Article featured in Franchising.com
After spending more than 20 years coaching franchise owners on how to win, Jonathan Steward decided to run the playbook from the other side of the counter.
Steward was introduced to franchising in 1999 and spent the next 25 years in director of operations roles with Dairy Queen, Great Clips, and Planet Fitness. During that time, he earned a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation, formed many peer connections through the International Franchise Association, and became a passionate advocate of the franchise model.
When he pursued his master’s degree in 2016, Steward wrote his capstone about how social exchange drives franchise success. His research showed that franchisors who help franchisees feel part of something bigger than themselves, through peer performance groups, recognition programs, advisory committees, and meaningful engagement, are consistently more successful than those who do not. The paper was published in an academic journal two years later, and Steward has applied that collaborative approach throughout his career.
“I had spent the majority of my career coaching franchisees about all aspects of their business,” Steward says. “I learned a lot about the successes and failures in franchising, and I provided my recommendations to many mature multi-unit franchisees. I felt my journey would be incomplete if I never took that advice myself. Becoming a franchisee was the culmination of my career in helping others in franchising.”
When his brother, Jim, walked away from his corporate role in search of a new challenge, Steward saw the opening to shift from advisor to owner. The two teamed up to buy a Mr. Handyman franchise, kicking off a new chapter that quickly grew into a thriving multi-territory business. In 2024, they doubled down by acquiring an existing 13-territory Mosquito Shield franchise and then added four more territories.
Today, his brother oversees day-to-day operations for Mr. Handyman, and Steward runs Mosquito Shield. They share marketing, training, and financials across both brands.
He learned from previous bosses who were micromanagers and decided to lead in a different direction by seeking input and feedback from all team members.
“I work for my team, not the other way around,” he says, adding that delegation should not be about assigning tasks to staff to free up one’s time but to empower others.
He’s also happy to share his accumulated experience with other franchisees. Steward is part of a peer group with Mosquito Shield owners who meet regularly to exchange ideas and hold one another accountable.
Steward and his brother, along with their wives, work together on their two complementary home service businesses. The brother’s father had dreamed of owning a business but didn’t know how to make it a reality. Franchising has allowed them to achieve their father’s dream.
“Franchising is an awesome path to generational wealth, and the chance of a business failing is much lower than if you start one on your own,” Steward says while reflecting on his early days with Dairy Queen. “When I attended a new restaurant opening, I got to hug the new franchisees when the doors opened, which was a powerful experience. That is someone’s lifelong dream to own a business, and I don’t know if they would have been able to realize that dream without franchising.”
PERSONAL
First job: I was a busboy and room service waiter at the local Holiday Inn when I was in high school. It was my introduction to hospitality and the beginning of a 30-year career in service businesses.
Formative influences/events: In 1999, I responded almost on a whim to a newspaper ad for a position with Dairy Queen that would introduce me to the wonderful world of franchising. Getting involved with the International Franchise Association was a turning point that transformed my understanding of franchising. Earning my CFE designation in 2015 was a highlight of that journey, which opened doors to relationships with franchise leaders who became peers and mentors. The relationships I built there have been as valuable as any business education.
Key accomplishments: I published research in an academic journal on peer performance groups in franchising. My master’s capstone proved that social exchange drives franchise success as powerfully as financial exchange. Franchisors who build genuine community alongside business systems and strong financials consistently outperform those who do not. I self-directed my entire master’s program to focus on franchising. That year, my work was the only capstone from my school selected for academic publication.
Biggest current challenge: Managing cash flow across two businesses with different revenue cycles. Mosquito Shield is seasonal (April to October) while Mr. Handyman is year-round. Balancing investment, debt service, and operational needs across those cycles requires constant attention, especially during Mosquito Shield’s nonpeak season when revenue drops to near zero. However, vendors still want to be paid monthly or in advance during this time.
Next big goal: Pay off our acquisition debt to position both businesses to support the next generation. If our adult children want to join us, there’s a path. If they want to start their own ventures, whether in franchising or something entirely different, I want to be able to help them without the financial constraints we’re currently managing. Taking the chance on Mosquito Shield was the right move, and once we have financial freedom, the possibilities open significantly.
