Lawn Doctor

<a href="https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lawn-doctor-begins-2019-with-strong-franchise-development-expectations-after-completing-one-of-its-biggest-years-in-franchise-development-in-2018-2708943" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lawn Doctor</a> had a major year in 2018, meeting many milestones and implementing new initiatives that will help set the brand up for continued success in 2019.

Lawn Doctor closed out 2018 with more than 40 new units signed. The lawn-care brand plans to carry that momentum into 2019, where it expects to exceed 600 units in total, according to Lawn Doctor Vice President of Franchise Development Eric Martin.

&ldquo;Surpassing 40 new units signed for a mature 550+ unit franchise shows our best is yet to come,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;This was the single best ever year for the company in terms of revenue, which exceeded $130 million, new customer acquisition and retention.&rdquo;

The brand currently operates in 42 states and plans to surpass that 600-unit benchmark by mid-2019. Lawn Doctor is targeting more than 200 viable territories available for development.

&ldquo;A big focus for us is building a bigger footprint in the Midwest and Southeast portions of the country,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;We are working with franchise consultants who are helping us find franchise partners who we feel could be a good fit for our growth plans.&rdquo;

The brand also wants to further expand in the Western portion of the United States, according to Vice President of Operations Dave Newman. Newman, who has been with Lawn Doctor since 1998, noted that the brand further expanded in Florida and Texas in 2018, where it already had a presence.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting that after 51 years we&rsquo;re able to grow at the pace that we are,&rdquo; Newman said.

Martin attributes much of Lawn Doctor&rsquo;s franchisee success to open communication. <a href="https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor/lawn-doctor-provides-financing-and-marketing-services-to-help-franchisees-ramp-up-their-business-and-achieve-success--2708415" target="_blank">The brand specifically honed in on helping franchisees with their employee acquisition efforts in 2018.</a>

&ldquo;We pride ourselves in listening to our owners,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;We brought in an industry expert to this year&rsquo;s conference who spoke about employee recruitment, engagement and retention. We are featuring some new recruitment tools as well as programs for incentivizing and retaining staff. Our owners have been asking for further education on this and we took it a step further and have built programs around it. We want to be a great place for people to work as well as being a top service provider in each market. I feel like we are taking the right steps to ensure we can excel on both fronts.&rdquo;

Newman noted that while Lawn Doctor has expanded the services it offers, lawn care is &ldquo;still the core of the business.&rdquo; The biggest change Newman has seen over the years are the strides the company has made in the areas of technology and communication. The company has completely changed how it communicates with franchisees and has &ldquo;even more dramatically&rdquo; changed how it communicates with customers, he said. The company&rsquo;s growth, both with existing and new franchisees, has also been huge, Newman added.

&ldquo;That&rsquo;s always exciting and a good validation of the efforts we all put in,&rdquo; Newman said. &ldquo;Our system continues to grow as long as we&rsquo;ve been around. Moving into 2019, we have lots of excitement on the franchise development front. A lot of new prospects are coming in.&rdquo;

The company is also excited to fully leverage some new technology this year.

&ldquo;At the core of our strategy is our owner dashboard, which provides insights into key performance indicators and peer benchmarking,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;Based on the owner and readings of their gauges, links will be provided to relevant educational content within our new Learning Management System. This system will help owners focus on their biggest opportunities for growth and increase in revenue and profitability. This new tool is very powerful and allows our owners to compare revenues, profits and expenses with past peer performance.&rdquo;

Lawn Doctor&rsquo;s digital efforts also expanded to the customer side of the business. The company is introducing several new and innovative service technologies and custom-care programs that will provide Lawn Doctor customers with improved results and increase profit potential for franchise owners, Martin said.

&ldquo;Our marketing program is so dialed in these days, it&rsquo;s almost unfair to the competition,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;We have refined this program to a point where we can very efficiently measure cost per lead and acquisition, allowing our owners to maximize their annual spend. We can target households, using digital, social and direct mail strategies that are netting unreal results. There is a high level of sophistication involved with these tactics, but the great news for our owners is that the marketing is corporate-directed and all they really need to do is follow up with their prospective customers.&rdquo;

While Lawn Doctor has been an established and highly-respected presence in the lawn-care industry for more than 50 years, the brand has no plans to slow down.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We continue to grow, evolve and reinvent with new technology and programs that we could have only dreamed about 10 to 15 years ago,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;2018 was one of our biggest years in franchise development in our 50 years, and we&rsquo;re excited to meet new milestones in 2019.&rdquo;

The startup costs for a Lawn Doctor franchise range from $101,840 to $115,890. The franchise fee is $35,000. To learn more about franchising with Lawn Doctor, visit <a href="https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lawn-doctor-begins-2019-with-strong-franchise-development-expectations-after-completing-one-of-its-biggest-years-in-franchise-development-in-2018-2708943" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/</a>.

