Frequently Asked Questions

 

Why Jim's?
Obviously, this means different things to different people. We certainly have a great team with a lot of depth. Recently, our ability to help our franchisees deal with the changing OH&S certainly reflects this. But looking at it from a purely “nuts and bolts” analytical position, Jim's has two major strategic advantages, namely the cheaper cost of customer acquisition and size, and a focus on putting franchisee support above all other priorities.
  Jim's has the cheapest cost of customer acquisition, which means that it cost us less to get our message through, and customers through the door. The Jim's brand, reputation and its awareness in the marketplace, means that many people call Jim's each year just based on awareness and reputation. This is a large strategic advantage as we do not have to pay large advertising costs to get that lead. By joining Jim's, you get to take advantage of the 25 years of marketing and branding that we have engaged in.
  The other and most important success determinant resource is you. The Jim’s system invests time and resources both at the State and National level. You receive a monthly contact call, where we gauge how you are going and what assistance we can provide you. We also have monthly group meetings and workshops, along with information and coaching newsletters. The goals of all these activities is to help you build the best business that you can. It is one thing to work hard, but true results come from direction on what to work on and when. Operating under correct knowledge.

 

Why pay fees?
Fees are an extremely important part of any franchise system, as they provide the critical infrastructure for you to succeed. Your fees pay for things like state advertising, the call centre, IT infrastructure, National and State offices etc. And with Jim's ethos of "putting franchisees first," this translates into a strong support and knowledge base, which provides you with the resources and capabilities to run a professional and effective business. Having said that, we are mindful that fees should always equal excellent value for money, otherwise what's the point of being in a franchise system?

 

How much does a Jim’s business really cost?.
There is no question that there are cheaper mowing businesses out there. But what is the real $ difference i.e. how much more is it going to cost me to have a Jim’s Mowing branded business?
Let's say that you purchase a business for 25K, with clients, rather than a business worth 10K (i.e Jims costs 15K more). If you borrowed this extra amount at 7% per annum, it would cost you an extra $22 per week (to have that Jimbo business). Now, have a look at the quality of the business you can buy for 10k.
Of course, this assumes that you sell your business at what you bought it at (25K). We would hope that our knowledge and support, and your effort, skill and knowledge etc. will continue to improve your business and you sell it for more (or do mini splits).

 

How long before I can get back the money I invested?. What are splits?
This is what many of us look at when getting into business. One way to do this, is to look at the revenue and allocate a weeks amount out of it. The other way is to look at a Split. A split represents excellent value for both buyer and seller. They allow you to split your business into two, and sell one of those halves. The amazing thing about this process, is that it allows you to turn the potential disadvantage “growth ceiling,” (being an owner operator means that you only have 40 hours in a week), into a fantastic opportunity for you to get back your original investment, or more through multiple splits. I believe the record in Jim’s mowing South Australia is 8. In fact, by working splits into your growth strategy, you could literally keep growing for ever.

 

Maybe I Could Do It By Myself….As An Independent
You’re not alone. Many people who consider a Jim’s Mowing Franchise also ‘toy’ with the idea of starting up as an independent mowing contractor so they can save on franchise fees. But when they read the report, ‘How To Make A Six Figure Income As A Jim’s Mowing Franchise Owner’, they soon discover as an independent, you…

• Have to pay top dollar for all your equipment without the buying power of the Jim’s Group (probably worth tens of thousands of dollars in the set up stage alone).
• Bear the cost and frustration of having to work out all the systems alone – including difficult things like legal and OH&S requirements that could end up costing everything if you get it wrong.
• Have to operate without any brand identity and spend years building trust in the marketplace.
• Have limited earning potential without the expansion opportunities of the Jim’s Business Group
• Scrounge for customers from day one without the support of Jim’s Marketing Systems supplying ready-to-buy leads every week.
• Rely on your own resources with no ‘Pay for Work Guarantee’ to see you through your start-up period.
• Risk everything as you struggle to learn hard lessons without being able to benefit from the ‘expensive’ experience of others who have already had these problems and solved them.
• Have nobody to call when you have a problem.
• Probably earn a lot less money (Jim’s Mowing Franchisees typically earn 20-40% more than independent mowing contractors).

· Have more risk and a greater chance of failure (88% of Jim’s Mowing Franchisees have a thriving business within 12 months – that’s quite a contrast to the dreadful failure rate of only 29% survival for typical lawn care businesses in Australia).