other side, to get a glimpse of the proud faces of their family members—that’s improving communities.
Improving Lives
Here’s where we look at the business. System-wide sales are higher than they’ve ever been; our average net profit in the system is higher than it’s ever been. Although we’re accustomed to seeing year over year growth and increases in profitability, in 2016 it was dramatic. This is a direct result of helping franchise owners and Home Office Team members alike, in achieving goals.
We are also really excited about the foundation and groundwork we laid last year, with our “Six Systems” project. In a constant effort to adjust and stay relevant, we’ve organized our systems, tools, and processes into six distinct areas. We literally created the roadmap to take a territory from its inception on through maturity and beyond, based on the understanding that success comes from maintaining balance between the six areas. What a great reflection of improving lives.
2017 Goals & Initiatives
As we journey through 2017, we will continue to place emphasis on our initiative to be the best place to work. We’ll remain centered on recruiting the right franchisees and the right employees, along with a focus on training and retaining.
We will move forward with our Six Systems, and we will also concentrate more on identifying and bringing on the right customers.
We’ve laid a strong foundation and we’re well positioned to build upon it, continue our growth and success, and ultimately improve lives and communities even more than we already have.
Now is the time to be ALL IN.
If you still need a little confirmation we’re headed in the right direction, we recently heard an economist speak at a meeting we attended for landscaping professionals. The long and short of it is that he shared a positive outlook for our industry, predicting a really strong future for us as well as for our country.
So, there are no more excuses, now is the time. This is the year to invest in your business, and see a return. It’s time to apply your resources, your energy, your passion–It’s time to get off the fence and be ALL IN.
U.S. Lawns Franchisees Chris Seaborne & Tim Harrell, along with U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson were inducted into the U.S. Lawns Hall of Fame. Chris and Tim started their Frederick, MD franchise in March 1999 when both were about 20 years old. They wanted to own their own business. With a truck, mower, weedeater and a chain saw to start with, they had a vision. They attended a U.S. Lawns Annual Conference, liked what they saw, signed a franchise agreement, and they hit the ground running from day one.
U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson joined U.S. Lawns in 1995 and helped grow the company from a regional 18-franchise network to an industry leader with over 250 commercial landscape management franchises nationwide.
Hall of Fame members are individuals who exemplify the mission and vision of U.S. Lawns. This is the company’s most prestigious award.
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U.S. Lawns is getting ready to wrap up their 30th year in business. Having started with one franchise location, the company has since expanded to include over 250 locations in 42 states.
“While our company has certainly grown over the past 30 years, our commitment to our clients and our franchisees has never wavered,” said Ken Hutcheson, President of U.S. Lawns. “I am proud of the service we deliver, the team we have built, and the milestones we have hit. I am excited about our company’s future and honored to work alongside such fine people.”
President Ken Hutcheson, was selected to speak at the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Emerging Franchisor Conference. The conference will take place November 16 to 18 in New Orleans, LA. His discussion is called Building a Rockstar Team – the Untold Secrets. In his talk, Hutcheson will share valuable advice including tips on how to build a strong team while balancing short and long term profitability.
U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson is a leader in the commercial landscape industry, and as such, was featured on LawnSite’s live ‘Ask the Expert’ session, titled “Make Money All Winter.”
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