1. HOW I STARTED - How I got here - and why I don't recommend buying a mowing franchise.

My backstory - how I got here - and why I don't recommend buying a mowing franchise.

"Gone! 5 years of my life down the drain! Everything that I worked for and everything that made it possible to work, Stolen from me!"

I started mowing lawns for pocket money when I was about 12 as you do. My dad and my Pa taught me how to use the mower and brush cutter. I started by mowing my grandparents' house at the end of a court and soon enough the neighbours had me doing theirs too. 

As I got older and finished school, my Pa had passed away and I had forgotten about mowing grass for pocket money. I decided to do a trade and became a qualified carpenter.

I was a "chippy" for about 5 years, and I was making ok money, until one night ALL of my tools got stolen from my ute! Right in front of my house. Stupid me didn't have insurance..

So almost straight away I had to make a choice. Somehow replace all my tools or try something different?

So, I gave up and set out to find a "regular job". I found one pretty quickly, installing and fabricating windows. The job was ok, but I soon realised that going back to work for someone and making them money was just not for me.

Don't get me wrong, the boss was a great guy and it was a good business, which made my decision even harder when it came time to leave. But I wanted to be in his position, I wanted to be the boss and make money for me not someone else. I wanted the freedom.

I started to think about what kind of business I could get into, excluding going back to carpentry. What was I passionate about? What was I good at? How could I make decent money without working crazy hours? And honestly, I couldn't come up with much.

I had a brainwave to invent some products out of timber and start a business, but it didn't quite take off. (although, funny story, a few years later Bunnings started selling something very similar. Bugger!) Then I actually started a business, installing gutter guard. I made business cards and flyers, I googled everything about installing it and what products were better and I even became a preferred supplier for gutter guard. BUT, not one single customer! I had no idea what I was doing..

Then one day at a friend's house as I was coming to terms with again going back to a "regular job". I was looking through the classifieds section in the paper to see what was on offer and there it was. Not a job, but a business for sale. A mowing and gardening business, a well-known franchise actually.

All of a sudden I had memories flooding back, me mowing my grandparents lawn in the spring, smelling the freshly cut grass, my Pa yelling at me "You're going the wrong bloody way" and getting that cash that seemed like so much back then. I thought this could be it. 

Everything looked good. Soon enough I took a loan out and started the business within about 3 months ( a bit longer than I expected)

A franchise system does work well. Basically, they take you by the hand and help you get started. You can buy a customer list like I did and have work straight away (well after 3 months) and then they start feeding you new customer "leads". Their systems work well, you have support and you have their branding. But on top of my initial purchase I was paying a considerable amount in lead fees and franchise fees.

Once my business was up and running it didn't take me long to realise it wasn't so hard and scary to start, I just didn't know how at the time. I stopped taking on new work "leads" as I had plenty of clients and word of mouth takes care of that. What did I need the franchise for? In fact, I wondered why I needed them in the first place? 

It's because I didn't know what I was doing, and they know that. They take advantage of this "scary" or difficult start up period by offering a kind of done for you package. But in reality, it's not all that difficult if you know the steps to take. And after my initial start-up period, nearly everything I learned was through my own experiences.

A lot of guys coming into these systems have never had a business before and franchise systems make it an easy but very expensive way into one. Don't get me wrong, franchises work, and they have great systems with great brand awareness. And going independent isn't for everyone.

I spent a lot of money that could have stayed in my pocket. My initial purchase was $22,000 for a customer list, $20k for equipment, plus an extra $5k that I wasn't aware of for costs including the franchise training and compulsory purchases. Then on top of that I paid around $7-8k per year for franchise fees and lead fees - for 7 years! That's roughly $100k in total just for the right to use their name!

Well you might ask why didn't I just leave then? Why wait 7 years. Well I was trapped. Once I realised that I didn't need them I thought great, I'll get out and keep the extra cash. But unfortunately, it's a lot harder than that. Technically they can own the good will of your clients, meaning you can't just leave and take them with you, also there are non-compete clauses when you sign your contract. Ok fair enough. So, I decided I'm going to sell up and start again. 

My problem was I had built my business pretty big, but no one wanted to buy it. I was selling a decent customer list with a whole set up of equipment for a thriving business with enough work for two full time employees. But I could not sell it..

I was into my fifth year and I wanted out of the franchise system. I tried everything to sell it. I advertised everywhere, emails, facebook, made my own posters, gumtree, newspapers, business websites, magazines, you name it!

I spent thousands. I dropped the price continually. Two years later I walked away (with my equipment). My franchise system had failed me. I am not a salesman, and no one wanted to buy into the franchise coming directly from me and I had not been given any direction on how to set the business up in a way that made it easier to sell. The higher up guys in the system, the ones that are there for "support", they gave me nothing - below minimal support. 

So, after 7 years I came out very disappointed with my experience. Although they had given me a good start, it ultimately cost me money, time and more importantly lots of stress.

But I did come out with great deal of knowledge that I learned through my own experiences in my business and not from their training which is much less than you might think.

I learned how to charge top dollar and run a great business with happy customers. I I found out you don't need a huge advertising budget to get new work and you don't need to pay franchise fees to have a good brand.

It's not about having a big name behind you. It's about doing a great job and taking pride in your work. Your customers will love you and they will pay you.

My business was very far from perfect, but I did get it to the point where I was charging $100 plus per hour, taking home a decent wage each week as well as paid holidays. 

In my last 3 years I had over 30 weeks paid holidays travelling with my partner friends and family. Coming from Vic I went on fishing trips to Darwin and Cooktown with the boys. Vietnam with my dad, sister and brother in-law. Cairns, Sydney and Europe twice with my partner. All while the business was still running. 

I can show you how to have a great business that brings a great lifestyle with it. Without paying tens of thousands to big company and without being stuck in a system. 

I say save your money, use it to get better equipment and some advertising. Keep the rest.

Do you have an opportunity to start something new? 

Do you want to start your own business?

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