Lawn Doctor Begins 2019 With Strong Franchise Development Expectations After Completing One of Its Biggest Years in Franchise Development in 2018 

1851 Franchise

The lawn-care brand signed more than 40 new units in 2018. 

This brand page has been paid for by LAWN DOCTOR. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

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After 11 years of ownership in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and more than 20 years with the brand, Todd and Janis Rucker have exited their&nbsp;<a href="http://lawndoctorfranchise.com">Lawn Doctor</a> franchise. In January, the pair officially closed a seven-figure deal as the business was acquired by their former general manager,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-dunning-218b1962/">Russ Dunning</a>, and his wife, Kalin, who will lead the next era of growth in the community.“When I hired Russ about six and a half years ago, I hired him with the intention of replacing me,” Todd said. “I feel like the transition with Russ was great because he’s been involved in a lot of the day-to-day decisions, and again, ultimately, we both knew that he and Kalin were going to acquire it.”While the Ruckers have spent the last few years actively preparing for a healthy exit from the Hot Springs territory, their journey with&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor/info">Lawn Doctor</a> goes back much further.<h2>A Decades-Long History With the Brand</h2>The Ruckers’ first introduction to Lawn Doctor was over 20 years ago when they purchased a territory in another part of Arkansas, which they built from the ground up.“We had that up and running for about five or six years before we moved to Hot Springs,” Todd said. “After about a year there, I went to work for the local Hot Springs franchise and worked there for about five years. I was just thinking, ‘Let me get my kids through school, and we’ll see what happens.’ Then we ended up having an opportunity to buy it. We purchased that in 2015 and had it until early this year. It’s kind of a roundabout way of getting here, but had we not had the experience of learning and making a few mistakes [with our first territory], I don’t think this one would have gone quite as well.”When Todd learned of the opportunity to acquire the Hot Springs territory, he was confident that, using his prior experience as an owner and time spent as a team member in Hot Springs, he would be able to not just successfully acquire but continue to grow the business.&nbsp;<h2>A Thoughtful Ownership Journey Rooted in Stewardship</h2>A few years into leading the Hot Springs territory, Todd began looking to hire his eventual replacement, knowing the business would eventually change hands.“Our philosophy is that we don’t really own anything in this world anyway. We’re just a steward over it for a period of time,” he said. “So, when we took this business over, even though our names were on everything and we were the ‘owners’ of it, I knew we were a steward of it for a period of time. We did not know how long that was going to be. It’s a good mentality to realize that you’re not going to own anything forever. That’s freeing, in my opinion.”Though he never dodged the responsibility or accountability associated with business ownership, Todd knew that something would change down the line.“You manage it well and take care of it, but also think, down the line, what happens if I had a stroke? I want someone in there so that the business would continue on,” he said. “To make sure Janis would be alright until she could sell it, but also for everybody else that’s involved. There were 19 other families that were dependent on me being a responsible business owner. So I felt an obligation to have, at a minimum, somebody in there who would keep the day-to-day going. If we can find someone that could do the day-to-day but also transition to ownership one day — that’s even better.”When Russ joined the team, Todd took this approach. He knew that Russ would eventually take over, and he worked diligently to ensure Russ had the experience and expertise necessary to facilitate a seamless transition whenever that time came.<h2>The Road to the Exit</h2>While Todd had been working with Russ consistently to prepare him for the eventual transition, he embraced a more structured approach in early 2025.“I knew the energy had gone out of me,” he said. “I could have continued on for a couple more years with Russ running things day-to-day, but I didn’t think that was healthy for the business. I knew it was time to transition; I thought it was the fairest thing to do for everybody involved. I didn’t want the business to decline because my energy had waned.”After making the decision, though, Todd stayed engaged with Russ. He let Russ know in early 2025 that it would be their last year together, and they took on the next 12 months with intention.“That was leading into our spring season,” Todd said. “At that point, we both had to get over the shock. So we just went back to work, and throughout the year, I tried to show him the things that we did each time of the year — sales, advertising and things of that nature. He was already deeply involved, but we got him a little more involved with things like ‘Here’s who I talk to about the advertising,’ or ‘Here’s what’s going on in my mind.’”Ensuring Russ had the experience necessary and taking a step back to truly let him lead, the Ruckers set the stage for a smooth transition. While the existing team didn’t know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, Todd says they were getting accustomed to Russ being the leader and Todd and Janis popping in on occasion rather than being there all the time.Earlier this year, Todd and Janis officially exited the business, and Russ and Kalin took it over.Now in their early 60s, the Ruckers are taking time to travel, focus on their bucket list and take a bit of a breather.“Janis is happy to be a full-time grandmother. I intend to work at least part-time in the future, but I’m not sure what that will look like,” Todd said. “The immediate future is to travel and then see… I’m using this as my gap year.”As for the future of the business, the Ruckers are proud of what they’ve built and optimistic about what’s to come in Hot Springs.“Over the years, Russ has helped vet people, so they’re as much his team members as they were ours. And the fact that he was involved in the day-to-day decisions for several years was also good. It has worked out wonderfully,” Todd said. “I think Lawn Doctor of Hot Springs is in better hands now than it was when we had it. I hate to say that, but they’re very qualified. They’re great. And that’s what you want to do! You want it to get better.”To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor">https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor</a>.&nbsp;

