buying jims mowing??

[Johnny B. Goode]

Ok before you all yell at me i wanna ask a question
My cousin and me are looking at a Jims mowing round in sydney a guy has for sale.Its all his jims custamers he is keeimg his cash customers.He charges a minimum 40 + gst for a lawn amd has a good customer base.
Ok what are the drawbacks of the franchise system how much do we hafta pay em per month for advertisinf and other stuff.
Is it a good thing as ive got a little experience but need something to pay my wages if i leave my current job.
any ideas thankyou.
Johnny B. Goode

[Easycareacres]

All as I can say myself is build your own run, forget the franchise stuff unless got money to spare.

[pbm]

Stay away from Jim...he'll bleed you dry.Don't forget you will be paying him commissions and fees as long as you are in the business.

[Pres Lawn]

If he is keeping his so called cash customers you can bet that he is selling the crap ones e.g. bad payers and the like Be very carefull really look into all the franshises and once you have done that give Dean or Ebony a call at ILMCA and have a talk to them ON 1800501662 AND DO NOT RUSH INTO IT !!! GOOD LUCK MATE.

[matthew pitman]

i aslo heard now that if you wont out of Jim's you have to sell back to them at an agreed price , thats if you dont wont to use there name , dont how true but i heard it from a jims guy .

[Stuie]

Ok say that this guy is offering his Jims round for $16000 which seems what they are selling for.You have to outlay that plus all your equipment.Now i know it is already established but look into whats the real deal.How many Jims are in that immediate area, from what i can see they tend to overlap areas and compete with each other.Is this guy selling and getting out of Jims or is he selling some customers for a good profit and building back up again.HE WILL BE ANOTHER COMPETITOR!
Also with the $16000 you are outlaying look at what it gets you!It will buy you your mowers whippers blowers etc and at the very least a box trailer and say you have $10000 left thats a hell of alot of advertising dollars in the kitty for you to build your business.

Who do you wanna work for ? Yourself or for some guys in an office in Sydneys north who F alot up and some other guy in Victoria????
Dont line their pockets on your hard work!

Stuart

[snippy]

I think your all being a little harsh on poor old Jim ( I would never do that myself of course )
Not everyone wants to start in the basement like the independents, having to learn the hard way, waiting for the phone to ring and thinking OMG why did I leave that comfortable job shelling peanuts on the factory floor?
I mean some people don't appreciate the challenge and the character building exercise of going without food and electricity waiting for work to pickup and those ads to start working.
Sure you pay a premium so Jim and his cronies can get a nice sun tan on the Gold Coast while you bust your arse out in the burbs but it all evens out in the end.
Whats the difference between giving Jim 20 grand of your hard earned and getting instant customers and stuffing it in the bank to keep you going for the next year while you build your own round up?
And don't forget Jims customers expect and are willing to get charged more for their services as opposed to the penny pinchers you'll find after advertising in the local rag so that should cover all those nasty service fees you'll get charged.
Working for a franchise though you will still not really achieve the feeling of being your own boss, at the end of the day you will still have to answer to "the man"
So in summation let it be said that its quite likely that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about anyway so please regard/disregard the above advice at your own peril!

[Stuie]

Hey Snippy
I dont want to judge anyone on their choice of how they go about mowing etc.I was just putting up another point of view.You are right in the respect of there being no real difference in spending 20K with Jims (at least you have an instant start) or leaving it in the bank to dwindle away.
I will admit i am interested in Jims because most people i think , think this way.
I NEED MY LAWN MOWN WHO DO I CALL......... JIMS MOWING!!!
This is massive Name recognition.
Do Jims customers really expect to pay a premium for a Jims service.Is it better quality work or just a perception of quality??
I am currently looking at franchises but maybe im just thinking the grass is greener so to speak!
There is always that job in Peru ive got a firm offer for, but dont know if i wanna be paid in Pesos!
Stuart
Whos ideas and views are poorly formulated usually created at the end of a whippersnipper ( i think its called daydreaming! )

[matthew pitman]

when i quote a job and people say to me that i was cheaper buy a few dollars then the other guy ( who was a jims are marks mowing guy ) i say thats because i dont have to tack on the cost to cover a francise fee, the cost they pay me is the cost to do the job right the first time not the cost to do the job pluse commision to the bigger boss,
a lot of poeple will call the franises first cause their name is well know and there adds a bigger but and the end of the day it doesnt mean we cant have our adds as big as theirs and our names well known, do what they do have big adds , tell people same day quotes and make it known that your price is a price for quaility not quanity.
just my opinion

[Rod]

I agree, do not be too hard on poor old "Jim" (PhD.)

He has achieved a great deal and the best way to compete with him is to copy him.

Jim's represents stability (despite higher cost) when the "backyard boys" cant be bothered to turn up. Lets face it some independents are "backyard" boys as they name suggests. If the hat fits wear it.

Having said that if you want a "Jim's" run go for it. I admire there solidarity!!!

[Ebony]

So did Hitler achieve a great deal and they also had perceived solidarity

Just be very very careful to anyone looking into franchising. It is not the upfront cost as much as it is THE FEES, the binding contracts etc etc etc.

If you had heard the stories from the current and ex franchisees and the amount that we have I doubt you would keep the same opinion.

Just be very very careful, read the contract. THINK about the contents and it's meaning.

...if you want a "Jim's" run go for it.

Man I would love the ability to say this, It does not effect me in any way if someone joins a franchise. But I just can't do it, I have heard to many painful stories. Yet some of those stories come from people we once spoke to offering advice. It's not a nice feeling I can tell you that now!

Ebony (ExP)

P.S. Jims = he who used to mow lawns for how much? What? backyarders, undercutting. haha, sounds familiar

[Ebony]

lol Admiral I just read your post again. I can asure you, I hear more negative comments from customers regarding franchisees then I do independents.

Ebony
(Independent and Proud of it, I build my future, not someone elses mansion)

[Stuie]

Hey Eb
Theres an article in tomorrows (tuesday) Australian newspaper about franchising and one particular franchise in particular.Dont know who it relates to but will make interesting reading regardless.
STUART

[Ebony]

lol Stuie, it always does.

[Pres Lawn]

Well said Eb but no matter what, some people love the idea of a franshise system, Me for instance, I have been in the mowing game since I was 20 and have never bought a customer, but have sold pockets of customers from time to time and sold my first full round (140) customers because I wanted to change areas. My point.... independent is for me. Do what I want when I want! If I dont like a customer well p...off! The money I earn is mine and nobody else! Thats why Iam independent but I'll always say G'day to every in our game, we are all different so if you want to by Jims or VIP good luck to you, but if you want advise then dont ask me.