You’ve watched your small, landscaping business grow from an idea into a reality. You’ve poured money and time into your success, and it seems to be paying off. But at the same time, you know you can’t keep up this pace up forever. Your free time is valuable, and your business is gobbling up more and more of it. If only there was a better way to earn your money, and still have the time to enjoy it.
At U.S. Lawns, we take successful landscaping businesses and help them grow even more successful. Over the last 25+ years, we’ve seen many owners take on multiple territories, and significantly decrease their daily workload. It may seem counter-intuitive, but here are some tips on how to run your business with more free time.
- Increase your market share. Talk about counter-intuitive. You probably think that getting bigger is the last thing that’ll buy you free time. But think about it: growth is a driver of income, and allows you to invest in things like management infrastructure, labor, equipment, and other time-saving tools. It’s no coincidence that small business owners are always on the clock, while Fortune 500 CEOs drive home in a limo at 6 p.m. The bigger your company gets, the more you can delegate the daily grind. And U.S. Lawns specializes in helping owners do just that, with everything from recruiting programs to a national sales program to expand your business.
- Go commercial. Residential landscaping can be exhausting. Often, the contractor has to underbid, and contracts aren’t guaranteed from one year to the next, if there even is a contract! When the economy goes bad, real estate is one of the first areas affected. By contrast, commercial landscaping pays better on the whole, and the contracts are generally renewable. It’s also fairly recession-proof, since landscaping is a line item in just about every company’s budget. That’s why at U.S. Lawns we work almost exclusively on commercial accounts, from small businesses to some of the nation’s largest chains.
- Administrative efficiency. Along with your conversion will come a heavier volume of business . . . and a heavier volume of paperwork. A good franchise has a system in place to deal with the increased workload, allowing you more time to do the aspect of the business that you love. That’s hard to do when you’re a sole proprietor, but as part of a nationwide network, you can tap into the support and systems you need. At U.S. Lawns, we offer tools for your business to help you handle the heavy load, such as our operational software. And we also offer something else: personal support from fellow franchisees, business mentors, and a Home Office support staff, all of whom are just a phone call away.
- Human Resources. If you want to grow your business, you’re going to need a staff to support you. This is the difference between a mom and pop shop, where the owner works 18 hour days to get everything done, and a growing business that allows you free time. Know how to recruit and train the best talent? U.S. Lawns makes it easy. We help you recruit constantly, using the web and other tools. And we also offer training in team building and employee retention. We also offer ongoing training to our owners, so they keep getting better and better at leadership.
Want to learn more about how U.S. Lawns can help you join the ranks of successful business owners who’ve made it out of the daily grind? Contact us today and grab your share of the all the opportunities that only a U.S. Lawns franchise can provide.