EVERYTHING You Need To Know About Our Pest Control Franchise Opportunity | Webinar 18.11.25

Hi everyone. Thank you for coming. So my name is Sean and this is my wife Renee. So we run the pest control division here at the local guys. To give you a little bit of a rundown on our background as Shannon touched on earlier, I did work for Holden once upon a time before being made redundant. And my wife and I had three young boys and we had a decision to make what we were going to do next. And the thing that really stood out to me was I didn't want my fate to be left up to anyone else. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny from here on out. So if I was going to lose a job or fail, there was going to be off the back of my own efforts. So this is why I decided to look to start my own business. Now. The reason that I decided to get into pest control. Pest control really appealed to me in regards to the fact that I was used to working in a factory. Pest control, a lot of it's outside. So that's another one thing that appealed to me about pest control. The second one was the mundaneness of working in a factory. I could not deal with that anymore. I did not want to do the same thing over and over again. And pest control is definitely not that. It is different each and every day, each and every service, dealing with different people, building different relationships, problem solving. No, no two days are pretty much the same, which is really good for the mind. I suppose it keeps you. You're busy and, and wanting to get out there and continue to work, which is what I love about pest control. The other thing that Renee will touch on a little bit is about the profit margins. So really high profit margins in pest control in regards to it only costs you a little bit of chemical product in regards to what you can charge per service, so you can actually make quite a good amount of money. And then the biggest thing for me being having three young kids, a young family was the work life balance. The work life balance is the biggest, the biggest draw card for me. Being able to be my owner, boss, choose my own hours, go to the kids, sporting training, going to their assemblies at school, all the little things that I never used to be able to do. I don't miss any of them anymore, which I know that they love and I absolutely love. I think I've covered it all. If I think dawn, just one, one.

Last one, I've got one for you. Because I think it doesn't get spoken about enough. But I would say pest control probably over all of our division is the one where I think the customer satisfaction is probably one of the highest. Like they've got a massive problem where it might be a kid's birthday and they get a swarm of bees coming in or whatever. I know, like, there's some of our favorite calls that we get through. I know. I see. I get a text message, every lead that comes in after hours and there'll be someone who's like out in the street crying. Cause they've seen a spider in the house at like 2am and they're asking for us to go there and you know, basically take a flamethrower to the. To the thing. Can you talk about that maybe quickly? Because I just feel like that's a massive thing. Like you're really providing a genuine, like, service that people just. You're like the superhero.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So you can call a superman if you like. No, definitely. You're right. We help people have problems. That's the reason that you're getting a call. To be able to go out and solve those problems for them. There's been many occasions where I've done a job that the client has tried to solve it themselves, Spent a lot of money trying to solve it themselves, giving us a call, come out and fixed it and said, I wish I just called you from day one. And then not only that, the building those relationships. Like I've been doing pest control for over 10 years now. I still got some clients that I still service today, have that relationship with them where they actually buy me Christmas presents every year. So it's really rewarding building those relationships, talking to different people, talking about that, the footy on the weekend, whatever it may be, it's really, really rewarding. And I guess what it is a little bit different than some of the other divisions that we have with pest control. We do have that diversity in regards to commercial and residential. So you are getting a wide range of services dealing with different people where we can work longer hours if you like, if you wish to. Where a lot of other divisions can just be that. That Monday night to 5 o' clock type thing. So there's a little bit more flexibility in regards to pest control as well. I'll get Renee to touch on. On the costings and a bit of that information.

Yeah.

Hey, guys.

So in regards to pest control, like Ruby has explained as well, we do have a startup pack. We do help to get you guys trained and licensed, so no experience is required. We go through everything from start to finish. The main guy here is your number one support person. I swear, all the guys have got him on speed dial to ask any anytime support wise. We also do have lots of videos with extra provided service information for yourself. So when you're out and you need that quick piece of information, easily accessible, all the guys are in great support. We've created a great family with everybody. We also personally touch base with every single franchise partner, check in, talk about their family, make sure that they're going great with their business included with pest control, we do provide you your backpack, sprayer, opening stock chemicals, PPE equipment, marketing material.

