Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Create wealth through Franchising. I'm your host, Kim Daly.
Whether you're a CEO, a military vet, a real estate investor, or simply in career transition and ready to take ownership of your future, with each episode, you're gonna learn valuable insights and hear inspiring stories from within the franchise industry.
On that note, my guest stories are their own. And as a franchise consultant, I do not make personal brand endorsements or earnings claims, but I do educate, motivate, and inspire dreams.
Now onto the show.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Welcome back to Create wealth through Franchising podcast and Kim Daily tv. In the studio today, a new friend all the way from San Antonio, Texas. His name is Patrick. Licks from the lawn. Dr. Patrick, welcome to the studio of Kim Daly TV.
[00:01:02] Speaker C: Happy to be here. Thank you.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: I am so happy to have you here. All right, so we're gonna dive into your juicy story. You're gonna tell us what was happening in your life when you woke up and said, well, I need to do something different.
[00:01:16] Speaker C: Boy, that's a good question. And I probably have to start years ago, having worked in corporate America, having started that in what, 1992, worked for the same company for 26 years and grew with that organization to a pretty high level role. And one day new CEO came in and said, we're going to get rid of this whole division. So myself and six or seven of my peers were all removed that day from high, pretty high level positions.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: So 26 years, a new guy comes in and everything you've given is for nothing.
[00:01:49] Speaker C: Correct. Literally. I got an email for a phone conversation on Friday after Thanksgiving that would occur on Monday morning at 9, 10. So very specific time. And then in that 9 o'clock time to 9, 10, one of my peers just called me and said I was let go. So I knew I was. That mine was coming. Yeah, pretty heavy commitment to that company and really dedicated to it. And that didn't matter. Still wasn't ready to make the leap.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Tell us what your job was like. What role did you play in the company and as you moved through the ranks? For 26 years, I was the region.
[00:02:28] Speaker C: Manager with over what they call the southwest region. It was the most profitable region in the entire company in dollars. It was the most profitable company in margin rate.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: I mean, because you were there.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: Yeah, we grew the most every year since I had been in that role and that was my finishing role. And so I kind of felt like they removed me from the very top and, you know, they took care of me upon my exit, don't get me wrong. But still Some hard feelings there.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: After that kind of commitment, what industry were you in?
[00:02:58] Speaker C: I was in Law and Care.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Oh, you were. Interesting. Oh, this. The plot thickens. Okay, so you had this profitable career in Lawn Care. New CEO comes in, 26 years, you're out. We don't need you anymore. Thank you for your service. Here's your severance. Merry Christmas. Now what happens? You said you still weren't ready. What happened then?
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Well, I was probably ready, but just scared. So I had some friends in the heating and air business at a national organization and that was the first call that I made and ultimately ended up in a role as a general manager and, you know, probably a 30 to 50 million dollar business depending upon where I was. But I moved to Southern California for that and then didn't like it out there. They moved me to Florida for another year and then I just hated the business. I know a lot of guys love it, but I had no knowledge, got limited training, figured a lot of stuff out on my own, but I just didn't like the kill to eat business model. And having worked in the lawn care industry prior, I knew that that recurring revenue business model was for me. And that then after the end of those two years, I'm not sure whether I got fired or whether I quit. It was one of those conversations.
Yeah.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: And so it was a mutual exit.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: It was definitely mutual. I can assure you it was mutual. They didn't want me that day and I certainly didn't want to be there anymore. So when I went home, I probably waited a few days, but kind of knew that was my next step, is to do something on my own. Of course, I've had people tell me that my whole life, you should just do this on your own. You'd be much better at it. And I would tell people to believe that if people see that in you. I called Lawn Doctor. I called one other franchise organization. And the thing that impressed me most about Lawn Doctor was their transparency. They wouldn't answer questions they didn't know the answer to, and then they answered solidly the ones that they did. And the way they had me reach out to the other business owners within the network was very positive and enlightening experience. And it was a pretty quick and easy transition for me.
[00:05:04] Speaker B: And that was how many years ago? 4. You've been in the business now for four years. So I want to go back and just fill in a couple gaps in the story that I wanted to ask you, but I didn't want to interrupt you. So you moved from San Antonio Home.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: So I was in Fort Worth at the time.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: That whole other country over there in Texas.
