Pest Control Legends

Dan Leibrandt

Looking to crush it in pest control? Welcome to Pest Control Legends, where we interview the top people in pest control every week. Hosted by Dan Leibrandt, Pest Control Legends is meant to help pest control owners at every stage and every aspect of business. If you're looking to start or grow a pest control company, this podcast is for you! Catch new episodes every other week on Wednesdays at 9am CST. We greatly appreciate any follows, reviews, and comments on the show--would love to hear your thoughts!

  1. Ryan Tate: The Relationships Strategy Driving 95% of Revenue for Rogue Pest Solutions

    3d ago

    Ryan Tate: The Relationships Strategy Driving 95% of Revenue for Rogue Pest Solutions

    In this episode, Dan sits down with Ryan Tate, owner of Rogue Pest Solutions out of Huntsville, Alabama. Ryan has spent nearly two decades in pest control, working his way up from technician to branch management before helping build Wayne's into a $28 million regional company ahead of its exit in 2019. Today he runs Rogue alongside his four partners, and since joining in mid 2023 the company has grown from around $1.5 million and 14 employees into a multi-state operation with 34 employees. Ryan breaks down the culture, strategy, and execution framework he learned from his mentors at Wayne's, why strategy is the biggest gap in the pest control industry, and the builder relationship model that drives 95 percent of Rogue's growth. He explains why people only buy pest control for two reasons: they see bugs or they move. Chasing the movers through new construction termite work puts Rogue in a blue ocean while everyone else fights over the same Google leads. Tactical takeaways include how Ryan builds partnerships with builders doing 150 to 2,000 homes a year, why bullets stop working past $1 million and how to find a cannonball lead source that actually scales, what he learned consulting for pest control companies stuck between $1 million and $3 million, how his faith shapes the way he leads and why he sees the business as an impact building tool, and how Rogue structures a five-partner team where each partner runs his own market and owns one company-wide role, plus his rule that a ten year partnership requires knowing someone for ten years. Ryan Tate, Cofounder of Rogue Pest Solutions: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.tate.651111/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-tate-a-c-e-80206b258 Website: https://www.roguepest.com/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:36 How Ryan Got Into Pest Control 02:25 Lessons From Wayne's: Culture, Strategy, and Execution 07:10 Leading With Why and Inspiring People 11:45 First Principles and Strategic Thinking 16:25 Thinking Like a Businessman and Getting Out of the Truck 22:16 The Story Behind Rogue Pest Solutions 24:59 People Buy When They See Bugs or When They Move 28:38 Building Relationships With Builders 33:31 What Builder Partnerships Look Like in Practice 38:00 Consulting Lessons: Nobody Is Coming to Save You 41:21 Bullets vs Cannonballs and Scalable Lead Flow 47:44 Navigating a Five-Partner Business 53:24 How the Partners Divide Their Roles 57:20 Final Message to Pest Control Owners #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    1 hr
  2. Tony Carder: Building a $24M Pest Control Company and Starting Over

