For over two decades, Nathan Willason was entrenched in the corporate world, climbing the ladder at Telstra and enduring the endless performance reviews and long commutes that came with it.
But one day, he decided enough was enough.
Nathan walked away from the grind, traded in his suit and tie for a pair of pruning shears, and started on an unexpected journey into the world of franchising with Jim’s Mowing.
In this in-depth interview with Joel Kleber, Nathan shares how he went from managing a team in the telecommunications industry to running a thriving lawn care business in South Australia.
From the highs of his former rock band days to the joys of being his own boss and spending more time with his family, Nathan’s story is a testament to the power of following your passions and taking a leap of faith.
From the Corporate Grind to the Great Outdoors at Jim’s Mowing: Interview with Joel Kleber
After over 20 years in the corporate world, Nathan was ready for a change.
The constant travel, performance reviews, and lack of work-life balance had taken its toll.
“I was in the telecommunications industry for over 20 years working in Telstra, and after some time in there and various roles, I think the previous one was a lot of traveling,” Nathan explains.
“I just decided that it just wasn’t for me anymore. I wanted to get a better work-life balance.“
The breaking point came when Nathan was about to interview for a new job that would have him commuting two hours each way, every day.
“I was going for this interview, and I was about to go there the next day, and I was just getting stuff ready, and I just sat down and thought to myself, ‘Do I really want to be doing this? Is this what I want to do? Do I want to be driving down to Adelaide and spending two hours of my day every day driving back and forth?’” Nathan recalls.
With three young daughters under the age of 16 at home, Nathan knew he needed to make a change.
“I just decided, ‘No, I wasn’t.’ I walked out to my wife and I said, ‘Hey, I’m not going for this job.’ And she’s like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I just said, ‘That’s not what I want to do.‘”
From Mowing Lawns to Managing a Business
It was at that moment that Nathan’s unexpected journey with Jim’s Mowing began.
“I’ve got 1,500 m² of lawn area at my place and I’ve always enjoyed just getting out there mowing, fertilizing, edging, doing all that sort of stuff, and I took real pride in that,” Nathan says.
“A lot of people would come over and say, ‘Oh, wow, this lawn’s fantastic.’“
That’s when the lightbulb moment struck.
“It just got me thinking, and I thought, ‘You know what, I really enjoy doing that. Why don’t I make that my job?‘” Nathan explains.
“The first thing I thought of was Jim’s. I didn’t think of any others. It was just one night, I just sat there, and I thought, ‘You know what, about a Jim’s Mowing franchise?‘”
Nathan wasted no time in reaching out to the Jim’s Mowing team.
“I just jumped online that night and I was having a look around, and the next morning I just sent a message through and said, ‘Hey, I’m interested. Just someone, please give me a call.’ Expecting not to hear anything, and it was probably 15 minutes later, I had Shane give us a call, which just absolutely floored me that that happened so quickly.“
After a few days in the field with the local Jim’s Mowing team, Nathan was sold.
“We just got talking, and then I just went out on a couple of days in the field and just decided, ‘No, this is what I’m doing.‘”
Navigating the Transition: From Corporate to Jim’s Mowing Franchisee
The transition from corporate life to running his own franchise wasn’t without its challenges, but Nathan was determined to make it work.
“I was really looking forward to the training. I was really looking forward to jumping on a plane and coming over to Melbourne,” Nathan says.
“But my time was when COVID was around, so it was all online.”
While he missed the face-to-face interaction, Nathan made sure to stay connected and engaged throughout the process.
“I just made sure that I was talking to as many people as I could here, bothering Shane as much as I could, you know, sending him messages, calling him, asking him questions, meeting with some of the local guys that already operate in this area, just doing a little bit of research,” he explains.
Ultimately, Nathan’s decision came down to one key factor: the support he felt from the Jim’s Mowing team.
“It really just came down to, ‘Do I feel comfortable?’ Of course, I didn’t feel comfortable in terms of that it was going to be a massive jump in what I was doing. It really came down to, ‘Yeah, the people, the support around me, do I feel as though that the support will be there and the help will be there?’ I just jumped in. I really didn’t give it much second thought.“
The Joys and Challenges of Being Your Own Boss
Three and a half years into his Jim’s Mowing journey, Nathan has never looked back.
“It’s like any job. It has its days where you go, ‘Oh, gosh, you know, what am I doing?’ And usually, that’s the days where it’s raining or it’s 42 degrees,” he admits.
“But I can honestly say 99% of the time, I’m waking up, I’m happy to go to work. I thoroughly enjoy getting outside, talking to people.“
One of the biggest benefits for Nathan has been the job satisfaction and work-life balance he’s been able to achieve.
“I feel like I’m actually just helping people out, and even though you’re getting paid for it, you honestly feel like you just walk away from jobs, and you’ve got that job satisfaction,” he says.
“And that’s what I never really had previously. I had, you know, times where you go, ‘Oh, yeah, that was good. You know, I did a good job there and got some recognition.’ Here, you know, there is no better recognition than someone, you know, saying, ‘That’s fantastic. I love what you do. I’m going to recommend you to somebody else.‘”
Being his own boss has also allowed Nathan to be more present for his family.
“I’ve got three girls now. They’re under the age of 18, so my hands are full there. So I’ve got netball runs and boxing nights and all that sort of stuff that all these other activities the kids do, so it’s good that I can actually be home and doing that sort of stuff, cooking dinner, spending time with the kids,” he says.
“You know, they’re only young once, so I want to make the most of it. Being my own boss has enabled me to do that.”
Delivering Exceptional Customer Service
One of the keys to Nathan’s success has been his unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer service.
With a perfect 5-star rating from 126 reviews, it’s clear that his clients are thrilled with the level of care and attention they receive.
