Jim's Podcast

Ben Mallison is a new franchisee and has already implemented AI into his franchise. He shares how he uses it and the potential use cases for the future of Jim's Mowing.

How does a Jim's Bathrooms franchisee grow to $3 to 5 million in revenue in about two years? Sam joins Joel Kleber on the Jim's Podcast to break down the systems, people and mindset behind his bathroom renovation franchise in Melbourne.Sam started with one territory in Dandenong. A year later he added Glen Waverley, then Ringwood. His three teams now complete 10 to 15 bathrooms a month, with each job taking 2.5 to 4 weeks from demolition to handover. Joel saw the process firsthand when Sam's team renovated his own bathroom.Sam explains why the hardest part of scaling is letting go of the tools. He hired a project coordinator, mentored his site supervisors for years before handing them teams, and built a bonus structure to keep good people.Systems carry the load. Sam paid a specialist to customise ServiceMate, so he quotes a standard bathroom in 5 minutes and every quote gets an automatic follow-up. His win rate rose once follow-ups stopped slipping. He also uses AI to show clients a design on site within minutes.You'll also hear how Victorian homeowners choose to renovate instead of paying stamp duty to move, how Jim's Bathrooms has grown to around 35 franchisees and is heading to New Zealand, and why Sam wants 5 to 6 teams next.

Jack started a Jim's Mowing franchise from scratch in Brisbane's north. Nearly two years later, he has doubled his regular clients from 30 to 60 and works a four day week on the tools.His biggest growth driver is BNI, a structured referral networking group. Jack joined before he even had his trailer. One referral from a landscaping company in his chapter turned into maintenance work on a 300 house development, worth about $100,000 over two years between work done and work projected. His cost: a $2,600 joining fee and 90 minutes a week.In this episode of the Jim's Mowing podcast, Jack explains why he is still a sole trader and how he plans to scale without losing money. He shares why a $20,000 Scag stand-on mower now handles 90% of his work, how he sets boundaries with property managers, and why he writes a process for every task. He also walks through how he uses ChatGPT to capture quote notes by voice, rewrite emotional emails and send him a daily weather report.

Jim's Cleaning franchisees make $2 to $3 an hour from each employee and up to $20,000 from a single split, and the division is rebuilding its training around those numbers. Haydar Hussein is the divisional franchisor of the Jim's Cleaning Group and has been with Jim's since 2001. He joins Joel Kleber for an October update on a network of about 1,700 franchisees and a goal to pass Jim's Mowing by the end of 2027. Haydar explains why leads make franchisees lazy and what the best operators do with property managers instead. He walks through the national contracts department, which sends $30 million of work a year across Jim's divisions, and a new car detailing contract with a major EV manufacturer. He gives his view on robots taking over vacuuming and mopping within five years and why deep cleaning becomes the franchisee's job. He also covers the $17 lead fee, the pay for work guarantee and the real cost of starting solo. Listen before you compare a cleaning franchise with going alone. 0:00 Teaser: $30M in contract work0:47 Jim's Cleaning update2:40 Splits vs employees: the profit maths4:49 Local marketing beyond leads7:22 Passing Jim's Mowing by 202711:02 Robots and the future of cleaning14:00 Car detailing contract win17:03 $30M a year in national contracts18:54 New four-level head office20:44 Carpet, blinds, windows, car detailing23:32 Franchise fees and lead cost25:16 Going solo vs buying a franchise29:30 Enzyme-based cleaning products31:35 What happens after 2027

Julian runs a Jim's Mowing franchise in Sydney South and travels to a different country every month. He batches three to four weeks of work, then flies out for five to seven days.He is nearly four years in. Around 70 regular lawns, plus 20 to 30 gutter jobs on a six to twelve month cycle. Most of those clients have been with him almost the whole time.He did not start here. His first year was six days a week, driving 30 minutes for any lead that came through, taking every job going just to build the round. He calls the first six to twelve months the tough part.Now he schedules the lenient clients into his week away and locks in the fortnightly ones before he flies out. Weather is the only thing that breaks the plan.The other half of this is his travel channel, Globetrotter Julez. He films in poorer parts of Asia, mostly on Meta glasses and a GoPro, and outsources every edit. He walks through exactly what he pays and why he does not edit himself.

Mike Davenport ran the Jim's Group training program for many years, moved to Bali, and has now returned to run the course again. His first session back, the stage flooded and the power went out. Jim Penman found a dry spot and spoke for an hour. Since then Mike has rewritten the whole course. Joel Kleber asks him what changed and what new franchisees should expect. The program now runs 2.5 days with around 20 hours of content. Around 100 people attend every three weeks. Mike explains why the franchise agreement, disclosure document, call centre and Pay for Work Guarantee now get more time, and why fees and lead fees are discussed openly in the room. They also cover the new participants handbook, the pre and post training videos, the Jimbo app practical session, behaviour standards at training, and the rollout of the new course to New Zealand by the end of the year. Mike finishes with what life looks like living in Bali and flying in to train. If you are looking at a Jim's franchise, this episode shows you how you get trained and who trains you.