The list is on and on the same as Ruby's explained.

I will make sure to forward you information this via email as well so it will go through that for yourself. Like I said, it's great. I've watched Sean grow his business. Amazing. The guys are all absolutely killing it with everything that they're doing and they cannot speak highly enough of all the support that they get. And all their customers are feeling extremely valued from them.

Just one quick thing that I will touch on in regards to the profit margin, just to give you a rough idea. For a general pest treatment, we use a chemical that cost us around about $100 for a 5 litre bottle. Average transaction for one of those services is about $260. So that $100 bottle can then generate around about $12,000 worth of revenue. So it gives you an idea of the profit margin.

Now there are a couple of things that all of our opportunities do provide. So I'll run through a little bit about that also to kind of make Sean and Renee's life a little bit easier when they run through things too. So for all of our opportun to come into this with any sort of experience, we don't expect you to, to be quite honest. So we're quite happy to train you, teach you everything you know from the ground up. And all of the training we do provide is super thorough as well because we will literally run through every single aspect of running the business because we want you guys to leave feeling confident and really comfortable about everything that you have learned. So of course you can hit the ground running and get out there and start making some money and utilizing all the skills that you've just learned as well. We also offer a turnover guarantee. So a lot of you guys, if you have been doing any sort of research on the local guys and the sort of opportunities that we do have and that's your safety net. Like we know starting up a business is hard, we know it's daunting and we know that sometimes it can Be tricky to get your feet off the ground. So we really wanted to make sure we could provide that peace of mind for new people coming into the business so that they know that they're not going to be out of pocket at the end of the day. A huge bonus I think we have as well in terms of how our business model runs is the flat fees that we do have for our ongoing fees that we do charge to, which just means, and Shannon covers this a lot later as well in terms of how it works. But really your fees aren't increasing just because your income does with a flat rate model. So we're not taking a percentage. So it means more work you do, more money that's in your pocket, which is always great. And then of course, the ongoing support that we do provide. So we want to make sure that not only while you're making the decision that you feel really supported, but once you go live and you're in your second or third year of business as well, you know you have a shoulder to lean on. So our support consultants, they check in really frequently, especially in early days. So you get a weekly check in for your first month and then usually monthly after that as well. They'll follow up with you. We'll do scorecard meetings. They're essentially business coaching sessions and they happen about every three months as well. And they're designed, of course, to make sure we can help you thrive within your business and make sure that you can grow at a pace that works best for you. And then of course, we also do franchise partner meetings as well so that you can interact with all the other franchise partners. It allows us to keep you up to date and everything that's happening as well, to kind of make sure that we're all working together and one big old family, which is what the kind of goal is here.

