About two years after leaving IT, Garry Eilola says he has around 55 regular customers, steady one-off work, and one $12 lead that turned into roughly $70,000 a year in recurring revenue. He also says he is in the best financial position of his life and has dropped 20 kilos since starting.
In short: Garry left corporate IT, joined a Jim’s Mowing franchise, and built a strong round with about 55 regulars plus commercial and one-off work. One lead alone became a client worth about $70,000 a year, and Garry says his real results ended up roughly double his original forecasts. He also says the move improved his health, flexibility, and long-term outlook.
This is a clear example of what can happen when someone leaves corporate work, follows the Jim’s system, prices properly, and keeps building. Garry’s story matters because it shows that the value is not just in mowing. It is in lead flow, brand trust, support, repeat work, and control over your own day.
Garry did not leave IT for a hobby. He left for a better life and a better business. Roughly two years in, he says business is booming, he is hiring, he has around 55 regulars, and he has already picked up a single lead that became worth about $70,000 a year.
Garry’s Background: From Corporate IT to Business Ownership
Before joining Jim’s Mowing, Garry worked in IT. He talks about “corporate land” as a world of office life, air conditioning, long projects, and work that often felt disconnected from real results.
That background matters because his story is not about someone who grew up in lawn care. It is about someone who changed industries late, backed himself, and found that the new path suited him far better.
He also makes it clear that corporate life came with physical downsides. Since getting out of the office and into outdoor work, he says he sleeps better, has fewer sinus problems, has much more energy, and feels younger.
Why Garry Chose a Jim’s Mowing Franchise Over Going Independent
One of the biggest reasons was simple: he did not want to build a mowing business from scratch and then spend his nights trying to become a digital marketer.
Garry is blunt about it. In his view, the monthly franchise fee and lead spend are his marketing budget. He likes the fact that the work comes to him and that he does not have to go home after a long day and start playing around with Google Ads or Facebook ads.
That is a major point for anyone comparing a Jim’s Mowing franchise to going fully independent. The question is not just whether you can generate your own leads. It is whether you want to spend your time doing that, whether you can do it consistently, and whether those leads will be as strong.
For Garry, the answer was clear. He wanted a proven system, trusted branding, and qualified work coming through the door. That is exactly what he says he got.
For anyone considering whether to start independently or own a franchise, this is a key decision point.
The First 6 Weeks and First Year: What to Expect as a New Franchisee
Garry says that after just six weeks, he already felt he had made the right move. In his words, it was “the best decision” he had made in business.
That early conviction is important because he is not saying it years later with hindsight only. He felt it almost immediately.
At the same time, he is honest about the workload. His first full year was hard. He says he barely had a break through 2025 apart from a few days around Christmas. But he also frames that properly: he was building a new business, and that was part of the process.
Now that he has been through that first full year, he says he understands the rhythm of the business better and is already planning time off more deliberately. That is the difference between surviving the first phase and starting to design the business around your life.
This is where structured franchisee training and ongoing support make a real difference in helping new operators succeed faster.
How Much Can You Earn with a Jim’s Mowing Franchise?
This is where Garry’s story gets very interesting.
- He has around 55 regulars
- One $12 lead turned into a client worth about $70,000 a year
- He says his actual results are about double the forecasts he made before starting
- He says he is now in the best financial position of his life
- He says he is doing fewer jobs than forecast, while still outperforming those early numbers
Garry did not win by just cramming in more work. He won by getting better-quality work, pricing properly, learning how to work smarter, and using the Jim’s system as it was designed.
He also gives a powerful example of lead quality. He picked up one lead simply because it was his turn to receive it. That lead became a commercial client with about 20 properties and fortnightly maintenance. In his words, that single $12 lead became worth about $70,000 a year.
That is not a small improvement. That is the sort of lead outcome that completely changes how someone looks at franchise fees, lead costs, and the value of being under a trusted national brand.
If you’re researching income potential, this aligns with insights shared in how much you can earn with a Jim’s franchise.
How Garry Built 55 Regular Customers and Recurring Revenue
Garry’s growth was not built on flashy tactics. It was built on consistency, better scheduling, and taking advantage of the right opportunities.
He says he now has around 55 regulars with healthy cut value, plus regular work from a couple of real estate agents, plus plenty of one-off jobs coming through. He also keeps some space in the schedule to handle those larger one-offs rather than filling every day to the brim.
That shift matters. At one point he had fallen into the habit of using Saturdays for overflow work, but he did not want six-day weeks becoming normal. So he reworked the calendar, combined some regular runs, and freed up an extra day for bigger jobs.
That is a real business move, not just a busy-person move. He was not chasing chaos. He was shaping capacity.
He is also now in the process of employing someone. He has already tested this with a casual helper on some larger days, using that time to work out how two people can move efficiently on the same job without getting in each other’s way.
Key Systems and Strategies Behind Garry’s Growth
One of Garry’s strongest themes is this: do not reinvent the wheel.
He says the system is already there. His advice is to do your homework, make the decision, then plug into the system and use the tools rather than trying to invent your own way too early.
A few specific strategies stand out:
1. Trust the lead system
Garry sees the franchise fee and lead spend as his marketing budget. He likes the fact that he does not have to build, manage, and optimise his own advertising machine after hours.
2. Use the right tools for the right job
He says part of getting better over time has been learning how to use tools more effectively and choosing the right equipment instead of forcing the wrong tool to do the job.
