ROBERT – JIM’S MOWING (HOPE VALLEY)

What did you do before joining Jim’s Mowing?

I worked for Shell/Coles Express for 11 years. I started at a service station owned by a single operator as console operator, they were bought out a couple years later by a company who bought all the servos and I was made manager of that site. I worked my way up to managing bigger sites until I decided I needed to see the world, so I went travelling for a year. When I came back I started at the bottom at Shell again and worked my way back up to managing a site then taking on a role of overseeing many sites.

We were then taken over by Coles and they changed all the structures and I went back to managing 1 site.

What frustrated you about your previous employment?

When Coles took over they were a National company and wanted everything the same across Australia. They wouldn’t listen to what we had to say and what worked locally. My previous employer put a lot of pressure on KPIs even though the changes they were making were detrimental to the sites. They never listened to anything we suggested and it became very frustrating. I knew what could be done but wasn’t able to do it. So I decided it was time I put my managing, business and practical skills to better use.

What were you looking for in an opportunity?

My wife and I decided we wanted to buy a Franchise we weren’t sure which franchise. We wanted to be able to make more money than we were previously in our current Jobs, but we wanted to still maintain our lifestyle and be able to have control

Why did you end up choosing Jim’s over other things you were considering?

We looked at quite a few franchises, but price and hours having to work turned us off a lot of them. We also then decided that we would rather have a business that could be run by one person and the other could have a regular paying job. We narrowed it down to mowing franchises. We got the information packs from 2 of them and  never received the third (so that ruled them out straight away) . My best mate had a Jim’s Franchise and  had  been  running it for 2 years , before being a Jim he had approximately 20 jobs in the last 5 years, and he had  managed to stay a Jim for 2 years. I thought if he could stay a Jim that long then I definitely could do it. So we still had to make a choice out of the 2 it wasn’t a very hard decision Jim’s presence was so much bigger and 1 main factor was the trailer designs. I just couldn’t see how the other company could make money with the trailers they had (and to this day I still wonder that).

Plus an added bonus was that I had a mate in Jim’s who was able to help me out as I was getting started.

What did you like best about Jim’s Mowing?

The support we have on tap is great. Be it our Franchisors or my fellow Jim’s, they are only a phone call or email away. The regular meetings we have put on by our Franchisors bringing in guest speakers and supplying us with plenty of information. Also, being able to catch up with other Jim’s and discuss business and learn new tricks and reassure yourself that your business is going well.

The great deals Jim’s is able to offer; be it the mobile phone plan, insurance, stationery and many others.

The lifestyle Jim’s has provided would have to be the biggest factor and the flexibility and opportunities it has provided has been amazing.

What do find challenging about being in Jim’s Mowing?

Being able to have a business as big or as small as you want. I chose probably the middle ground. I bought 1 territory with 70 clients over the first 2 years I bought another 2 territories and took on an employee, (he is still currently working with me). I now have around 150 regular clients that we do full garden maintenance and about 300 casual clients. We pride ourselves on giving 100% service to all our clients and keeping our standards at the highest level. The challenge being that giving 100% is that I receive 100% back and it’s not going into someone else’s pocket.

Details of the kind of money you now make compared to your previous employment?

In my previous employment I was working around 50 hours a week and earning 50K a year. In Jim’s I work around 30¬38 hours a week and would earn around 150K a year.

What can you say about your lifestyle in comparison to your old?

The freedom and flexibility I have now is amazing. I do not work weekends and have weekdays off when it pleases us. We are able to go on holidays twice a year. We are able to have a few luxuries eg.Vehicles.

Where do you hope Jim’s will lead you?

My goal is to retire after being a Jim at 50 (that’s another 15 years). In that time we plan to pay off our mortgage and make a big dent in the 2 rentals properties we have been able to buy (even buy another).

With the 3 territories I have, I plan to split them 5 times closer to retirement for a nice profit and bonus.

Support and Training?

The support and training I received and still receive has been vital to my business in its success. Both on hands training out in the field and the theory training I received on start-up were a great help to answer any question and problems I had. To this day, I still receive great support from my franchisor on anything I need answered or help with.

We can’t forget about our fellow franchisees that are also just a phone call away or pull up for a chat when you see them on the road.