Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165924
cover story the same time I did," Stain says. "We had a friendly competition going to see who could grow the fastest. We set the bar higher for each other." Aided by the support services provided by U.S. Lawns, growth has come easily for Stain, a former computer programmer. After eight years, his Little Rock franchise now runs 15 service trucks, and the Springfield franchise, which he bought in January, runs three. "I think I could have started a similar business and done well," Stain says. "But I couldn't have grown as fast as I did without the (franchise) systems in place. I didn't have to reinvent the wheel. All I had to do was use their proven system." From craftsman to businessman Stain is one of about 260 U.S. Lawns franchisees in 42 states, with 25 to 30 more coming on board annually. And his success illustrates the advantages franchises provide, says Brandon Moxam, director of franchise recruiting at U.S. Lawns, a commerciallandscape maintenance business. "There's an old adage that says you should work on your business, not in your business – build and develop it," Moxam says. "The idea is to get a crew started, add more business, replicate that crew, add more business, replicate another crew and so on. "It's attractive because they don't have to do the business completely on their own," Moxam adds. "There is a process in place, for everything from The Grounds Guys, another landscape franchise comcold-calling prospects to putting pany, offers services including landscape management, together estimates to job scheduling irrigation, outdoor lighting and snow/ice removal. Named a Top 500 franchise by Entrepreneur magazine in 2010, Boulder Design specializes in personalized boulders for residential and commercial projects. 2 8 To ta l L a n d s cap eCare.c om TLC0913_CoverStory.indd 28 S E P T E M B E R 2 013 8/27/13 10:37 AM