Questions to Ask Your Potential Franchisor

Questions to Ask Franchisor

Starting your own franchise can be intimidating for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest perks that franchisees get to enjoy when investing in a business, is the fact that it is already established and likely, a reputable company. However, just like any ordinary job interview, when you’re preparing to speak with your potential franchisor to learn more about the opportunity and the company itself, there a number of questions you should ask to really determine whether it is a good fit for you. Here are some important Questions to Ask Your Potential Franchisor. And assuming you’re interested in the possibility of owning a Weed Man franchise, we’ve even given you some answers to a number of frequently asked questions!

Why should I invest in a franchise in _______________?

Weed Man was recently named One of the Best Franchises to Buy by Forbes magazine. Aside from our great reputation in the industry, Weed Man also offers:

  • An impressive customer retention rate of approximately 75-80%
  • Recurring revenues
  • In-depth business planning to help keep your business current, within budget and on track for long-term success
  • National buying power
  • Cross-marketing opportunities that can help existing companies bring new customers through the door
  • Proven systems that help increase efficiency and profitability
  • Comprehensive, ongoing training
  • Unparalleled support, provided by sub-franchisors across the country, as well as our corporate team
  • Advanced marketing systems that have been proven to work
  • High profit margins and asset-building to help you secure your future and retirement
  • And so much more!

What are the capital requirements to become a  _________________ franchisee?

Capital requirements are different depending on the business, the industry and what the initial franchising fee includes, but at Weed Man, it is as follows:

Single Territory (Population up to 150,000)

Double Territory (Population up to 300,000)

Franchise Fee: $20,000

Franchise Fee: 33,750

Initial Investment: $43,700

Initial Investment: $58,540

Capital Investment: $103,700

Capital Investment: $118,450

 

What is included in my initial franchising fee?

At Weed Man, your investment includes the following:

Initial Training Exclusive Computer System
Trained in all aspects of the business State-of-the-art system
Administration Developed especially for Weed Man
Computer Integral part of the Weed Man organization
Technical User-friendly
Marketing  
Business planning  
Long-term planning  

Additional fees include: royalties and contribution to Weed Man’s advertising fund, which provides national buying and brand awareness.

How do you royalty fees work?

At Weed Man, we offer franchisees a declining royalty structure, so you get rewarded for growing your business.

What is your training program like?

Weed Man’s initial training session is spread over a 10-day period, covering all of the essential topics to help steer you and your new business in the direction of success. From your initial training to ongoing seminars, to the constant support of your franchisor, you’re never alone! The Weed Man family goes above and beyond to make sure that you’re thoroughly trained and primed for success.

Do our values and culture align?

At Weed Man, we do our due diligence in finding new franchisees and we suggest that you do the same. Your initial consultation is only the beginning. Prepare yourself for a number of phone calls and meetings prior to becoming a Weed Man franchisee. We like to take the time to really determine whether the opportunity is a good fit for both parties.

Do you provide grand opening support?

We help provide you and your new business with all of the support needed, especially in your first months. Our public relations agency will do their best to secure local media to attend your grand opening.

How long have you been franchising your company?

Weed Man has been in business for over 45 years, opening our first location in 1970. Weed Man started franchising six years later, in 1976. Currently sold out in Canada, Weed Man has seen rapid growth across the U.S. since 2000.

Some other questions you may want to ask your potential franchisor:

Can I speak with some existing franchisees before I make a decision?

Do you offer assistance with financing?

What territories are open in my area?

For how long is the franchise granted and what happens at the end of that period?

What happens if I decide the business isn’t for me, once the contract has been signed?

Are franchisees experiencing success with your model?

What support do you offer beyond the initial training?

What are the profitability and cash flow projections for my market?

What kind of marketing support do you provide?

Why should I choose your business to franchise?

How do you resolve disagreements or disputes?