[00:05:23] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Was it part of like moving away like Texas that also just didn't work for you? Did you miss home?
[00:05:32] Speaker C: No, it was the nature of the culture in the organizations. The last organization I was at, it was testosterone driven. And what I mean by that is a lot of yelling, people positioning themselves in certain ways on certain topics. It was all just a joke. You know, I'm a 50 year old man. I don't need somebody yelling and screaming at me like I'm a little kid. Teach me, don't scream at me. And there was no teaching, only screaming. And I'm, I just had it. It's like, you know, these egos were just beyond even mine. And mine can be large at times. My ego's never been dwarfed like that ever before. Until I worked there, it was just bad culture. And every day you woke up sick to your stomach going to work. And you know, in that business, a non recurring revenue model, I mean it was a 247 job. You know, you'd wake up at 2 in the morning and look at your phone to see if you hit a hundred thousand in sales for the day. And that's not healthy, but they encouraged it, they liked that that was what was recognized. And, and believe me, I'm not a woke softie at all. But at some point you have to decide what's good for you. And that environment was bad for me. And so I said, done, voted with my feet and said I'm ready to go on to a new adventure.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Okay, so you answered the call, you opened a business. So was there any thought in your head to go do something on your own or did you go right to, like you said, lawn doctor, right to the franchise model.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: So after my last two year stint, I went direct to the franchise model in between jobs. I did look at some franchises and was going to take that route, but like I said, I guess was too, too afraid. The thought was, okay, if I do this and I got all this money out and no guarantees of money coming back in, that was just too fearful for me at the time. And then after I'd had enough after two years at the most recent company, I'm like, okay, it's time to bet on myself and not be so afraid. Know that you can generate revenue, you can have more revenue come in than expenses going out. And that's worked out great.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Good job. That's the hurdle everybody has to get over, right? Either you do we're not judging, just telling the story. But that's amazing. You figured it out. So I often ask this question at the end, but I gotta ask you right now. So knowing what you know now, four years into it, and what drove you to this decision, do you believe you're unemployable?
[00:07:58] Speaker C: I'm never going back to that. It's a never, ever. I'm healthier, I'm happier, I work less, I make more money. I work in a great network that tries to help and support each other. There's no reason to ever go back. The words freedom, it's so good.
[00:08:21] Speaker B: And control. You have ultimate control over your own destiny. It's so beautiful. So you're four years in. I mean, you have a reoccurring model, a seasonal model. And as you know, we were saying initially, you're sort of in a desert sort of. You're keeping life and plants green in the desert.
[00:08:42] Speaker C: Well, I do have two other locations. I have one in Fort Worth and I have one in Tulsa, Oklahoma that's opening up hopefully this week. And so I've expanded beyond my original business because it was such a great experience. I took more risk and I laid more money down. You know, my model is 200,000 turns into a million in three years if you follow the process. And I'm living by that. It's working.
And I'll continue to expand if the opportunities present themselves.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: And so are you taking leadership skill you honed over those 26 years to then lead team of people in these other like Fort Worth and Tulsa since you're in San Antonio?
[00:09:24] Speaker C: Yes. And the greatest strength that I bring to the table is a sales culture and mentality and ability. I started in my career in sales roles and have a pretty sincere love of that whole sales operation in any industry, whatever they do, I just love it. And I brought that to the table. You know, I'm a data freak of course too, but, you know, I let people do their job and I don't get in their way. I do steer and I guide and I really help a lot on the sales front, which has allowed us to grow quite a bit. And wasn't sure if what I had known and done in the past would be able to replicate itself here under my own leadership. It certainly has. So I'm feel very blessed about that.
[00:10:14] Speaker B: How did you get the confidence that you could find people in Tulsa, Oklahoma to run a business, take your formula of 200 turns into a million?
How did you get the confidence to do that?
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Well, I guess I Already had the confidence.
