Dien Rice
July 22, 2001, 11:08 PM
Some opportunities seem mundane, yet can be surprisingly profitable....
I recently mentioned a business called Jim's Mowing.... It started in Australia, but it's expanding worldwide. It started out as a simple lawn mowing business....
Jim Penman was a university student, and needed to make some money to help finance his studies. He liked the outdoors, so he started to mow people's lawns.
Things didn't initially go well for him.... He first FAILED at his business. At the same time, he was trying to go into an academic career, and he failed at that too.
But he turned those failures into successes. The story has many enlightening insights, as you'll see later....
Today, Jim Penman has turned mowing lawns into a very successful and highly profitable, highly leveraged business....
He turned his lawn mowing business into a franchise. (Recall our discussions on leverage?)
If you look at his company's web site -- www.jims.net -- you'll see he's taken the essential idea and run with it. You'll see not only Jim's Mowing, but also Jim's Antennas, Jim's Dog Wash, Jim's Fencing, Jim's Car Cleaning, and so on....
Jim Penman wrote a book on his story and the insights he discovered. I purchased my copy of his book about a year ago, but now it's available online. Be sure to check it out, since it's an insightful read! (I've linked to it below....)
I hope you find it inspiring too.... :)
- Dien Rice
Surprised by Success, by Jim Penman (http://www.jims.net/jim_book/surprise.htm)
I recently mentioned a business called Jim's Mowing.... It started in Australia, but it's expanding worldwide. It started out as a simple lawn mowing business....
Jim Penman was a university student, and needed to make some money to help finance his studies. He liked the outdoors, so he started to mow people's lawns.
Things didn't initially go well for him.... He first FAILED at his business. At the same time, he was trying to go into an academic career, and he failed at that too.
But he turned those failures into successes. The story has many enlightening insights, as you'll see later....
Today, Jim Penman has turned mowing lawns into a very successful and highly profitable, highly leveraged business....
He turned his lawn mowing business into a franchise. (Recall our discussions on leverage?)
If you look at his company's web site -- www.jims.net -- you'll see he's taken the essential idea and run with it. You'll see not only Jim's Mowing, but also Jim's Antennas, Jim's Dog Wash, Jim's Fencing, Jim's Car Cleaning, and so on....
Jim Penman wrote a book on his story and the insights he discovered. I purchased my copy of his book about a year ago, but now it's available online. Be sure to check it out, since it's an insightful read! (I've linked to it below....)
I hope you find it inspiring too.... :)
- Dien Rice
Surprised by Success, by Jim Penman (http://www.jims.net/jim_book/surprise.htm)