Now, what's included in your franchise? So these are a couple of generalized things just purely because obviously, as each of the guys mentioned, every single pack that you get with all of the franchises will basically set you up from the get go that you don't really need to go out and do too much. It's enough to get you stuff. A couple of things that you do get as well is obviously a bit of marketing and software. So we have our centrally managed websites, so we put all of our information and resources into there. Obviously you will have the ability to gain a bit of traction from that obviously with the leads that come through the support center, use of our IP and business name online marketing. So our SEO and our Google AdWords would run for your business as well. And our online CRM which makes invoicing easy. So we have a platform that we use for your invoicing, your scheduling, your quoting, your everything. It's all in one place. So it's all in there. And that basically runs your life, which is wonderful training as well. So you have infield and office training. So if you have infield either in here or in New Zealand, you'll be stuck with me or Jared and then Sean as well and Renee. They do pop up in there too. And we will go through everything, the ins and the outs, the ups, the downs. We go through the yeses, the nos, anything from admin to operations to marketing to gosh, what else do we go through? We go through pretty much anything and everything that you would need and then we send you out on site with real franchise partners on real jobs. Because I know as much as I love the classroom stuff because I am the one that teaches it, the fun stuff, the hands on, we do send you on that afterwards as well so you can go out and actually learn with people how to do the, the services that you're going to be completing. So you go out on real jobs, whether you're, you know, installing rat traps or you know, tag and testing or cleaning something, you're out there in real case scenarios so that you can see it before you do it. Licensing as well is a big thing. So if you're in pest control and test and tag, we will walk you through that process, get that all set up for you so that when you are in training or when you are up and running, it's all done and ready to go. The franchise operations manual as well is one that I spend a lot of my time on, which is basically that device in your pocket that you can use for all those videos and photos of anything that you need that's constantly updated as well. The whole team basically contributes to that and makes sure that that's up to date. So there's heaps involved in that as well. Sign writings will kit your vehicle out so it looks really nice and Schmidt like this one here, uniforms, PPE will make you look like one of us. All the startup. All the marketing materials, we'll get access to supplies as well and then ongoing support as well is there for you as well. And then fleet pricing. So if you're getting a new car, which is one of the fun parts, if you do get a new car and you are looking at kind of getting something, we can organize some fleet pricing for you, which I know RJ and Sean and Damian know all about, so they can flip you some information if that is something that you're looking at doing. And then fees, where's all that money? So one thing a lot of people obviously want to know is when you're doing your due diligence, and I know a lot of you are probably in that stage where you're looking at a whole bunch of different franchises right now. And that is excellent. That is what we want you to do. And one thing to keep in mind is just the way that royalties work. A lot of the franchises that we see out there do have percentage based royalties. What that basically means for you is the more you earn, the bigger a cut that comes out of it because they will take a percentage of your overall earnings. So when you're in the early days and you're not earning as much because you're building the business, it might look really great. But then when you know you're a couple of years in and you've built this really, really great asset, a quite a chunk of your portion of revenue will come out of that. So just keep that in mind. And because that is a very big thing that people forget in the early days. But then when it's three, three years in and you know they've built something cool, you realize kind of how much it takes out of it. Flat fee realtors as well, which is what we run off. It's the same every single time. So you know exactly what's coming out of your business. Doesn't matter whether you're one year in, two you're in, three years in, that doesn't change. So basically we will always charge the flat fee method. So you can maximize your income to be whatever you want it to be. We know that with the cut that we take in terms of the flat fee, it'll cover what we need it to cover and then the rest is yours. So we don't do anything like that. And one thing I do want to mention with this as well, just while I'm on this topic, a lot of your percentage based companies as well. One thing to consider is that I have seen pop up a lot through people in this stage with questions that they've asked. And we also don't touch any of the payments that come through from your customers either. They go straight to you as well. I know a lot of franchise companies out there. The customer pays the franchise and then the franchise pays you. We don't do that. Your customer pays you directly to your bank. And then we just debit your invoice basically for your royalties at the end of the month.

So.

