Monster Tree Service Franchise

Monster Tree Service began franchising through predecessor Monster Franchise, LLC in 2012. In September 2020, another predecessor acquired the system’s assets from that company and its related operating business. The current franchisor, Monster Franchising SPE LLC, was organized in March 2021, became the system’s franchisor in May 2021 and began offering franchises under that entity later the same month.

The brand is part of Authority Brands, which manages its franchising support activities under an agreement with the franchisor. This places the tree service concept within a group of home and commercial service businesses. Related companies include BuyMax, which negotiates supplier arrangements, and Authority Brands Payments, which provides or arranges payment processing. In July 2024, an affiliate sold its company-owned Monster Tree Service outlets to a franchisee.

Monster’s work ranges from removing unwanted trees and clearing land to pruning, stump grinding and plant healthcare. Customers include individual homeowners and commercial businesses. The operation works throughout the year, although the FDD describes spring, summer and autumn as more active periods and winter as a period of potentially reduced production. Different services bring different crew, equipment and scheduling needs.

A franchise operates from an approved address. Administration may be based at home, with suitable arrangements for vehicle parking and equipment storage, or at an approved commercial office within the territory. The initial equipment package includes trucks, a chipper, a loader and a trailer, alongside tools, a sales vehicle and business technology. The base franchise fee is $49,500 for a territory with up to 80,000 single-family dwelling units; a larger territory carries an additional fee.

Before opening, Monster assists with ordering the required equipment, technology, signs and supplies from designated vendors. It provides access to its operations manual and applicable franchisee portal, information about required software and help developing the pre-opening and grand-opening marketing plan. Opening assistance is provided in the form and at the times the franchisor determines; extra requested assistance may carry a fee.

Initial training generally lasts five to ten business days, depending on class size. It is usually conducted in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and includes on-site field training at the franchisee’s location. The key person and required owners must successfully complete the program. The curriculum covers marketing and customer development, equipment, the sales process, crew responsibilities, field safety, estimating and service scheduling, billing and customer communication.

The franchise fee covers the standard initial training program, while franchisees pay travel, accommodation, meals and wages. Training-related startup expenses also include two days of on-site general tree care and safety instruction through the third-party provider Academy Trained. Additional trainees and some subsequent training can involve separate charges. This combines business preparation with practical field and safety topics.

Ongoing support includes maintaining brand standards, managing the applicable franchisee portal and assessment program, identifying approved vendors and reviewing local promotional materials. The franchisor manages the Brand Fund and makes its creative materials available, with production or customization costs payable by the franchisee. It also manages participating key-account relationships and makes required or optional additional training available as it considers appropriate. Local marketing remains an active responsibility of the owner.

Monster Tree Service offers a way to build a local business around both tree maintenance and larger removal projects. Its residential and commercial scope gives an operator several types of customer relationships to develop, while the combination of pruning, clearing, stump work and plant healthcare supports a service offering broader than a single task. The owner’s work brings together sales, crew organization, equipment planning and customer service.

The ability to administer the business from a home office can fit an owner who prefers a field-service operation to a customer-facing retail premises. The key person must work at the business office and oversee daily performance. With approval, a trained general manager may fill that role; a manager who also serves as the sales arborist must have the specified tree-service sales experience. This creates a defined management structure for a business that depends on coordinated office and field work.

For an owner interested in professionalizing a local tree service operation, Monster’s appeal is the combination of a recognizable service identity, equipment and operating standards, practical training and access to the Authority Brands support organization. The model rewards attention to the customer journey from estimate through scheduled work, together with consistent leadership of the people performing the service.

For questions about service mix, equipment, staffing, seasonal scheduling and owner workload, read our outdoor-service franchise comparison. Compare the work authorized by each offering separately.