First turning point in your career: After 25 years of coaching franchisees on what they needed to do to be successful, I decided that my career would be unfulfilled if I didn’t take my own advice and prove that I could be successful in my own right as a franchisee. The acquisition of Mosquito Shield solidified that move and was a dream come true for my wife and me to own a business together.
Best business decision: I have spent a career in brands that help people feel better, whether it was enjoying time together in restaurants and hotels, helping people feel better about themselves in personal care, or encouraging them to become more fit. Getting involved in home services has been an extension of that mission by helping people enjoy their homes more fully.
Hardest lesson learned: There are many, but you learn as much from bad leaders as good ones. Sometimes, the most valuable lessons come from seeing what not to do.
Work week: During peak Mosquito Shield season (April to October), I’m working six to seven days a week, 60 to 70 hours. Mornings start early as technicians arrive at the shop by 6:30. In the afternoons, I balance Mr. Handyman strategy and administrative work, and evenings are often networking events or helping to follow up on leads that may come in after hours. The offseason drops to five days, 45 to 50 hours, which gives me more time for planning and Mr. Handyman focus.
Exercise/workout: Hiking is my favorite activity; I’m a sucker for a good waterfall.
Best advice you ever got: When I was lamenting a career decision I had no control over, a mentor once told me not to rethink decisions that have already been made. Make the decision, the right decision; don’t agonize over what might have been. Keeping my eyes forward has helped me clear my head once a decision is made. I focus on being successful rather than getting mired in regret.
What’s your passion in business? Collaboration. I spent 25 years teaching franchisees that they’re stronger together than alone. Now, as a franchisee myself, I live that every day by collaborating with my brother across two brands, with fellow franchisees through the system, and with my team through weekly huddles. The best ideas never come from just one person.
How do you balance life and work? Balance is more than just life and work. It shifts from year to year and life stage to life stage. I try to be intentional about which of the “Seven F’s” are getting more attention: family, faith, fitness, finance, friends, fun, and future.
Guilty pleasure: A good nap during a Phillies game in the summer is awesome.
Favorite book: I really like a good biography. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow is amazing. Rockefeller’s ability to build systems that outlasted him shaped how I think about legacy. As far as business books, I love The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins. I’ve given it to new team members for years.
Favorite movie: “Shawshank Redemption.”
What do most people not know about you? My original major in college was architectural engineering as my first passion was architecture and drafting. I’ve also visited 47 of the 50 states. One of the things I loved most about the franchisor side of the business was the opportunity to see the country while helping franchisees build their businesses.
Pet peeve: Bad tippers.
What did you want to be when you grew up? An architect.
Last vacation: Oceans Calling Music Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, in September 2025. We try to catch at least one music festival a year.
Person you’d most like to have lunch with: William Penn. I’m passionate about genealogy, and so many of my ancestors escaped persecution in Europe to find freedom in Pennsylvania and the western part of New Jersey. His vision for religious tolerance was revolutionary. I’d love to hear firsthand what gave him the courage to build something so radically different from the other colonies of the time.
MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Relationships over transactions. Whether it’s customers, vendors, or employees, I invest in knowing people. I want to understand what matters to them. Building real relationships takes more time, but it’s what turns transactions into partnerships and customers into advocates. I am a proud and active member of Business Network International (BNI). Their Givers Gain approach mirrors how I approach business development.
Management method or style: I lead by listening first. Every week, I connect with both teams in group huddles not to tell them what to do but to gather their ideas and understand what they are seeing on the ground. Before making any significant decisions, I want to hear from people closest to our customers and operations, but once we’ve charted the course, I then hold the team accountable for executing with excellence. The heart of it is simple: I work for my team, not the other way around. When I ask them to put their families first, I mean it. Recognition matters, whether it is a handwritten note, cooking burgers at a team BBQ, or taking the time to genuinely say thank you. I’ve learned that helping people feel valued isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about showing up consistently and creating space for them to lead.
