Building a Successful Lawn Care Franchise with John Garretson

Join us in an insightful interview with John Garretson, a veteran and the franchise owner of Lawn Squad of Aurora. We explore his transition from military life to entrepreneurship, the growth of his lawn care business, and his foray into franchising. John shares the influence of his military experience on his business approach, the evolution of his company, and strategies for managing multi-unit franchises. He also offers advice to fellow veterans aspiring to enter the entrepreneurial world and discusses adapting to the ever-changing franchising industry.

Veteran Entrepreneurship: A Military Perspective

SBS – How has your experience as a veteran influenced your approach to entrepreneurship?  

John – I’ve always had the entrepreneurial bug and wanted to start my own business eventually. I believe many of the skills I learned during my time in the military have benefited my portfolio and have shaped the business owner I am today. From discipline and patience to purpose and teamwork, veterans like me have various skills and attributes, making them well-suited for entrepreneurship.

Launching and Growing a Lawn Care Venture

SBS – What motivated you to start your lawn maintenance company in 2009, and how has it evolved since? 

John – I started my lawn care business 15 years ago as a side hustle while I worked full-time in retail management to help pay for childcare. Wanting to stay connected to the military and better my community, I continuously offered complimentary lawn care services as part of GreenCare For Troops, a needs-based program dedicated to taking the burden off the families of active-duty deployed service members. In 2020, I transitioned full-time to the lawn care business while also performing the bookkeeper and payroll administrator tasks. Then, I simultaneously started building my business portfolio, which sparked my interest in franchising. The more I learned about franchising, the more it became a no-brainer. It seemed like a smart investment because there were established systems in place I could use for resources. In 2023, I decided to convert the lawn care business to Lawn Squad; the rest is history! I now have a management team in place that handles day-to-day operations while I oversee bigger-picture tasks.

Choosing Franchising: The Lawn Squad Decision

SBS – Why did you choose Lawn Squad for expanding into franchising, especially given your success with The Cleaning Authority? 

John – While my lawn care company was flourishing, I really wanted to expand the fertilization and weed control part of my business. Since I had just joined Authority Brands and had a lucrative first year operating my franchise with The Cleaning Authority, I knew how successful another franchise brand could be. Not only would I have a solid corporate team in place to support me, but I would have access to training sessions, networking opportunities, marketing tactics, advanced equipment and technology, and so much more. After learning more about Lawn Squad, I was ready to dive in and quickly expand my fertilization and weed control services.

Managing Multiple Franchise Units

SBS – Can you share insights on managing multi-unit franchises in different locations? 

John – Some best practices are leaning into your team and trusting the people you’ve put in charge. While it’s imperative to be a leader, it’s equally as important to ensure you’re not bottlenecking the business. Try your best to avoid micromanaging your team — let them handle the day-to-day and be available for the bigger discussions. Personally, I want my team to feel empowered to make decisions to best service our customers and move the business forward.

Retaining Employees During Transition

SBS – What strategies have you employed to retain 90% of your employees during the business transition? 

John – It all comes down to competitive pay. When performance is good, I want to ensure my team is properly rewarded, hoping they’ll return for another season. Since the lawn industry is so seasonal, many companies struggle to maintain a solid team annually. Due to seasonal layoffs, lawn care professionals can be unemployed for months at a time, which presents unique challenges when simultaneously trying to grow your business. Due to the volume of jobs we service, I’m fortunate that I’m able to pay my employees somewhat based on industry compensation. In addition to competitive pay, I’d also say maintaining a positive workplace is key. Employees want to work in the best work environments where they feel appreciated, provided for, and respected. Having reward systems, optimal equipment, and support systems in place will help retain the crews and ensure they can efficiently complete their jobs.

Operating Diverse Service Businesses

SBS – How do you balance the operational differences between lawn care and cleaning services in your business model? 

