How the Jim's Mowing founder built it from a lawn round and a debt

Bonafide with Luke Bona · Oct 21, 2026 · 43m

If you heard our full episode on 9 October, you have already had this one. This is Luke's chat with Jim Penman on its own, for anyone who just wants Jim.

When nobody would back his ideas as an academic, Jim went back to mowing lawns full-time, about $35,000 in debt, he says, and by his own account terrible at managing his first subcontractors. He tells Luke how he turned it around, from selling lawn rounds to ringing the big Adelaide franchise and being told no thanks, and why he drew up a contract he wouldn't mind signing as a franchisee.

Jim also explains the $700 contract fee he could have…