Posted:11-March-2025
GreenThumb female entrepreneur celebrates 20 years of success
In celebration of International Women’s Day (8th March), Alexandra Waring-Syms, the co-owner of lawn care franchise GreenThumb Solihull, is inspiring women across the West Midlands with her commitment to gender equality in the horticulture sector. As the first and youngest female to own a GreenThumb franchise at 24, Alex is now celebrating 20 years in business and leading the way in her local community by helping to empower more women in business.
Alex has lived and breathed lawn care from an early age, with her brother having founded GreenThumb, the UK’s largest lawn care service, in 1986. As soon as Alex was able to drive from the age of 17, she joined the family business, where she began learning the ropes of a franchise’s operation and how to run a successful business. Alex worked closely with her parents in North Wales for over seven years and was soon equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to replicate the same level of success for her own business.
Following Alex’s relocation to Solihull in 2005, where she solely ran the franchise for five years before her husband Nathan became a partner, they went on to build a thriving local business operating from their depot in the centre of Solihull. The couple are supported by two lawn operatives and an office manager, Lisa, and together their aim is to provide excellent customer service and consistently high-quality lawn care and hard-surface treatments to over 1,400 customers across their area.
Alex said: “International Women’s Day is a perfect platform to vocalise and embrace all of the great things about being female in the horticulture industry and to be an advocate for women in business. We are not only celebrating women’s achievements, but it is a reminder that more action is needed to achieve gender parity and for women to be included in all fields of business. Over the past 20 years, the uncertainties, challenges and triumphs I have faced have shaped not only my business but also my perspective on what it means to be a woman entrepreneur.
“I have learnt some invaluable lessons, overcome hurdles both professionally and personally, and celebrated some great achievements that have defined my entrepreneurial path as a female in an industry which is traditionally dominated by men. Over the last two decades, I feel I have made a real impact on my fellow female franchise owners and colleagues in the GreenThumb network, and together we have made moves toward gender moves towards gender equity in lawn care and the business environment.
“At GreenThumb Solihull, we have a small, close-knit team and we aim to offer a friendly and professional service that will give our customers lawns that they can enjoy and be proud of. We have built a fantastic loyal customer base over the past two decades and an exceptional team of employees who are all very committed and hard-working. I have always been passionate about my career and about developing people and championing them to be the best version of themselves, so as the business grows, we aim to increase our customer base and bring in new local talent to the business. Maybe one day, my three-year-old daughter Aurora will come and work with me, carrying on our family legacy!”
GreenThumb covers numerous towns and villages across Solihull, Shirley, Knowle, Dorridge, Wythall, Hollywood, Lapworth, Tanworth-in-Arden and surrounding areas. It is part of a national network of over 220 territories, many of which are franchised, providing more than 2.5 million treatments carried out each year by professional and caring lawn care teams.
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