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

 

 

Our Top 10 Quotes on Failure

Quotes on Failure.jpg

In every aspect of life, including business, failure at one point or another is inevitable. Although many people fear failure, many entrepreneurs do not; and that helps provide them with the ingredients they need to succeed. Accepting any fear can be scary, but accepting the fear of failure, for many, can be too much to stomach, and instead, forces people to give up on their entrepreneurial aspirations. But with the right expectations, that fear can be powerful and lead you on a path to success – one that you will never look back on. Here are our Top 10 Quotes on Failure for a little bit of motivation for anyone considering leaving their dreams behind and living a life they don’t love.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Denis Waitley

“It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” – Ellen DeGeneres

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash

“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates

“I think you have to try and fail, because failure gets you closer to what you’re good at.” – Louis C.K.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” –  Thomas Edison

“You always pass failure on your way to success.” – Mickey Rooney

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

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.

The Danger of Doing Everything Yourself

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?

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.

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.

 

Franchisee Success Profile: Tom Mauer

FRANCHISEE SUCCESS PROFILE: TOM MAUER

Tom Mauer

Market: Weed Man Springfield-Hartford in Massachusetts

Number of Locations: In January 2016, I purchased four additional territories, so we now operate nine territories in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut.

Education: I received an Associate’s Degree in Landscape Management from Springfield Technical Community College, and graduated from UMass Amherst with a Bachelor Degree.

Career Background: Prior to becoming a Weed Man franchisee, I owned a landscape company with my partners. We operated a full-service landscape business—complete with lawn care, snow plowing, etc.—and were trying to grow the lawn care side of our business. We were struggling to achieve our growth marks and had worked with marketing companies, but I wanted more than just good looking brochures and signage that they provided. I started looking at franchises for help with branding and marketing, as well as improving efficiency in our operations. That’s when we were introduced to Weed Man USA and decided to purchase a franchise.

I’ve always had a love for the green industry and my partners and I owned the landscaping business for 20 years before we purchased Weed Man as on add-on business. Once I saw the depth of support from Weed Man and the experience of the people driving the franchise, I sold my share of the landscaping business to focus solely on the growth of my Weed Man territories.

What are you most proud of so far as a Weed Man franchisee? Creating a great growth opportunity for my employees and building a team who was awarded the 2015 Weed Man Award of Excellence.

What is the key to your success? My key to success is just to be absolutely committed to following the plan and systems set in place by Weed Man. It’s important to trust the franchise– there is nothing to be gained by trying to do it on your own when you have proven tools and processes to grow your business.

What’s next for you and your franchise? I was recently honored as Weed Man USA’s 2015 Award of Excellence recipient and received the Marketing Performance (over $1.5 million) award at the company’s annual conference. Both awards are testament that I made the right decision to go with Weed Man to achieve the business growth I was seeking, along with the support system of meticulous planning and marketing plans. I’ve recently purchased an additional franchise territory and am thrilled to be expanding our service area. With continued growth, our team is excited about new opportunities for employees to grow with the company. As we develop our people and build bench strength in our staff, we plan to look for additional areas to consider for expansion.

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

Franchisee Success Profile: Andy Kurth

Andy Kurth

FRANCHISEE SUCCESS PROFILE: ANDY KURTH

Market: Madison, Wisconsin

Number of Locations: 6

Education: I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and received my degree in Soil Science with an emphasis in Turf Management and Agri-business.

Career Background: I got involved in the lawn care business starting in high school. During the summers, I worked for a company full-time installing irrigation systems. I began attending college right around the same time that my father purchased his first Weed Man location in Madison and I spent my summers working for him. It was great to begin that way with the company because I was able to learn many different roles within the business. After college I began working full-time for Weed Man selling franchises. Then by chance, I was given the opportunity to work as a Sales Manager in my dad’s office, which I did for a couple more years before I was promoted to General Manager. Today, I am the president for our six offices in the Midwest.

How has your father influenced you as a business leader? My father Terry Kurth has been a great resource and someone that I go to simply to bounce ideas off of. I worked alongside my dad and together we grew our Weed Man from one location to six through building positive relationships with employees and customers. He is a great communicator, which is one of the areas where I try to model my leadership from the example he set. I’m very thankful that he allowed me the freedom to run the business my way and allowed me to make some mistakes along the way. Now that my dad has stepped back a little from the business I feel much more confident making decisions that impact the business because I have those personal experience to draw on. But there are still times when I need his advice and he’s always willing to help when I ask for it.

