Background: For over eight years, Mike Valestin has built and run his successful landscaping company in Milwaukee—Valestin Landscape.

Problem: Mike built patios on a one and done basis, with at best, the hope of a referral at the end of the job. He wanted not only a change of pace, but to diversify and expand his business.

Idea: Mike determined that if he added services that were needed on a recurring basis, he could generate more revenue from his existing customers as well as attract new ones.

Solution: “I decided to diversify my business by adding lawn care because it’s the most profitable area besides design and build—it’s the biggest money maker,” he said. He added that the advantage to lawn care is consistency, with new people coming on and existing customers continuing year-after-year.

He started to look into franchise opportunities for help and guidance, doing online research. That is when he came across Spring-Green Lawn Care. Valestin then spoke to existing Spring-Green franchise owners to get their impressions. “I wanted to know what being a Spring-Green franchise owner entailed and how long they had been with the company,” he said.

Once he started talking to Spring-Green and learned about the support systems they offered, he knew he had found what he needed. “I was looking for the support—that was the biggest thing, I wasn’t interested in just paying someone royalties for their name.” The people Valestin spoke to in those early days at Spring-Green continue to be the people he works with today.

 “You still make the decisions, but they guide you in the direction of where to go, what’s best and what’s worked for other franchise owners and their company-owned franchises”

Success: A Spring-Green franchise affords Valestin the best of both worlds—his own autonomous business with the backing and support of Spring-Green’s almost 40 years of experience. “You still make the decisions, but they guide you in the direction of where to go, what’s best and what’s worked for other franchise owners and their company-owned franchises,” he said.

During his time as a Spring-Green franchise owner, Valestin has been impressed with the support he’s received. “The most valuable thing was probably the support and the marketing, because they handle that for you. They take care of the bulk of it.” That level of hands-on assistance is invaluable to any small business owner, especially the owner of two small businesses like Valestin.

He strongly recommends Spring-Green to other green industry businesses looking to diversify and expand. “I think it’d be a great idea for someone in the industry currently or someone who’s looking for a franchise, just because of the support and the backing,” Valestin explained. He particularly mentions the processes they have in place already that can be easily accessed and learned. “Spring-Green came to the table with everything ready to go.”

“What led me to diversify into Spring-Green is the financial future it offered.”

The Future: Moving forward, Valestin’s goals for his businesses include expanding the maintenance side. “I hope to crossover into more landscaping and sell existing customers more of the services that I do and see what happens,” he explained. He also hopes eventually to add an office manager to his staff so he can spend more time in the field. Ultimately, Valestin sums up his decision to become a Spring-Green franchise owner by saying, “What led me to diversify into Spring-Green is the financial future it offered.”

Interested in diversifying your existing lawn care business? Contact Spring-Green to learn how you could benefit from our almost 40 years of collective knowledge to ensure your financial future. Discover how we can help your Green Industry business expand and diversify. Call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com.