Joshua Tree Experts lives up to its name and more by caring for trees while also covering pest control and lawn care.
Tree and lawn care company Joshua Tree Experts welcomed its first franchisee this month. Carlos Lozano’s territory will cover Orange County, New York, and the signing has been a long time coming for a brand that launched its franchise program in 2021.
Joshua Malik founded Joshua Tree Experts in 2005 after more than 10 years working as a climber, crew foreman and later in sales and management for other tree care companies. Wanting to build his own company with an emphasis on training and professional service, Malik started Joshua Tree Experts in southeastern Pennsylvania and has since established two corporate locations in Allentown and Lansdale.
“I was really scared to start my own business, but I had so much experience already,” said Malik, who called himself an “adrenaline junkie.” “So, I launched Joshua Tree Experts.”
In recent years, Joshua Tree also added pest control and lawn care. This gives the company the chance to handle tree care on multiple levels, such as taking care of emerald ash borers as well as ticks and mosquitos while ensuring the health of a tree. The company did more than $7 million in sales in 2022.
Joshua Malik, founder of Joshua Tree Experts
Looking back to the franchise launch two years ago, Malik noted the expansion journey hasn’t been without bumps. “If I had known that it was going to take so long to market a franchise system, I would have started that right when I began franchising,” said Malik. “Validation is really important to people.”
While he could tell them about the corporate side of the business, hearing the opinion of another franchisee would have clinched a few deals, he said. Still, franchisees were applying, and in the last few months, Malik saw names in the pipeline, Lozano’s among them.
After working as an investment banker for much of his career before making the switch to day trading, Lozano learned about Joshua Tree by accident. His own trees at home needed some care, but he struggled to find a anyone who could do the work—or even answer his calls.
“I called around 10 to 15 different companies,” he said. “Most of them didn’t pick up the phone.”
Even those that did were unreliable, he said. After being ghosted, he thought about starting his own tree care brand or buying an existing one, and it was during that research process that he found Joshua Tree Experts.
Carlos Lozano.
“Through the whole process of talking with them, I fell in love with them,” said Lozano. “I went down to visit them and one thing that really stuck out to me is that they’re tree guys.”
Lozano sees plenty of positives to being the first franchisee. For one, he has complete access to all the resources and won’t be competing with other franchisees when he needs the support center.
“As franchisees come on board, the resources of course get spread out amongst everybody,” said Lozano. “But for now, I’m reaping tremendous benefits.”
Lozano is the first of what Malik hopes will be many franchisees. Joshua Tree Experts is focusing its franchise marketing efforts on territories along the East Coast. Ideally Malik is looking for people interested in the technology side of the business. He’s also looking for a strong multitasker, since franchisees must wear many hats at the beginning when teams are usually small.
The initial investment for Joshua Tree Experts ranges from $350,00 to roughly $600,000, Malik said, with the majority of those costs being equipment. Lozano is scheduled to open his franchise in early October.
“Our biggest focus is providing an unmatched client experience,” said Malik. “Trees are a necessity, that’s one of the best things about this business.”