The thing is that I think a lot of people don't realize there are a lot of people that were like me before I jumped into lawn doctors, sick of the corporate world, living in a bad culture, just resigning themselves to that being their life, that they want out. So if I want out and I started a lawn doctor, there's plenty more that want out that aren't ready to start their own franchise. They're out there and they're highly skilled, they're very knowledgeable, and they embrace this environment where, you know, the world's not coming to an end if we missed our sales by one sale last week or, you know, accountability is the big buzzword in corporate world today. And they mean it. Like, if you don't do your job, you're fired. That's accountability to them. Accountability to me is follow up training, verifying that they know how to do it, following up again to verify they know how to do it, those kinds of things. That's accountability to me. So therein lies the difference. And I think a lot of people would embrace my type of accountability over always being worried about being terminated at their job for not even a mistake. You're truly giving the best effort sometimes.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: Hey, Daily Coach fans, if you're ready to begin your own journey to find the perfect franchise, please email me right now at InquireimDaily TV. My services are totally free for you. That's InquireimDaily TV. Now back to the show.
[00:12:02] Speaker B: So you're four years in. What's your ultimate goal? Do you have a vision for how big this could go for you?
[00:12:09] Speaker C: So I thought I did. When I first started, and it wasn't this, it was smaller. My goal when I first started this was just to replace my salary and I'd be content and I'd ride off into the sunset in the wild west desert that I live in. Then I began to see, you know, results unfold. I began to see new opportunities in the little business that I built. And I said, you know, it just seems silly not to go capture those two. And then as a little bit more money, as more cash flow began to arrive, became much, much easier to do those things. So the question was, do I just want to take this and put it all in my bank, or do I want to take this and put it in another business and create a bigger bank? And, you know, for some that decision might be able to put it in their own bank. That's great. But for me, I'm taking a good portion of that and, you know, just rolling it over to something new.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Do you do any coaching or development with any other Lawn Doctor franchisees? Are you in any kind of small group or small group leader? I feel like you would be.
[00:13:10] Speaker C: So I'm not right now, I think because there's a lot of legacy Lawn Doctor guys who are really, really good. I think they probably count on those. I'm probably inching my way into that neighborhood, I would imagine. I do talk to a lot of potential franchisees, you know, guys that are entertaining the idea similar to what I had done.
[00:13:26] Speaker B: Stuck at the fear level.
[00:13:28] Speaker C: And it's enjoyable talking to them. I have some reach out to me to identify how I'm growing so much and so fast and I got nothing to hide. You know, I'll share all of it. I don't compete with anybody at Lawn Doctor. We have our own territories. So I'll share it all and then.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Everybody just gets better. Rising tides raise all ships and whole brand grows.
[00:13:49] Speaker C: I love that about the brand. I don't know everybody in the entirety of a Lawn Doctor, but the ones that I have experiences with have been unbelievable people. I mean, it's really shocking because you don't have to compete. You're not in the corporate world trying to compete with the other region manager to perform better to get that promotion. We're already promoted. We're all presidents and CEOs. We don't care. We just share. We're happy to. And it's great.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: It's so counter corporate America. It's amazing. It's one of the things I think that makes those of us who get into franchising stay because it's such a unique environment where literally people help people and then we all win. So when you're on these validation calls like, what's your number one advice you give to somebody who is thinking about investing in a Lawn Doctor?
[00:14:39] Speaker C: Don't be afraid. Fear is the number one thing that I think locks people up. There is a business model that works or Lawn Doctor wouldn't have been doing this for the last 50 some odd years. So trust the process and don't be afraid. I also tell them when you're a year or two in, if you make it that far, don't spend the minimum on marketing. Let's identify what does and doesn't work and let's expand that to replicate your plan so your plan can come to fruition. You can't spend the minimum amount and expect to get 3x the rate you've got coming out of that. You got to spend a little money to make money, it's got to be smart money. But Lawn Doctor has that figured out. I'm so impressed with their marketing, considering the experience I had for 26 years thinking that that company did it the best, the very best. Got news for you, they don't. They spend as much money as they can to get as much of the market as they can, and they waste a ton of it. Lawn Doctor doesn't waste our money. And that. That's a big deal. And so after I learned that after year one, I said, let's go.
