Franchise Focus Strong roots
Seeking a ready-made route to self-employment, franchisee Darren Morris found the security he was looking for with Lawnkeeper
INVESTMENT LEVEL: FROM £12,900 Darren Morris
A
fter leaving school and gaining customer service experience in a sports merchandise store, Darren Morris worked as a cable
layer, followed by a stint as a tool fi tter. He launched his Lawnkeeper franchise in Peterborough in February 2012 and hasn’t looked back since. Darren says: “After leaving my career as
a tool fi tter, I started working in the lawn care industry, where I gained 10 years of experience.
“I decided to start my franchising
journey, however, because I wanted to work more locally; I was travelling to another area every day and I was keen to become self-employed. By choosing a franchise, you have some immediate support and a working model to hit the ground running. “As I already had experience in this
sector, I had the qualifi cations and experience to do the job – it was just a matter of creating the customer base. I run the franchise with my wife, so, due to her previous experience as an offi ce manager, she takes care of the administration and accounts. Our skillsets complement each
other, which has helped our franchise to be successful. Lawnkeeper provides all new franchisees with full training before the launch of their franchise, so experience in the lawn care industry isn’t crucial. “Running a van-based franchise like Lawnkeeper comes with a number of benefi ts. Your van is essentially your offi ce, so you can run your franchise while you are out and about working. It’s also a great way to market the business, as the van is like a moving advert and you can be seen wherever you are. I enjoy working outdoors and I now have the fl exibility and security that running your own franchise brings. “Organisation is key to keep the business running smoothly. We plan our work weeks in advance, so the jobs for each day are scheduled in the most cost-eff ective manner, with the amount of driving in between them minimised. The van is also prepared the night before with the equipment and products required for the day ahead. We carry out diff erent lawn treatments depending on the time of year. If time permits, we will arrange a leafl et drop in the area, too.
“The training and support we have received from Lawnkeeper has been
fantastic. We have regular contact with our franchisor, who is always available to help with any support or training required. Our working processes are constantly being developed and updated in order to help with costs and effi ciency. “There is plenty of opportunity to expand your business with Lawnkeeper. We expanded in our third year of trading and now employ one other person. “If you are starting out on your own a Lawnkeeper franchise is a good way to get your own business up and running relatively quickly. It does, however, take hard work and long hours, especially at the start. It was all worth it, though; we are now in our sixth year of trading and we have an established customer base, so we have a much better work-life balance. We are looking forward to a few more holidays!”
Lawnkeeper Lawn care
www.lawnkeeper.co.uk franchise@lawnkeeper.co.uk 0800 073 5252
September 2017 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 101
Investment: £10k-£20k
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