Grow your own success

 

Grow your own success

By: Linda Whitney

DO YOU love gardening? A franchise could help you turn your hobby into a business.

Gardening service franchisees work from home, using a van to provide lawn and garden services.

You don't need horticultural experience, as companies offer training.

'Our franchisees do a course at Hadlow College in Kent, including plant recognition, pruning, hedge trimming and equipment use and maintenance,' says Richard Harrison of Jim's Mowing.

Jim's franchisees offer lawn mowing and feeding, hedge trimming, turfing and garden clearance.

Investment is £15,000.

But you need more than green fingers. 'Good gardeners don't always make good franchisees,' says John Kilbey, of Countrywide Lawn Doctor. 'You need to be as keen to grow the business as to produce beautiful lawns.' Countrywide franchisees offer domestic lawn services, including applying weedkiller and D applying weedkiller and fertiliser, and hollow tining.

You start by doing the practical work yourself, but are expected to take on staff later and move into management.

The £24,950 investment includes a launch leaflet drop by the franchisor, but you market your business locally, too. Good communication skills and professional customer service are vital. If working outdoors will mean a big change of lifestyle, try it out first.

'Many potential franchisees are leaving office-based careers, so we ask them to go out alongside one of our existing franchisees before committing themselves,' says John Draper of Greensleeves Lawn Care.

You must also be fit enough to spend your days on your feet, but the work soon gets you into shape.

Most gardening franchises provide you with leads from head office, but you might have to do leaflet drops locally. 'Our website and call centre generate leads which we distribute to franchisees within minutes,' says Edward Mauleverer of Ed's Garden Maintenance.

Franchisees provide mowing, hedge cutting, turfing, general maintenance and garden clearance, most often for householders but also for estate agents with properties to let or sell. Investment is £10,000-15,000.

¦ Jim's Mowing 0845 500 1010, Countrywide Lawn Doctor 0161 485 6666, Greensleeves 0808 100 1413, Ed's Garden Maintenance 0845 108 0121

Hidden cost of mobile franchising

A MOBILE franchise means basing your business round a vehicle. You save money on premises, but think carefully.

Time spent driving means less time making money.

'Ensure your franchise area is close to home, or you risk unnecessary costs,' says Janet Walmsley of Oscar Petfoods, whose franchisees deliver petfoods and accessories. The £14,995 Oscar franchise includes a computerised routeplanning system.

Be prepared to look after your vehicle. 'Your vehicle is your business. If it's off the road, you cannot make money,' says Darren Hawkins of Snap-on Tools, the £8,500 franchise where franchisees supply tools to mechanics.

Check out the variety on offer. Franchisees with PopStarParties get a portable music studio to stage parties where guests make their own CDs and pop videos.

Oscar Petfoods 0800 068 1106, Snap-on Tools 01536 413 800, PopStarParties 01530 513 305.