Fall and Winter Openings Mean Lawn Doctor Franchisees Get a Headstart on the Swing of Spring

Spring is by far the busiest time of the year for a Lawn Doctor franchisee, with customers mobilizing to get their lawns looking nice for the warmer months. 

For this reason, prospective franchisees looking to franchise with legacy home services brand Lawn Doctor would do well to begin the discovery process during the fall season. By doing so, candidates and new franchisees have time to learn the ins and outs of their new venture and set their business up for maximum springtime success. 

Lawn Doctor was first founded in 1967 with the aim of bringing superior service to the lawn care industry. Today, the lawn care brand has more than 570 franchise locations across 40 states, with plans for continued expansion. Stellar technology and call center support, a flexible work-life balance and the chance to work outdoors are just some of the main reasons to franchise with the lawn care brand. 

Two Lawn Doctor franchisees familiar with spring sales possibilities are Bryan Sallmen and Jim Coia. Sallmen joined the brand in January 2011 and owns and operates three Lawn Doctor franchises: two in Kalamazoo, Michigan and one in South Bend, Indiana. 

Coia opened a Lawn Doctor franchise in Stow, Ohio in February with his wife, Aimee, and their business partners, fellow husband-and-wife team Brian and Jamie Foster. Together, the team purchased four Lawn Doctor territories in northeastern Ohio that cover 41 zip codes in total. They signed their franchise papers in December of 2018, did their training in January and opened their franchise in February. 

Starting a Lawn Doctor franchise in the fall or even winter is a great way to get a headstart for optimal spring success, Sallmen said. 

“You want to be prepared for the spring season,” Sallmen said. “Your window in spring in March and April is crucial to how good of a year you’re going to have. If you start in the fall, you have time to learn the software and get your marketing ready and organized. You also have time to get your licensing taken care of and, most importantly, you have time to network in your community and join local groups, such as your local BNI Group and your local Chamber of Commerce. You can go out and meet people and make them aware of what you do and the business you’re starting.” 

Getting a headstart before the spring season is also important for another reason: It gives franchisees time to set expectations with their customers. Sallmen noted that every customer is different and has their own needs and wants for their lawns. 

“Some customers want to have the best lawn on the street while others just want their lawns to be sprayed to get rid of dandelions,” Sallmen said. “We give them recommendations accordingly. There are lots of different things involved when creating a perfect lawn so you want to know what your customers want so they can get the results they expect. In doing so, you build long-term customers.” 

Sallmen loves the Lawn Doctor brand both for giving him the opportunity to own and operate his own business and for its turnkey model and the resources available to franchisees. 

“My dad is a business owner and he worked 80 hours a week for 15 years to get it to the point where it became profitable and did well,” Sallmen said. “I knew I wanted to be a business owner but I didn’t want it to take 15 years to get there. At Lawn Doctor, you have a huge support system. If you are experiencing a challenge and don’t have an answer, you can get it from your neighbor. We have regional business consultants, which I like to describe as the best employee you don’t have to pay for. They are there for you for whatever you need.” 

For Coia and his team, business has been great since they opened in February, but he also noted the benefits of starting the franchising process just a little bit earlier.

The demand for Lawn Doctor services can mean that phones will be “ringing off the hook” with new business opportunities as soon as a franchise opens, Coia said. Coia has seen how other lawn care services go after spring business as early as December, so franchisees who wait until the spring to open their doors can “miss a little bit of that first wave,” he said. 

“The benefit of opening a Lawn Doctor franchise in the fall means you won’t have as many customers right out of the gate,” Coia said. “Having that little bit of a slower start gives you the ability to learn the brand’s product offerings and equipment. You can ease into it and get comfortable and learn the system, which is good, because spring is all about focusing on customers.” 

With the entire month of November still ahead, prospective Lawn Doctor franchisees have plenty of time to learn about the brand’s robust franchising opportunity before Spring 2020. 

The startup costs for a Lawn Doctor franchise range from $100,015 to $116,065. The franchise fee ranges from $88,950 to $102,000. To learn more about franchising with Lawn Doctor, visit https://lawndoctorfranchise.com/.