#ASKJIM Q & A Replay from September 2026 with Jim Penman and Joel Kleber.

A Jim's Window and Pressure Cleaning franchise doing $96,000 a year could start year three with $108,000 of work already booked. No new leads. No extra ad spend. Skagan shows exactly how.Skagan runs his own Jim's Window & Pressure Cleaning franchise in Queensland and took over as regional franchisor a year ago. In 12 months, he has grown the region from around 10 franchisees to 20. On this episode of the Jim's Group podcast, he explains why rising Google and Meta costs mean franchisees need more than paid leads, and the system his team uses to fill the gap.Repeat, recurring and referral work now makes up 75% of his own business, up from 40% a year ago. He breaks down the $100 gift card referral pack, the Window Wellness Plan, and why offering a service plan before the first clean converts better than after. He also covers running Meta ads with Claude instead of an agency, the AI dashboard he built for his franchisees, and the real costs of getting started.

Harry Parker bought a Jim's Mowing franchise at 69. Two years later, his heart surgeon told him the work had added 10 years to his life. He works about 32 hours a week, runs 87 regular clients and mows alongside his daughters.In this episode of the Jim's Mowing podcast, Harry explains how he grew revenue 30% in 12 months without adding clients. He started with a 43-client split, lost 57 accounts over two years and still holds 87 regulars. The growth came from doing more for each client: aeration, lawn food, pruning and weed control. One $385 aeration quote turned into $1,300 of work.Harry also shares how he uses Microsoft Copilot to write quotes and plan his mowing run, saving at least 20 minutes a day in the car. He covers his $120 an hour quoting rule, how he subcontracts large jobs to a forestry contractor for a margin, and what he teaches the new franchisees he mentors.

#ASKJIM Facebook Live Q & A with Jim Penman Replay September 2026

Nathan asked his boss for a pay rise after getting married. The answer was no, so he quit and bought a Jim's Mowing franchise in Melbourne. Twelve months later, he earns 10 times what he made as a plumbing labourer.Nathan grew up helping his dad, a Jim's Mowing franchisee for 28 years, and never planned to follow him. At 27, with a new mortgage and bills to pay, he changed his mind. In this episode of the Jim's Mowing podcast, Nathan walks through his first year as a lawn mowing franchisee in Australia: the wins, the setbacks, and the systems he built along the way.He explains how he uses ChatGPT to send quotes before he leaves the driveway, how one text to more than 500 past leads fills his winter, and why he wears the cost when a supplier runs out of mulch. He also covers a same-day request that turned into a multi-day commercial cleanup after eight independent gardeners said no, the myth that franchisees hand Jim 50% of their earnings, and his new deal as a Bushranger brand ambassador.

A $12 lead turned into a customer worth $70,000 a year for Jim's Mowing franchisee Garry. This episode of the Jim's Mowing Podcast is a two year update from the Gold Coast. Garry first appeared six weeks in, after 25 years in IT sales. He now services 55 regular clients plus real estate work and is bringing on his first employee. He explains why he has no interest in running his own Google or Facebook ads, why his franchise fee and lead fees are his entire marketing budget, and how he responds to people who assume franchisees are paying Jim a fortune. Garry covers running costs, insurance, tip fees and consumables, why his first year cash flow came in at double his forecast on fewer jobs than planned, and how he built the confidence to hold his prices and let the wrong client go. He also shares two occasions where other franchisees dropped everything to cover his jobs at short notice. Listen for an honest two year view of a Jim's Mowing franchise, including the parts that were hard. INCOME DISCLAIMER The income, revenue and profit figures shared in this episode reflect one franchisee's individual experience. They are not a promise, projection or guarantee of earnings. Results vary based on location, hours worked, effort, skill, market conditions and other factors. Some franchisees earn more and some earn less. Figures may refer to revenue rather than profit unless stated otherwise. Before making any decision, review the official franchise documentation and seek independent legal, financial and accounting advice.

Jim's Mowing franchisee Enoh forecast $170,000 to $180,000 in his first year. He invoiced $450,000. This episode of the Jim's Mowing Podcast is a 12-month update. Enoch runs Jim's Mowing Reservoir Central and, with his partner Bianca, Jim's Cleaning Preston East. He came from real estate and built a property presentation niche, working with agents to get homes ready for market through landscaping, turf, pressure washing, gutters and window cleaning, plus interior cleaning through the cleaning franchise. He breaks down the numbers most people avoid: a 48 to 49 percent profit margin, around $220,000 profit, a $900 monthly franchise fee, $19 lead fees, and weekly running costs. He explains the 10 percent referral fee he pays agents, his $220 an hour landscaping rate, a 70 percent quote conversion rate, and how he uses ChatGPT to visualise landscaping quotes on site. He also answers the common online claims about lead fees, ownership, and pricing. Listen if you want real first year numbers from a Jim's Mowing franchise instead of guesswork. INCOME DISCLAIMER The income, revenue and profit figures shared in this episode reflect one franchisee's individual experience. They are not a promise, projection or guarantee of earnings. Results vary based on location, hours worked, effort, skill, market conditions and other factors. Some franchisees earn more and some earn less. Figures may refer to revenue rather than profit unless stated otherwise. Before making any decision, review the official franchise documentation and seek independent legal, financial and accounting advice.

