Tips for growing your business in 2021

Josh Handy, left, and Buddy Herring

In our January cover story, “Gearing up for growth,” the pest management professionals (PMPs) we interviewed had a lot to say about their strategies for the year ahead. What follow are additional gems from two interviewees that you might find applicable to your business. Also, please join the conversation by sharing your plans, predictions and tips by either commenting below or dropping us a line at pmpeditor@northcoastmedia.net.

Josh Handy, Foremost Pest & Wildlife, Monroe, N.C.

• Focus on digital media: “Currently I have two websites, two Facebook pages, one Instagram page and two Google pages. I get some leads through Home Advisor, but my biggest marketing change for 2021 is using paid ads on Facebook.”
• Try a new vehicle wrap: “I wanted to increase my brand’s visibility, and this was an easy way to accomplish that. At the end of the day, my plans are to remain a small business, but time will see where business takes me.”
• Keep your priorities straight, especially when working with family: “Work is work and home is home. Continue to be thoughtful of one another.”
• 2021 predictions: “In my region, we had a long, hot summer and a wet fall. That means now, the insects and rodents are looking for places that are comfortable within our customers’ homes. Also, I am personally expecting a housing bubble, although it has not happened yet.”

Buddy Herring, Summit Pest Solutions, Mills River, N.C.

• Market with a professional: “Our marketing strategy for 2020 was ‘just get our name out there.’ It consisted of business cards, fliers, a website that I threw together over a couple of days, yard signs, social media posts, and using a lead service. For 2021, though, we contracted with a marketing company to revamp our website and start an SEO campaign to move us up in the search and directory rankings.”
• Accept that the pandemic isn’t going away completely anytime soon: “Although sometimes I feel as though if I hear ‘the new normal’ one more time, I’m going to come unhinged (ha!), I’m so thankful to work in an industry that is considered essential. This time last year, I was deciding between getting back into the food and beverage (F&B) industry or opening a pest control business. The wisdom of my wife, Tana, for telling me to follow my dream of opening my own business has paid off big time. I do feel sorry for the conditions that the F&B industry is currently having to work under, but we are all doing whatever it takes to survive in this era of COVID-19.”
• 2021 predictions: “I believe 2021 will be more of the same of what we saw in 2020, but amplified. Many employers will continue to have employees work from home, and we may see a decline in commercial account opportunities as a result. The residential market, on the other hand, will be steadily on the rise. People have always protected what is, for most families, their largest investment: their homes. I see that becoming more important than ever, with so many people working via virtual meetings, etc. I think that 2020 caused many of us to really evaluate what is most important in our daily lives, and I feel that in 2021, keeping our homes safe and secure will be a higher priority than ever before. Pest and termite control will play an even larger role in that category of the family budget.”