Matthew has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Franchisee of the Year Awards, held later this year in October. This is just one of the many successes Matthew has had with Ed’s Garden Maintenance since joining.

“I joined Ed’s in March 2012. I’d worked as a Production and Operations Manager for a security fencing company, working long hours in a stressful environment. I was looking for a change and started to explore other options. I’ve always loved gardening and the outdoors so Ed’s Garden Maintenance seemed like a good fit. My protected territory is in Folkestone. I met my projected profit at the end of Year 1 and by the end of Year 2 had increased that profit 50%. It has been incredible to find that in Year 2 I now earn more than when I was employed.

My lifestyle is so much healthier. I have more family time and love the flexibility. The biggest gift however has been how we as a family have benefitted. One of my sons was struggling in school. We took the decision to move him to a private school and he has flourished in this new environment.

I now have over 45 regular customers and my customer base is continuing to build. I receive plenty of referrals, always a good sign that you are delivering a good service. My ethos is that I try to do a job exactly how I would expect it to be done for me in my garden.

I follow the model closely; it’s proven as successful by Ed himself who worked for four years developing it before launching it as a franchise. My goal now is to grow the business further, to take someone on and expand into another area. The systems and processes that are in place including the technology to instantly refer leads from the website or from telephone enquiries via an SMS message creates a great first impression with potential customers who are often amazed at the speed with which I respond.

It’s a good place to start in securing new business. I think some people are surprised to find that kind of efficiency in the world of gardening.”