    Jul 1

    Tony Carder: Building a $24M Pest Control Company and Starting Over

    On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Tony Carder, owner of TruNorth Pest Control. Tony got his start at Active Pest Control, the company his father founded in 1985, working termite jobs as a teenager before steadily moving up through sales and into leadership. He bought the business outright in 2006 when it was doing roughly $4.4 million a year, scaled it into a 15 branch operation generating $24 million annually, and sold it in 2019 after 34 years in the industry. Now he is back at it, building TruNorth from scratch alongside his two kids, Cody and Kaylee. Tony breaks down exactly how he scaled Active from $4.4 million to $24 million, including the acquisition playbook he used to turn a $300,000 route into a million-dollar branch within 12 months by cross-selling termite, pest, and mosquito services to an existing customer base. He explains the relationship-first marketing model that still drives his growth today, why TruNorth spends around $30,000 a month building relationships with realtors, and the 24 month timeline it takes for a new location to gain real traction. He also makes the case for door hangers and yard signs as the cheapest advertising in the business, explains why he does not run a door knocking operation, and shares how his 26 year old son took a brand new branch from $3,100 in its first month to nearly a million dollars a year. The conversation goes well beyond tactics into what Tony actually optimizes for, starting with his decision to walk away from a $24 million company to build a family business where his children earn their place the same way he did. He opens up about putting Christ first, why he believes every principle of business traces back to scripture, and how customer service really comes down to answering the phone and getting there fast. Tony also shares his approach to building wealth through real estate and consistent saving, why he tithes religiously, and closes with the message he keeps coming back to: take care of your people, because your own two hands can only do so much. Tony Carder, Founder of TruNorth Pest Control: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.carder.716186 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-carder-695a9564/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/successbeforebreakfast/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:27 - Growing Up in the Family Pest Control Business 03:25 - Should You Go to College? 06:24 - Taking Over and Buying Active Pest Control 09:21 - Scaling From $4M to $24M 11:06 - The $30K a Month Realtor Strategy 15:26 - Getting Out of the Truck and Into Relationships 25:21 - The Acquisition Playbook: $300K to $1M 28:45 - Door Hangers, Yard Signs, and No Door Knocking 31:00 - Putting Christ First and Finding Faith 34:48 - Why Every Home Service Is the Same Business 40:03 - Momentum and Living Off the Crumbs 47:24 - Setting Expectations and Rewarding Your People 52:45 - Growing From $15M to $24M in Three Years 57:44 - Selling the Company and the Legacy Conversation 01:01:37 - Lessons and Mentors That Shaped Him 01:04:42 - Building Wealth Through Real Estate and Tithing 01:10:57 - Final Message to Pest Control Owners #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    1h 14m
  3. David Poplin: Scaling Pest Control Business Through 62 Government Contracts

    Jun 24

    David Poplin: Scaling Pest Control Business Through 62 Government Contracts

    On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews David Poplin, CEO and founder of CDS Services, the parent company of Legion Pest Management. David is a U.S. Marine veteran with more than 30 years in the pest control industry, and his service-disabled veteran-owned company now holds over 62 federal government contracts and provides pest control services to roughly 20% of all VA medical centers in the country. He also co-founded a trade school that trains veterans and the unemployed for careers in pest control. David walks through how he moved from a 100% residential and commercial model to roughly 95% government work, a shift that started with nine straight months of submitting bids and losing before he landed his first contract. From there the wins snowballed, and he explains the service-disabled veteran-owned set-aside that gives qualifying companies an edge on federal and state contracts, why the lowest bid does not always win, and how experience and CPARS ratings carry real weight with the government. He also shares how his business grew 20% during COVID with zero contracts put on hold, proving just how stable government pest control work can be. The conversation gets tactical on how David subcontracts with veteran-owned and family-owned companies across the country while keeping the government's trust, and how he landed and kept all those VA medical center contracts through referrals and high CPARS ratings. He breaks down what actually earns a strong rating, why responsiveness and communication matter more than most owners realize, and how he uses his trade school to bring transitioning veterans and underemployed workers into the industry. He closes with a hard truth every pest control owner should hear: you do not own your customers, and the relationship is something you have to keep earning. David Poplin, CEO of Legion Pest Management: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-poplin-ace-5255064b Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FootballRef951/ Website: https://legionpest.com/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - From the Marine Corps to Pest Control 05:40 - The Veteran-Owned Set-Aside Explained 07:23 - Switching From Residential to 95% Government 08:34 - Nine Months of Losing Before the First Contract 17:28 - Landing 20% of VA Medical Centers 20:39 - Finding the Right Subcontractor Partners 27:54 - Scaling the Team and Restructuring Leadership 35:39 - Terminix Lessons and the Case for Outsourcing 40:55 - The Truth About Door-to-Door Sales 47:02 - Training Veterans and the Career Path in Pest Control 52:46 - Final Message to Pest Control Owners #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    55 min
  4. Jonas Olson: The 4 Revenue Levels Where Pest Control Owners Get Stuck