[00:15:43] Speaker B: What do you say to those negative Nancy's out there, Nellies out there who are like, you know, how do you make this kind of money in a seasonal market? You make enough money in the season?
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Well, we do. So my seasons are a little bit different here. San Antonio were probably shut down for two weeks on purpose, not because of the weather. And that's right at the end of the year, probably shut down for four weeks. And Tulsi be shut down for probably eight to 10. So that is the challenge for some franchisees in this business. But in the timeframe that you're doing the work, you can make a ton of money. So for example, my overall margins usually run about 15%, but that's because of the downtimes. In the peak seasons, I'm making 30, 35% of my revenue. You know, my plan this year is 3.7 million. And I'd be willing to bet we're going to do it.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: I'd be willing to bet on you all day long. This is like so fun for those listeners out there, right, who are listening to all these detailed questions I'm asking. It's intentional and on purpose because I want you to get into the nitty gritty. I want you to put yourself in Patrick's shoes. He's a regular guy, right, Living his corporate life, right? It's decided for him. This isn't your path anymore. How many of you listeners out there, how many of you have found yourself right there? I thought, fork in the road and then you go back and pick another job. And I'm not judging, but at some point you're going to be like, I can't do this anymore. I know you are, because I've been doing this franchise consulting for 22 years and I've met tens of thousands of you at that fork in the road. And I want to meet you at that fork in the road. That's the point of this interview and this show, to inspire you to Take his words. Not just the Daily Coach's words, to take Patrick's words. He was afraid. It's what held him back. It's what took him on the journey through H Vac. And it's not wasted. It's all good experience.
But maybe he'd be six years in instead of four years in. Maybe he'd have six territories instead of three or four or whatever he has. I mean, who knows? He's here now and he's doing amazing. He gave you his numbers. They sound amazing. But if you're out there and you're a little bit worried, I just want you to make the first step, which is to just reach out to the Daily Coach. Just follow the link in the description below and let's open up the conversation. You may or may not be ready, but you're never going to know by sitting on the sideline. The only way you're going to know is to take the first step. Patrick took the first step. Four years later, look where he is. He's a guest on Kim Daily tv. I mean, he's made it big time.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: And I feel it.
[00:18:17] Speaker B: I love this man. I mean, really, it's a very, very inspiring story. I hope you're so proud of yourself.
[00:18:24] Speaker C: I'm proud of my team.
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Oh, that's so good. But take some ownership of that, too, because you deserve it.
[00:18:30] Speaker C: I will. At the end of the year. At the end of the year when it all happens and we hit my plan, I'll say, okay, good job, Pat. But otherwise, everybody else is making it happen.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: You're amazing. God bless you. What a super pleasure it is to meet you today. Thank you for being our special guest here today on Kim Daily tv. My pleasure, My pleasure. Let me tell you, I was really excited to have a franchisee from a company called Lawn Doctor on my show, because Lawn Doctor is this, like, I don't know if you know out there, but this company, it's like a pillar in franchising. Like, this is like bread and butter franchising. Like, over 50 years. You know, they have founders that have been president of the ifa. Like, these people are deeply connected into the franchise industry. It's also a business that I think many people would pass over. Right. Like, I mean, I see all the different Scots and Kemlawn and all these other ones out there, but that's where you trip yourself up, and it's why Kim Daly has a business. And it's a story that I'm not going to validate to you once you get into a process with a company like this and you get access to somebody like Patrick who worked for a competitor and chose this franchise. Right. He's going to tell you the whys so you don't have to go make up the answers to the things that you're tripping over on your own. There's a process here to help you through that, to help you through the limiting beliefs that you might be stuck behind. There's a process, and that's called franchising. And it begins by you following my process and reaching out to me right now. So follow the link in the description right now because I can't wait to meet you and Patrick again. Thank you so much for being our guest here today.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: My pleasure.
[00:20:13] Speaker B: Until next time, please don't forget that my name is Kim Daly and I want to be your daily coach.
[00:20:23] Speaker A: You can find more content just like this on my YouTube channel at KimDaily TV. And if you're inspired to take the next step to explore franchises matched to you, please email me right now.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Adding quite.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: Inquire at KimDaily TV. That's inquire at KimDaily TV.
