Frantastic Lawn Care Blog

The ever-evolving economy and world we live in these days has led to continued growth in entrepreneurship. Those who desire to start their own business have access to a wide range of tools at their disposal thanks to technology and innovation.

The days when most new businesses failed have given way to franchise partnerships that thrive with the groundwork already laid out for new owners. There are ways to survive the new business landscape with guided expertise.

If you are considering a franchise opportunity, here are nine benefits you may not have considered:

A Support System

Entrepreneurs who start a business from the ground up can encounter a steep learning curve if running a business solo. As a franchisee, you can go into business for yourself but not by yourself. With a strong corporate structure in place, you will see the immediate benefits designed to help you launch successfully. Freedom Lawns considers all franchise owners business partners. Your success is our success.

Ongoing Training

Knowledge is power. A perk of buying into a franchise is the initial and ongoing training support you receive from the experts. An onboarding phase is essential to instilling the everyday skills needed to run your franchise efficiently and successfully.

During the initial training of one to two weeks, you will learn how to effectively launch your new franchise in your market, and how to manage a grand opening. During this crucial time, you can expect weekly assistance to get your business up and running. The ongoing support is equally as important as the initial training as your business matures.

Throughout the year, you will be made aware of helpful seminars, conventions, and additional learning opportunities and resources to help you gain your own expertise in the industry.

Marketing Support

In the first year of any business, franchise or not, marketing is imperative. An independent business will not have access to past market data to inform business decisions. Competitor analysis, market data, and digital marketing techniques will be used to best target your customer base.

The franchisor will already be working with a marketing agency or have in-house personnel that can kick off your marketing efforts with precision. They will already have the knowledge of what works and what does not, therefore saving you advertising dollars.

Financing Availability

Although rare, it is not unheard of for franchises to offer financing support to qualified candidates. Freedom Lawns is proud to offer third-party financial support to those who qualify. Freedom Lawns is also an approved SBA franchise.

Higher Rate of Success

By buying into a franchise, you get a ready-to-go business with a proven business model. Some of the best-known and well-received franchises have a success rate in the low single digits. While other lesser know brands, actually have a failure rate that is essentially zero. Have we got your attention yet?

Statistical studies done on franchise failure rates show an average rate of 15%-35%. However, as mentioned above, popular franchises can fail at a rate of 1%. It is important to remember that the successful model of the franchise can only be replicated if you follow it.

The reason behind the phenomenal success rates of franchises is that the franchisor has worked endlessly to make their business successful and created a replicable model. They laid the foundation so you do not have to.

Independent start-ups will have to do their own groundwork and at their own peril. Some business lessons are too pricey to learn from once. Franchise partnerships can minimize the trial and error approach which can result in wasted expenses.

A reputable franchise will have achieved significant brand awareness which allows you a greater chance of success.

You Become Part of a Team

As a franchisee, you become part of a team working together towards a common goal while offering support to one another along the way. A new franchisee can tap into this network to ask for advice and to connect with someone like them. As a brand, this network holds more power and recognition than that of a single owner.

Handbook to A Proven Model

A common mistake among entrepreneurs is trying to figure out everything all at once by themselves. Even the most business-savvy entrepreneur has their weaknesses. A franchise allows you to bypass the frustration and all the start-up headaches by avoiding the mistakes that happen with a new business.

Once the franchise fee has been paid, the franchise will onboard you so you can start as soon as possible. The training will teach you the business model you will need to achieve their replicable success. 

Brand Awareness

One of the biggest benefits of a franchise is the brand awareness among consumers. A reputable franchise will have established a recognizable name among consumers, which you can benefit from no matter where your new market is located. People prefer to do business with and buy from brands they trust. As the franchise system continues to expand, the exposure from marketing efforts will continue to drive the brand forward.

The established business model and level of brand awareness will net you a quicker return on your investment.

Cost Benefits

Franchises can be less expensive than a start-up because they are less likely to make the same costly mistakes that happen with a start-up. To put it simply, franchises have done the work to know what works. Maybe more importantly, they know what doesn’t work.