    Jun 17

    Jonas Olson: The 4 Revenue Levels Where Pest Control Owners Get Stuck

    In this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Jonas Olson, who built Pest Badger past $10 million in just over five years, about the exact revenue levels where pest control owners get stuck and how to break through each one. Most pest control businesses don't fail, they plateau. They hit a ceiling, sit there for years, and never figure out why. Jonas walks through every stage, starting with the technician trap that keeps solo operators frozen at $250K to $300K, then the first hire that feels terrifying but has to happen, and the move to buy back your time with a CSR before you ever add another technician. From there the conversation gets into what it actually takes to scale. Jonas explains why you need real systems and SOPs to break past $1 million, why so many owners get bored and chase shiny objects right around $1.5 million, and how buying genuine A-player talent is what gets you to $3 million and beyond. Underneath all of it are the mindset shifts that separate a lifestyle business from real growth, including treating your time like it's already worth what your company will be one day, reinvesting profit instead of pulling every dollar out, and reinventing yourself every six months. Want to grow your pest control or lawn care business? Join the Pest Control Millionaires program, with over 300 owners, 20 hours of courses, and weekly group coaching calls with Dan, Jonas, and Jake, at pestcontrolmillionaires.com/program. If you're not ready to join yet, search "Pest Control Millionaires" on Facebook and fill out the form to get into the free group. Grab the book Zip Code Kings on Amazon, and follow Jonas on YouTube at Pest Control Millionaire and on Facebook and LinkedIn. Jonas Olson, CEO of Pest Badger: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCRyMCZtwf9sgBNOKcF-FNig  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonas.olson.18/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-olson-00b34b8b/ Pest Badger: https://pestbadger.com/ Pest Control Millionaires: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Jonas Olson and the $10M Pest Badger story 02:30 Where pest control businesses plateau 04:00 Plateau 1: The technician trap ($250K to $300K) 07:00 Making your first hire and why it's the scariest 11:00 Who to hire first (and why not friends) 12:30 Plateau 2: $500K to $750K and buying back your time 15:30 Why your time is worth $30,000 an hour 18:30 When to finally get out of the truck 21:00 Jonas's lawn care company and 2 years stuck at $250K 23:00 Plateau 3: $1M and the systems you need 26:30 Video SOPs and building the business the right way 29:00 Busy vs growing, and knowing your number 30:30 Plateau 4: $1.5M and learning to manage managers 31:49 Evolving as a person: health, reading, and mentorship 37:00 Why you should spend 5% of revenue on yourself 40:30 Lead by example and your circle of five 43:30 Plateau 5: $3M and buying A-player talent 47:30 How Pest Badger hires and filters for talent 50:30 How to join Pest Control Millionaires #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    54 min
  5. Tony Hoffman: Scaling Rumble Pest Solutions from $40K to $12M (ft. Rumble CEO)

    May 20

    Tony Hoffman: Scaling Rumble Pest Solutions from $40K to $12M (ft. Rumble CEO)

    In this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Tony Hoffman, co-founder of Rumble Pest Solutions, and Greg Lake, Rumble's CEO. Tony and his three partners started the company in Springdale, Arkansas in 2017 with a $40,000 investment, $10,000 from each founder. They were cash flow positive in two months and profitable in six. Nine years later, Rumble is doing $12 million in revenue and just landed on the PCT Top 100 for the first time. Greg joined as CEO in August 2025 after two decades scaling TruGreen from $200 million to over $1 billion and running 200 branches with 3,000 door to door reps. We get into the actual mechanics of how Rumble scaled: the door to door playbook, why they keep sales teams small at 12 to 15 reps per market, and the 18 month retention cliff that determines whether a customer stays long term. Tony breaks down how he thinks about partnerships and why he treats his four way co-founder relationship like a marriage. Greg walks through what he learned running pest control at scale and how it applies to a growth stage business now backed by Dynamic Core Capital Partners. We also cover their acquisition scorecard, their greenfield expansion model for two new markets, and how private equity values door to door companies differently than digital-grown ones. The back half of the conversation gets into culture and people. Greg explains the difference between internal and external customers and why every operational decision at Rumble runs through both. Tony talks about the hiring profile that has worked best for them in door to door (small town kids with manual labor backgrounds over flashy talkers), and the pressure test he uses for every business decision: whether his technicians are proud to wear the logo to their kid's soccer game. We also get into Greg's framework for consistency across branches, why pursuing excellence means refusing to be mediocre, and how culture functions as the personality of the organization rather than a poster on the wall. Tony Hoffman, Co-founder of Rumble Pest Solutions: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhoffman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthony.j.hoffman.1 Website: rumblepestsolutions.com Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:51 Tony's Path Into Pest Control and Starting Rumble 06:01 Is Door to Door Required for Pest Control 07:30 Greg's Journey From TruGreen to Rumble 14:36 Customer Obsession and Internal vs External Customers 22:59 Scaling From $1M to $10M Through Retention 26:56 Consistency Across Branches 31:26 Advice for Operators Under $1M 37:00 Partnership Dynamics and the Four Co-Founders 39:08 Greenfield Expansion and Private Equity Backing 44:02 Door to Door Tradeoffs and the 18 Month Cliff 48:47 Hiring for Door to Door and Management 52:02 Building Culture 54:36 Final Message to Pest Control Operators #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    1 hr
  6. Jeremy & Jason Julio: Selling Pest Business For 8-Figures (While Teaching PE Full-Time)

