On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Steve Delaney, the founder and owner of Yard Boss out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Steve started mowing lawns in high school, turned it into a legit business in 2008 while he was still in college, and has since grown Yard Boss into a $1.4M+ lawn care and pest control company running multiple crews and serving around 2,400 mostly residential clients. From dropping architectural engineering to studying turf management, to rebranding from “Steve’s Lawn & Landscaping” to Yard Boss, Steve’s path is a real look at what it takes to turn a side hustle into a serious, scalable business. Steve and Danny break down the pivotal decisions that changed everything: leaving a tiny 8,000-person town to go all-in on a bigger market like Lincoln, getting around masterminds and high-level operators in 2019, and the mindset shift that came from realizing “you don’t know what you don’t know.” They dig into how Steve added pest control as a natural extension of his fertilizer business, why he avoids termites and bed bugs for now, and exactly how he thinks about service stacking, rebranding, and picking a market that actually matches your growth goals. You’ll also hear how Yard Boss is quietly crushing it with upsells and retention using tools like Go High Level—selling $10K–$12K days off a single text blast, turning fungus and armyworm outbreaks into profitable campaigns, and building a seasonal rhythm with aeration, seeding, and Christmas lights. Steve shares practical, street-level tactics like oversized yard signs, aggressive truck wraps, home shows, answering the phone (seriously), and hiring an office manager “as soon as you can.” If you’re a lawn care or pest control owner trying to scale beyond word of mouth, get out of the field, or figure out your next market, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons you can apply right away. Steve Delaney, Owner of Yard Boss: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.delaney.5 Yard Boss: https://yardbosslawns.com/ Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com Chapters: 00:00 The Genesis of Yard Boss 03:01 Growth Strategies and Customer Acquisition 06:09 Mindset Shifts and Key Pivot Points 08:49 Expanding Beyond Small Towns 13:10 The Importance of Customer Service 15:53 Service Diversification and Rebranding 19:06 Upselling and Marketing Strategies 22:54 Launching Successful Campaigns 25:21 Upselling Strategies and Seasonal Services 27:56 Marketing Innovations and Messaging Adjustments 30:08 The Power of Yard Signs 34:02 Branding and Rebranding Insights 40:31 Future Expansion Plans 42:06 Lessons for Business Owners #pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #stevedelaney #yardboss