Here are a few cost-saving benefits that franchises can offer:

• Purchasing discounts on inventory and products
• Pre-designed, customizable marketing materials (logos, brochures, ads, etc.)
• Contracts and special terms with supply vendors
• Savings on equipment

Interested in opening a Freedom Lawns Franchise? Download our no obligation, free brochure to learn more.

As our franchise owners continue to grow, the signs of success follow. That includes Freedoms Lawns of Myrtle Beach.

The South Carolina-based franchise, owned by Wesley DuRant, has a new 5,000 square foot building under construction. The facility will consist of amble office space and nearly 3,000 square feet of warehouse space.

“Freedom Lawns of Myrtle Beach has realized outstanding growth in the past few years,” said Freedom Lawns founder Mark Tamn. “This larger, more functional facility will help Wesley and his team to continue the path of prosperity and serve their customers more efficiently.”

Stay tuned for when we are ready to unveil the finished product with a grand opening.

I think we can all appreciate the splendor of even a handful of trees in our lawns. They are beautiful, provide shade, clean the air, and they are a nice distraction for the kids if you have a spare tire around to rope up on a well-placed limb. But if you prefer a nice thick, lush weed-free lawn under your trees, you’ll have to make special effort to help them cohabitate. Large trees can starve turfgrass of much needed sunlight needed to prosper. Also, tree roots can interfere with grass roots when too close to the surface. Trees and most grass varieties constantly compete for moisture and nutrients when too close to each other. Trees and lawns may also compete for necessary moisture and nutrients within the soil. Also, tree leaves can smother grass in the vicinity during the fall if not removed fairly quickly. But trees aren’t the bad guys here. Lawn areas near trees may not be healthy for the tree either. Trying to mow grass around the base of a tree can damage tree roots and bark, causing cankers or areas of entry for insects and diseases. So What’s a Homeowner To Do? It’s important for homeowners to be aware of the ever-changing micro environment around their homes. Trees don’t typically get smaller. So when a tree matures in size and noticeably starts to affect your lawn, it’s time to modify your landscape. Search for turf types and turf cultivars that are more tolerant of some shade. Maybe It’s The Grass In northern regions of the US, many of fine or red Fescue varieties perform fairly well in more shaded areas. Newer varieties of Bluegrass and Fescue are also marketed to be more “shade tolerant.” In the South US , St. Augustine grass is considered the go-to grass for semi-shaded lawn areas. Some of the newer improved Zoysia and Bermuda grass varieties are also being touted as “more shade resistant.“ But be aware that even these grass types will require a reasonable amount of sunlight to thrive and maintain good color, thickness, and quality. What Else Can You Do? – Proper pruning of your trees by cutting lower and decayed limbs, bring in the canopy and thin some branches out – anything you can do to increase sunlight while keeping your trees healthy. – Create tree rings around the base of your trees where lawns are not going to prosper. – In extremely shaded conditions, forget about growing grass and look at alternative ground covers such as sharp-looking mulches, rock, a slate walkway, ground covers and other ornamental plants. Be creative and before long your trees and lawn will be thriving and living in harmony.

As seasonal temperatures worldwide continue to increase due to concentrations of CO2 in our atmosphere that trap solar heat, you might be amazed at how well your own backyard contributes to the health of our environment.

Climate change has resulted in certain plants being able to adapt in areas of our country where they could not do so many years ago. Also, some insects and diseases are now being found in regions where they did not thrive before.

Worried about your carbon footprint? The good news is that your lawn plays a significant role in the efforts to reduce the effects of global warming. Through the process of photosynthesis, grass takes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores the carbon in the soil. Recent university research has shown that a healthy lawn can remove and store twice the amount of carbon from the air in one year than a tree can in 10 years.

There are over 80 million home lawns in the US covering nearly 50 million acres of turfgrass. That’s a whopping 20 million tons of carbon being removed from our atmosphere in the US each year.

Producing and maintaining a healthy, awesome-looking lawn is not only good for bragging rights among your neighbors but also benefits efforts to reduce our carbon footprint in neighborhoods across the nation.