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Pest Empire Builder

Pest Empire Builder

Written by: Matt Williams
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About this listen

 The Pest Empire Builder is where pest control professionals come to level up; not just in business, but in mindset, leadership, and legacy. If you’re a pest control company owner who is growing, scaling and refining through your team, this show is your roadmap to time and financial freedom. We'll dive deep into high performing teams, sales, service, operations, a powerful business structure that leads to rapid growth. Every episode is designed to help you stop working in the business and start building a business that works for you.Matt Williams Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Build a Door-to-Door Team In-House (Without Outsourcing)

    Build a Door-to-Door Team In-House (Without Outsourcing)
    Feb 12 2026
    If you’ve ever thought, “Door-to-door could grow my pest control business… but I don’t want to hire some expensive outside sales crew,” this episode is for you. In this Pest Empire Builder Podcast episode, Matt sits down with Lenny Gray to break down how to build an in-house door-to-door sales team that actually works, without chaos, burnout, or wasted payroll. Lenny shares what most pest control owners get wrong when they try to “go all-in” too fast, why outsourcing door-to-door teams often fails, and how to set up your door-to-door program so you can scale profitably. You’ll learn how to recruit the right reps, how many people to hire (and why attrition is normal), what training must exist before your reps knock a single door, and the exact door-to-door KPIs that predict sales success. If you’re battling rising PPC costs, expensive lead generation, and inconsistent growth, door-to-door can be your smartest lever, especially because it builds route density, reduces windshield time, and creates faster, more controllable customer acquisition in pest control. Highlights: → You’ll learn why starting with 5–8 reps is smarter than trying to manage 20 your first year, and how to reverse-engineer hiring based on a realistic revenue target per rep. → You’ll hear Lenny’s “Law of 600” framework for new reps, why early struggles are normal and how consistency creates skill breakthroughs. → You’ll get the most important door-to-door metrics to track, including knock-to-talk ratio, contacts per hour, qualifying ratio, closing ratio, and cancellation rates before and after the first service. → You’ll also learn Lenny’s four-pronged recruiting system (personal network, social ads, off-campus, and on-campus recruiting) and why door-to-door can outperform digital marketing by building route density and lowering operational costs. Want to learn more about PEB? Check out the links below. Email: support@pestempirebuilder.com Website: www.pestempirebuilder.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Business Partnerships Are Like Marriage (Here’s the Prenup)

    Business Partnerships Are Like Marriage (Here’s the Prenup)
    Jan 23 2026
    Business partnerships can grow your company faster, or trap you in a toxic mess that’s hard (and expensive) to escape. In this episode of the Pest Empire Builder Podcast, Matt Williams and Rob Greer break down the real truth about business partners, equity splits, and how to run a company with a partner (or operate “like a partnership” even when you’re solo). If you’ve ever wondered how to choose the right business partner, how to avoid partnership conflict, or whether it’s smarter to stay a sole owner, this conversation will save you headaches. They compare partnerships to a financial marriage, explain why visionary vs implementer dynamics matter, and reveal how clear boundaries (like the “playground fence” concept) create freedom inside the business. You’ll also hear practical frameworks for handling feedback, building a healthy leadership culture, and deciding when it’s time to walk away. Whether you’re in pest control, home services, inspections, or any entrepreneur-led company, this episode gives you a real-world guide to partnerships, accountability, and scaling without losing your mind. What You’ll Learn: → How to choose a business partner without creating a “financial divorce” → Visionary vs Implementer: the role split that prevents chaos → Why you can’t dump emotional stress on employees (but you can with partners) → The “fence” principle: boundaries that create freedom and trust → Why equity isn’t about control, it’s about contribution and upside → Rowers vs Sailors vs Navigators: building the right ownership team → How to create a feedback culture without defensiveness → Why a buy-sell agreement is the business version of a prenup → When it’s time to renegotiate, restructure, or exit a partnership Want to learn more about PEB? Check out the links below. EmailWebsite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • The Lie You’ve Been Told About Work–Life Balance as a Home Service Entrepreneur

    The Lie You’ve Been Told About Work–Life Balance as a Home Service Entrepreneur
    Nov 26 2025
    In this episode of the Pest Empire Builder Podcast, we break down how Josh went from 0 to $10M/year in pest control in under 7 years.If you’re in home services (pest control, home inspection, trades) and you want to scale without blowing up your life, this is for you.Learn how people, core values, and courage beat tactics every time. What You’ll Learn: → How Josh “fell into” pest control from a wrong phone number and turned it into a $10M+ empire → The mindset that took him from technician to leader to multi-location owner → Why home services is really a people business, no matter what you actually sell → How to use core values to hire, fire, and promote (without feeling like the bad guy) → The hidden synergy between home inspection and pest control and how to turn one into recurring revenue for the other → Practical ways to build a vulnerability-based culture where your team actually owns their mistakes → The reality of “whatever it takes” vs burning out your team and your family → Why your spouse/partner and inner circle can become either your ceiling, or your superpower Want to learn more about PEB? Check out the links below. EmailWebsite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
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