3. Work smarter, not just harder
He gives a great example here. Jobs that once took a full day can now be done in five or six hours because he is fitter, more experienced, and more efficient in how he approaches the work.
4. Leave room for profitable one-offs
Rather than overloading every day with regular work, he keeps some capacity for bigger jobs that can add strong revenue without wrecking the rest of the schedule.
5. Price for effort, time, and risk
On tougher jobs, Garry does not guess. He assesses the effort, time, and risk involved and prices accordingly. That mindset protects margin and makes the work sustainable.
The Biggest Challenges When Transitioning from IT to Mowing
This is not a fairy tale. Garry is positive, but he is also realistic.
The first challenge was physical. Coming from IT into outdoor labour is a big shift. He jokes that if he could change one thing, he would have had “six months in the gym” before starting.
The second challenge was learning how to pace and structure the business. In the early period, he worked hard and took very little time off. That built the base, but it also taught him the importance of planning breaks and managing capacity properly.
The third challenge was client fit. Garry says one of the most liberating moments in business was effectively sacking his first customer. The issue was not money. It was micromanagement and grief. He realised that not every customer belongs in the business, even if the job value looks good.
That is a mature lesson. A stronger business is not just about adding customers. It is also about protecting the quality of the round.
Is Jim’s Mowing a Good Franchise Opportunity?
Garry’s answer is clear.
He says it was the best business decision he has made, that it has been life-changing, and that he is in the best financial position of his life. He also says the earning potential was far more conservative in his own forecasts than what actually happened.
Just as importantly, he highlights the parts people often underestimate:
- The quality of the leads
- The strength of the Jim’s brand
- The support from other franchisees
- The ability to move jobs within the network
- The health and lifestyle benefits
- The freedom to structure your day more intelligently
That does not mean it is effortless. It means the model gives you a far better starting point than trying to do everything yourself.
Before joining, he says people repeated the usual objections: franchise fees are too high, Jim Penman, founder of Jim’s Group, gets rich, independents can do it cheaper, just run your own ads. After living it, his view is the opposite. He sees the lead flow, trust, support, and profitability as well worth it.
Lifestyle Benefits: Health, Energy, and Flexibility
This is one of the strongest parts of the story.
Garry says he has dropped 20 kilos, which he describes as about 20% of his body weight, and gone down two full clothes sizes. He says he has more energy, less strain on his knees and ankles, and feels much younger than he did in corporate life. Friends even told him he looked younger.
He also talks about better sleep, fewer sinus problems, and the freedom to call it a day when he has had enough, rather than sitting in an office or being chained to a desk.
For someone weighing up a Jim’s Mowing franchise, that matters. The return is not only financial. It is physical, mental, and personal, too.
Corporate IT vs Running a Mowing Business
Garry’s own description makes the contrast pretty sharp. He moved from corporate IT into a business with stronger finances, more control, visible results, and a healthier day-to-day life.
| Metric | Before Jim’s | After Jim’s |
| Work Life | Corporate IT, office-based, long projects, less visible day-to-day payoff | Outdoor work with immediate results, direct customer feedback, and more satisfying days |
| Lead Flow | No built-in stream of work mentioned | Around 55 regulars, regular real estate work, one-off jobs, and one $12 lead that became worth about $70,000 a year |
| Financial Position | Stable corporate background, but not his best-ever position | Says he is now in the best financial position of his life and performing about double his early forecasts |
| Health and Lifestyle | Heavier, lower energy, blocked sinuses, corporate routine | Down 20 kilos, two clothes sizes smaller, better energy, better breathing, and more flexibility in his day |
‘This is the best decision that I’ve made business-wise probably ever.’
Garry Eilola, Jim’s Mowing franchisee
Frequently Asked Questions
Garry does not give a full income figure, but he does say one $12 lead became worth about $70,000 a year, and that his real results ended up about double his original forecasts while doing fewer jobs.
For Garry, it took about six weeks. That was when he says he already felt it was the best business decision he had made.
About two years in, he says he has around 55 regulars, regular real estate work, and ongoing one-off jobs.
Not necessarily. Garry came from IT, not lawn care. His story shows that training, the Jim’s system, repetition, and support can matter more than previous industry experience.
Lead quality, brand trust, smarter scheduling, proper pricing, using the right tools, and support from other Jim’s franchisees all played a major role. He also left room in the calendar for bigger one-off jobs and is now moving towards hiring.
Yes. Garry is upfront that the first year was hard and that some work, especially hedging and large clean-ups, is physically demanding. But he also says the work improved his fitness dramatically, helping him lose 20 kilos and reducing strain on his body over time.
Based on Garry’s experience, yes. He describes it as life-changing, says it put him in the best financial position of his life, and strongly backs the value of the system, the brand, and the support network.
Key Takeaways
- Garry moved from IT into a Jim’s Mowing franchise and built a round of about 55 regulars
- One $12 lead became a client worth roughly $70,000 a year
- He says his actual results were about double his original forecasts
- He is now in the best financial position of his life
- The model gave him more than leads. It gave him trust, support, better scheduling, and more control
- The move also improved his health, with a 20-kilo weight loss and much better energy
Start Your Jim’s Mowing Franchise Journey Today
If Garry’s story sounds like the kind of change you want, the next step is simple. See what opportunities are available in your area and get a clear picture of how a Jim’s Mowing franchise works.
Submit an enquiry at jims.net or call 131 546 to speak directly with a Jim’s Mowing franchisor and find out what’s available in your area.
