After roughly two months, Chris Pivac had grown from a 60-client start to about 97 regulars, serviced 162 customers, and built 43 five-star ratings with zero complaints, providing clear proof of traction, systems, and strong customer response.
In short: Chris Pivac, a Jim’s Mowing franchisee in WA, used an established split, strong training, disciplined customer communication, and smart quoting systems to grow to about 97 regulars in roughly two months. He had serviced about 162 customers and built 43 five-star ratings with zero complaints.
In this More Than Just Mowing Podcast episode, Chris Pivac from Jim’s Mowing Kington in WA, a former boilermaker with 25 years of experience in customer service and management, grew to about 97 regulars and 162 serviced customers in roughly two months using Jim’s apps and calendars, along with AI-assisted quoting for landscaping work.
This story shows that a Jim’s Mowing franchise can scale quickly when the operator starts with real work, uses the system properly, and treats communication as part of the service. The proof is not vague motivation. It is client growth, review quality, repeat work, and operational discipline in a real WA run.
What Did Chris Do Before Starting a Jim’s Mowing Franchise?
Chris was not coming in cold as a worker. He says he had been a boilermaker by trade and had 25 years in customer service and management. He also already knew how to cut lawns, fertilise lawns, and do landscaping work.
What changed was not his ability to work hard. It was his sense that his old role had topped out. He says Jim’s Mowing had been in the back of his head for about 10 years, and he reached a point where he felt he could not go as far as he wanted in his work.
He also admits he had become comfortable. That matters because this is not a story about desperation. It is a story about someone choosing a better fit before waiting any longer.
Why Choose a Jim’s Mowing Franchise Instead of Starting Solo?
Chris calls the move a “no-brainer”. He liked being hands-on, liked working outdoors, and already enjoyed managing a large property at home. In his words, the fit felt obvious.
The practical side mattered too. He did a ride-along with Simon, who sold him a split, and that made him feel comfortable in the decision he was already leaning towards.
That is one reason this reads as lower-risk than starting from scratch. Chris did not launch into a blank market. He started with an existing run, saw how a current operator worked, then stepped into the Jim’s system with support already around him. If someone wants a broader picture of the model, the most relevant resources are guides on owning a Jim’s franchise and step-by-step information on how to start a Jim’s Mowing franchise.
What Are the First 2 Months Like in a Jim’s Mowing Franchise?
Fast.
Chris says the transition was fantastic, and the structure around training helped him hit the ground running. He had WA-based preparation before travelling to Melbourne, which meant he arrived with context instead of confusion.
He specifically names John Wildes and Matt Thorpe as operators whose approach resonated with him. He also says the IT side was fantastic and smooth. That matters because new franchisees often struggle less with the work than with the admin, scheduling, and quoting rhythm around the work.
The early challenge was not a lack of jobs. It was fitting everything into the day. He also says that quoting is a real challenge for new franchisees, and he was still calibrating where his pricing should sit.
Chris’s first few months were busy enough that time management, not lead scarcity, was the pressure point.
How Did Chris Grow His Jim’s Mowing Franchise to 97 Regulars?
The first growth lever was the split. Chris bought 50 clients from Simon, had a few remaining around Cannington, and got moving from there.
The second growth lever was service expansion. Out of the 162 customers he had serviced, many kept his details and came back for gutters, landscaping, planting, and other add-on work. That is a big point. He was not treating mowing as the whole business. He was treating it as the entry point.
The third growth lever was relationship quality. Chris talks repeatedly about getting to know customers, texting the night before, discussing the work properly, and treating communication as essential. That turns one-off jobs into regulars and regulars into broader outdoor-space clients.
His next milestone is clear, too. He says 125 regulars is the target, and he thinks he could get there within the next couple of months. He is also thinking ahead to whether peak season might require someone to cover runs two or three days a week.
What Systems, Apps, and Tools Do Jim’s Mowing Franchisees Use?
Chris gives two very clear system advantages.
First, he says the Jim’s apps and calendars are a massive help for knowing when lawns need mowing and for sending reminders. That sounds simple, but it solves a real operational problem: recurring services only feel easy to the customer when the operator has already done the planning.
Second, he uses the Jim’s job app to text customers the night before, confirm the visit, and open the door for extra work. If he sees a hedge that needs cleaning up, or a spraying job that should be added, he takes a photo, sends it, states the cost, and lines it up for the next service. That turns the route into a rolling sales pipeline without making the customer chase him.
