From Franchisee To Company Owner And CEO

Jennifer Lemcke grew up in the lawn care business with her dad owning a Weed Man franchise. Over the course of 30 years, the family went from a one-territory franchisee, to acquiring the worldwide rights to the Weed Man brand and growing it into a $387 million business.

Today Lemcke is CEO of the Toronto-based organization with more than 300 Weed Man franchises across Canada, the U.S. and the UK, and has plans to become a $1 billion company. In an interview, she shares insight into her career journey, what it took to grow the brand internationally and important lessons she’s learned along the way.

Tell us about your career journey.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked just about every position at Weed Man—from marketing to administration to field technician. It all started in 1986 when my dad, Roger Mongeon, bought his first Weed Man franchise in Hull, Quebec. At that time, he was a one-territory franchisee. Through expansions and acquisitions, he soon became Weed Man’s largest multi-unit franchisee.

In 1992, my husband and I joined Weed Man, did a year as managers-in-training, then began our franchisee journey in Ottawa, Ontario. It proved to be an excellent fit. In just six years, we grew the business from $240,000 when we acquired it to $2 million. 

Within 10 years of my dad’s rise to the top of the Canadian franchisees, he approached Weed Man founder Des Rice to purchase the rights for the Weed Man brand in the United States. Along with our team of dedicated sub franchisors, who are charged with awarding and supporting franchisees in their local regions, we began building the brand in the United States. And in 2018, we had the opportunity to purchase the worldwide rights to the Weed Man brand.

Now, Weed Man is a $387 million company, and the most exciting chapter is still being written. We’re at a major turning point for Weed Man, as we embark on a digital transformation, which is a fancy way of saying we are modernizing our technologies and our data.

We’re standardizing the way we do business, so we can stay competitive in the changing landscapes of digital and traditional marketing, technology, automation and AI. And we’re taking the time to do it right, partnering with consultants and investing in our vision: to be a $1 billion company.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by the incredible people who have gotten us this far. It’s rewarding to see the team embrace change and take on immense challenges for the betterment of the brand, but also for the success of franchisees and growing career opportunities for employees.

What lessons have you learned along the way?

You need to have a clear vision. It should be audacious but achievable, and it needs to be something your franchisees can buy into. You also need to explain what’s in it for them. Weed Man’s vision is to be a $1 billion company. What does that mean for our people? It means more success, stronger assets and opportunities for their staff members. Afterall, you don’t want to just give people a job—you want to give them a career. That’s what a vision should give you.

It’s also important to keep score. If you don’t keep score, people won’t know where they sit and they tend to become complacent. If you don’t keep score, the limiting mindsets spiral and take hold. When you do keep score, however, everyone has a clearer picture. People can see a nearby market succeeding and it clears the belief window. It also motivates your staff when they can see the rankings; they think: We can do this, too! We have the talent and the ability, so let’s get it done.

As a franchisor, it’s essential to focus on your franchisees’ success. We always talk about the idea of servant leadership, of putting others first. I know that if I help our franchisees reach their goals, I’ll be successful. We are very focused on coaching and support, helping our franchisees become business owners.

This is a network full of talented people who are always only a phone call away and willing to drop everything and help. We’re responsive, we include our people in major decisions and we’ve earned a lot of trust, which definitely goes both ways. It’s important to have that infrastructure and that network of support.

What was it like to launch a brand in a new country?

When we decided to franchise in the United States, we were already operating the largest multi-unit in Canada, and we faced the challenge of readying our systems and processes for use in the United States, which, in some ways, is a whole different ball game. But something that we have, which many franchisors in the industry do not have, is that boots-on-the-ground lawn care experience.

We grew up in the lawn care industry and then became the franchisor, whereas in many other systems, the franchisor starts with the brand and hasn’t really lived and breathed the day-to-day operations. At Weed Man, most of our head office has hands-on experience at the franchise level. I’ve personally worked just about every position at Weed Man, and I always lean on that perspective.

What advice do you have to aspiring young women professionals?

Early in my career, I found myself rising quickly. I would go from committee member to board member to executive team in a matter of months, and that came with challenges. Often, I was the only woman in the room, which meant I was delegated tasks like notetaking and appointment-making. And on top of that, my dad was the chairman of the board, so I had a lot to prove.

My dad gave me a crucial piece of advice, which I would pass on to any young woman in business. He said, “Go in there and listen.” He knew that if I listened—really listened—I would find my place in the company and the industry, and that has turned out to be true. By listening, I could identify gaps and opportunities that others were missing. And all of a sudden, I became an expert in these topics.

I have always had a fire in the pit of my stomach. It has fueled me from the start. I may not be the smartest person in the room or the most knowledgeable, but I will out-work everyone. I will listen and really hear. It’s what gets me out of bed and drives me to put in the hours.