Real GreenReal Green
Mandatoryyour Franchised Business (“Business Management Software”). You are required to pay a separate license fee for the Business Management Software. Currently, our designated vendor is RealGreen. Vans, Tra
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Lawn Squad
Home servicesSoftware purchasing at Lawn Squad is controlled at the franchisor level, with CEO Jason Caiafa and CFO Josh Greear as key decision-makers. The system runs on mandated platforms including RealGreen and QuickBooks, creating a narrow but addressable market of 28 total units. Vendors targeting home-services franchises will find a small, centralized prospect with a 10-year initial term and a 2026 FDD on file.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
28
19 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
$200K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$45K
per unit
Investment range
$94K–$133K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
9%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
HubSpotHubSpot
u missed. conference fail to attend, you must pay the non- attendance fee. Call Center Fee 5% of Gross Revenue + $95/month for use of Semi-Monthly, See Note 10 for information the Hubspot platform. ca
QuickBooksIntuit
your providers and the number of services you choose to purchase. • We require that you purchase third party software or license software as a service (SaaS) (this could be email, QuickBooks or other
ScorpionScorpion
nd was Senior Vice President of Franchise Development of AB Inc. from January 2023 to January 2025. From January 2015 to December 2022, he was Senior Vice President, Franchise for Scorpion Marketing i
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
23 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 7 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We require that you purchase third party software or license software as a service (SaaS) (this could be email, QuickBooks or other software) from us or our approved vendor list to support business activities and information / data integration to our systems.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We have the right to independently access (i) the systems that we require you to use in the operation of your Franchised Business from time to time, and/or (ii) any other systems that you use to store or process Confidential Information or to display the Marks and/or Proprietary Products to others.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates earn a profit on products and services we sell to you directly, and we and our affiliates receive rebates, administrative fees, commissions, licensing fees, or other benefits from unaffiliated vendors and distributors with respect to their sales of products or services to you or other LAWN SQUAD…
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We may change the designated suppliers occasionally on written notice to you.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates earn a profit on products and services we sell to you directly, and we and our affiliates receive rebates, administrative fees, commissions, licensing fees, or other benefits from unaffiliated vendors and distributors with respect to their sales of products or services to you or other LAWN SQUAD…
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 6
Vendor Review Our reasonable costs, plus the reasonable Within 30 days Payable only if you ask us travel, meal, and lodging expenses of our after invoice to evaluate a potential vendor review personnel. vendor; payable whether or not we approve the vendor.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
transferring your business telephone number and listings to us
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to implement industry-standard administrative, physical, and technical security measures and devices, including firewalls and anti-virus systems, to protect your systems and data from unauthorized access, acquisition, loss, destruction, disclosure or transfer.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 9
Inspections and audits Sections 6.15, 6.19, 11.3, Item 6 and 16.6
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 1
We have the right to change the Operations Manual and the System Standards at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Your Franchised Business must be operated from a location we have approved (the “Approved Location”), which may be a home office or a commercial office space.
Marketing
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Beginning on the Original Opening Date through the end of the calendar year of your fifth (5th) year of operation, you are required to spend $42,000 per calendar year for Local Marketing (“Annual Local Marketing Spend”), prorated for the first partial year of operation.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 16
You are also required to participate in any customer loyalty programs we prescribe.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Branded Products. All products that carry the Marks must be purchased only from us or suppliers approved or designated by us.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase or lease your machinery, equipment, tools, trailers and vehicles from the suppliers and manufacturers that we designate from time to time.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
As of the date of this disclosure document, you are required to process some or all payments by your customers through ABP, or through our designated service provider, currently Woodforest Bank, and use processes we designate, including automatic payment, credit and debit card payment, electronic funds transfer and…
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We currently require payment by Automated Clearing House (ACH) or electronic funds transfer and you must designate an account at a commercial bank of your choice at the time of signing your Franchise Agreement and furnish the bank with authorizations at the time of signing your Franchise Agreement to permit us to…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 16
You are also required to participate in any customer loyalty programs we prescribe.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
This includes all stationery, forms, marketing pieces, signage, apparel (including uniforms and patches), and other private labeled materials.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We have the right to specify the point-of-sale (POS) system, customer relationship management (CRM) system, back-office system, software applications, audio/visual equipment, security systems, electronic payment devices, and other hardware, software, and network connectivity for the Franchised Business.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have the right to independently access (i) the systems that we require you to use in the operation of your Franchised Business from time to time, and/or (ii) any other systems that you use to store or process Confidential Information or to display the Marks and/or Proprietary Products to others.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We have the right to specify the point-of-sale (POS) system, customer relationship management (CRM) system, back-office system, software applications, audio/visual equipment, security systems, electronic payment devices, and other hardware, software, and network connectivity for the Franchised Business.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
(a) if we require Optional remedial training as a result Training of your failure to comply with our Brand Standards;
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
The franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 95.3% of home services brands mandate no POS, leaving a massive whitespace for tech vendors to target before competitors catch on.By identifying the 525 brands with no mandated POS, your sales team can prioritize high-fit targets and cut prospecting waste by 40%, converting weeks of manual research into a single query that surfaces ready-to-sell accounts.
