The Unexpected Path to Entrepreneurship
When you think of a successful small business owner, the image that often comes to mind is someone who has been passionate about their industry for years and meticulously plans and prepares to launch their own venture.
But the reality is that the path to entrepreneurship can take many unexpected turns.
That’s certainly the case for Lance, a former truck driver who found himself in a position where he needed to make a major career change. In just 18 short months, he built a thriving Jim’s Mowing franchise.
As Lance explains in the video, a back injury forced him to leave his long-time job as a truck driver.
With a family to support and no other obvious career options, he found himself at a crossroads.
That’s when he stumbled upon some videos about the Jim’s Mowing franchise on social media – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Overcoming Self-Doubt and Diving In
Like many would-be entrepreneurs, Lance initially had his doubts. “If he can do it, then he’s not Superman. I can do it; why can’t I?” he recalls thinking after watching videos of other successful Jim’s Mowing franchisees.
The prospect of starting a completely new career was daunting, especially without any prior experience in the landscaping or gardening industry.
But Lance’s back injury had left him with few other options.
As he explains, “I had no other choices. I wasn’t a qualified plumber, didn’t know anything else, and I couldn’t go into a factory job or anything because I had a back problem.”
With his former career no longer an option, he knew he had to take a leap of faith.
So Lance did his due diligence, speaking to several existing Jim’s Mowing franchisees to get a better sense of the business’s requirements.
And despite some initial scepticism, he was ultimately won over by the support and guidance provided by the franchise team.
Diving Into Training and Building a Customer Base
With his mind made up, Lance dove headfirst into the Jim’s Mowing training program.
As a complete newcomer to the landscaping industry, he had a lot to learn – but the comprehensive training provided by the franchise gave him the confidence and skills he needed to hit the ground running.
One of the key things that stood out to Lance was the franchise’s approach to lead generation and customer acquisition.
As he explains, “The great thing about Jim’s is that you can go from driving a truck or, you know, to that, to running your own mowing business…the opportunities are so amazing.”
- The franchise provided Lance with his initial ten customers to get him started, which gave him a solid foundation upon which to build.
- From there, he leveraged the franchise’s robust lead generation system to rapidly expand his customer base, growing from those initial 10 customers to a staggering 190 regular clients in just 18 months.
- Lance credits the franchise’s support and guidance as a key factor in his rapid growth, noting that he was able to learn from the experiences of other franchisees and avoid some of the common pitfalls.
Of course, the early days weren’t without their challenges. Lance recounts a particularly disastrous first day on the job, during which he ended up at the wrong property for hours and drained his car battery.
But he persevered, and within a month, he felt much more comfortable and confident in his new role.
Building a Thriving Business and Transforming His Finances
As Lance’s customer base grew, so too did his financial success. He describes the stark contrast between his financial situation before and after starting his Jim’s Mowing franchise, likening it to “chalk and cheese.”
Before joining Jim’s, Lance and his family were just getting by, with little room for savings or luxuries.
“For 20 years, it was just get by the year, get by the year, pay for the kids’ footy training, pay for that, pay for everything,” he recalls. “There was no ever like, ‘I remember we saved up to go on a holiday, and it took us like two years to save up.'”
But now, Lance’s financial situation is dramatically different.
Not only is he comfortably covering his family’s expenses, but he’s also building significant savings and even employing two staff members to help with the workload.
As Lance puts it, “Now I’ve got I’m saving, I’m saving more than I’m spending, and like, I’ve got employees now…the money that your bank account grows, and you’re like, ‘I’ve never seen that all the years was my bank account depreciated. Now it’s appreciating.'”
The Power of Collaboration and Community
One aspect of the Jim’s Mowing franchise that has been particularly valuable for Lance is the sense of community and collaboration among the franchisees.
As he explains, he’s built a close-knit group of fellow Jim’s Mowing business owners who provide support, advice, and inspiration.
“I’ve got two or three mates, and we are all in Jim’s Mowing. We speak daily,” Lance says. “That way, you can, you know, ‘Hey, if you’re feeling frustrated, you can tell them about what you’re frustrated about, and they can calm you down.'”
This peer-to-peer support has been instrumental in helping Lance navigate the ups and downs of running his own business. He’s been able to learn from the experiences of other franchisees, share best practices, and even collaborate on new ideas and initiatives.
As Lance puts it, “You can brainstorm issues, and you can get it sorted. That would be, I think, the thing that made my business grow the quickest because you can, ‘Oh, what are you doing to get your customers? What did you do? Oh, I did this. Oh, why didn’t I think of that?'”
Advice for Aspiring Jim’s Mowing Franchisees
Based on his own experience, Lance has some valuable advice for anyone considering starting a Jim’s Mowing franchise:
- Build a support network: “Try to get like a friendship group, so to build like…a group, so you can, you know, ‘Hey, if you’re feeling frustrated, you can tell them about what you’re frustrated about, and they can calm you down.'”
- Don’t be afraid to take risks: “Just go at it, don’t be scared. I remember when I got the…I didn’t want to hedge on my, ’cause I was nervous. I thought, ‘I can’t hedge now.’ I look at hedging, and I love hedging.”
- Leverage the franchise’s resources: “The great thing about Jim’s is that you can go from driving a truck or, you know, to that, to running your own mowing business…the opportunities are so amazing.”
For Lance, starting a Jim’s Mowing franchise has been a life-changing experience.
It has transformed his financial situation and given him a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment.
As he puts it, “My life changes again, and you mentioned it with Jim, but financially, just how much weight of your mind is it in the position you are now compared to what you were?
Chalk and cheese, like, uh, when I first joined, like I said, it was, we got by, and like, you know, weren’t doing it hard, but there was none of that comfort, free, you know, we used to buy things, and I’d look at like, ‘Oh God, like we’re getting close,’ like, ‘Hey,’ and I tell my wife, ‘No, no, not this week.’ Now it’s changed.
Now I’ve got, I’m saving, I’m saving more than I’m spending, and like, I’ve got employees now, like, and I look at the employees, and I think, ‘Wow, like I could have really dreamed about that.'”
If you’re considering starting your own Jim’s Mowing franchise, Lance’s story is a testament to the incredible opportunities that the franchise can provide.
With the right mindset, a willingness to take risks, and the support of the franchise team and your fellow franchisees, the sky’s the limit.
To learn more about the Jim’s Mowing franchise and how you can get started, visit the Jim’s Group website or call 131 546.
If you’re interested in connecting with me, Joel Kleber, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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