What are you most proud of so far as a Weed Man franchisee? Being able to provide opportunities for advancement to our most valuable team members and show how much we appreciate their dedication.  We work hard on generating a culture of talent development. When I took an operational role, I wanted to provide our team with a bigger vision of where we can go and who is going to help us get where we want to be. I truly believe that the backbone of this country is the small business because we are providing people within the community with an opportunity to give back to the communities in which they live. It’s amazing to think that we’ve been able to serve 16,000 customers in the past year and hire nearly 300 employees to help take our business to the next level.

Another proud moment for me and my team was receiving an American flag from an Iraq war veteran. While serving his 5th tour in Iraq we volunteered through an organization to care for his lawn so his family would have one less worry while he was away. One day he surprised us at the office with an American flag that had been flown in their camp in honor of our service to his family. The flag hangs in my office as a reminder of the impact that we are making every day.

What’s next for you and your franchise? The efforts at developing our team and providing them with new opportunities is starting to pay off. We put our valued team members in a position to expand into Texas and Colorado this year. We’ll be working on ways our team can stay informed and work together even though our network is a lot more spread out. It’s a great challenge to have and we look forward to leading the way in developing new systems and processes to accelerate our expansion.

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

New Year. New Technology. New Beginning?

At Weed Man, we’re constantly aiming to improve the overall experience for our customers, all while helping our franchisees better their businesses and innovating to stay aligned with industry trends. Over the past 45 years, not a lot has changed in terms of Weed Man’s business plan, but with technology booming, it’s important that the brand continues to grow in the digital space.

Saying this, customers, franchisees and potential Weed Man owners can expect our new website to launch TODAY! Are you interested in seeing our new look? The easy-to-navigate design and image-based content is what the new and improved Weed Man site is all about. Visit us at www.weedmanusa.com!

Not only does Weed Man offer top-of-the-line marketing support, the head office team is also available for help in administration, agronomics, social media and so much more! We even take care of franchisees’ public relation needs. And to take results to the next level in 2016, our PR firm has added a wide array of new technologies to help extend our reach to thousands of additional media outlets, both traditional and online. The new platforms provide increased media monitoring and results tracking for the whole brand, nationwide.

Check out some of our latest secured placements below:

When it comes to creating a name for ourselves online, it’s safe to say we’re doing a pretty good job. A new website, numerous secured placements, both local and national, and not to mention, we’re also very active on social media! Want to see for yourself?

Check us out on social:

A new year means new technology and many new things to come for Weed Man! Are you interested in a new beginning? If you’re interested in learning more about opportunities in your area, contact us today at 888-321-9333or visit www.weedmanfranchise.com.

New Year

 

Top 10 Reasons to Invest in a Weed Man Franchise

There are many perks to franchising, especially with Weed Man! Check out our Top 10 Reasons to Invest in a Weed Man Franchise.

Brand Awareness

One of the most obvious reasons why franchising is a better option than starting from the bottom, is the fact that you’re buying into an already-established brand. Weed Man has been around for over 45 years. We are the fastest growing lawn care franchise in North America, having added 40+ territories to our roster in 2015 alone.

Proven Systems

With a strong brand and 45 years in the industry, comes a lot of conceiving and testing our systems. We are constantly innovating to provide our customers and franchisees with the most efficient and effective way of doing things. We offer Weed Man owners proprietary software and extensive business planning to ensure nothing but success.

Easier to Obtain Financing

With an extremely thorough business plan, obtaining financing is much easier. Don’t believe us? Listen to this testimonial where Brandon Burns, owner of Weed Man Arlington Heights, IL discusses his experience with applying for financing.

