How a Wisconsin Father and Son Turned a Small Lawn Service Into a $103 Million Franchise Empire

A father and son who returned to grassroots lawn care built Epic3 into Weed Man’s biggest multi-unit operator, growing a single-market start-up into a seven-figure regional powerhouse.

Terry Kurth re-entered the lawn-care business in 2001 after a multi-year non-compete ended, opening a Weed Man franchise in Madison with a family member. That first year the operation brought in roughly $110,000. Two and a half decades later, Epic3 — the holding company he founded — posted about $103 million in sales, making it the largest single ownership group inside a system that does roughly four hundred thirty-five to four hundred fifty million dollars a year in revenue nationwide.

The growth began before the Madison launch. After selling a prior business to a national chain, Terry cultivated relationships with franchise operators and the Canadian franchisor that owned U.S. master rights for Weed Man. He created a regional sub-franchising structure covering territories in the Upper Midwest, selling individual territories while keeping the largest share of royalty income. When his restricted period expired, he dove back into operations and, over time, merged additional markets into Epic3 as a means to scale.

Andy Kurth, who started helping with sales while still in college, became the day-to-day manager in Madison and later Terry’s business partner. Early operations relied on basic lead-gen tactics — outbound calls and in-person canvassing — and a handful of technicians who handled treatment routes. They expanded methodically: each uptick in revenue funded another field hire, then a senior technician and supervisory layer. A franchise consultant familiar with green-industry rollups says that pattern — slow, disciplined reinvestment of cash into people and systems — is common among the fastest-growing multi-unit owners.

Systems and leadership development were decisive. The Kurths credit a relationship with the U.S. master rights holder, a former chemical engineer who shared proven operational protocols, for helping them avoid the chaos that comes with rapid expansion. Andy recalls a turning point when he stopped trying to do everything himself. He replaced ad hoc management with start-of-day routines, checklists and explicit role ownership so supervisors would run their crews without daily reminders. That shift turned him from a doer into a developer of managers.

Their culture emphasizes volunteers stepping up to start new branches. Employees have moved across the country to lead greenfield markets — one team member relocated from Wisconsin to Austin, another to Denver — and those offices became top performers, with Denver climbing from roughly $250,000 in its opening year to more than $8 million. Looking ahead, the Kurths say Epic3 will keep focusing on talent, retaining a people-first mission and supporting other franchisees as Weed Man pursues a company-wide revenue milestone of about $1 billion.

The business still reflects its Midwestern roots: long hours, hands-on work and family ties. Terry, now in his 70s, often points to his spouse’s steady support during the early years as a practical anchor that let him keep building. For the Kurths, the story isn’t just about revenue; it’s about creating careers and communities where local technicians can advance into leadership and own a stake in growing enterprises.