The deeper technical edge, though, is his AI-assisted quoting process for landscaping.
Chris took photos of the customer’s space, combined them with photos of plants from his own property, uploaded them, and generated visual concepts plus a scope of work. The client came back in five minutes and said yes. Chris also says the output looked more professional than what he would have produced alone.
Why does that work?
Because landscaping quotes often die in the gap between “I can imagine it” and “I can see it”. Chris closed that gap. The customer did not just hear about hedging, mulching, and ground cover. They saw a version of the finished result and received a clearer written scope. That reduces uncertainty, speeds approval, and makes the operator look organised. It also fits the Perth, WA market well, where customers often want broader outdoor presentation work, not just a quick mow.
What Challenges Do New Jim’s Mowing Franchisees Face Early On?
The main challenge was quoting.
Chris says he used Simon’s pricing as a reference point, then started adding five or ten dollars where needed so he would not get stuck underpriced for a year. He thinks in terms of lawn size, front-and-back combinations, time, and service quality.
The second challenge was fitting the work into the day. He frames this as a good problem, but it is still operational pressure. His answer is not panicked. It is communication, sensible scheduling, and customer trust.
The third challenge is the temptation to scale too fast. Even when splits are discussed as an option, Chris says he does not want to do a disservice to customers he has only just started looking after. That is a disciplined answer, and it explains why his reviews are strong.
Is a Jim’s Mowing Franchise Worth It in Australia?
Based on Chris’s direct view, yes.
He says he loves the business, says he should have done it 10 years earlier, highly recommends the brand, and says there has not been one flaw so far. That is not a polished sales line. It sounds like someone who feels the move matched his skills, lifestyle, and pace of work.
The results back that opinion. In WA, with Perth-area runs and add-on landscaping work, he built fast traction without public earnings claims, which actually makes the story more credible. The proof is in the client growth, the review quality, and the repeat work.
Jim’s Mowing Franchise vs Independent Lawn Business
| Feature | Standard Operator | Jim’s Professional |
| Training | Learns by trial and error | WA prep, Melbourne training, ride-along support, operator examples from experienced franchisees |
| Leads | Finds all work alone | Starts with bought splits and benefits from Jim’s brand, bringing work in |
| Systems | Personal diary and manual follow-up | Jim’s apps, calendars, job app texting, and photo-based upsells |
| Branding | Must earn trust from scratch | Operates under Jim’s Group brand and its service expectations |
| Income Consistency | More exposed to gaps in demand | Stronger recurring base through regulars, repeat calls, and add-on services, though Chris’s exact income was not disclosed |
“Highly recommend the brand, highly recommend what they do. I can’t, there has not been one flaw so far.”
— Chris Pivac, Jim’s Mowing franchisee in WA
Frequently Asked Questions
In Chris’s case, very quickly. He moved from a 60-client start to about 97 regulars in roughly two months and believed 125 regulars was realistic within the next couple of months.
This case study is not proof that you need zero experience, because Chris already knew lawns, fertilising, and landscaping. What it does show is how training and systems can turn existing hands-on ability into a better structured business.
Chris names Jim’s apps and calendars, the Jim’s job app, reminder texts, and AI-assisted landscaping visuals, plus scope-of-work support. Together, those tools help with route planning, customer communication, upsells, and faster quote approvals.
Chris gets repeat work for gutters, landscaping, planting, limestone jobs, and even specialist lawn presentation work like cricket-pitch marking.
Chris’s answer is clearly yes. He says he loves it, says he should have done it earlier, and says there has not been one flaw so far.
Key Takeaways
- Chris Pivac grew from a 60-client start to about 97 regulars in roughly two months.
- He had serviced about 162 customers and built 43 five-star ratings with zero complaints.
- Jim’s apps, job reminders, and AI-assisted visual quoting helped turn mowing into repeat and add-on work.
- In Perth, WA, the business is not just about cutting grass. It is about managing the customer’s whole outdoor space.
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If you want a Perth, WA operator who can do more than a basic mow, this story shows what good systems and good communication look like in practice. From lawn maintenance to gutters, planting and landscaping, the standard is clearer when the operator treats the whole outdoor area as an ongoing responsibility, backed by the Jim’s National Guarantee.
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Chris Pivac’s story is strong because it does not rely on hype. It shows what happens when someone with a real work ethic steps into a proven system, buys an established split, communicates well, and builds from regular service into broader local demand.
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