Track Record of Success

Weed Man has a great reputation in the franchise industry. Entrepreneur has ranked Weed Man the #1 Franchise in Lawn Care and we have also been named One of the Best Franchises to Buy by Forbes magazine. Over the 45 years in operation, we have witnessed several franchisees become successful and with our exponential growth and continuous innovation, we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

Extensive Training Provided

When a new franchisee comes aboard, Weed Man hosts extensive training at our corporate headquarters located in Oshawa, Ontario. Everything from administration to marketing to technical and agronomics is covered. Meet the entire head office staff and learn more about why the Weed Man opportunity is so great!

Ongoing Support

New franchisee training isn’t the last you’ll hear from head office. The Weed Man team and your local sub-franchisor are always just a phone call or email away. Not to mention, when you invest in Weed Man, you are part of a family. Your fellow franchisees would be happy to lend a hand, if ever needed.

Marketing Assistance

Need help creating a marketing piece? Contact us! Need help with your social media efforts? We’re here for you. Interested in gaining some PR for your local initiative? No problem! Whatever your need, the Weed Man team is here to support you and the success of your business.

Purchasing Power

Purchasing power is a big advantage of buying into a big franchise such as Weed Man. We have approved vendors for just about everything new Weed Man owners require. When supplying for more than 455 territories, the savings are tremendous.

Hard Work is Rewarded

At Weed Man, we strive to be successful and when our franchisees do a great job, we let them know. Celebrating hard work is important and a great motivator for anyone. In addition to celebrating your everyday successes, we also distribute several awards at our Annual Conference and announce when a franchisee has become a part of our network’s coveted ‘Million Dollar Club.’

Exclusive Territory and Option to Own Multiple Locations

Weed Man has franchises across the country and is even sold out in Canada! When you join the Weed Man team, you invest in your own, exclusive territory, which typically services around 150,000 people. You also have the ability to buy more than one territory. In fact, most Weed Man owners start out with at least two. Want to expand in a different market? No problem! Become a multi-unit franchisee today!

For more information on franchise opportunities in your area, visit us at www.weedmanfranchise.com or call us at 888-321-9333.

Top 10 Reasons to Invest in a Weed Man Franchise

#BusinessTips with Weed Man’s COO

Over the years Weed Man has remained the #1 Franchise in Lawn Care. The company has also been named One of the Best Franchises to Buy by Forbes magazine. Last year alone, the company secured over $83 million in system sales, a 13% increase over 2014. For 2016, the organization is on track to hit the $100 million mark, as we expect to add as many as 50 new territories throughout the United States. Weed Man COO Jennifer Lemcke has helped grow the company “from humble beginnings – one customer at a time.”  And with that said, the savvy business woman has some words of advice for business owners across the globe.

What productivity hack ensures you’re hitting your top priorities and focusing on the right tasks?

I use Outlook religiously – for to-do lists, reminders, scheduling for my personal life and business, appointments, sports games etc. But, if I’m feeling really overwhelmed, I will go ‘back to the basics’ and set up a binder, organize it, highlight things, make indexes and check tasks off as they’re completed. It brings a level of calmness to me.

How did your past work experiences impact your leadership style today?

I have been blessed to have great mentors throughout my working life. The one thing I’ve learned from them over the years is simple: be nice to people and listen. Say ‘hello’ in the morning, smile and be positive. Talk and give your opinion where needed, but also listen to what people have to say, reflect and take other people’s opinions to heart.

Weed Man is very customer-service focused and committed to informing their customers. How do you train that type of commitment?

Every single employee who could possibly be in contact with a customer has a training program, not just outlining the basics, but also explaining the appropriate attitude to have and how to act. A great definition of customer service is ‘a wave’ and with that, comes an analogy that I love to use. When you’re sitting in traffic and someone is trying to merge, if you let them in and they wave and smile, you feel satisfied and happy; but if the driver who merges doesn’t wave or acknowledge your kind act, drivers will typically become agitated and depending on their driving style, could mutter something under their breath, follow tightly behind that car or not let anyone else merge in front of them. It’s the same way in business. Smile, be positive, acknowledge your customers’ needs and desires and they’ll keep letting you in…or, in Weed Man’s case, they’ll keep letting you service their lawn. It’s that simple!

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

#BusinessTips from WM COO