TruGreen: Going into franchising...Why I invested in a franchise

"I spent most of my life working for huge companies and decided that I really wanted to do my own thing,"says TruGreen franchisee Shaun Mackaness.

'I wanted to have a degree of independence, manage my own time, work at my own pace and have the quality of life that working from home would allow.'

When his employer went through a merger, Shaun took the opportunity to make a fresh start. As a customer of a lawn-care business, Shaun was familiar with the concept and service and began looking for a franchise in this industry. 'I've always enjoyed looking after lawns,' he explains. 'I saw that TruGreen franchises were available in my area and it struck me as a business that would fulfil my wishes.'

With training that covered sales, marketing and the technical aspects of lawn-care, Shaun was given everything he needed to provide a quality service to his customers. Already experienced in sales, Shaun says that this side of the business is essential.

'Lawn-care is a relatively new concept in the UK so it is important to get out there and promote the service to potential new customers,' he reveals. 'However, this does mean that there is a huge untapped market - the business has great potential.'

Launching his Leicester franchise in January this year, Shaun is building his business by gaining a solid and secure customer base, backed with helpful support from TruGreen. 'If you are prepared to put the time, effort and resources into the business then I think the sky really is the limit,' he reflects. 'There are huge rewards to be gained.'