So, yeah, another big thing to consider because there's not that middleman kind of looking at the funds or taking the funds in the meantime. That payment, as soon as that customer pays it, that hits your bank account and straight at you. But I'm going to show you a bit of a case study just so you know exactly what it looks like. So this is my Jack and Ben cleaning franchise case study. So they're Both paying A$500 a month flat fee for Jack. Sorry. And then Ben pays 12% of his turnover. So just to show you kind of what that looks like. So for the local guys, in the first year, it would be 8,700 in fees and the other franchise would be 6,000. With that percentage, obviously this looks really great because you're like, oh, a little bit less. However, when it starts compounding, that's when you really start seeing the changes. So in year five, once that's kind of built up and you know you've built something great and you're like, cool, I've got this great business. I'm earning this money. Then you get hit with a bill. Our bill will only ever be the flat. So it just keeps, you know, going. Same flat fee every single time. However, these other franchises starts to really kind of kick in and kick up. So, you know, that's already 13 extra K there, and that's already 27 extra K there. So it really does make a difference in the long run and you'll start to see it kind of build through. So you just need to think about setting yourself up for success. And further down the line, lead fees is another one that we're going to talk about as well. So obviously we've talked a little bit about leads and lead fees in general, but anyway. But that is basically the payment that you make. Every lead that comes through the support center as well basically just covers the cost of advertising and processing for us and turning that into a customer for you. One of the big things for us to remember, for you to remember is one small lead fee can really turn into massive revenue. So you might be paying 20 to $40 for a lead, let's say, and then that could easily be a 2000-5000 job plus. So with us, you pay a lead fee once for a customer, and then that customer is yours for life. We basically, if they come back through the support center and say, hey, you know, I need my pest control done again, we have all their information in our system and then we'll just go, oh yeah, cool, perfect, Sean's your technician, we'll send you straight back to Sean. And then you don't pay again. So you pay once and then that customer is yours basically forever. So you can really turn one tiny little leafy into a massive income because you've got that client as a repeat, you've got that client for, you know, you can upsell, you can do whatever you need to do and you've really got an asset in that one person that you can turn into recurring revenue that well and truly offsets the one little fee that you have to pay. And then marketing fund is another fund that you'll see on your cost breakdowns as well. So with the marketing fund that is essentially your contribution to our marketing and spend. So we spend your marketing funds on SEO which is essentially getting us to the top spots in Google so that when customers are searching, you know, we're right there so that when they do call through, you know, we're getting more of those customers for you in the door and then straight out to you for those leads. Google Ads as well. If you've seen those little ads at the top of the page when you Google anything and it says like small sponsored or paid ad or something like that, that is like a quick fire way to get us right in front of people's minds and you know, get their attention. So we do pay for those as well. Social media, if you've seen us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok now as well, please follow us. And Harvey would definitely want me to plug that. But also it's, we've got a lot of great content on there to catch customers attention. So yeah, definitely something that we can put all of our time into. And then the marketing team, I could never leave this conversation without mentioning them. And it also pays for them as well. So we've got a great team between. We've got content web development, we've got content development in terms of videos and photos. You name it, we've got it. And they spend all of their time with the common goal of just generating leads for our team. So that is a big part of it. And then our royalties. So what do you pay your royalties for? One of the big points of your royalties is really just making sure that we're available for you and your support. So whether it's helping you with those scorecard meetings, it pays for, you know, the team to be in here to do that support for you and be on the phones. And so that's a big part of it. All of our information technology, so systems, processes, making sure that we've got, you know, one step ahead. We just launched this entire test and tag platform that Jared basically completely created from scratch, which is wild. We're just talking about it today. It's made, everyone's on site, testing heaps faster. It's coming pest control and cleaning later on. We are working on this giant project that has just been revolutionary and that has been obviously able. We wouldn't be able to do that without being sat in this office without your royalties, business operations, obviously, lights on the chair that I'm sitting on, being here with you today, anything like that pays for that. And make sure that we can keep doing what we're doing, our ip, our brand, make sure everything is the way that it is that attracts our customers to a reputable brand, a reputable brand like ours. Our operations manual, obviously make sure that we can continue to update it and give you the information that you need to make your life easier on site so you know, you're not out there second guessing yourself. And then, and then another special one is obviously the technical support. So it pays for people like Sean, Damien, Jared. And so that if you do have any technical questions, you know you're stuck. You've got experts here that have lived it, breathed it, they know exactly what they're doing. I've never been able to put a bug past Sean that he hasn't been able to figure out. And Jared constantly knows every electrical thing ever that's ever happened. So we hear it all the time. And if we didn't have them, we'd probably go stir crazy because we just didn't know the answers. But luckily we do. And so they're all there.