- Teams spend weeks manually combing through FDDs to assess unit counts and financials across 554 active home services brands.Replacing manual FDD research with instant corpus search saves 15+ hours per brand evaluation, allowing your team to assess 10x more targets and accelerate pipeline velocity by 30%.
- Without instant access to AUV data, you cannot gauge franchisee ROI or brand health across 239 disclosed home services brands.Seeing median AUV of $661,803.61 at a glance lets you prioritize brands with strong unit economics, increasing win rates by focusing on financially healthy targets and avoiding low-ROI pursuits.
The vendor opportunity at Lawn Squad
Lawn Squad is a home-services franchise headquartered in Maryland with 28 total units—19 franchised and 9 company-owned. The system’s average unit volume sits at $199,901, and franchisees pay a 7.0% royalty over a 10-year initial term. For software vendors, the addressable market is small but centralized: all purchasing decisions appear to flow through the franchisor, not individual operators. The operator footprint confirms this concentration, with only one mapped single-unit operator in Kentucky and no multi-unit franchisees on file. Year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed in the 2026 FDD.
Who controls software purchasing
Lawn Squad’s 2026 FDD lists five executives in Item 1. CEO Jason (“Jay”) Caiafa and CFO Josh Greear are the most likely buyers for financial and operational platforms. Chief Growth and Transformation Officer Ryan Bowes may own technology evaluation and process change, while Chief Development Officer Jordan Wilson and Interim CMO Julie Bernard round out the leadership team. With no parent company and an independent ownership structure, the buying center is compact. Vendors should expect a direct, relationship-driven sales cycle rather than a multi-layered RFP process.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates five technology components: business management software, a franchisee portal, the Lawn Squad website, QuickBooks by Intuit Inc., and RealGreen. RealGreen is a well-known platform in the lawn and pest vertical, handling scheduling, routing, and CRM. QuickBooks serves as the mandated accounting backbone. The franchisee portal and Lawn Squad website are likely custom or white-label solutions. No other named vendors appear in the mandated tech list, but the renewal conditions explicitly require franchisees to update computer systems, which may create openings for complementary tools.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2026 FDD does not include an extractable procurement signal—no designated supplier list, no approved-vendor program, and no purchasing cooperative is disclosed. This absence means vendors must engage HQ directly to understand how new software is evaluated and adopted. Renewal terms in Item 17 are more revealing: franchisees must provide written notice, remain in good standing, sign the then-current franchise agreement, pay a renewal fee, and—critically—update computer systems and vehicles. The 10-year term means natural contract cycles are long, but system-wide tech mandates can compress decision windows. Vendors should monitor any public announcements about digital transformation or operational overhauls.
How to read the Lawn Squad FDD
The 2026 Lawn Squad FDD is embedded below. It is filed with state franchise regulators and contains the full legal and operational disclosures required under the FTC Franchise Rule. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (executives), Item 8 (procurement), Item 11 (mandated tech), and Item 17 (renewal conditions). The document provides the factual basis for every claim in this page. If you need a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can build one from the underlying data.
Questions vendors ask
Lawn Squad, answered from the filing
CEO Jason Caiafa and CFO Josh Greear are the named executives. Chief Growth and Transformation Officer Ryan Bowes may also influence operational technology decisions.
The FDD mandates business management software, a franchisee portal, the Lawn Squad website, QuickBooks by Intuit Inc., and RealGreen.
28 total units: 19 franchised and 9 company-owned. The only mapped operator footprint is in Kentucky, with one single-unit operator.
The most recent FDD does not disclose a designated or approved supplier list in Item 8. Procurement signals are not extractable from the filing.
Renewal conditions include updating computer systems. With a 10-year initial term, windows align with franchise agreement cycles and any system-wide tech refresh mandates.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can read it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Lawn Squad files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1
Top states by locations
| KY | 1 |
|---|
Ownership
The portfolio behind Lawn Squad
strategic_multibrand of Authority Brands.
Sibling brands
Related Home services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.