Pest Control Success Stories

Steve Delaney on His GENIUS Strategy To Increase Sales By 27% For Yard Boss

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

Jesse Beltran on Hitting $400k/year With ZERO Ad Spend For Drop Dead Pest Solutions

Are you a pest control owner looking to grow? Join Our Facebook Group with 900+ Members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pestcontrolmillionaires On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Jesse Beltran, founder of Drop Dead Pest Solutions out of Evansville, Wisconsin. Jesse is a third-generation pest pro who launched Drop Dead Pest Solutions in 2009 while working construction, then went full time in 2013. He shares how growing up around the industry shaped his approach, what those early grind years really looked like, and why a simple inspection-first process builds relationships that turn into customers for life. We dig into the business model too. Jesse breaks down his current split of services at roughly 75 percent general pest and mice with about 25 percent wildlife. He explains why bats can be highly profitable within tight seasonal windows, how he trains techs to spot and upsell recurring services, and the little touches that make customer service unforgettable. Think dog-treat welcome packs, remembering pet names, and documenting personal notes so every visit feels familiar and trusted. Jesse also opens the playbook on growth. He credits the Pest Control Millionaires Program for a pivot to Facebook groups and dialed-in ads that paid for the program in the first two weeks. We talk about hiring his first tech, why bringing on an office manager (his wife) unlocked capacity, and his plan to scale to multiple trucks and a door-to-door sales team while keeping quality high. He closes with timeless advice for owners at any stage. Set the long-term target and work backward. Take smarter risks. Delegate what slows you down so the business can move faster. Jesse Beltran, Founder of Drop Dead Pest Solutions: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.beltran.3760 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-beltran-7b769171/ Website: https://ddpestsolutions.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  #pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #jessebeltran #dropdeadpestsolutions

Walker Rose on How He SCALED Turf Chief Into a $2.5M Lawn Care Empire

On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Walker Rose, founder and president of Turf Chief, a fast-growing Louisville-area lawn care brand now topping $2.5M/year. Walker shares how he left civil engineering, bootstrapped from weekend landscaping to full-time owner, kept things lean (paying himself ~$12K that first year), and brought his brother in as hire #1. After hitting $1M around year 6 with Local Lawns, he spun up Turf Chief three years ago to focus on scalable services—lawn fertilization, weed control, and mosquito management—with a personal, locally rooted touch. We dig into the marketing pivot from door flyers and cold lunches with property managers to in-house Facebook ads that actually convert—after burning six figures with agencies that delivered “robot leads.” Walker breaks down what’s working (native-feeling creatives, the right lead forms), the red flags he watches for (keep ad accounts in your name, demand transparency), and why he’s targeting residential for scale while still maintaining a 50/50 commercial split on the turf side. He also unpacks the acquisition game: five deals to date, including Daleco this spring via SBA financing and a creative seller holdback—plus how community plays (youth sports fields, banner shout-outs) turn visibility into trust. You’ll hear his hiring and culture rules (hire for integrity and team fit, train the skills), the discipline to avoid complacency by protecting mental/physical bandwidth, and a clear plan to dominate Louisville first before expanding. Walker’s message to owners: believe in your ability, ignore the naysayers, and keep your head down—progress compounds faster than you think. Walker Rose, Founder of Turf Chief and Local Lawns: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walker.rose.9 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walker-rose-35469891/ Turf Chief: https://turfchief.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  Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Walker Rose 06:00 Transitioning to Turf Chief 12:00 Lessons from Marketing Failures 17:57 Future Plans for Turf Chief 20:43 Acquisition Strategies and Experiences 23:58 Community Engagement and Local Presence 27:08 Final Thoughts and Advice #pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #walkerrose #turfchief #locallawns #louisville  JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/

Nick Russler on Hitting $70k Months in LESS Than a Year For Honorable Pest Control

On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Nick Russler, the founder and CEO of Honorable Pest Control. Nick went from “almost out of pest control” to launching Honorable and hitting a $70K month in under a year—while building a reputation for integrity, punctuality, and family-safe, environmentally responsible treatments across Ann Arbor and Lansing. He shares the roller-coaster path from failed acquisitions to a surprise investor, opening an hour from home under a non-compete, and grinding through 100-hour weeks to get two trucks, a front office, and sales humming. We dig into how he cracked big commercial accounts (including multi-property portfolios) by proving results for free, then turned that momentum into high-margin residential growth. Nick breaks down why he’s moving away from apartments, the callback/tenant-prep headaches, and how switching from one-off jobs to properly priced subscriptions (mice included) doubled his recurring revenue—supported by LSAs, referrals, door-knocking, and a simple, repeatable “show up and solve it” promise. You’ll also hear the hiring playbook (commission-only techs, recruiting hungry wrestlers, bringing in 25-year veterans to add services like termites and moles), the sales mindset shift (ask better questions; let customers sell themselves), and the discipline of reinvesting almost everything back into the business. If you’re building a pest control company the right way—for customers and your team—this one’s a blueprint for speed, grit, and doing what you say you’ll do. Nick Russler, Founder of Honorable Pest Control: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickolas.russler.3 Phone: 517-990-7399  Email: Office@HonorablePestControl.com Website: https://honorablepestcontrol.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  Podcast Chapters:  00:00 Introduction to Nick Rustler  06:01 Rapid Growth and Marketing Strategies 11:56 Transitioning to Residential Services 14:52 The Impact of Joining the Program 20:55 Hiring and Building a Team 25:32 The Journey of Entrepreneurship 31:15 Sales Strategies and Techniques 37:25 Marketing and Lead Generation 41:07 Advice for Pest Control Owners #pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #nickrussler #honorablepestcontrol #annarbor #lansing #lansingmi  JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/

John Stopka on How He GREW Liberty Pest Control To $1M in Less Than 2 Years

On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with John Stopka, the founder and owner of Liberty Pest Control. John got his start in pest control at just 19, sharpened his sales chops at Orkin, and launched Liberty only a year and a half ago—growing to 1,700+ accounts and on the cusp of $1M/year. He credits the surge to a simple formula: be obsessed, deliver real value, and treat people like people. From winter door-knocking to BNI networking, John focused on getting known—wrapping trucks for maximum brand recall, posting consistently on social, and using permission-based “thank you” posts that double as local proof. We dig into the sales mindset (value over price, ask real questions, skip the gimmicks), offers that resonate (monthly billing, a mosquito + general pest bundle, going above and beyond with de-webbing and small helpful touches), and the marketing levers that moved the needle—especially Facebook ads he tuned from $100+ CPL down to $10–$15 by building scrappier, native-feeling creatives and the right lead forms. John also shares how delegating early helped him scale to seven employees, why culture and small acts of appreciation create referral flywheels, and how he’s upgrading systems now to support the next phase. If you’re stuck wearing every hat, John’s message is clear: delegate sooner than feels comfortable, get relentlessly visible in your market, and serve customers, employees, and fellow owners with a “servant’s heart.” He’s aiming for $25M revenue and a future exit—not by being the cheapest, but by being the most valuable and most known. John Stopka, Founder of Liberty Pest Control: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.burkeen.1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-stopka-1663bb2b4/ Website: https://www.liberty-pest.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  Podcast Chapters:  00:00 Introduction to John Stopka 05:06 Starting Liberty Pest Control 10:11 Marketing Strategies and Brand Awareness 14:14 Joining Pest Control Millionaires Program 20:47 Hiring and Company Culture 26:48 Lessons Learned and Advice for Owners #pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #johnstopka #libertypestcontrol  JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/