The Jim’s Group story began in 1982 when Jim Penman founded Jim’s Mowing, a one-man gardening and lawn care business. Seven years later in 1989, Jim franchised his business for the first time and, well, the rest became history.

 

Today, there are over 4,300 Jim’s franchises Australia-wide. These franchises are spread out across 50 different service industries, making Jim’s Group the largest franchise chain in Australia. Despite the brand’s ubiquitous presence throughout the country, have you ever stopped to wonder how it all works? In this article, we’ll break down how the franchises operate and how this nationwide brand runs.

 

So, how does a Jim’s franchise actually work?

Let’s get to the basics: Jim’s Group is a franchise company that has a four-tier business model. Franchisees provide the services to customers, master franchisees recruit and provide leads, divisional franchisors grow the division, and the Jim’s Group company sits above them all to provide leads and support.

 

There’s a lot more to the bearded face than gardening and lawn care. In fact, there are over 50 franchise divisions available at Jim’s Group. These range from the more well-known divisions such as Mowing, Fencing, and Cleaning all the way to some of the lesser known divisions like Window Tinting and Pool Care. The list of Jim’s divisions grows constantly, with new division ideas popping up frequently.

 

When a new franchisee signs on to become a part of a Jim’s Group division, they’re required to undergo intensive training, where they’re taught everything they need to know about running a business successfully. We don’t require prior industry experience or business expertise from our prospective franchisees; we firmly believe that with the right attitude, these skills can be taught.

 

Jim’s franchisees pay an ongoing franchise fee in exchange for support from the group. However, unlike most franchises where fees are calculated as a percentage of sales, Jim’s Group only charges their franchisees a flat monthly fee. This means that our franchisees get to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. In addition to the flat monthly fee, there’s also an affordable weekly fixed fee that covers costs such as the franchise fee and national advertising contributions.

 

Although a Jim’s franchise is formally a part of the wider Jim’s Group network, the idea is for each franchise to operate as a semi-autonomous business. Franchisees are responsible for running the day-to-day operations of their business, and divisions are given the freedom to run their own marketing campaigns, design their own uniforms and logos, and hire their own staff. Of course, head office is always on hand for ongoing support, including Jim himself, who franchisees have direct contact with.

 

Leads come through a dedicated call centre at the company’s headquarters in Mooroolbark, Victoria. Considering that the group receives around 240,000 unserviced leads a year, finding work isn’t generally an issue for most franchisees. The goal, however, is for franchisees to become more and more self-sufficient over time and less reliant on leads taken in from the call centre. As franchisees continue to make genuine connections with their customers and as they continue to build up their customer base, most find themselves operating quite successfully on their own from referrals and repeat customers within a few years.

How many of Jim’s franchises are out there?

Although it started out as a humble part-time gardening gig, Jim’s Group has now become a nationwide household name. As of March 2021, Jim’s Group has an astonishing 54 divisions under its belt! This list of divisions grows with each passing year, as forward thinking innovators continue to explore different possibilities and potentials for new divisions. Just recently, Jim’s Jumping Castles & Party Hire and Jim’s Poop Patrol were launched, demonstrating that there’s always room in the company for new diverse and niche service sectors.

 

How much does a Jim’s franchise cost?

There’s a capital cost involved for every franchise business, however, buying into a Jim’s franchise is relatively inexpensive when you compare it with other popular franchise chains. This is largely because a Jim’s franchise is a service business, and doesn’t come along with the huge overheads associated with retail and hospitality businesses.

 

The upfront costs involved in buying a Jim’s franchise varies depending on the division and the equipment required. To buy a Jim’s Mowing franchise, for example, we would usually ask for a capital investment of $20,000-$50,000, depending on the equipment required. However, considering that a Nando’s franchise exceeds $350,000, investing in a Jim’s franchise comes out to be a pretty good deal.

 

Aside from the upfront costs, there are also ongoing franchise fees involved with a Jim’s franchise. These include a flat monthly fee, as well as a fixed weekly fee that contributes to things like advertising. Depending on your state, there’s also a small cost per lead fee. However, as a franchisee establishes themselves within their community, they’ll find that in time, they’ll become less reliant on call-centre leads and more reliant on returning customers and referrals.

How much does a Jim’s Mowing franchise make?

Jim’s Mowing is by far the largest and most well-known Jim’s division, so the earning potentials of a Mowing franchisee is huge. The annual income of a Jim’s Mowing franchisee varies depending on the individual, however, most Jim’s Mowing franchisees do very well. According to our most recent survey, the average Jim in Melbourne had gross earnings of $115,920.

 

Jim’s Group also has a powerful income guarantee available to all franchisees. We understand that starting a business can be tough, and sometimes you need a security net to fall back on during those difficult times. We provide our franchisees with something that we call a ‘Pay for Work Guarantee’, which guarantees our franchisees an income of at least $1,200 per week.

 

At the end of the day, a Jim’s franchise is a business opportunity like any other. How much you earn is completely dependent on the time and effort you put into your business. We tell our onboarding franchisees that the sky’s the limit – what you’ll get is what you put in.

 

If you’re curious to learn more about joining Jim’s Group as a franchisee, we would love to hear from you! We’re always on the lookout for new, motivated people to join our growing business. Give us a call on 13 15 46 or enquire online to talk about next steps today.