I have read through many of the comments on here and felt compelled to tell a different story from the inside looking out instead of on the outside looking in. I too was asking the question almost four years ago on whether to franchise or go it alone. Either way, I wanted out of my career and wanted to be in the landscaping industry. I went through all the same emotions. "Do they just want my money" being the main one and close behind it "is this legit". That being said, I decided to franchise. Now, keep this in mind. If you can look at the bigger picture this will all start to make sense.
1. I had no experience in running a business or working in the private sector.
2. How would I make this work having a family and needing to support them?
When I answered these questions I realized that franchising is really not about the specific business you do. Its about having the BUSINESS SYSTEMS in place to run a successful business. Too often, I read comments saying they want this, they want that. Many times this is followed with opinions of people who may not even be right for a franchise. And finally, some people just don't WANT to franchise. And that is okay. I'm not familiar with any franchise brand that has aspirations to take over the world. Just like any business, they have a select market of people they want to reach. You may be one.
If franchising is so bad, why is it that we, the same people on this thread, use franchised services on a daily and repeat basis? From fast food, to sit down restaurants, to convenience stores, automotive shops, and hotels. There is a reason. These brands are part of a chain and obviously there is some part of each of us that realizes these brands come with standards and we know what to expect when we walk through the doors. That's natural and normal. ITS WHY FRANCHISING WORKS for those that want to partake. And no, it is not for everyone. You don't see people franchising that want to remain small. It is a concept more for the franchisee or person wanting to go big or go home.
I know for me, I started with a truck, trailer, and one lawn mower. I had minimal experience mowing, no experience running a business, and had no idea what the heck I was doing. Today, I employ 15 people and we do everything from irrigation installation to running mowing crews. I have done this in under four years, and have HAD to use The Grounds Guys systems to do it because I don't know any other way. I started with no money, had no rich family member investing in me, and have worked and clawed my way up. And it has worked well for me. But I will tell you the secret. Instead of looking to blame government regulations, market conditions, employee issues, or any other number of issues that come up daily, I have chosen to look to MYSELF to look at issues and decide how to move past them. I'm never looking at how to accept problems, I'm looking at how to resolve them. And I push forward all the time regardless of what gets thrown my way. There is a reason many people never achieve theirs goals in life. They spend way too much time insulating themselves from problems they could solve themselves but honestly just don't have the motivation to do. I would steer anyone in the direction of this franchise business model. Is it perfect? No. Is it solid? Yes, IF YOU EXECUTE. I work on problems every day and some do not go away quickly. Think to yourself for a minute. If being a successful business owner were easy, everyone would be multi millionare owners. The reason that is not real is some people do not have those dreams. Others try and get tired. For those that persevere, there is a reward for a lifetime of building something the right way. The one thing that I like the most about being a GG franchisee is customers know I have insurance, they like having fully uniformed people and equipment at their residence or business. Is it important to all people...no. But that is the type of customer GG is looking for. There is plenty of room in this industry for all types of landscape companies with different priorities and different business models. Maybe yours is different. I just know what it has done for me and after reading some of the responses felt compelled to tell my own story, whatever that is worth. Maybe someone reading this will benefit from the information or my opinion.