Month: July 2016

Success Profile: Grant & Kyle Faulk

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Market: Weed Man Dothan and Montgomery, AL

Number of Locations: 2

Education: The twin brothers graduated from Auburn University – Grant in Building Science and Kyle in Landscape Design.

Career Background: After graduating, Grant worked for Manhattan Construction and Kyle with Post Properties, both in Atlanta. Three years post-grad they decided to move back to their hometown of Dothan. They had always wanted to own their own business and decided to join forces to open a landscaping business, Lakewood Landscape Group in 2005. In 2010, the Faulks’ decided to purchase Weed Man Dothan as an add-on business.

Family: Grant is married to Elizabeth and they have two kids, Laura and Will. Kyle is married to Melissa and they have two kids, Whit and Libby, and are expecting this fall.

Why Weed Man? Our independent business had reached its five-year mark and we saw that the business would benefit from structured systems. We created our business from thin air and the lack of systems made it difficult for things to function smoothly and consistently. When we found Weed Man, we found a 40-year old business with proven systems and experience. We were attending a landscape conference in Tennessee to help our business and Weed Man was one of the sponsors. Franchising was never a thought of ours before but after the company’s presentation, we knew we found the missing link. Two years later we pulled the trigger and opened our franchise.

What are you most proud of so far as a Weed Man franchisee?

There have been many satisfying moments as a Weed Man franchisee and as an independent business owner.   From a customer standpoint, when they renew their services with us and trust us to care for their lawn again the following year, we take pride in that.  It fuels us to do better and continue to earn their business.  From a business owner standpoint, seeing our team develop is the most rewarding thing.  When you go from doing all the work, to training and coaching others to do that same work it is very rewarding.  It continues to drive us to get better and provide room for growth for our entire team.

What is the key to your success?

We foster a culture of gratitude, hard work and respect.  We expect a lot from our team but we try hard to show them how much we appreciate them.  When people know they are appreciated and respected they are more likely to stick around and be a part of the future.

What’s next for you and your franchise?

We’re focused on growing and developing our team right now.  There are many areas for us to improve and that is where we are putting our energy.

How do you balance both the independent business and Weed Man? That is a challenge that we get better at each year.  We’re learning to set clear lines of responsibility that we can both operate within.  We work closely with two consultants, Jason Cupp and Bob Coulter.  Their leadership and wisdom along the way has been crucial.

Any entrepreneurial advice? The business model and systems at Weed Man work.  There is no need to reinvent the wheel.  It requires relentless energy, money, time and support from home to begin with.  There will be many obstacles along the way but if you persevere and find good people for your team, you will be successful.

If you’re interested in learning more about franchise opportunities in your area, visit us online at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 1-888-321-9333 today!

 

Weed Man’s Top 10 Quotes to Inspire Success

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At Weed Man, we have plenty of success stories to tell. But, we’ve been in your shoes and look at where we are today – Weed Man is One of the Best Franchises to Buy, as reported by Forbes and North America’s Fastest-Growing Lawn Care Franchises, according to Entrepreneur magazine (among many other accolades). Getting started can often be the hardest part of any entrepreneurial journey; but if you have the will, there’s a way. To fuel your fire, here are our Top 10 Quotes to Inspire Success.

“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon

“Talk and give your opinion, but also listen, reflect and take to heart what other people have to say.” – Jennifer Lemcke, C.O.O., Weed Man USA

“The only thing worse than starting something and failing…is not starting something.” – Seth Godin

“Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.” – Sara Blakely

“Everything started as nothing.” –  Ben Weissenstein

“The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.” – Adam Osborne

“All of us do not have equal talent. Yet, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.” – Ratan Tata

If you are interested in learning more about the Weed Man franchise opportunity, visit us online at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 1-888-321-9333.

