Weed Man Minneapolis, MN
Name: Steve Sartorius
Market: https://minneapolis.weedman.com/
Number of Locations (Territories): 4
Education: B.S. in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison
Career Background: One summer while in college, I worked for a landscaping company in Chicago. Then, at the end of the summer, I met Terry Kurth, who is an extremely successful Weed Man franchisee in the Midwest. From there, I worked part-time with Weed Man while I attended the University of Wisconsin Madison and was able to actually apply my degree out in the field. After much consideration, I decided to take the leap. My parents helped me finance my own Weed Man franchise. I officially opened for business in 2007 at the age of 22, taking over an existing Weed Man franchise location.
Family: I married my wife, Jenna Sartorius, in September of 2013.
Why Weed Man? I truly enjoyed the work I was doing as an employee and thought it would be great to own my own franchise. I felt comfortable selling the products and services, and I like the systems and processes Weed Man corporate has put in place to make franchisees successful. I also enjoy all of the support corporate and fellow franchisees provide.
What are you most proud of so far as a Weed Man franchisee? I have a few dedicated employees who have been with me from the start, and they are now helping me open a new branch in the North Metro area. It’s great to know that I’ve successfully trained my employees who are now eager to help me expand my business.
What is the key to your success? Following the systems that corporate has put in place has been my key to success. Being a business owner can be difficult at times, because sometimes you may not be closing at the numbers you wish you were, but if you keep working at it, eventually you will meet your goals. Since 2009, I’ve seen consistent growth and have quadrupled the size of my business. The first year I opened my business I hit $300,000 in sales, and now our business is pulling in over $2 million in sales.
What’s next for you and your franchise? My current goal is to keep expanding our services in the Twin Cities area and have three offices scattered throughout the region within the next five years.