Inside Story
and need rescheduling and those that have been paid for. It is typical for a franchisee to check their bank account to see if any further payments have been received before dealing with tomorrow’s work, and notifying customers that their lawns are due to be treated.
Turning somebody into a ‘lawn treatment expert’ takes a little longer to achieve due to the changing weather patterns, seasons, and the gardening trends that bring new and exciting challenges along each year. However, these are all challenges that we are prepared for.
“Our support team of experienced
professionals has over 70 years’ combined specifi c and relevant knowledge to help our network achieve their own ambitions and aspirations”
What support and training do you provide for franchisees? Initial training for a Greensleeves franchisee consists of an intensive two-week programme. It is designed to get people up and running with all the disciplines they need to embark upon their new career. Our training team have experience at all levels within lawn care franchising, and so are able to adapt the training to suit participants’ needs depending on their own skillset. The initial two weeks will cover horticulture and turf care principals, application techniques as well as sessions on marketing and business development, and also cover the administration and the system used in the business. Greensleeves has developed an in-house bespoke software system that helps the franchisees
to manage their business, focusing on all of the key areas, such as producing invoices and managing their debtors and creditors, so that they can focus on the important task of growing their business. At Greensleeves, we have a support team that consists of experienced professionals who have over 70 years’ combined specifi c and relevant knowledge to help our network achieve their own ambitions and aspirations. We hold regular business development meetings and seminar conferences in addition to training sessions, for franchisees along with their staff , to help us all become the best we can be.
What will their typical day consist of? A typical day for a franchisee will likely involve an initial visit to their offi ce (which may be home-based) to check any incoming messages or emails and schedule time slots for any new enquires. They will then print off a schedule of work for themselves and any employees they might have. This will involve a job sheet detailing the work planned for the day as well as individual invoices relating to the day’s work.
The van then needs to be prepared
to ensure all of the correct equipment and materials are on board for the work planned that day, and then it is time to head out to the fi rst job! Typically, we will expect to treat between 15 and 20 lawns per day, depending on the treatments scheduled. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the jobs are scheduled in a sensible geographical order. Once all the work has been completed, the franchisee will return to their offi ce to fi nish off any admin duties – for instance, updating the system with jobs completed, those that are outstanding
What benefi ts come with a Greensleeves franchise, for instance network support, expertise and brand? Franchisees enjoy a lot of benefi ts that come from being part of a large and successful network. Brand awareness and representation has become signifi cant over the years as the business has grown, most notably in helping to recruit customers through channels such as the internet and social media. We also make a big deal out of sharing best practice to encourage interaction between franchisees on new techniques, equipment and materials. Competitive product costs are a big bonus for franchisees as our huge group buying power is now driving down costs throughout the business and proving a real benefi t. We feel that with our support team in place we have the strengths to help our franchisees plug the gaps in their own skillsets. We can provide almost anything they could need internally whether it be technical, commercial, marketing, business development or IT compliance; we will have somebody with experience in that fi eld available to assist.
Although certainly not for everybody, lawn care is a nice way of earning a living; we work in a pleasant outdoor environment and deal with people who are keen to improve their lawns and gardens. Because our service is so successful and aff ordable we get a lot of repeat business and recommendations, which is always a nice way to grow a business. We don’t recruit franchisees that aren’t suitable for our line of work and certainly do not pressurise anybody into something they are not 100 per cent decided upon, but our off ering is defi nitely worth a look. The market potential remains huge and the future is exciting. As somebody who has been involved in this business now for 15 years, I would urge anybody looking to start up their own business to come and have a chat with us.
Greensleeves Lawn care
www.greensleevesfranchise.co.uk
franchise@greensleeves-uk.com 0808 100 1413
April 2018 |
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