Lawn Doctor

In Mike Mary&rsquo;s 34-year career in the book-and-magazine business, he worked his way up from a truck driver to a supervisor to a sales manager to a VP of marketing. That path provided Mary a wealth of experience working with people in a wide range of professional relationships. When Mary finally left the book-and-magazine business nearly a decade ago, it was his experience working with people that he applied most effectively to his next businesses venture, <a href="http://lawndoctorfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lawn-doctor-franchisee-mike-mary-leads-by-serving-2705127" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lawn Doctor</a>.

&ldquo;In my previous career, I traveled all over the country,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;I worked with store managers and owners as a salesman, I trained, hired, and fired people as a manager, and I worked with just about every level of employee from hourly workers to executives. I saw a lot of things in the business world that I liked and a lot that I didn&rsquo;t like, so I felt very well prepared to run my own business.&rdquo;

Nine years ago, Mary found the perfect opportunity to run his own business when a friend of his offered to sell Mary his <a href="https://lawndoctor.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lawn-doctor-franchisee-mike-mary-leads-by-serving-2705127" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lawn Doctor</a> business.&nbsp;

&ldquo;A friend of mine had owned a Lawn Doctor in Knoxville for years,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d always gone to church together, so I got to hear a lot about the business. I&rsquo;d never considered franchising, nor had I ever really given lawn care much attention, but my friend loved the business and it seemed interesting. Unfortunately, my friend hit a rough patch in his personal life with a death in the family, and he was looking to get out of the business. The company I was working for was not doing great, and I was eager to find something new, so I decided to take a look at my friend&rsquo;s Lawn Doctor business.&rdquo;

Mary started going out with his friend on service calls, meeting clients and learning the business. It wasn&rsquo;t long before Mary was sold on the opportunity.

&ldquo;As I got out there and saw the business for myself, I became excited about it,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;The work was interesting, and most importantly, I was meeting and talking to people, which I love. I saw a great opportunity for me to work closely with people and really take advantage of my sales background.&rdquo;

Mary bought the Lawn Doctor business from his friend, including three territories and an existing staff, which Mary would eventually expand.

&ldquo;I jumped right in,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;There was a learning curve, but I tackled it quickly. I spent the first year listening, reading, and studying. One I felt I held a strong command of the operations, I started hiring people that I felt were well suited to run the business.&rdquo;

Since Mary took over his three Lawn Doctor territories, he&rsquo;s doubled both the employee headcount and the business&rsquo;s sales volume. Mary attributes that growth to his leadership style, which prioritizes service and culture.

&ldquo;One of the first things I did was put together a company policy manual,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;That was essential in establishing the culture that our company has now, and it provided a set of guidelines that even I&rsquo;m held accountable for, which helps me lead by example. My goal from day one was to create a place where my employees could be happy and thrive. I believe that&rsquo;s my primary responsibility as a boss, to serve my staff.&rdquo;

Mary says his experience in the business world helped him avoid some of the more common mistakes bosses make when taking on a new staff.

&ldquo;I worked with so many people in so many different capacities in my previous career,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;I know what works and what doesn&rsquo;t. You can&rsquo;t go into a situation beating your chest and talking about what a great boss you are because people won&rsquo;t follow you. You&rsquo;ve got to build trust and demonstrate that you know what you are doing. You&rsquo;ve got to set goals and expectations and follow through on them so that your employees see that you are holding yourself to the same standards you&rsquo;re holding them to. It comes down to trust, reliability, and team spirit. Those are the things I&rsquo;m trying to build with my employees, and in that respect, I&rsquo;m here to serve them.&rdquo;

Lawn Doctor has provided Mary a chance to flex his muscles as a leader, and Mary continues to take full advantage of the opportunity, with plans to continue growing his business throughout the foreseeable future.

&ldquo;I started with Lawn Doctor nine years ago, but I wish I&rsquo;d started 20 years ago,&rdquo; Mary said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great business, and it&rsquo;s something that I&rsquo;ve been able to find great success in even without any experience in franchising or lawn care. There&rsquo;s a lot to learn when you get started, but Lawn Doctor is great about getting you set up with all the information and materials you need. If you&rsquo;ve got some business sense and you follow their model, you&rsquo;re going to do well.&quot;

Lawn Doctor Franchisee Mike Mary Leads by Serving

1851 Franchise

In nine years with the brand, the former publishing professional has built a motivated team of lawn care professionals

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