Operations Update: Your Business, Your Investment

This section contains 3 operations messages from your GUY Home Office Team:

- VP Message: Your Business, Your Investment
- GUY Home Office Bios, Q2 2019
- We Want to Hear From You: Franchise Business Review Spring Pulse Survey Coming in May

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Your Business, Your Investment

DWorthington Head ShotDianna Worthington, VP Operations

Many landscapers start learning the trade as a hobby or a part-time job because they enjoy the outdoors and love working with their hands. For some, and for multiple reasons, there comes a time when the decision is made to commit full-time to a landscape management business.

It may stem from the desire to be your own boss or perhaps because the hobby grew and it’s time to seriously focus on structured growth. Those who choose to purchase a franchise to help grow beyond the “hobby level” must understand the phases of business development and chart a course to move deliberately from one stage to the next or they will find they have invested in a very expensive hobby.

Phase One: JOB - You left a job working for someone else to work for yourself. You made the choice; you’re all in. You quit your day job and will focus full time on your business. It’s just you and, at first, things are manageable. Sales and referrals pick up the pace and you are doing what you love. You decide you will never work for anyone else again. You have decided to make a career of self-employment.

Phase Two: CAREER – After working for yourself awhile, you decide you will never work for anyone else again. This full-time job requires you to wear many hats. Sales, Production, Customer Care, Operations, Financial Genius and the list goes on. Some hats are heavier and more time consuming than others. You realize you need help. A laser focus on filling out the organizational chart will not only help you circumvent burnout, it will propel your company into the next phase of growth.

Phase Three: BUSINESS – You have grown your business to a point where you have employees. Although you are an important part of the business, you no longer have to do everything. You have surrounded yourself with the right people. This is probably the longest phase of business development and a true understanding of the owner’s role starts to take shape. A focus on strategic planning, monitoring financial outcomes and training and equipping the team toward The Grounds Guys CARE model are just a few of the key areas an owner must spend time in order to grow a profitable business. Top line growth is necessary for survival, but bottom-line growth will take a business owner to the final phase of development - an investment.

Phase Four: INVESTMENT – You have grown your business to a point where it can provide you with passive income. The business can function properly and profitably without you. There are three things to do with profit: pay yourself, pay down debt and invest back in the business. A healthy, profitable franchise will allow for all three. The investment phase opens the doors for multiple options: use investment money to grow the business to the next stage by adding more maintenance customers, invest the money back into the business to support new service vertical offerings to customers and enlarge your footprint in your territory, or, sell the investment. Whatever the case may be, the true reason for investing in a franchise is realized.

Whatever stage of business you are at, there are systems and support in place, within the franchise model, to take you to the next stage of growth. Personal growth and business growth. Evaluate your current position and intentionally make plans to move from a job to a career to a business and finally, to an investment.


Dianna Worthington, VP of Training and Education, Neighborly

Dianna Worthington, VP of Training and Education, Neighborly

Dianna is Vice President of Training and Education at Neighborly. To reach her, email dianna.worthington@nbly.com.

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