Greatest challenge: Integrating two businesses with one small team. My brother runs Mr. Handyman, and I run Mosquito Shield, but we share marketing, financials, and strategic planning. The daily challenge is finding the right balance between autonomy and alignment by respecting our different leadership styles and family dynamics while building systems that work for both.
How do others describe you? Strategic, values-driven, and collaborative. I’m a systems thinker who leads through relationships. I’m deeply committed to being a brand ambassador, not just for Mosquito Shield and Mr. Handyman, but for what franchising can be when done right.
Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? Early in my career, my general manager taught me everything about managing a P&L and, more importantly, about respecting your team. As a leader, we can often solve problems quickly, but solving them ourselves can undermine our team’s authority. He taught me to always have my team’s back and protect their roles even when it may be faster to just fix it myself.
One thing you’re looking to do better: Shifting from working in the business to working on it. The first year after the acquisition was necessarily hands-on. Time was spent learning the business, executing alongside the team, understanding their strengths, and building trust. Now I’m deliberately creating systems and empowering my team to execute while I focus on strategy, growth, and giving both businesses the attention they need. It’s the transition every entrepreneur needs to make, and I’m actively making it.
How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: For many years, I incorrectly delegated by assigning tasks instead of outcomes. I’ve evolved to delegate visions and end goals rather than step-by-step instructions. This allows team members to come back with solutions that play to their strengths. It sometimes takes longer, but the results are always better.
How close are you to operations? Very close. I don’t run a regular service route, but I do service callbacks, take ride-alongs with technicians, and lead our weekly team huddles at Mosquito Shield. My brother does much the same at Mr. Handyman. I’m at the shop when technicians arrive during peak season. In a small business, you can’t lead from a distance. You need to see what your team sees and hear what customers are saying.
What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Benchmarking transparency and proven systems.
What you need from vendors: Vendors are where I find the latest ideas. I want relationships, not transactions, and partners who share best practices and think long term, not just to make a sale.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Not dramatically. Economic uncertainty and inflation keep people closer to home, which makes enjoying your backyard more important, not less. Same with home repairs and safety improvements because these aren’t purely discretionary for most customers. They’re investing in their primary asset and daily quality of life at a fraction of what they would spend on travel or major purchases. Home services have natural recession resistance when positioned correctly.
How is social media affecting your business? Short-form video showing our team and process has been the biggest shift. Combined with community involvement, it means relationships start warmer with customers often knowing us before they call. That changes everything.
In what ways are you using technology (like AI) to manage your business? Daily and strategically. I subscribe to multiple AI models because the ROI is undeniable. I use them in a variety of ways: editing content, analyzing results, summarizing meetings, responding to reviews, handling chat, and creating estimates. But it is important to know that AI isn’t replacing anyone on our team; it’s amplifying what we already do. It gives us bandwidth to tackle lower-priority growth tasks that never seemed to rise to the top. For a lean team managing two seasonal businesses, AI is the difference between staying reactive and becoming truly strategic.
How do you hire and fire? Hire for personality and train for skill. Hire ahead of growth because if you wait until you’re ready, you’ve already waited too long. When employment isn’t working, it’s usually knowledge, attitude, or ability. Before firing anyone, I make sure they’ve been retrained and I’ve addressed any attitude issues on my end. If those two are handled and it’s still not working, then it’s likely an ability mismatch, and we need to part ways.
How do you train and retain? We cross-train across all functions for redundancy, so there is no single point of failure in any process. I invest in personal development such as courses, certifications, and growth opportunities for anyone who wants it. People stay when they feel valued as humans, not just employees. Since most of our Mosquito Shield team is seasonal, we also offer generous performance-based bonuses for completing the season. It rewards commitment and ensures we start each year with experienced people.
How do you deal with problem employees? Early, direct, and with one-on-one conversations. Don’t let issues fester because they rarely improve on their own, and they can quickly poison team culture. Fair doesn’t always mean comfortable, but it always means honest.
Fastest way into your doghouse: Not sharing your mistakes. I’ll always back my team and turn mistakes into learning moments but not when they’re hidden from me.
BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue: $2.6 million.
