Lawn Doctor Franchisee Takes Over Family Business To Continue His Parents’ Legacy

John Demeyer Jr.’s venture into business ownership was over three decades in the making. It all started when his dad, unhappy with his current career, decided to seek out an entrepreneurial opportunity. 

Growing up, Demeyer worked for his parents’ Lawn Doctor franchise on and off throughout the years, while trying out a few ventures of his own along the way. He always knew that, eventually, he would buy out his parents and take on the family business; he officially did so in 2020, also buying out the neighboring franchise territory for good measure.

1851 Franchise spoke with Demeyer about his journey into franchising with Lawn Doctor and his plans for the future.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. How did you become a franchisee with Lawn Doctor?

John Demeyer Jr.: My parents started the business in 1987. They found out about the concept because Lawn Doctor was servicing my grandmother's lawn. At the time, my dad hated his job, so my grandmother suggested he come and talk to the franchise owners who took care of her lawn because she thought it might be something he’d like to do. 

We’ve grown very close with that adjoining franchise over the years. When they found out that my parents were retiring, they said, “Well then, we want to retire, too!” I ended up buying out both of them within a month of each other. 

In my younger years, I’d worked on and off with them. I had my own landscape business and a few other projects through college. My plan was always, at some point, to buy my parents out and take over the family business.

My wife— or rather, soon-to-be wife at that time — was working for my parents to get through nursing school. There were a lot of technological changes and my parents asked me to come back and help out. I ended up coming back and working with my parents in 2009 and continued working with them until we bought them out in 2020. 

1851: What do you love most about this company?

Demeyer: The brand is supported well by the parent company, which is a great working relationship to have. I can count on them for anything I need. 

This is a great industry to be in, as well. It’s something that people are generally happy to have as a service. Mainly you are dealing with people who want their house and lawn to look nice, and that is something we can really help them achieve. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Demeyer: We are focusing right now on increasing the services we provide for each customer within our existing territories. We do tick control, for example, on top of lawn care, so we want our customers to be aware of all of our service lines.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Demeyer: Working in a family business can be very rewarding and sometimes tough. I was fortunate to work closely for years with my parents while I was taught how they had been doing things successfully for 30-plus years. We sometimes had disagreements on how things should be done but we always worked through it and the power of the new ideas and years of experience generally led us to a good outcome. Purchasing the business from them in the end was a great life decision for myself, my family and [my parents] as it provided them with retirement income for years to follow!

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Demeyer: Consider your franchise choice carefully and do your research. It’s nice to have that support and the brand awareness. As a startup, that name recognition is really helpful.

1851: Do you have any plans to pass the business down once again some day?

Demeyer: My children are young and they seem interested right now, but there is no pressure whatsoever. If they are interested, that’s great. If not, that’s fine too. If they are interested, I have to keep working longer! 

About Lawn Doctor: 

Since its first franchise in 1967, Lawn Doctor has established itself as a leader in the lawn care services industry through innovative technology, its ability to satisfy the needs of consumers on a national level, and its development and expansion within the industry. Lawn Doctor specializes in treatment and conditioning services, such as fertilization, weed control, seeding, aeration and tree and shrub care. The Lawn Doctor brand has hundreds of locally owned and operated franchises and is the #1 ranked lawn care franchise in the United States.  Lawn Doctor is a 2023 Franchise 500 brand, ranking no. 79 for its financial strength and stability, unit growth and brand power.