Photo of former Lawn Doctor franchise owners Todd & Janis Rucker

Drawing on lessons from their first stage of ownership, Todd and Janis Rucker built a sustainable Lawn Doctor model that ultimately led to a seven-figure sale to their longtime general manager.

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Each year, Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 ranking is published, highlighting the strongest franchise brands in the industry. The list is prepared through the evaluation of over 150 data points spanning categories like growth, support and financial strength. In other words, size or rapid growth alone won’t guarantee a brand a spot in the ranking.&nbsp;For many franchise brands, being included in the ranking is an important achievement. According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/for-47-years-this-brand-has-kept-up-with-mcdonalds-and-dunkin-have-you-heard-of-it">recent Entrepreneur article</a>, only three brands have enjoyed the honor every year since the ranking started 47 years ago. McDonald’s and Dunkin’, two industry giants, make sense. The third is&nbsp;<a href="https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/">Lawn Doctor</a>, a smaller brand but clearly just as strong.Part of the larger&nbsp;<a href="http://happinestbrands.com">Happinest Brands</a> portfolio,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor/info">Lawn Doctor</a> is a 665-unit lawn care brand. While the brand has evolved over the years, CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottfrith">Scott Frith</a> told Entrepreneur that the brand’s commitment to taking care of its franchisees has also been a key contributor to its success.“My father once said, ‘Treat a franchisee as if they can leave you tomorrow and you’ll be okay.’ In other words, make sure you understand their value in building this business alongside you. And that’s been a guiding principle,” Frith said. “So a real differentiator for us is how we’ve created the structures to help every franchisee unlock [success]. We’ve really ramped up training. For new franchisees, we have pre-training with digital content, then class for a week, practical training in the field — and then it’s ongoing with new initiatives. You also have a dedicated person with you for two years.”As Frith looks toward the future, he’s transparent about what has and hasn’t worked for Lawn Doctor, and he recognizes how the brand’s strength and history benefit owners across the Lawn Doctor system and larger Happinest Brands network.“Lawn Doctor, almost 60 years old now, is bringing a lot of operational experience — nearly 4,000 years between our franchisees and our team — across the platform,” he said. “So certainly that brings value to emerging brands that are small and learning.”Read the full article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/for-47-years-this-brand-has-kept-up-with-mcdonalds-and-dunkin-have-you-heard-of-it">here</a>.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor">https://1851franchise.com/lawndoctor</a>.&nbsp;

Photo of Lawn Doctor team member working outside, wearing blue button-down and khakis

Only three brands have been included in Entrepreneurs highly competitive Franchise 500 ranking every year. Lawn Doctor is one of them, standing next to some of the biggest names in franchising.

Lawn Doctor Begins 2019 With Strong Franchise Development Expectations After Completing One of Its Biggest Years in Franchise Development in 2018

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