Michael spent 32 years in the corporate world before making the call to leave and start a Jim’s Mowing franchise. In just over 12 months, he’s built a standout lawn mowing and gardening business with 126 reviews and a 4.9-star rating, dropped 15kg, hired three employees, and is now averaging $1,600–$2,000 days in sales.
In this episode, Michael shares how he went from new franchisee to scaling fast. We cover customer service, turning one lead into a major aged care mowing contract, quoting from customer videos, training staff for consistent 5-star reviews, and why he’s expanding into Jim’s Window and Pressure Cleaning to offer bundled home service packages.
If you’re researching a Jim’s Mowing franchise in Australia, thinking about buying a mowing franchise, or you’re a current franchisee wanting to grow your mowing and gardening business, this episode is packed with practical lessons.
00:00 Hardest part was resigning. Why it built confidence
00:59 Intro. Michael is a dual franchisee (Jim’s Mowing + Jim’s Window and Pressure Cleaning)
01:10 What he did before Jim’s. 32 years in corporate
01:50 Corporate exit benefits. Less pressure, lost 15kg, sleeping better
02:14 Decision process. Salary security, four kids, finally making the leap
02:48 Why Jim’s Mowing. Podcasts, seeing other franchisees succeed
03:22 Was resigning the hardest part? Line in the sand moment
04:08 12-month results. 126 reviews, 4.9 stars
04:38 Starting overwhelmed. Fitness, injuries, learning the tools
05:21 Quality standards. Never leaving a job until he’s happy
05:57 One lead became his biggest account
06:16 Aged care account growth. About 90 clients, 20 more coming
06:46 Building diversity. DVA work and bundled service packages
07:48 Scaling with staff. Three employees, still getting five-star feedback
08:23 When he hired his first employee. The moment he had to stop leads
08:48 Quality control system. Photos after every job, feedback loop
09:28 Moving to a four-day week. Using Fridays for quoting, admin, family
10:03 Hiring timeline. First worker started about two months in
11:02 Switching to ServiceM8. Photos and timestamps for proof and QA
11:44 Recruiting staff. Seek didn’t work, network and referrals did
12:39 Facebook recruiting. Posting to his network
13:03 Revenue chat. Averaging $1,600 to $2,000 per day in sales
13:33 Wild job. Deceased cleanup and hoarder job, $10,000 dump fees
14:30 Core services. Positioning as gardening, not just mowing
15:31 Quoting tips. Mistakes early, then quoting from photos and videos
16:24 How he requests videos. SMS workflow, staying focused on current jobs
18:05 Why he added window and pressure cleaning. Package and upsell strategy
19:26 Pure water window cleaning system. Streak-free results
20:15 Is he still on the tools? Yes, but shifting toward management
21:37 Long-term goal. Off the tools, ops manager, maybe franchising later
23:02 Training approach. Two to three months, tool-by-tool progression
25:00 Four-day work week benefits. Motivation, recovery, retention
26:10 Buying better equipment to lift productivity. Team-driven improvements
28:09 Maintenance. Teaching staff basics, shop for major repairs
28:38 How he manages the team. Daily calls, occasional site meetups
29:26 Support from franchisor and network. Bruce and SK mentioned
31:01 Fees and value of the Jim’s brand. Leads, marketing, trust
32:36 Handling complaints. Turning negative feedback into opportunity
34:31 Advice for new franchisees. Ask for help, use the network
36:15 Wrap up and final encouragement
🌱 Love a great lawn? Want pro gardening tips?
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Jim’s Mowing is Australia’s #1 lawn and garden franchise with 2,000+ local owners. Founded in 1989 by Jim Penman, we’ve become one of the country’s most trusted names in home services.
Here’s why people choose Jim’s:
✅ Fully insured and police-checked franchisees
✅ Backed by the Jim’s Workmanship Guarantee
✅ Local family businesses supported by a national brand
And we do more than mowing. Our team can help with hedging, pruning, landscaping, rubbish removal, and complete garden care.
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