Rick started his Jim's Mowing franchise in May with no Jim's presence in his town for years.
Twelve months later he has 75 regulars, a paid off $30,000 loan and a business he built from cold calls and Facebook posts.
This is a full year one debrief. Rick and his franchisor Mitch go back through every month.
The slow start waiting for leads. The paid for work guarantee and how he used it. Cold calling an old unserviced client list and still servicing those customers today.
A $20,000 fourth month in the middle of winter. Back to back $8,000 weeks in March as a solo operator. Then April dropping to $5,000 and the anxiety that came with it.
He also talks about what it took out of him.
A bulging disc from the wrong mower. Four or five weeks of working seven days straight. Monthly physio. Learning when to say no to work and how to take a week off without panicking about the lost income.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
How he converted paid for work jobs into six or seven long term regulars
Why he emails his whole customer list before winter and gets a 10 percent hit rate on gutter cleans
The equipment change that fixed his back and kept him in the business
How he prices solar panel cleans while he is already on the roof
Why timing your mows tells you which jobs to price rise
What he is doing about staff in year two
INCOME DISCLAIMER
The income, revenue and profit figures shared in this video reflect one franchisee's individual experience.
They are not a promise, projection or guarantee of earnings.
Results vary based on location, hours worked, effort, skill, market conditions and other factors. Some franchisees earn more and some earn less. Figures may refer to revenue rather than profit unless stated otherwise.
Before making any decision, review the official franchise documentation and seek independent legal, financial and accounting advice.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:50 The first day and waiting for leads
2:41 How the paid for work guarantee works
4:00 Starting in a town with no Jim's
5:06 Why he loves gutter cleaning
5:45 Cleaning gutters from the roof
7:04 Cold calling the unserviced client list
8:02 Turning paid for work into regulars
10:53 17 regulars coming out of winter
11:14 Picking up clients other mowers dropped
13:01 Referrals instead of leads
14:15 A $20,000 fourth month
14:38 Timing social posts to fill the schedule
17:21 Mentoring new franchisees
18:36 From corrections officer to mowing
19:37 When a day on the road puts someone off
20:35 Using AI in the business
20:54 Building a hedging quote calculator
24:20 Doing 10 to 15 lawns a day
26:36 The bulging disc
27:39 Buying the Ferris stander
29:04 The whipper gripper fix
31:00 Changing push mowers
32:47 Physio and treating yourself like an athlete
34:02 The Jimbo app
35:48 Trading clients between franchisees
38:08 Blade sharpening and maintenance
41:31 Turning leads off in December
42:23 The dry January
43:13 Fertilising and weed spraying as a service
45:33 Back to back $8,000 weeks
47:12 Family life and saying no to work
48:13 Paying off a $30,000 loan in 12 months
50:18 A slow April
52:13 Reflecting on year one
53:17 The $1,000 day goal
56:50 Learning how long jobs actually take
57:55 Pricing so you do not rush the job
58:27 Communication and building trust
1:02:14 Skipping a mow and what it does for trust
1:05:03 Filling winter with one email
1:07:59 Pruning season
1:12:53 Get Google reviews before you need them
1:15:18 Selling solar panel cleans
1:18:22 Mulching garden beds
1:22:36 Quoting a big garden job
1:26:15 Would he become a franchisor
1:31:23 The unbillable time in every job
1:36:37 Battery versus petrol
1:40:41 Taking a week off as a sole operator
1:45:15 Employ someone or stay solo
1:47:33 Timing mows to find the profitable ones
1:51:59 The trailer setup he wants next
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