The Grounds Guys : Former Police Officer Jeff Baker on a Decade With The Grounds Guys

This testimonial features Jeff Baker, the Grounds Guys Franchise Owner of the Year. Baker came to franchising from an unconventional background — almost 12 years as a police officer in his town and Air Force service before that — with no prior business experience and a simple question driving the move: am I doing the best I can do in life. He chose the Grounds Guys specifically for the brand's culture of care and ethical business approach, which he calls the deciding factor. He sees long runway in the landscaping category — the industry is barely scratching the surface of services that can be offered, and market saturation remains low — which makes the timing as much a draw as the brand fit. Peer relationships are framed as one of the most durable benefits of the system. Baker describes other Grounds Guys owners as family who have helped him through tough situations and vice versa, with operating culture extending beyond the office and into how the field crews are treated daily. The team culture inside his own operation centers on trust, the brand's code of values, and treating everyone — driver, sales manager, account manager — with respect. Customers he serves echo the integrity theme. They report not needing to be home when work is being done, the team finishing on the timeline promised, and clean, professional handoffs at completion. Baker's advice for new franchise owners is to look themselves in the mirror, commit to success, and focus on the small daily decisions that compound into habits — and to think long-term rather than year-to-year. He closes on what 10 years has built. Starting with a pickup truck and a mower out of his garage, he describes what the brand has changed in his life and his family's life as hard to put into words — the house, the acreage, the ability to travel, and a flexible schedule he could not have built independently.