    May 13

    Jeremy & Jason Julio: Selling Pest Business For 8-Figures (While Teaching PE Full-Time)

    In this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Jeremy and Jason Julio, better known as the Blue Collar Twins. Jeremy and Jason built Last Bite Mosquito and Tick Control and Total Home Pest Control into a multi seven-figure operation with 55 technicians, all while teaching PE full-time, before selling both companies to Viking in an 8-figure deal in 2023. Today they co-host the Boardroom Buzz podcast, advise operators through their Blue Collar Twins platform, and are running the playbook again with a new venture in dog waste removal called Ruff Stuff. Jeremy and Jason share how they bootstrapped Last Bite with a $7,000 investment and one truck, reinvested every dollar of profit for the first three years by living off their teaching and coaching incomes, and built a prepay model that had 70 to 80 percent of customers paying upfront annually for a 20 percent discount. They walk through the guerrilla marketing tactics that drove growth, including infiltrating local Facebook groups, branded yard signs on every job, creative video ads, extreme charity fundraisers that earned them statewide media coverage, and a deep community involvement strategy built on chambers of commerce, youth sports sponsorships, and authentic relationships. Tactical takeaways include why they chose to niche down on mosquito control instead of going general pest, how they later acquired Turner Pest Control and grew it from $100K to $1M in a few years through cross-marketing, how they structured the Viking deal with Potomac's guidance after walking away from a low initial offer, what they look for when starting a new home services business in an underserved market, and why community involvement and customer-facing ownership beats outsourced marketing every time. Jeremy Julio, Cofounder of Ruff Stuff Pooper Scoopers: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-julio-532a0a168/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j_s_julio/ Blue Collar Twins: https://bluecollartwins.com/ Jason Julio, Cofounder of Ruff Stuff Pooper Scoopers: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-julio-68133786/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjulio08/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:01 How They Got Into Pest Control 04:05 Scaling While Teaching PE Full-Time 11:15 Breakthrough Moments And The Prepay Model 15:46 Why They Niched Down On Mosquito Control 20:54 Acquiring Turner Pest And Scaling To $1M 25:16 Guerrilla Marketing And Extreme Charity Events 31:18 Selling To Viking With Potomac 38:01 Advice For Owners Looking To Sell 42:00 Starting Rough Stuff Dog Waste Removal 45:14 Running A Business As Identical Twins 49:00 Lessons From Boardroom Buzz Interviews 58:09 Yard Signs, Facebook Groups, And Community 1:06:22 Final Message To Pest Control Owners #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    1h 10m
  7. Ryan Marshall: Why Service Managers Are the Real Growth Lever in Pest Control

    May 6

    Ryan Marshall: Why Service Managers Are the Real Growth Lever in Pest Control

    On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Ryan Marshall, founder and CEO of Vinx Pest Control. Ryan started Vinx in 2015 with a $10,000 Costco credit card, a white truck, and a bunch of stickers he ordered online. Eleven years later, Vinx is a multi-state operation with locations across Utah, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia servicing tens of thousands of homes, and Ryan has become one of the top operators in the door-to-door pest control space. Ryan makes the case that service managers, not sales reps, are the real growth lever most pest control owners are overlooking. He breaks down what he actually looks for when hiring service managers, why he wants them in the field instead of the office, and how a great service leader bridges the retention gap that kills most door-to-door companies. He also gets specific on how Vinx got their technicians to embrace upgrades without using the word sell, the Roger Bannister effect inside a technician team, and why paying up for A-plus talent has been one of the harder but more important lessons of his career. The second half of the conversation goes deep on the tactical side. Ryan shares the initial-service pricing study that changed how they pay door-to-door reps, the selfie-style proof of service videos that have transformed customer retention, how implementing EOS helped them cut average route miles from the fifties down to the low twenties, and the specific KPIs Vinx tracks every week. If you're scaling a pest control company, wrestling with door-to-door attrition, or trying to figure out where your real bottlenecks are, this episode will give you a full playbook of things to steal. Ryan Marshal, CEO and Founder of Vinx Pest Control: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryan-marshall-14205b26 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/llahsramnayr Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 0:00 — Intro 0:50 — Starting Vinx with a $10K Credit Card 4:20 — What Makes a Great Service Manager 9:00 — Leadership and Motivating Your Team 11:50 — Getting Technicians to Embrace Upgrades 18:10 — The Roger Bannister Effect and Team Culture 21:00 — Door-to-Door Sales and What Actually Works 23:50 — Solving the Door-to-Door Attrition Problem 27:30 — Vinx's Tech Stack and Proof of Service Videos 32:40 — Why Word Choice Matters in Pest Control 36:20 — Managing a Multi-State Operation 39:20 — Implementing EOS and Tracking KPIs 44:20 — Cutting Route Times in Half 46:20 — Final Message: Stop Being the Bottleneck 49:50 — Where to Connect with Ryan #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    51 min
  8. Preston Peterson: Scaling Alta Pest Control to $70M+ (M&A, Leadership, and Faith)

