Five Questions

Q. Why did you choose to be a one-man operator?

A. Although I’m the one who performs all the pest management services for the company, my wife Judi handles most of the internal office duties such as scheduling, bookkeeping, filing and paying the bills. We realized long ago that no money is generated if I’m in the office rather than out performing pest control services. Most of our business is from referrals or from people seeing my truck when I’m out of the office. I tried having technicians and a secretary with an office, but I soon realized I didn’t have the resources or the skills to be a manager. I gave it up for a home office operation. The savings allowed me to spend 15 years and about $50,000 on education and training for me. It’s a decision that has worked out the best for me.

Q. What are the challenges posed by being a one-man operator?

A. Trying to learn something about everything you need to run a successful pest control business — training, quality service, financial management, customer relations…the list goes on and on.

Q. What is the primary advantage to being a one-man operator?

A. Being solely responsible for your success or failure.

Q. Would you recommend that others follow a similar path? Why or why not?

A. That’s a good question. Being a sole proprietor is not for everyone. I learned along the way and paid my dues. I was fortunate to meet many people in our industry who were successful in their own right. They shared their knowledge and experience with me, and were very open with their suggestions. Spending much money to attend seminars over a 15-year period, serving in various elected and appointed offices and committees for the NPMA and my state association, was costly yet very rewarding in the long run. My wife of 38 years, Judi, agrees that while we don’t have the best of everything, we certainly don’t want for anything. Trust me, Judi shared the aggravation and rewards of being a sole proprietor.

Q. Would you change anything about your pest control career?

A. Absolutely. I went into business for myself without working a day in the pest control industry. That was stupid, but I was too dumb to know better.