Quick answer: A franchise is worth it if you want to own a business but would rather buy a proven system and a steady supply of customers than build both yourself. It isn’t worth it if you won’t follow the system, don’t enjoy the work, or the fees eat your margin. Even in a strong system, not everyone makes it: about 11% of new Jim’s franchisees leave in their first year.
This guide answers the question with the people who’ve lived it. Jim’s Group, Australia’s largest franchise network with 5,870 franchisees, has recorded more than 100 interviews with franchisees and franchisors on the More Than Just Mowing podcast and the Jim’s Group YouTube channel. What follows is what they said, the good and the bad.
Key takeaways
- A franchise pays off most when finding customers is the hard part. Franchisees who tried going independent first say the leads alone justified the switch.
- Fixed fees change the maths. When the fee doesn’t rise with your revenue, every extra job is yours.
- The first year is the hardest. Some franchisees take a pay cut, and most need about two months for their body to get used to the work.
- Customer service and using the support network decide who stays. Franchisors say the people who leave rarely fail for lack of skill.
- The only way to know if it’s worth it for you is to see it for yourself. Do an observation day and call every single one of the franchisees.
When is a franchise worth it?
A franchise is worth it when it gives you something you’d struggle to build alone: customers from day one, a brand people already trust, a proven system, and other owners to learn from. For most new owners, the customers matter most.
Franchisees who tried to go it alone first put it bluntly. One Jim’s Mowing franchisee said on the More Than Just Mowing podcast in 2025:
“I tried three months with my own brochures and stuff like that. Didn’t work. Didn’t get any leads. And the cost, if you’re doing Google ads and everything, it’s more than the Jim’s fee anyway.”
Another, who came to Jim’s from mining, summed up the choice between going independent and buying in:
“Why would I walk when I could ride the horse?”
For some, it’s about more than money. A franchisee who joined while going through a hard time said in 2025 that he chose Jim’s over starting independently because he “didn’t want the hard grind that went with that and the slower burn”, and that “Jim’s has saved me mentally.”
When is a franchise not worth it?
A franchise isn’t worth it if you’re buying a job you won’t enjoy, if you won’t follow the system, or if the fees leave too little once you’ve paid your costs. The ACCC warns that “just because a franchise is for sale doesn’t mean it’s a profitable business”. Many franchise systems also charge ongoing fees on your revenue, not your profit, so a busy month isn’t always a profitable one.
It also isn’t worth it if you’re buying for the wrong reasons. Benn Ward, a Jim’s Mowing franchisor, said on the podcast in 2024: “If you’re going to go and buy a business because you feel a bit unfit and you’re putting on weight, maybe you just don’t have the right motivation.”
“It’s not for absolutely everybody. We do try and do some screening. Sometimes people find it’s too difficult. It is physically difficult.”
Jim Penman, founder of Jim’s Group
What are the pros and cons of buying a franchise?
The main advantage of buying a franchise is a proven way to win customers. The main disadvantage is that you pay for it, through fees and by following someone else’s system.
| Pros | Cons |
| Customers and leads from the start, under a known brand | Upfront cost, plus ongoing fees for as long as you trade |
| A proven system, so you’re not making it up as you go | You follow the franchisor’s rules and standards |
| Training and a support network of other owners | Some systems take a percentage of everything you earn |
| Other owners to call when something goes wrong | Your results still depend on your area and your effort |
| An easier exit, because there’s an established system to sell into | Exit and transfer conditions vary, so read them in the disclosure document |
What do franchisees say about whether it was worth it?
Most franchisees interviewed by Jim’s say it was worth it, and the reasons are rarely the ones they expected. Here are the themes that come up again and again.
Being in charge of your own time
Glenn, a Jim’s Mowing franchisee who came from healthcare, said in 2026: “I took the Friday off, the Monday, Tuesday off. I didn’t have to put leave forms in.”
Getting over “job snobbery”
Several franchisees who left office or professional careers say the hardest part was their own attitude. Glenn again: “I heard someone use the term recently about job snobbery. I look back at it now and I think I probably had a bit of job snobbery myself.”
The fees feeling small next to the work
On Jim’s fixed fees, Glenn said: “I can make Jim’s monthly franchise fees on the Monday, the first of each month, and the rest of the month is me.” Another franchisee went further in 2025: “Please don’t take this to Jim, but I think it should be more. The value I’m getting far exceeds what I’m spending.”
These are franchisees who joined and stayed, so they’re not the whole picture. That’s why the next section matters just as much.
What are the honest downsides of owning a franchise?
The honest downsides are a slower first year, hard physical work, quiet patches, uneven work between areas, and the real chance it doesn’t work out. Jim’s franchisees and franchisors talk about all of them on the record.
Your income can drop at first
Peter Rogers, who started as a Jim’s Mowing franchisee and is now a franchisor in Western Australia, described his own start in 2026: “The first year it was a shock. It was about a 50% reduction in income. It took probably four years to get back up to almost the same.” Others replace their old income much faster. Both happen.
