“While my business started reasonably slowly in my first month, I still achieved over £2,000 income”

With nicenstripy, you can make your office at one with nature

If you want to work the hours you desire, see your fitness level dramatically increase, work outdoors and lead a healthy lifestyle and suffer no more office politics, think outside the box and make your office at one with nature.

Launched in 1996, nicenstripy has been franchising its business opportunity since 2000 and has a well-established network.

Today, nicenstripy is the longest-running gardening franchise in the UK. The company is a full British Franchise Association and Institute of Groundsmen member.

Reoccurring income

With its low-cost start-up, nicenstripy provides regular grass cutting services together with lawn care, grounds and garden maintenance for both domestic and commercial customers, with a reoccurring 12-month income.

Jane Tinsley and Paul Burchett ran the pilot operations to prove and fine-tune the business to enable it to be franchised ethically in 2000. Franchisees were offered the opportunity to invest in their own future the following year.

Jane says: “While my business started reasonably slowly in my first month, I still achieved over £2,000 income and my business has gone on from there until today, nearly 20 years later, where we currently run three vans and employ six people.”

With low fixed monthly fees, full initial and ongoing training and 100 per cent of the start-up cost covered by government loan schemes, the franchise is affordable for anyone wishing to start their own gardening business.

Certified, industry recognised, professional qualifications are obtained during your intensive initial training and further qualifications are earned throughout the period of your franchise agreement, which provides you with a protected exclusive territory that includes a minimum of 100,000 properties.

Paul Allen, nicenstripy’s financial director, says: “We assist potential franchisees to prepare a business plan to make an application to maximise the opportunity of obtaining funding to start their nicenstripy business.

“Backed by a formidable support system, potential franchisees should look no further. We utilise ‘niceneasy Office’, which is a bespoke computerised system designed by our existing franchisees that has dramatically reduced the complexities of running your own business and the time it takes to do so.

“The benefit is that niceneasy Office gives more time to actually do the work or promote the business within your local area.”

The nicenstripy website produces a significant number of enquiries for franchisees each year at no additional cost and although there were a number of extreme weather situations in 2018, the company saw an overall increase of in excess of 40 per cent in the number of enquiries the previous year.

Open and honest

Tony Merrick, nicenstripy’s franchise director, says: “Probably the biggest advantage to a potential franchisee is our honesty.

“We will not take advantage of anybody and take their money if we feel there is any chance they might not be as successful as they want to be. In fact, I have to say it is very hard sometimes to explain to somebody that really wants to join the nicenstripy family that they can’t.”