Month: March 2016

The Danger of Doing Everything Yourself

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Dangers of Doing Everything Yourself

Starting a business is no easy feat, but taking the road to entrepreneurship is a dream for many. The idea of being your own boss is appealing and being in control of your own destiny only makes the pie taste sweeter. But before you sit down and write up your business plan, consider your options. Franchising, in any industry, can offer you everything you’ve dreamed of, including business success and the chance of owning your very own business.

If you decide to start from the bottom, on your own…

  • Beware of product risk. It’s important that you’re 100% confident in the product you’re selling. Choosing your product(s) may sound like a simple task, but make sure you do your research so you can clearly explain the product itself, as well as what problem it solves and why your customers should invest in it.
  • Know your market. Study your potential customers, learn about their personalities, likes, dislikes, buying habits, demographic etc. This can take up a lot of time, but it’s imperative to know who you’re selling to and whether the market is big enough to even pursue.
  • Be prepared financially. You never know what unexpected costs are going to pop-up when you’re starting your own business from the ground up. Have more than you need in the bank prior to your launch. To be fully prepared, you’ll need to create a detailed business plan with weekly, monthly and yearly schedules. This will also be time-consuming, but it will help build confidence in your potential investors, if you plan to seek financial help elsewhere.
  • Recruit the right people. The idea of leading a one-man show is ideal, no doubt; but if you’re planning to grow your business, it’s important to have a reliable, knowledgeable staff to lean on. Employee retention is a concern when it comes to many business owners, so make sure you hire people who are knowledgeable in your industry of choice and ones who plan to be long-term employees.
  • Lastly, execution. New entrepreneurs can easily get distracted by the excitement of starting their own business and often lose sight of the important stuff. It’s important that you stay calm, organized and keep your overall strategy in mind while running your business.

What franchising can offer…

  • Weed Man’s exclusive blend fertilizer cannot be bought in stores. It has served our customers’ needs for over 45 years and that is priceless. Because we purchase in bulk, our franchisees get to take advantage of our national buying power and receive the best pricing available.
  • We know our market. In fact, we utilize data management software to pin-point the exact demographic of our customers, right down to their income, number of children (if any), occupation, what type of car they drive, specific buying habits and more. We offer an impressive customer retention rate of 75-80% and our franchisees also enjoy recurring revenues year after year.
  • Once we determine that the Weed Man franchise opportunity is a good fit for both parties involved, we are happy to help provide financing assistance, if needed.
  • Our network of Weed Man franchisors represents decades of lawn care operation experience, which has been fine-tuned into a system that allows franchisees to run a successful lawn care company with no prior lawn care or agronomic training or knowledge.
  • The entire Weed Man organization is 100% dedicated to providing franchisees with the best possible opportunity available. We’ve developed a training, systems and support network unlike any other and when you join the Weed Man family, we work together to ensure that you receive all of the support you need in order to excel in your new business.

For more information on the Weed Man franchise opportunity, visit us online at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 888-321-9333.

Why Lawn Care?

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Why Lawn Care

Are you considering starting your own business? Franchising could be the option for you! Become a part of an already-established company in the green industry. But, why lawn care?

A greater percentage of homeowners are hiring professional lawn and landscape maintenance companies. Dual income families and maturing Baby Boomers alike, people with more disposable income, are employing the services of the green industry so they can spend more time enjoying life and to ease the burdens of maintaining their homes. In addition to the increased priority of living life to the fullest, consumers are starting to recognize the value of a home lawn and a professionally maintained one at that! Many “do-it-yourselfers” are proof enough – the price of the products, the hassle of mixing and applying those products and, of course, the angst of uncertain results are all viable factors as to why Weed Man services over 350,000 customers. A lush and healthy turf also promotes a healthy environment and can even increase the value of a home, further increasing the demand for our services.

As a Weed Man franchisee, you’ll have access to our proven business model, exclusive software, an unparalleled support system and so much more! You’ll have all of the tools required to take advantage of the success the green industry is seeing. Not to mention, you can count on majority of your customers automatically renewing their contract with you each year, providing you and your business with recurring revenues and allowing the company to focus marketing efforts on net growth rather than repeat sales, leaving you with the confidence of knowing your business is constantly expanding.

And despite the ongoing vulnerability of the economy, our business plan is as recession-resistant as possible. Lawn care services continue to be a desired service by many homeowners. Across all demographics, consumers understand the value of a healthy looking lawn and our services allot for only a small slice of -the average consumer’s disposable income. While nothing is 100% recession-proof, many of our franchisees have flourished during recessions.

Join Weed Man today! For more information on opportunities in your area, visit us at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 888-321-9333.

Leadership: An Interview with Weed Man’s C.O.O.

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Leadership.jpg

“True leadership lies in guiding others to success – in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well.”
–Bill Owens

Weed Man USA C.O.O Jennifer Lemcke believes that “positive thought leadership is so important – not focusing on just the problem, but bringing up solutions.” Being the C.O.O. of the largest franchised lawn care company across North America, Lemcke has a lot on her plate, but she does it well. Not only does she exude several character traits of a true born leader, she also puts the work in to better herself, the company and the success of Weed Man franchisees.

What is the most important question leaders should ask themselves to gauge their effectiveness, and why?

 It is the role of a good leader to always be asking themselves, “What is my end goal?” Whether it is a long-tern or short-term goal or project, it’s important to have that in mind to help prioritize what is important on any given day. Business leaders tend to get pushed and pulled in so many directions over the course of a day that they may start to equate the amount of work – no matter what it is – as progress. When in fact, a lot of that work is busy work and isn’t helping them to reach that end goal. The best way to stay on track is to make sure metrics are implemented. At Weed Man, we use metrics for everything and it’s what keeps me focused on where my time needs to be spent. When the metrics are telling our team that something is not working right on a big project, I know that I need focus my efforts on figuring out what the metrics are communicating to our team and where we need to adjust – but always with the goal in mind.

How can this kind of self-assessment and introspection help you become a better leader?

 Staying focused on the end goal and following the metrics designed to get me there has helped me become a leader that really takes ownership of projects. I am always thinking about work and how we can be doing things better. Instead handing something off, I really immerse myself in the project until it’s complete. Even if that means putting on a uniform to go out into the field! Sometimes that’s the only way to get a real answer for any problems and as leader that kind of attention to detail will filter through the whole organization.

As M.D. Arnold once said, “A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them.”

Do you have any general advice for leaders who are trying to improve?

 Align the work you do with the goal you are trying to achieve. Ask yourself whether the work you’re doing is getting you closer to your goal or is it just busy work? Whenever I oversee a project, I want to show to my team that I have our ultimate goal in mind, whether that be driving more customers to our service or supporting our franchisees in growing their business.

What do you think sells prospective franchisees on Weed Man USA? What do you hear from existing franchisees?

The fact that we’re a family. We are a close-knit group. We know each other’s kid’s names, hobbies, what the weather’s like etc. Sometimes, I’m probably too engaged, but we have trust, which is something we take pride in, especially within the sub-franchisor group. When we say we’re going to do something, we do it and if we mess up, our franchisees know we will fix it. In addition to that, our systems are a large factor of our franchisees’ success. Prospects are encouraged to contact existing franchisees and they always open up about financials and back up their success. We really don’t have to sell it anymore.

If you are interested in learning more about franchise opportunities in your area, visit us at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 888-321-9333.