Jim Penman started Jim’s Mowing in Melbourne, Australia in 1982 whilst studying for a doctorate in history. From a modest beginning, initially starting with the idea of making “a few dollars” by mowing other people’s lawns, Jim’s has grown into the world’s largest lawn mowing franchise. A commitment to customer service and excellence saw this business grow at a rapid rate with more customers than one person could effectively manage, leading Jim to commence franchising in 1989. The Jim’s Mowing system proved successful enough to be duplicated across many other industries, with the Group establishing Jim’s divisions for all manner of household and business services between 1994 and the present day.

Need for Franchisors

As the number of Franchisees grew, steps needed to be taken to ensure “in the field” quality control. Accordingly, regions were offered for sale to the most experienced Franchisees, including several whom later moved interstate, and even internationally. Purchasers of these regions became “Regional Franchisors” (Master Franchisors) who took over responsibility for providing local attention to Franchisees; thereby ensuring company standards were effectively maintained. Today, Franchisors are in place across all divisions and continue be a driving force in the prosperity of the group.

Rapid Growth

Growth has been fast for the Group even in times where the rest of the business community has slowed. For example, Jim’s experienced a rise in Franchisee numbers during the last Australian recession, due to more recently unemployed people looking for a new income. In 2010, Jim’s has over 3,000 Franchisees stretching across all States and territories of Australia and New Zealand, and parts of Canada and the U.K.