Goals over the next year: We have forecast a 12% customer count growth next year for some currently underserved ZIP codes within our Mosquito Shield territories. We believe we can add about 20% growth for Mr. Handyman in the next year. Our primary goal is to continue a consistent culture by embedding the same values-driven operation across both brands so that our team experiences the same leadership and growth opportunities.
Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? We focus on customer count with Mosquito Shield. We track acquisition, retention, and density by ZIP Code. Those metrics tell us if we’re building sustainable neighborhood presence or just chasing one-time sales. With Mr. Handyman, we measure revenue by market segment: residential, commercial, and safety/mobility.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? In five years, I want our culture to be fully embedded in both businesses and at a place where people choose to build careers, not just collect paychecks. In 10 years, I hope one or more of our adult children see value in joining us not because they feel obligated but because they’re inspired by what we’ve built. The goal isn’t succession for succession’s sake. It’s building something worth continuing.
Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? Both brands are home services with shared geography and similar ideal customers. Mosquito Shield and Mr. Handyman complement each other naturally, and while we’re still cracking the code on cross-promotion, the opportunity is significant.
How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? Southern New Jersey continues to experience steady growth. Rising home values mean families are investing in their primary asset rather than trading up. We’ve seen increased demand because outdoor living and home safety aren’t discretionary for most customers.
Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? Yes. Real estate appreciation creates opportunity as people stay put and reinvest. We’re also seeing new development expanding our addressable market. The key is staying focused on delivering exceptional value so that customers choose us even when budgets tighten.
How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? Economic uncertainty shifts priorities but doesn’t reduce demand. When families can’t afford to move or travel, they invest in their homes. We stay flexible with our messaging by emphasizing ROI and practical benefits during tight times and lifestyle and enjoyment when the economy is strong.
How do you forecast for your business? We use a combination of historical data, market trends, and customer analytics, but the approach differs dramatically by business. Mosquito Shield’s selling season is compressed and weather-dependent. We also look at government reporting on pest pressure to forecast when demand should spike. Mr. Handyman’s revenue is more consistent, and with five years of data, we can use that to our benefit.
What are the best sources for capital expansion? We used an SBA loan for the Mosquito Shield acquisition. For Mr. Handyman, we intentionally chose a small local bank to build that relationship from the ground up. Through my networking, I’ve made it a priority to build relationships with smaller community banks, equipment financing companies, and alternative financing sources before we need capital. When you do need financing, you want to understand your options, and you want lenders who already know your business and track record and trust your strategy.
Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? For our scale and goals as franchisees, debt has been the right choice. We maintain control and stay aligned with our values. We’ve worked with both local and national banks. National banks often have more franchise experience, but local banks can be more flexible and relationship-driven. The key is building those relationships before you need the money.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? We create a culture where people feel valued, not just employed. That starts with a culture that puts family first, offers competitive compensation, and provides 401(k) matching. Our culture extends to the daily experience of weekly huddles where everyone has a voice. We have monthly BBQs, team-building events, and recognition programs throughout the season. We cross-train between companies to create growth opportunities so that our team members aren’t stuck in one role.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? Retention is the foundation of our cost-management strategy. Recruiting and training new employees is expensive, and keeping great people is far more cost-effective than constantly replacing them. Rather than continually raising base wages across the board, we’ve shifted to performance-based and longevity-based compensation that rewards productivity and tenure. We’ve also added benefits that matter: 401(k) matching, healthcare premium reimbursement for eligible employees, and schedule flexibility during nonpeak seasons.
What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? Noise limits on gas backpack sprayers/blowers, environmental regulations, joint-employer concerns, and differing construction codes between municipalities.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Incentive-based pay is the foundation, but it extends further than that. Genuine and personalized thank-yous, supporting personal development opportunities, and cross-training across both businesses all play a role. We also give our top performers chances to be the “face” of the company, whether representing us within the brand system or at networking events. It communicates how important they are to us and creates growth opportunities they wouldn’t find elsewhere.
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? We have the luxury of multiple people in our ownership group with redundancy across all key functions. While we’d love our children to join the business someday, we’re building something they’ll want to be part of and not something they feel obligated to continue. But honestly, we’re focused on building, not leaving.