The work is physical
Peter Rogers again: “You’ll get a bit of tennis elbow, the sore elbows and the sore feet, but you pretty well get used to it within say two months.” Click here to read more from Peter Rogers.
Some months are quiet
Glenn said 2025 was “not without its struggles”, with a tough winter and then a dry spell that slowed work right down. Click here to read more about From New Franchisee to Fully Booked: How Glenn Simester Built a 60-Regular Jim’s Mowing Business
Work isn’t the same everywhere
One franchisee told the podcast he was averaging about 5.2 leads a week, which wasn’t enough to grow the business the way he wanted. Ask how much work there is in the specific area you’re buying into.
Not everyone makes it
About 11% of new Jim’s franchisees leave within their first 12 months. Jim Penman put it the other way round in 2022: out of every 100 franchisees Jim’s signs, 88 are still in business a year later. We want that number higher, which is why Jim’s screens people and pushes prospects to see the work before they buy.
Is the franchise fee worth paying?
A franchise fee is worth paying when it buys you more work than you could get for the same money yourself. Compare it with what you’d spend on advertising, a website and leads as an independent, and check whether the fee is fixed or a percentage of your revenue.
One Jim’s franchisee said: “I would spend more money on a monthly basis on marketing myself, out of my own pocket, than I pay for fees, and that covers everything, including my leads.”
Jim’s fees are fixed, at around $1,000 a month all-in for most divisions, and Jim’s never takes a percentage of what franchisees earn. See how much a franchise costs in Australia for how fixed fees compare with percentage royalties.
Can you get your money back if a franchise doesn’t work out?
You can usually sell a franchise business, but how easy that is and what you get back depends on the system and your agreement. Check the transfer and exit terms in the disclosure document before you buy.
At Jim’s, franchisors help franchisees sell when they want out. Benn Ward, a Jim’s Mowing franchisor, said in 2024: “It’s quite easy for them to sell their business when they want to get out. We should be able to sell their franchise for a similar amount to what they bought it for, and so really it’s only the equipment cost that’s hard to get back.” Exit conditions and fees can apply.
Who is a franchise right for?
A franchise is right for people who’ll follow a proven system, look after customers, and use the support around them. Skills can be taught. Attitude mostly can’t.
Peter Rogers said in 2026: “We can train and teach and help you mow a lawn and trim a tree. We can’t always teach people about customer service.” Mitch Blake, a Jim’s Mowing franchisor, said the same about who leaves: the people who leave the business usually don’t have the level of customer service the brand requires, and “we don’t want them to spend $30,000 or thereabouts, come into the business and fail.”
Using the support network matters too. A franchisee who left Jim’s Mowing and later came back explained what went wrong the first time:
“I probably lacked a little bit of maturity, and I probably thought it was going to be easier than it was. I don’t think I used the Jim’s support network very well. I kept to myself a little bit, probably too much.”
How do you know if a franchise is worth it for you?
You find out by seeing the business for yourself and talking to the people already in it. Jim Penman’s advice to prospects has stayed the same for years: “If you don’t believe it, come to us and spend a day or two on the road. You must get hold of a list of current franchisees with their contact numbers, and ring as many as possible.”
- Watch franchisee videos and podcasts before you enquire.
- Do an observation day. At Jim’s they’re free, and you can do as many as you like.
- Call every single one of the franchisees on the list, and ask them what a normal week really looks like.
- Read the disclosure document and get independent legal and accounting advice.
For the full process, see how to buy a franchise in Australia.
Is a franchise worth it FAQs
Buying a franchise in Australia is worth it for people who want a proven system and a steady supply of customers more than they want to build a business from scratch. It’s not worth it if the fees leave too little profit, if you won’t follow the system, or if you don’t enjoy the work.
The figure varies by franchise system, and each franchisor’s disclosure document shows how many franchises closed, transferred or were terminated over the last 3 financial years. At Jim’s Group, about 11% of new franchisees leave within their first 12 months.
A franchise is better than starting your own business if finding customers is your biggest risk, because the brand and lead supply do that work from day one. Starting your own business costs less in fees but means building a brand, systems and customers yourself.
Yes. Jim’s franchisors help franchisees sell their business. Jim’s Mowing franchisors say franchisees can often sell for a similar amount to what they paid, with equipment the hardest cost to recover. Exit conditions and fees can apply.
The most honest Jim’s franchise reviews come from franchisees themselves. Watch the interviews on the Jim’s Group YouTube channel and the More Than Just Mowing podcast, then enquire and call every franchisee on the list your Jim’s franchisor gives you.
Want to find out if it’s worth it for you?
Start by hearing from the franchisees. Then enquire, book a free observation day, and call every single one of the franchisees on your list.
Become a Franchisee Or call 131 546 and ask about owning a Jim’s franchise.