“Communication is 100% the key,” Nathan emphasizes.
“If you can’t communicate and have good communication, you’re going to struggle.”
From sending daily text message updates to his clients to going the extra mile with tasks like blowing off driveways, Nathan’s attention to detail and responsiveness have set him apart.
“Every night before the next day’s work, I send out a text message to every person and I say, ‘This is the time your regular gardening service is going to be tomorrow. I will be there between 8 and 10,‘” he explains.
“I keep on saying to people that the things that are really important to me when I’m on the job, you know, straight lines when you’re mowing, edging, and clean up, and always doing just one extra thing that the client’s not expecting.“
Nathan’s commitment to communication and going above and beyond has not gone unnoticed by his clients.
“When they get home and they see the end product, and like I said, you’ve got nice straight lines with the mowing, beautiful edging done nicely, they look at it and they go, ‘Wow, that’s great.’ And they’re happy,” he says.
Optimizing for Success: Tools, Technology, and Business Insights
To keep his business running smoothly and efficiently, Nathan has embraced a range of tools and technologies.
One of his most valuable investments has been a vehicle tracking device that plugs into the OBD port.
“It enables me to see where I was at certain times of the day that I took, how long I was at each job for,” he explains.
This data has proven invaluable for optimizing his routes and identifying areas for improvement.
“I can pull it up and go, ‘Oh, that one there took a little bit longer, or it might have been longer grass or whatever.’ So you can sit there and work out, you know, where you can possibly make some gains,” Nathan says.
In addition to the vehicle tracker, Nathan has also outfitted his equipment with GPS tracking devices.
“I’ve got trackers on everything. I’ve got trackers on lawnmowers, ride-ons, really all my tools, just in case they’re stolen, as well as where they are in my trailer,” he explains.
“I love technology, you know, so I thought, ‘How can I use it?‘”
By leveraging these tools, Nathan is able to review his business performance, identify areas for optimization, and make data-driven decisions to drive his success.
“I’m always looking at, you know, the clients that I’ve got, are they working with me as well? You know, ’cause some of them you get a client that says, ‘Oh, you can only be here at this time and be here at this time,‘” he says.
“So you need to have a conversation with them and say, ‘Look, you know, let’s make the job first thing in the morning or, you know, try and work around it.’“
Advice for Aspiring Franchisees
For anyone considering making the leap into franchising, Nathan has some invaluable advice.
“Do your research, call as many people as you can, ask the franchisor that you’re speaking to, ‘Have you got some phone numbers of some people that I can talk to?’ Go out and do a couple of days in the field, get a taste for it,” he recommends.
But most importantly, Nathan emphasizes the importance of following your passions.
“If you enjoy being outside, you enjoy talking to people, and you can do that well, everything else will just fall into place,” he says.
“My biggest fear when I started was, ‘Am I going to get enough leads? Am I going to get enough work?’ After the first week, I was drowning in leads and work.“
Nathan’s journey is a testament to the power of taking a leap of faith and embracing the unknown.
“If you want to put the hours in and make it work, it’ll work,” he says.
“You’ve got the backing of Jim’s, which is absolutely fantastic, and you know, you’ve got the backing of the systems as well. So all of this stuff just all falls into place if you’ve got reservations, talk to people. You’ll quickly find out that, you know, just about everybody loves what they do and, you know, really keen to help out.“
Embracing the Rock Star Lifestyle
While Nathan’s focus is now firmly on his thriving Jim’s Mowing business, he hasn’t forgotten his musical roots.
For over 20 years, Nathan was the drummer and guitarist in a series of rock bands, including Dominion and Ice on Mercury, playing Metallica covers and supporting acts like Black Label Society and Sver.
“We met in high school and we started off just doing Metallica cover shows and that sort of thing just around school, and it just developed into one band that we played was called Dominion for many years,” Nathan recalls.
“Few name changes and a few lineup changes and became Ice on Mercury for many years, touring around Australia, mainly Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, living the dream, I guess, you know, we’re loving it.“
Though the band ultimately decided to call it quits due to family and work commitments, Nathan still has fond memories of his rock star days.
“It’s always good just to look back and listen to the music. My kids now listen to the music, so they love it. It’s always good just to revisit some of that,” he says.
In October, Nathan and his former bandmates are reuniting for a special one-off show.
“We’re going to get back together and I guess suffer through an hour and a half of pain and suffering ’cause we’re all getting a lot older, and I think we’re all going to be absolutely dead the next day,” he laughs.
“But no, it’s good to finally pick up the guitars again and do a bit of practice and get just back into that mode that we were in, you know, all through our youth.”
Nathan’s journey from the corporate world to running a thriving Jim’s Mowing franchise is a testament to the power of following your passions and embracing the unknown.
By leveraging his love for the outdoors, his commitment to exceptional customer service, and his embrace of technology, Nathan has built a successful business that allows him to enjoy a better work-life balance and spend more time with his family.
Whether you’re considering a career change or simply looking to optimize your own lawn care business, Nathan’s story is sure to inspire.
So why not take a page from his playbook, put on your gardening gloves, and see where the ride-on mower takes you?
To learn more about Nathan’s Jim’s Mowing franchise or to connect with the Jim’s Group team, be sure to visit their website or check out their YouTube channel.
Key Takeaways:
- Nathan Willason traded in his corporate career at Telstra for a thriving Jim’s Mowing franchise in South Australia.
- Communication, attention to detail, and going the extra mile are the keys to Nathan’s exceptional customer service and 5-star ratings.
- Nathan leverages technology, including vehicle and equipment tracking, to optimize his business and make data-driven decisions.
- Embracing your passions and taking a leap of faith can lead to unexpected and rewarding career paths.
- Nathan’s former rock band days are still a part of his story, with a reunion gig planned for October.