With a strong market in place and sustained demand expected for the next few years, now is a good time to look into starting your own lawn care business. Starting a solo business may work, but it’s tough to operate a business by yourself, with all the responsibilities of both running the business and providing the service to customers. Starting a franchise is a great way to own your own business while still having support, but which one to choose? Let’s take a look at a couple franchises and see how they compare.
Every Business Needs Seed Money
All new businesses have starting expenses, and franchises are no different. It can be tempting to jump for the franchise with the lowest initial investment, but it’s important to keep in mind an old saying: you get what you pay for. That means sometimes you have to pay a little extra for good quality. The Spring Green franchise has an initial investment cost range of $82,332-$104,682, while in comparison, GrassRoots Turf’s cost range is $100,800-$151,600.
However, Spring Green markets its franchise opportunity as a supplementary franchise to an existing business. GrassRoots Turf, on the other hand, seeks entrepreneurs looking to open a standalone lawn care service, without the need for an already established business to prop it up. The added investment cost gives you access to a business model designed to create a self-sustaining franchise instead of an add-on.
The Spring Green franchise’s aim to supplement existing businesses also shows in its franchisee net worth requirement and cash requirement. Spring Green requires franchisees to have a net worth of $160,000 and $60,000 in liquidity, while GrassRoots Turf only requires a $50,000 net worth and $50,000 in liquid assets. GrassRoots is willing to invest the time and effort to help you achieve success without requiring you to already be successful before filling out an application.
Covering More Ground
The Spring Green franchise offers a wide range of different lawn care services. These services include:
- Lawn fertilizing
- Weed control
- Multiple types of insect control
- Irrigation system maintenance
- Overseeding
- Core aeration
- Disease mitigation
- Lime treatments
- Ornamental bed weed control
In comparison, GrassRoots Turf provides not only these services, but also tree and shrub care as well, which will broaden your appeal to customers and give you an additional source of revenue.
Hungry to Spread Roots
Finally, a franchisor that’s hungry to grow will be eager to support ambitious franchisees like you. Spring Green launched in 1977. According to market research, the franchise reached 152 locations by 2021. Meanwhile, GrassRoots Turf started franchising in 2019 and reached 20 locations by 2022. During roughly the same time period, Spring Green only added nine new locations.
A larger number of locations shows that Spring Green has earned its reputation for success, but the franchisee also has to consider that more existing locations means fewer markets that don’t already have a Spring Green in them. Spring Green’s growth has also slowed down, which may indicate they’re currently less focused on the growth of the brand than on other priorities. GrassRoots Turf, with 19 locations added in four years, shows that it’s eagerly seeking new markets and new franchisees to expand its industry footprint.
Plant the Seeds of a New Business with GrassRoots Turf
We’re happy to offer ambitious, passionate entrepreneurs like you the opportunity to start your own lawn care service. We’ll provide you with everything you’ll need to grow a sustainable business, from training to support services to a recurring revenue model that will give you the edge in a market dominated by season-dependent competitors. Request franchise info today to find out more about your franchising opportunity with GrassRoots Turf.
