The Outdoor Home Maintenance Industry is Booming and Joshua Tree Experts Gives Franchisees a Rare Opportunity to Satisfy a Wide Range of Homeowners’ Needs

Joshua Tree Experts, the Pennsylvania-based home services franchise that provides tree maintenance, lawn care and pest control services, is ready to spread its branches across the country. As every segment of the outdoor home maintenance segment booms following the COVID-19 pandemic, Joshua Tree Experts is well-positioned to continue its upward trajectory and establish itself as a multi-faceted leader in the industry. Now, the team is officially launching its franchise opportunity and is looking for passionate entrepreneurs who are eager to spend their days in the great outdoors and bring a much-needed service to the homeowners of their communities.

“We’ve grown steadily over the past year, and we are in an industry that is really flourishing right now,” said Joshua Malik, founder and CEO. “We are giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to ride the tailwinds of that demand and join a proven company with a history of success.”

Company history

The Roots of Joshua Tree Experts and Its Three Different Branches

Joshua Tree Experts was founded by Malik in 2005 as a general tree services and plant health care company in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

“From the early days, the focus was on training, safety and best practices,” said Malik. “Prior to starting the business, I had worked for a few mom-and-pop shops, and was able to really gather what worked and what didn’t in the industry. At that point, education and training weren’t as available, so there were not as many certified arborists working for the companies offering tree and shrub spray.

I already had all the licenses required to launch that service, and clients quickly began to recognize the ‘Joshua Tree Way’ and how it was different from other companies. There has always been a strong emphasis on internal support and reinvestment back into the business, which has naturally led to better results and more satisfied clients.”

After building out the internal team, infrastructure and customer base for nearly a decade, Joshua Tree Experts began to find new ways to service their loyal clients. The company organically expanded to offer lawn care services to clients as a direct result of customer demand and established lawn care as its own division in 2017. The addition was an immediate success, and in 2020, Joshua Tree Experts decided to expand its services once again with a pest control division.

“We have three services in one — tree care, pest control and lawn care,” said Malik. “When we originally rolled out our new services, 70% to 80% of our established customers signed on for the add ons. Best of all, 60% of our revenue is brought in through recurring revenue streams. For example, we have about $4.4 million already rolling into 2022 through recurring revenue streams that we’ve locked down this past year. We have a huge database of previous clients, and we’ll call, upsell and cross-sell, which really helps generate additional streams of revenue.”

Investment opportunity

Why Now is the Time to Invest in Joshua Tree Experts

Over the past year, the home services industry has exploded in popularity as homeowners spent more time in their living spaces following the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the younger millennial generation is hitting its peak homebuying age, and the pandemic has resulted in a record-breaking influx of new homeowners who are increasingly looking to invest in home services.

Specifically, demand for outdoor services like those offered by Joshua Tree Experts have been booming as homeowners look for ways to turn their outdoor spaces into private getaways. Tree trimming, for example, is a $25 billion dollar industry that is set to reach $29 billion in 2025, while landscape services is set to grow from $114 billion to $129 billion by 2026.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were considered an essential business, which we were very grateful for,” said Malik. “Now, our industry is growing faster than ever, and single-family homes — which are our target demographic — represent the largest customer base in that market. The industry’s rebound from the pandemic is thriving in markets all over the country, and franchisees have the opportunity to tap into that demand with recurring revenue. When people figure out you are a tree expert, everyone comes to you with questions, and that opens up the door to even more opportunities.”

Not only is the outdoor home services industry thriving right now, but Malik says it also offers lifestyle benefits that are hard to find anywhere else. “When your office is outdoors, it can be a really beautiful experience,” he said. “When you are pruning a tree, interacting with the happy clients, building relationships and providing an awesome experience, it can be incredibly rewarding. We have clients we have been servicing for 16 years.”

To nurture these long-lasting client relationships, Joshua Tree Experts is also committed to being involved in the communities it serves. This includes opportunities for volunteer work, sponsorships and more.

Franchise support

How Joshua Tree Experts Will Provide Its First Franchisees with In-Depth Support and a Proven Business Model

Although Joshua Tree Experts does not yet have any franchise partners, the team operates with nearly two decades of experience and currently has two open corporate locations operating in five total units and 60 staff members.

“We have an awesome culture here,” said Malik. “I invest a ton back into the business, and everybody within the company understands that. People are amazed at how committed we are to growing the right way. We love developing people — taking new people on and watching them move up through the company. That is why we are so excited to start partnering with franchise owners who are committed to growing with us.”

Since incoming Joshua Tree Experts owners will be the first franchisees to join the brand, Malik says the team isn’t willing to sign just anybody.

“We want people who are looking for a big life change, coming from an industry or system where they’ve learned how to follow a proven model,” said Malik. “For the first three to six months, we want franchisees to be very involved in the business, and then they can step back and work on the business. We want people with a hard work ethic, who can take direction, and who have high emotional intelligence and good communication skills. Most importantly, we want someone who will be looking at this as a partnership and who is eager to join the Joshua Tree family.”

As part of that family, incoming Joshua Tree Experts franchisees can be confident they will have access to a robust support infrastructure and in-depth training. This includes a marketing playbook to position owners for grand opening success.

Additionally, Malik says franchisees will have a proven pathway to growth thanks to the brand’s multi-pronged business model. “We want franchisees to grow just like Joshua Tree Experts did,” he said. “They will start with one service — tree care — and then gradually start to roll in lawn care and pest control. We know that a strong infrastructure is one of the most important aspects to ensure franchisee success, and we will provide owners with everything they need to get their business up and running.”

Now, the team is looking for qualified prospects interested in getting in on the ground floor of Joshua Tree Expert’s franchise opportunity. Specifically, the team has identified markets primed for growth all along the Northeast, including its home state of Pennsylvania, which offer the kind of wide-open territory availability that is hard to find in the industry.

“Overall, we hope to add five franchises in 2022, five in 2023 and eight in 2024,” said Malik. “We have the infrastructure, connections and business model in place to grow right now, and we are in a much better position than many franchise brands of our size. We’ve put down our roots and grown this brand into a thriving franchise concept, and now we can’t wait to welcome more members into the Joshua Tree Family and satisfy more homeowners across the country.”