Pest-control companies can be very profitable businesses!
How much money you can make depends on a number of factors, such as the size and location of your business, the services you offer, and the demand for your services.
According to Pest Control Technology, the average revenue for a pest control company in the United States is $1 million. However, there are many companies that make much more than this. Here’s a story from Forbes about a small pest-control startup that turned into a business valued at over $10 million! And for another example, Orkin, one of the largest pest control companies in the world, has an annual revenue of over $2 billion.
Local vs National
If you’re hoping to start a small, local company that won’t ever be a national company, then you should probably expect to stay around or below that $1 million mark; however, if you are hoping to pursue a national presence throughout many states, you can really start bringing in a lot of revenue!
According to Statista, the revenue range for the top 20 national pest-control companies in the US ranges from $48 million to just over $2 billion.
Another great thing about Pest-control revenue is that it is often subscription based, which is an ideal business model if you’re hoping to have any regularity in regards to your income as well as being able to plan ahead and forecast potential revenue against costs.
So How Much Will You Actually Make?
Unfortunately, because the income/profitability ranges can be quite drastic, it is very difficult to say exactly how much a pest-control company can really make; however, if you know what you’re doing, you can really make a decent living by starting a pest-control company!
If you aren’t sure that what you’re doing is going to work, here’s an article that has seven awesome tips for improving your pest-control business! I’ve also listed out the seven steps below.
- “Don’t Charge Too Little”
- “Improve Your Training”
- “Go Digital & Generate New Leads”
- “Cover Your Assets… You Know, CYA”
- “Automate More”
- “Offer Greener Options and Service”
- “Consider New Software Options”
Location
The location is going to be one of the most important factors by far in determining how much you’ll make. The two regions in the US with the highest demand for pest-control services are the Southern states and the Northeastern states. Southern states deal mainly with bugs, while the Northeastern states deal mainly with rodents. Depending on your area of expertise, either region could provide you with enough business to have a large, profitable pest-control company. Try starting up a company somewhere like Utah, though, and you might be severely disappointed as there are not many issues with pests there.
You need to focus your location on where there will be the most demand for your product!
How Much Will it Cost to Start?
To start a pest control company, you will need to make a significant investment. Entrepreneur.com suggests that you’ll need at least $10,000 – $50,000, and SmallBusiness.com provides further detail clarifying that you could get started on your own for as little as $10,000, but it could cost you up to $150,000 if you are hoping to franchise an already established pest-control business.
You will need to purchase equipment and supplies, obtain insurance, and obtain any necessary licenses or permits. All of this stuff will depend on the region in which you are hoping to start your business. Obviously, the pests are going to be different in Florida than they might be in Colorado, so you’ll need different types of equipment and supplies. Beyond that, though, you’ll also want to take a look at the local laws that govern that type of business in your area, as those requirements can be vastly different!
You will also need to allocate time and resources to marketing your business.
The amount of time it takes to start a pest control company varies, but it typically takes several months to get everything up and running. Once your business is established, you can expect to work long hours, as most pest control companies are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you are thinking about starting a pest control company, it is important to do your research and understand the potential risks and rewards involved. With a well-planned business model and some hard work, you can make a very good living by providing this essential service to businesses and homeowners alike.
How to Grow Your Pest Control Company
If you’re looking to start a company, or you already have one, and you know how to control pests, and you really want to take things to the next level, you might want to start looking at some digital marketing options to expand the audience that you’re currently reaching.
I suggest that you start here to get an idea of what a good digital marketing strategy might look like.
The article linked above dives really deep into the marketing, but I’ll give a brief summary here. The topics that are discussed are the following: Search engine optimization, pest control ads, content marketing, email automation, SMS marketing, social media, Pay-Per-Click. These can all be really beneficial techniques to use when you’re looking to start growing your company. It can be a great way to start reaching a wider audience and bringing in the customers that you are hoping for!
A key aspect discussed in that article is that digital marketing shouldn’t be thought of as something to replace traditional forms of marketing/sales for pest control companies. For example, door-to-door sales can still be a really great way to drum up business in this industry. Digital marketing should be looked at as something to compliment these methods.
If this sounds like a good place to start, and you want some help in executing this strategy, take a look at this page. We would love to be able to help you out on your journey and help you achieve the results that you’re hoping for!