Less-Talked About Business Making Him $720,045… | UpFlip Video
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From working 90-hour weeks as a chef making $13.50/hour to building a highly successful pest control business, Kristofer Elling's journey shows how following your instincts can lead to incredible success. After a decade in the pest control industry working for others, Kris took the bold step of launching SASQUATCH Pest Control with his brother, diving in full-time without a safety net.
What sets this pest control business apart isn't just their stellar service record (4.9 stars on Google with 246 reviews), but their unwavering commitment to honesty. They'll tell you straight up if you don't need their services and even teach you how to handle simple pest issues yourself.
Today, Kris isn't just running a successful business – he's building community. His local networking group in Washington has generated over $600k in referrals for fellow service businesses. It's proof that learning how to start a pest control business isn't just about handling pests; it's about building relationships and trust.
In this episode, discover how Kris transformed his pest control expertise into a thriving business, why transparency drives customer loyalty, and how he built a powerful referral network from scratch. Whether you're in pest control or dreaming of starting your own service business, Kris's story will show you what's possible when you combine industry knowledge with genuine customer care.
Resources:
🎓 FREE Business Startup Course - link
🎓 Take our FREE Business Discovery Assessment - link
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🎓 Start or scale your business with the UpFlip Academy - link
📕 FREE access to ‘137 most profitable businesses’ - link
📕 FREE access to ‘8 franchises you wish you knew about earlier’ - link
🎙️ Follow the UpFlip Podcast - link
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👉 Kris’ business - link
Timestamps:
00:00 - Start
00:46 - Let’s hunt some pests!
01:18 - Pest control subscription
02:17 - Margins
02:56 - Tools of the trade
03:38 - Swapping recipes for baits
04:10 - Startup costs
04:46 - Rookie numbers
05:40 - Landing customers (for free!)
06:47 - $17K… for a single job?!
07:43 - Services offered
09:07 - Revenue breakdown
11:19 - Fan blitz
12:08 - Not from money
13:37 - Loyalty = Repeat business
15:06 - Ready to catch a mole?
16:14 - Cost of mole traps
16:47 - A business NOT for everybody
17:13 - The easiest service
18:28 - Typical residential job site
19:10 - Brothers as partners
19:35 - No raccoons allowed
20:23 - Secret to referrals
21:28 - Stellar customer service
22:12 - The “usual” office
23:08 - A big misconception
23:39 - Residential vs. Commercial
24:57 - The roaming “Sasquatch”
25:47 - Overhead costs
26:32 - Pricing strategy
26:59 - Venturing into wildlife
28:10 - Power of SEO
29:08 - The catchiest of them all
30:01 - Managing customer expectations
30:46 - Overcoming challenges
31:36 - Recession-resilient industry
32:26 - Outro
#pestcontrol #pest #howtostartapestcontrolbusiness
