Young Ones: Scott Frith

Name: Scott Frith Rank: 14 Age: 39 Company: Lawn Doctor*

Lawn Doctor is not a young brand. In fact, the company is older than Scott Frith, its new CEO. But  passion and promise fuel Frith to add his youthful, innovative and strategic approach to the brand as he adds to its legacy. Scott Frith will be the first to admit he isn’t at the finish line, but is happy to provide truth, growth and opportunity to the lawn care industry. I GOT INTO FRANCHISING? Lawn Doctor serviced our lawn when I was 6 years old. My father worked for another franchise brand when he was hired by Lawn Doctor in a marketing and franchise development capacity in 1978 as a result of this connection. We have been involved ever since. Currently, I am the CEO of the company and my father remains involved on the board of directors and as a senior advisor. I LOVE FRANCHISING: I love franchising and what the Lawn Doctor brand represents. Franchising is the best business model in the world to provide passionate entrepreneurs with an opportunity for wealth creation. From the time I built my first piece of proprietary equipment for a franchisee in our manufacturing plant some 25 years ago to the present day, I have not seen many places where you can invest around $100,000 and get so much in return. I enjoy seeing passionate franchisees take what we have built together and use it as a means to achieve their dreams. Our future is even brighter than our past. IN THE FUTURE: I can’t image not being connected to franchising. It is tough to say where the next 25 years may take me. I would like Lawn Doctor to continue our pursuit of the best customer experience in our category. I would like to build Lawn Doctor to 1,000 units with franchisee inclusion as a cornerstone of our continued success and to see parents transfer their Lawn Doctor businesses to their children who will take it to the next level and help us stay highly relevant as the category grows. I firmly believe that consumers will pay for quality service, particularly around their home, so I expect that the company will evolve to provide a much broader range of services through the right brands and systems to efficiently gain share. At its core franchising helps people. Later in my career, I would like to be a part of a cause that leverages franchising to solve real societal problems on a broad scale. DO YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES: In general, there is a new breed of employee in the workforce that the business community at large is not prepared to properly engage with, learn from, and develop into the next generation of leaders. While still entrepreneurial at its heart, franchising has some of the same opportunities to embrace young people at all levels to keep our businesses moving forward and ensure long term sustainability. I have recently become involved in the International Franchise Association’s Blue Sky Group, charged with maintaining the relevance of the association that provides the global Voice of Franchising. To the association’s credit, they see an opportunity to explore the future through a different lense to make sure we remain accessible. I believe franchising needs to be more broadly incorporated into the curriculum at the high school, college, and graduate levels so there is awareness of what franchising is and the opportunity it represents. ADVICE FOR NEW FRANCHISORS: Partner with the right franchisees for your brand. When you are small you want to open that first, second, third franchise location so bad you can taste it. If you initially partner with people that share your passion and are equipped to execute the plan, you will have a much better shot at opening locations 100, 200, and 300. ADVICE FOR NEW FRANCHISEES: Really do your homework before buying and put 100 percent into the franchise after you do. There is so much information available that you owe it to yourself to be informed. Good franchisors want to grow with franchisees that share their vision, have adequate capital, and are willing to put in the effort necessary to win so they will take the time necessary to make sure the fit is right for everyone involved. Once you are a franchisee, it is important to recognize the reasons why you bought a franchise, one of which is that the franchisor has been there before. While it is a positive thing to challenge the system in a productive manner to help make it better, take advantage of every resource the franchisor makes available to help you on the path to ultimate independence. Franchising is a lot like working out. You get out of it what you put into it. If you follow the system and put 100 percent into building the best franchise business you can, the pieces will fall into place.