Exploiting Chaos to Build Business

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Business pundits have long sung the praises of entrepreneurs who respond to adversity by embracing opportunity. It’s easy to see why when you consider the growth trajectories of industry giants like Microsoft, FedEx, Disney and General Motors — all launched during dramatic economic downturns. Market needs change during times of turmoil and uncertainty; business leaders can choose to either continue doing business as usual or leverage those market changes to their advantage.

Jeremy Gutsche, CEO of Trend Hunter and author of “Exploiting Chaos,” put it this way: “In times of change, consumer needs evolve; if you’re able to spot new opportunities, you can reinvent.”

Caleb Fabry, president of Town & Country Pest Solutions in Rochester, N.Y., chose to reinvent his company’s rodent program when market demands shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many PMPs, he watched rodent calls surge as customers who once went to their offices every day were suddenly working from home, seeing and hearing rodent activity that had previously gone unnoticed. Fabry and his team seized the opportunity to revamp Town & Country’s rodent program to be more effective for residential customers while becoming much more profitable for the business.

“We had been working under a warranty that said we could solve a customer’s mouse problem in one or two visits, but we spent a lot of time going back, and back … and back, all under this flat-rate pricing. Customers weren’t happy and neither were we,” he explained. “When demand became heavy during COVID, we saw an opportunity to put a new program into place. Since then, our sales have compounded every year.”

Town & Country’s new program includes a thorough inspection to assess the infestation, deployment of interior and exterior bait stations, a two-week follow-up visit to seal any holes, and a final evaluation to determine whether any new entry points have appeared and if additional visits are required. Once the infestation has been controlled, customers receive quarterly service and a warranty for as long as they participate in the program. Fabry also has added wireless security cameras that help service technicians show customers exactly how, when and where rodents are getting in. That footage has been invaluable as it helps the team set up exclusion and repair work, which has become, according to him, “a huge part of our business.”

Fabry isn’t the only PMP cashing in on the increasing demand for rodent services. According to respondents to the 2024 State of the Rodent Control Market survey, the upward trend in infestations — 56 percent of PMPs reported higher infestations this year — continues to benefit their businesses. Two out of three (67 percent) look for higher rodent revenues in 2024; in the Northeast, it’s four out of five (83 percent). So while customers may view rodents as an annoyance or a threat to their homes and businesses, smart business leaders see them as a golden opportunity.