OUR BLOG

Kathleen’s Keeps wiping Ewing out of Holganix!

After Kathleen’s leaves, the refrigerator at the Ewing August branch resembles a northeastern supermarket milk fridge a few hours prior to a snowstorm!

We sat down with Mike Rogers, owner of Kathleen’s Lawn and Ornamental Pest Control, to learn more about their wildly successful, unorthodox style of running and growing a lawn care company. We wanted to know their secrets, and thankfully for all of us, Mike is an “open book” type of guy. His first words of wisdom? “It’s all about differentiating yourself from the competition.”

“Differentiation” segues perfectly to our first question (and I am guessing yours, too): Why did you name it Kathleen’s? “Yeah—we get that question a lot!” chuckles Mike. “We chose Kathleen’s for several reasons. First, and most importantly, it is named after my lovely wife. (He gets major points there!) Beyond that, it really was a strategic decision. For a lawn care company, naming it Kathleen’s is kind of like the song “A Boy Named Sue.” His unique name is not only memorable, it also has an inherent “softness” to it that resonates with customers and prospects. The only negative is that everyone wants to meet the real Kathleen, who at this point still has her own career in another industry. “But we can’t wait for her to someday join us!” says Mike.

From trucks wrapped in their giant ladybug logo, to their use of Holganix, Kathleen’s strives to differentiate from their competitors at every turn. Mike’s grandparents owned a nursery, so he grew up in the industry, learning young how important the soil is for growing healthy plants. When it comes to plant health, “You need more than just NPK. You need the biology, too!” explains Mike.

After testing Holganix, Kathleen’s incorporated it into all six rounds of their 12-month program. Before they received their RAD 330, the Augusta, GA Ewing Branch that supplied their Holganix liquid would often, after he left, resemble a northeastern supermarket milk fridge hours before a snowstorm. “Yeah, we kept wiping them out of Holganix” says Mike with a proud grin. “We use 27-30 oz/year because we have seen tremendous benefits which have been big contributors to our growth and success as a company.”

Mike’s Favorite Holganix Benefits Include:

1. Grass is consistently green! His customers don’t see the “up and down” color cycle found with traditional synthetic applications.

2. His techs love Holganix because it is so clean—it doesn’t clog filters and is safer to handle.

3. Holganix increases the Brix (sugar content) of plants. Fire ants and mole crickets don’t like this, and move on down to another property.

4. His lawns rarely show effects from disease, pests and weather-related stresses because the soil, roots, and grass are all so healthy and resilient. 

Getting these types of results, along with Mike’s policy to “take a few minutes extra” are the main reasons why Kathleen’s grew by 48% last year with 90% of their new customers gained by inbound marketing and referrals! They attribute the remaining 10% growth to their yard signs, which include their extremely recognizable ladybug logo.

With many lawn care companies pushing to minimize the time spent on lawns, Kathleen’s again bucks the trend and believes that not rushing their techs allows them to notice (and RECTIFY) potential problems before the homeowner even notices them. This attention to detail, coupled with the relationship building that is part of Kathleen’s culture, are why their retention rate is 98%! And why they grew the most in June and August, because prospects were able to see the results his customers were getting and ultimately Kathleen’s approach “sold itself” through word-of-mouth and referrals.

Mike Rogers is a grateful man, and attributes some of his success to his mentor, an owner of a large lawn care provider in a neighboring state. “He has been invaluable,” says Mike. “His willingness to provide insight and guidance has helped me tremendously. I highly recommend that every business owner seek out a peer who they can mentor and someone to mentor them. Great ideas, and most importantly, friendships, are generated through relationships like these.”

- Blog by Suzanne Longacre