John – As the franchise owner, I oversee both my teams from a distance. Therefore, I empower my respective management teams to lead and operate as needed. Not only am I in constant communication with them, but I spend time in each office regularly. I make sure to be available to answer any questions they may have, provide advice, and share feedback based on upper-level metrics and observations so we’re all on the same page. While I am available to gut check with, I do encourage my teams to make their own informed decisions. I don’t discourage mistakes because I believe they are the most effective, hands-on way to learn.

Selecting and Growing New Franchises

SBS – What are the key factors you consider when selecting a new franchise to invest in? How do you plan to leverage the Lawn Squad’s local brand recognition in your new markets? 

John –  When I’m looking to invest in a brand, the franchise must be something I understand from both the production and financial side. I also strive to invest in a franchise within an industry that does not fluctuate drastically based on markets – which is why the home services industry is so appealing. I believe recession-resistant businesses are less risky and more likely to offer services year-round. Lastly, I always want the franchise’s values to align with my personal values. If it’s not something I’m passionate about, I would rather allocate my expertise, money, and time elsewhere.

Since Lawn Squad is still a relatively new concept, I’ll certainly need to work on local brand penetration. While WeedPro (Lawn Squad’s former name) had great brand recognition in the Midwest, it’s something we’ll need to work on now that we’ve been rebranded. However, the marketing provided by Lawn Squad and Authority Brands to date has been top-notch. Between the cutting-edge vehicle graphics and regional marketing tactics, I’m confident we will build strong brand recognition in Illinois and beyond over the next few years.

Future Goals for Lawn Squad

SBS – What are your long-term goals for your Lawn Squad franchises? 

John – Eventually I’d like to grow each of my locations to roughly $2M of top line revenue. In terms of expansion, I’m looking to add a new location every year or two for the foreseeable future. 

Overcoming Franchise Conversion Challenges

SBS – What challenges have you faced in converting your existing business to a Lawn Squad franchise, and how did you overcome them? 

John – Authority Brands has certainly streamlined the conversion process. It’s honestly been a lot easier than I originally anticipated! To ensure the process was seamless, I brought back my office manager a month early so we had adequate time to prepare. Overall, I’m grateful my existing team and customers have been very receptive to the change. We are taking it one day at a time.

Maintaining Quality Across Locations

SBS – How do you ensure consistent quality across different service locations? 

John – Lawn Squad delivers consistent quality because each franchise owner has been trained to operate in a specific manner. Not only are the processes simple, but they are easy to replicate because we are providing the same level of service on each property. Once I open my second location in Nashville next year, I know my staff will be trained the same way they were in Aurora. We use consistent products and equipment for all our crews, ensuring the highest quality nationwide. Also, the Lawn Squad corporate team has customer service and sales departments working hard for us, which has been a huge help so we can focus on perfecting the actual services. Thanks to the backing of a major parent company like Authority Brands, consistency can evidently be seen throughout our operations.

Veterans in Entrepreneurship: Tips and Insights

SBS – What advice would you give to veterans considering entrepreneurship? 

John – Entrepreneurship is a rewarding career path that can allow veterans and other entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. As an entrepreneur, you bet on yourself, which means you invest as much of your time and money into your business aspirations as possible to succeed. However, entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. You must be the type of person who is not afraid to make decisions and take personal accountability. For every benefit, there is a challenge, and the journey requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Luckily, there are many resources available to veterans to assist in the transition from military to civilian life, including those in career development. For veterans who appreciate structure, like me, owning a franchise can be a perfect hybrid between working for an organization and starting a business from scratch. Not only do franchisors actively seek out veterans as potential business owners, but many offer special discounts or support programs like the VetFran® Program to help create a solid business foundation. Overall, my entrepreneurial journey has taught me so much thus far, and I look forward to offering Lawn Squad’s services to the communities I’ll be serving very soon.

Adapting to Changes in Franchising

SBS – How do you stay informed and adapt to changes in the franchising industry? 

John – I stay up to speed with my franchise brands by attending industry conferences, training calls, and town hall sessions, reading the news, keeping up with internal corporate announcements and newsletter communications, and having an active role within each operational entity.