Matt tried an independent business first, then decided to give Jim's Window and Pressure Washing a go instead. He learnt that it was a tough slog as a solo operator and that it would be far easier with the Jim's franchise. He shares in full his thought process, the pros vs cons, training, revenue and how it works with his family. Big thanks to Matt for coming on the show.

James Middleton has hit the ground running with Jim's Pool Care and shares how he has exactly done it following the system. James shares his story about why he joined Jim's, his process, what he loves about the pool industry and how he has built his business during the winter months. Big thanks to James for coming on.

Jim's Mowing franchisor Jason has invoiced anywhere from $50,000 to $600,000 in a single year across 14 years in the business. This episode of the Jim's Mowing Podcast covers the questions every prospective franchisee asks: how much you earn, how many jobs come through, and what the whole thing costs. Jason runs a regional franchisor territory in Canberra and raced as a professional triathlete before buying his own Jim's Mowing franchise. You will hear why Jim's takes no percentage of your job income, how the $1,100 pay for work guarantee works and why he has never paid it out, and how he sold 80 regular clients for $80,000 on a payment plan. Jason also breaks down startup costs of around $22,000 to $23,000 including training, leasing options under $150 a week, the 17 percent Stihl discount, and the equipment he tells new franchisees to skip at the start. Start here if you are researching a Jim's Mowing franchise and want honest numbers instead of a sales pitch. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:47 Meet Jason: 14 years with Jim's 1:01 From pro triathlete to Jim's Mowing 2:18 What a Jim's franchisor actually does 3:13 How much money will I make 5:17 Scaling up with no extra fees 6:50 Selling clients and splits 8:26 How many jobs will I get 9:05 The pay for work guarantee 10:28 Choosing a territory and name 12:29 The Jim's systems explained 15:30 What the best franchisees do 17:24 What equipment to buy first 18:59 Total cost and Stihl discount 20:16 Life after a few years in 21:36 Observation days and next steps 22:28 How to get started

Jim's Garage Doors franchisee Mike converts 80 to 90 percent of the leads he receives. This episode of the Jim's Group Podcast is a full look at the Jim's Garage Doors franchise: what the work involves, what the training covers, and what the income looks like against a salary. Mike left civil architecture to join Jim's Garage Doors as one of the first franchisees under franchisors Mick and Brian. He now runs six to ten garage door service jobs a day across his Mickleham territory in Melbourne. You will hear how the Jim's Garage Doors lead system and flat rate lead fees work, why the division currently takes on experienced garage door technicians only, and the two minute callback rule behind Mike's close rate. Mike also covers garage door servicing intervals, spring safety on a 120 kilo door, motor replacements, roller shutters, and commercial counterweight doors. Start here if you are researching a Jim's Garage Doors franchise or wondering when your own garage door was last serviced.

We had 120 new franchisees into our training so it was a question-packed #ASKJIM with our new franchisees in training. As always, Jim delivers honest advice to everyone who asks him a question.

Robert Young's teams in Wellington and Christchurch are booked months out in a down market while he fields calls from tradies with no work at all. Robert brought Jim's Building Maintenance and Jim's Handyman to New Zealand five years ago and now runs both divisions as franchisor. He sits down with Joel Kleber to explain why property maintenance holds up when renovations dry up, and why he believes the only real income security for a tradesman over the next decade is a base of a thousand customers who know his name. He walks through the flat fee model and why taking a percentage of revenue turns a franchisor into a boss. He covers what a lead costs in New Zealand, why only one franchisee ever receives each one, and how territory works when your database is your real territory. He explains the pay for work guarantee, the two days of training every franchisee completes before signing anything, and what he says to people who should stay in their current job. Worth an hour if you hold a hammer for a living. 0:00 Why tradies have no work right now 1:26 AI, automation and job security 2:47 Why property maintenance is recession proof 6:17 Who Robert accepts as a franchisee 9:15 Flat fees vs a percentage of revenue 12:01 Owning your customers and your exit 13:30 How lead fees work in New Zealand 18:26 Why brand makes a lead convert 23:24 Talking to franchisees before you sign 31:00 Territory limits and Jim's Contracts 37:03 The pay for work guarantee explained 43:52 More quotes, better close rate, higher prices 49:06 Buying power and how to get in touch

Jordan's Mowing, aka Jordan Rogerson, shares his story on the Jim's Podcast and also about how he creates content. Jordan's videos have already had a million views online as he is documenting his journey of being a Jim's Mowing franchisee.