I hated that my dad bought a lawn care franchise. Now I'm CEO of a $426 million company.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Jennifer Lemcke, CEO of Weed Man. It has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I was not happy erstwhile my dada decided to acquisition a Weed Man lawn care franchise. At the time, I was successful 10th grade. It was difficult to judge that we were moving from our location adjacent Toronto to Ottawa, conscionable to propulsion weeds. To this day, my dada swears location was a family gathering astir it, but I don't deliberation location was.

Despite my reluctance, I made friends successful Ottawa and settled successful quickly. I've ever been very money-motivated, truthful I would prime up shifts and overseas jobs for my dad. That helped maine gain money to bargain a car and screen my insurance, but I didn't person overmuch liking successful joining the family business. Instead, I went to college to study governmental science.

I was drawn by my dad's financial success

During school, I worked full-time successful telecommunications astatine the university. My leader was a awesome mentor. Although he was moving for the school, he was very entrepreneurial-minded, and he encouraged maine to deliberation that way, too.

My dada was buying up much and much Weed Man franchise territories. I was seeing him purchasing nicer cars and bigger houses. That really attracted maine to the business.

When I was 21, my now-husband and I decided to acquisition our ain franchise, while besides becoming investors pinch my dad. Other family and friends followed us, including my uncle, the champion man astatine our wedding, and that friend's brothers.

Really, Weed Man was a large family business to its core. Because of that, I'm motivated to make money not only for myself, but for my franchisees and employees, galore of whom are family.

I worked other difficult to beryllium myself successful my dad's business

Working pinch my dada wasn't easy. I joke that I knowledgeable reverse nepotism, but there's immoderate truth to that. There were times erstwhile I worked much hours but earned little than my colleagues.

I whitethorn not beryllium the smartest personification successful the room, but I'll activity harder than anyone else. In my soul, I needed to activity other to beryllium myself to my dada and our franchisees. I wanted them to cognize that I was location alongside them, emotion immoderate symptom they were feeling.

My kids were forced to beryllium independent

Around 2000, my dad's ownership group purchased the American authorities to Weed Man. I was the main operating officer, truthful I traveled often while we expanded into the US.

I had 3 kids astatine home, truthful that wasn't easy. Sometimes, I had to springiness the kids Tylenol and nonstop them to schoolhouse erstwhile they weren't emotion well, because I couldn't miss an important meeting. If they wanted to play sports, they had to shape their ain rides. I had a nanny moreover erstwhile they were successful precocious school, and she was a lifesaver, but I still questioned whether I was doing the correct point arsenic a moving mom.

During that period, activity came first, the kids came second, and my hubby was third. I was further down the list, aft the pets. There was nary work-life equilibrium aliases harmony, but I was motivated by the thought of making this business a occurrence for the group who had been alongside maine for decades.

In the end, it each turned retired OK. My kids — who are now 26, 28, 31 — are incredibly difficult workers. Their dada and I instilled that successful them. My girl and her hubby activity for the business.

My desire to make money isn't a bad thing

I became the CEO of Weed Man successful 2020, replacing my dad. Last year, the business did much than $426 cardinal successful revenue. My dada is the president of the board, truthful we still activity together frequently. Our narration feels much balanced these days, and we're often aligned connected our thinking.

My profession has ne'er been selfish: astatine my core, I'm driven by the desire to make money for my franchisees and my family. There's thing bad astir that. Money allows you to do things that matter to you (like, for me, supporting younker sports).

I'm grateful I've been capable to thief facilitate that for myself and my family, arsenic good arsenic for the families we've touched done franchising.