Happy Customers

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Happy Customers

At Weed Man, we are extremely customer service-oriented. We try our very best at all times, to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations; because not only are we committed to the environment, we are also committed to our philosophy of “Promises Kept.” We offer customers open and honest communication and educate homeowners to ensure they are equipped with the information to help their lawn meet its full potential. The true value of Weed Man’s services is realized only when both the company and the customer are doing their part. But it doesn’t stop there! Here are some helpful tips for keeping your customers happy.

Train Your Employees.

At Weed Man, our employees are the backbone of the company. We take pride in offering ongoing training, to ensure all staff is equipped with the skills and tools necessary for providing excellent customer service.

Look Professional.

Dressing the part is half the battle. If your business doesn’t already offer employees branded uniforms, we suggest considering it! Weed Man technicians, customer outreach representatives and other in-field staff members are given uniforms to help create recognition throughout local communities, and to promote a professional, put-together look. If uniforms are not an option, try implementing a dress code to ensure every employee is meeting your company’s attire standards.

Pay Attention.

It’s imperative that you hear what customers are saying. Feedback, whether it is positive or negative, can help your company improve and grow…successfully! Communication is a two-way street. Saying that, there’s no point in listening if you’re not going to take customer feedback seriously. Point of sale dialogue is a crucial part of the process. Customers will surely use these encounters to form an overall opinion of your business.

Be Honest and Open.  At Weed Man, we pride ourselves on offering customers open communication. If we make a mistake, we own it. If customers are not satisfied with the results on their lawn, we will visit their home within 48 hours to resolve the situation.

Communicate. Stay in touch with your consumers. Creating a relationship with them will make them feel more at ease and with that, the likeliness of referrals and continuous service increases. To stay connected, consider writing regular emails and/or e-newsletters (we suggest about twice a month), create useful and informative marketing pieces and even consider making phone calls to ensure they are happy with the service they’re receiving.

To learn more about franchise opportunities in your area, visit us online at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 1-888-321-9333.

5 Reasons Why Keeping It Simple Works

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Keeping it Simple

In today’s day and age, technology is constantly evolving and making our lives more fun and certainly more interesting, but at the same time, it can sometimes make life just a little more complicated. Don’t you agree? Weed Man boasts over 45 years of experience in the industry. We are constantly innovating, but our core values and ideologies have always remained the same. The Weed Man system provides protected territories, comprehensive training, exclusive computer and marketing systems, dominant purchasing power and a commitment to training…the roots to our successful green industry business and some of the largest factors that contribute to being nationally recognized by Forbes magazine as One of the Best Franchises to Buy, by Entrepreneur as the #1 franchise in lawn care, by CNBC as one of nine franchises that can make you rich, as well as many other impressive accolades!

How do we do it? We keep it simple!  Here’s why:

  1. Everyone can grasp it. Not everyone is as technologically-inclined as Mark Zuckerberg and at Weed Man, we are well aware of that. The more complicated the systems are, the greater the risk. By keeping our systems user-friendly, we are increasing the network’s chance of success.
  2. It’s easier to duplicate our successes. As they say, if something works, why change it?! Last year alone, Weed Man USA reported over $82 million in system-wide revenue. We must be doing something right!
  3. The results are measurable. In everything we do, our systems have been conceived, tested, refined and ultimately proven to increase efficiency and profitability. We have taken the time to create standardized procedures that are based upon measurable results to ensure success. It’s imperative to know what’s working and what isn’t.
  4. It requires less to achieve greater. Keeping the strategy simple is effective because it allows everyone to better understand the use of our systems, as well as the results, ultimately shortening the necessary training process and accelerating the time to overall business success; and thus, watching the company experience exponential growth.
  5. Customer retention. As written by Harvard Business Review ‘Many brands lead consumers down confusing purchase paths. The savviest ones simplify and personalize the route.’ We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Keeping the sales process straight forward, makes it easier to for the customer to understand and therefore, increases revenue and helps the business achieve success.

If you are interested in learning more about franchise opportunities in your area, visit us online at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call 1-888-321-9333. We look forward to hearing from you!