Lisa Myers-Botts: Social savvy entrepreneur

Title: Owner

Company: Peacock Pest Prevention

Years in the industry: 9

Favorite part of the industry: “It is a different job every day. From keeping up with industry trends and products to figuring out why those critters are getting in, there is always something new to learn and discover.”

Quality service is important to Lisa Myers-Botts. It was top of mind for her 21 months ago, when she launched her own pest control company, Peacock Pest Prevention, in Tomball, Texas.

Lisa Myers-Botts, bottom row fourth from the left, started her pest control career at Orkin. PHOTO: LISA MYERS-BOTTS

“Service is what I do, and I do it very well,” she says. “I want every client I have to feel our commitment to quality service. Starting my own company, with that commitment, was a logical next step.”

Myers-Botts follows advice from her first boss: Take care of your employees; your employees will take care of customers and your customers will take care of your bottom line. “I believe in that philosophy, and I want to continue to build my business on that model,” she says.

Getting social

Lisa Myers-Botts PHOTO: MICHAEL MAREK

Social media is contributing to the success of Peacock Pest Prevention. Myers-Botts and Bobbie Terry, owner of The Bug Lady Pest Control, Cedar Creek, Texas, started the Women in Pest Control Facebook group to discuss the challenges women face in the field, share experiences, and ask one another for help and guidance.

“It’s a huge help when, for example, you run into a bug you’ve never seen before,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons I love Facebook so much. There are hundreds of groups where you can get help from experienced people in the industry.”

Pest management professionals (PMPs) are known for their willingness to share advice, and Myers-Botts is no different.

“We should help each other,” she says. “There is plenty of work to go around, and by helping each other be better, we are elevating the image of professional pest control.”

She turns to social media to build her business, too, because she believes “social media has become ‘the back fence’ of the modern age.”

She attributes her rapid business growth to 5 percent chamber of commerce activities, 10 percent paid advertising and 85 percent social media.

“Social media is a lot less time-consuming than ribbon cuttings and networking breakfasts. It is also significantly less expensive,” she says. “You don’t have to pay for it if you learn how to work the various platforms.”

Being a female owner of a pest management company has its advantages, says Myers-Botts. Because women make most household purchasing decisions, they relate to her when it’s time to hire a PMP, and she gets the work.

That’s not to say being the female owner of a pest control company is easy. Myers-Botts admits she has received her share of comments from customers, including “Wow, I’ve never seen a woman do this!” Some need to be convinced she can handle the physical aspects of the job.

“But the perception is changing, which is awesome,” she adds. “I think Facebook groups are helping to change that, as more and more women join the professional groups and speak up when someone is behaving like an uninformed caveman.”

Editor’s note: Read more about Lisa Myers-Botts in “How social media helps boost business“