No financing, no equipment, no employees, no clients and no money. That adds up to a lot of nothing, but it’s exactly how Michael Franco and Chris Goodman started Pure Green Lawn Service eight years ago.

“Just an idea and a partnership was all we started with,” says Franco, president and co-founder of the company.

Now Pure Green, which offers weed control and fertilization services, serves a growing group of diverse clients—both commercial and residential—and is the exclusive turf care company of the Lansing Lugnuts at the Cooley Law School Stadium in Downtown Lansing.

Franco and Goodman founded Pure Green Lawn on the simple premise that customer service, rather than sales volume, would drive the business. The company’s “soft-sell” approach is quite different from the weed and fertilization industry norm.

“We’ve always felt that customer service is the key to everything we do. Our customers know the names of the service reps that handle their jobs. It’s not like that with some of the other companies that offer similar services,” Franco says.

Pure Green, which has 16 employees during peak season, uses its current customer base as a marketing tool instead of telemarketing, Goodman adds.

“Word of mouth is what we count on, especially on the residential side. Referrals account for nearly 80 percent of our sales leads. We aggressively went after commercial business to start, but now feel our greatest growth potential is residential,” Goodman says.

The company, which also offers grub and mole control plus tree fertilization and pruning, works with condominiums, apartment complexes, churches, school districts and office developments in the commercial sector.

Franco and Goodman came from very different professional backgrounds when they launched the company in 2002. Franco had worked in the professional lawn and tree care business for approximately 15 years, working for several different companies in mid-Michigan. Meanwhile, Goodman had been a teacher and architect.

“I thought Chris would bring a fresh perspective to the business. That’s why I wanted him as a partner. His was more of a customer’s perspective. We agreed that we would pace the growth of the company gradually and deliberately. We knew while growth would be slower, customer satisfaction would be that much greater,” Franco says. “What really sets us apart is follow-up service and listening to the customer. That has been the key to our success so far.”

Just as important has been surrounding themselves with good employees, Franco says, and maybe more importantly quality people.

“That has been a significant focus for us. Our employees are exceptional and really have allowed us to not only stay in business, but to expand,” Franco says.

Pure Green, which has a presence in the Kalamazoo market through a licensing agreement with another individual, is looking next to new business opportunities in the retail market by launching its own line of specialty organic based lawn fertilizer.

“We have already struck agreements with several area businesses, including Hammond Farms, to sell the product on a consignment basis. We see great potential in it. It’s a nonburning, pesticide-free formula, very green and earth-friendly product,” Franco said.

Winning the Lawn Service Entrepreneurial Award is a significant milestone for the Pure Green Lawn partners, Goodman says.

“As we look back to where we started, we try to look for small measures of success, and this is a very big one. Sometimes when working day to day, it is hard to measure your growth,” he says.

Goodman, a Grand Ledge native and Franco, a Lansing native, believe the mid-Michigan area is the only place they could have started Pure Green with nothing more than a dream.