    Apr 29

    Preston Peterson: Scaling Alta Pest Control to $70M+ (M&A, Leadership, and Faith)

    On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Preston Peterson, co-owner of Alta Pest Control, ranked #26 on the PCT Top 100. Preston started out selling pest control door to door, built Ardent Pest Control onto the Inc 5000 for seven consecutive years, then merged with Alta in 2022 to create one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. He has had six exits in pest control and now owns multiple businesses across different industries from his home base in Puerto Rico. Preston walks through the full story of the Ardent and Alta merger, a rare true strategic merger where neither company bought the other, and explains why seeing the bigger picture is what makes deals like that possible. He breaks down the private equity process that followed, why he stepped back from the CEO seat after 20 years of running companies, and why most pest control owners stay small because of ego rather than strategy. He also gets tactical on culture, sharing the specific things Ardent did to create a company where technicians literally tattooed the logo on their bodies. The conversation also goes somewhere most business podcasts don't. Preston opens up about the depression he experienced after his biggest exit, the identity crisis of having money but no purpose, and the day trading losses that came with it. He shares how faith, serving the youth at his church in Puerto Rico, and returning to vision-based goal setting pulled him out of it, and why chasing results without becoming the person who can handle those results is the fastest way to lose everything. Whether you're bootstrapping your first branch, eyeing a merger, or wondering what comes after the exit, this episode will give you a lot to think about. Preston Peterson, Co-owner of Alta Pest Control: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-peterson-9637304 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preston_peterson848/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preston.peterson.33 Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial   LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt    Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends  Podcast Chapters: 0:00 — Intro  0:50 — How Preston Got Into Pest Control 3:00 — Starting Ardent with $7K and Credit Cards 6:00 — The "20-Year Overnight Success" Reality 7:30 — College vs. Dropping Out to Build 10:10 — The Ardent and Alta Merger Story 14:00 — Why Most Owners Can't See the Bigger Picture 17:45 — Going Private Equity After the Merger 19:45 — Why Owners Fight to Stay Small (Ego vs. Growth) 23:30 — Building a Culture People Tattoo on Their Bodies 28:00 — Hiring Leaders Who Actually Believe Your Core Values 31:30 — Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital 33:40 — Becoming the Person Your Business Needs 37:00 — Moving to Puerto Rico and the Depression That Followed 44:00 — How Faith and Serving Youth Pulled Him Out 47:00 — Vision Boards, Prayer, and New Businesses 53:00 — Why You Can't Skip the Journey 57:30 — Being Around Billionaires in Puerto Rico 1:02:00 — Why Pest Control Owners Are Prideful 1:06:30 — Your Business Is Either Outgrowing Your People or Vice Versa 1:15:50 — Final Message: Enjoy the Journey 1:18:20 — Where to Connect with Preston #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast

    1h 20m
See All (33)

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Looking to crush it in pest control? Welcome to Pest Control Legends, where we interview the top people in pest control every week. Hosted by Dan Leibrandt, Pest Control Legends is meant to help pest control owners at every stage and every aspect of business. If you're looking to start or grow a pest control company, this podcast is for you! Catch new episodes every other week on Wednesdays at 9am CST. We greatly appreciate any follows, reviews, and comments on the show--would love to hear your thoughts!

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Leibrandt
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dan Leibrandt
  • Show Website
    Pest Control Legends

You Might Also Like