From FIFO to Business Owner | How Jason bought back his independence through Franchising

It's been my best month. The thing that I was worried the most about has become the thing that I actually get a lot of enjoyment out of. It's coming together really well, exciting and looking forward to the rest of the summer. I'm Jason. I'm the local guys, pest control for Glenelg and I operate everywhere, man. It's my first year in business, so I don't say no. Last week I was doing a job up in the Barossa. Yeah, I'm an hour from home right now. I'm really enjoying the independence, the ability to sort of make my own timelines. I could pick my daughter up from school almost every day. Yeah, it's different life to what I was leading, but it's really good now. What were you doing before this? I worked in mining. Did that for 15 odd years. Yeah. So being in the fly in, fly out, it was time for a change. How long were you thinking about the change? About 12 months. I went and sat down with Sean and Renee about six months before I made the decision. And they didn't sugarcoat anything and they gave me a real feeling of confidence. I knew I was getting made redundant. He'd had a similar thing with his work and he got into pest control at a similar stage and I did the same thing. So it was helpful to know that you could come out the other side. Yeah. I was going to ask about the support from Sean. I can call him anytime, ask the dumbest questions and he'll help me through it. And how's the income been? My thing is just before I was heading into winter, I did one week where I like had a really good week. Sean said to me from before, you know, I made 2k in a week. And Sean said to me, before you know it, it'll be 5K. And you can totally see that. And then like this week that I'm doing now is now my biggest week and I can still see way more room for improvement. So I'm stoked. I'm really excited about the next few months. Back to your first few months, was there anything that you were worried, concerned about that turned out to be absolutely no worries at all. I guess my biggest worry, to be honest, before I started, was how I'd handle customers and get along with that because 15 years in mining I didn't need to handle customers. But that has actually been one of the easy parts because I'm a bit of a talker so I can find things to chat to people about. So building those relationships, offering good service, getting reviews Good reviews down. And it's all the little things that don't make money yet but they build. It's just tiny, every tiny little incremental thing and it's really starting to show. Like I'm getting referrals from customers now and people that are more people that I know. Like I've been making videos online and pushing my business via social media and more people that I know from wider friendship groups and things are starting to contact me. So everything's really starting to build and it's fantastic getting those things done that pay dividends now. And what do you love most about a job? I actually think it's become the client relationships. The thing that I was worried the most about has become the thing that I actually get a lot of enjoyment out of is like meeting people and also like seeing their relief and that when you can help them. That's good. Yeah. Mate. The summer's picking up so I'm, you know, some of the pressures coming off and really hitting my straps, you know, like jobs are as I'm learning, I'm streamlining how long it takes me to do jobs and how long it takes me to get ready for jobs. And it's coming together really well. That first winter, it's hard but it's worth it. Things are going really looking up this, this month it's my, it's been my best month without a doubt. So yeah, it's hard in winter. In the first year especially I started in March so I really didn't have any client base built up through winter. So I think it was especially hard for me. At the moment I am just hand over fist with clients. Good. Yeah, really hammering along. The B jobs are absolutely awesome. Right now they probably average out to about one same day leader a day. Like because it's weather dependent. But like yesterday I got five same day leads on bees. So did you take them all? You gotta take them, gotta take them. Can't say no. Addition additional to the jobs I already had booked, my day was planned to finish at midday and I didn't get home till after 6. It was about 6:30 by the time I take the bees to my local beekeeper. About 6:30. It's really good to be able to help out clients as well. That bees can be intimidating. People just want them gone. Like the swarm that I took away that I'm able to take to the beekeeper. The client was terrified so like she gets value. The beekeeper that I take stuff to, he gets value. So. And I get to save some bees Instead of killing things for a change. So I did play with some prices. Yep. Because I know some people who charge a fair bit more. So I looked at that. But they. I lose too many jobs and I can't. I'd rather win the jobs. Yeah. So is that something you've learned over the last year or so, just to be able to reprice yourself accordingly? Really? In the last few months, like I said, it changes when I'm. When I'm busy. Like if I'm squeezing a job in and I'm doing it for the base price, then I don't feel like I'm doing value. And sometimes you can get value for myself. And one of the things that I'm focused on is making sure, like I bring the customer a lot of value. Like I bring more value than what I charge the customer. So making sure that I get the value for me as well. Like I'm valuable too. Yeah. And that's, that's one of the things, especially in the early part of working for myself, that I really struggled with. And I actually got some help with that. Sean set up some business coaching for us and I took advantage of that. And the business coach was really, really, really focused on that type of thing. Apparently it's very common for people starting up in business for themselves to sort of struggle with that concept. I'm not the first one. So he's very hot on sales as well. Like following up with customers. He recommended that you follow up with a lead six times. And I was like, six times. Like, I only call people twice. And like if they're not, if they don't get back to me, then they're not interested. And he's like, no, six times. It's kind of like, be a bit more dogged. So I've taken that on board a little more and it comes back to that, oh, I'm bringing value to my customers. So they want me to call, you know, they've reached out, they're waiting for my call type of mentality rather than they know where to find me if they want me. So the ways that I bring the value is like the warranties that we offer. Like this job today, external spray comes with a three month warranty. So if they get spider activity or insects crawling and things like that, then we come back and sort it out and it's no questions asked. And I will say to my clients, I'd rather them call me if they were worried than worry and not call me and then have it be a problem. Because I've noticed that people often are reluctant to call. So I really push that side of things because that's where that's the type of thing that I think separates us a little bit from a lot of our competition is the competitive advantage we've got is we're a business owner and we stand by our work and so we want to do it right the first time so we don't have to come back. Yeah, cool. All right. I got the keys for some mice.

Pool in the carbon, but other than that.

All right. Do you have any pets?

Yeah, we have a doggy.

You have a dog? Okay.

She's not here today, she's on the daycare.

Yeah. Cool. But I'll use baits that are safer for the dog. So. Yeah, no worries. Just changes what I use. I might put some in the kitchen for you.

So there's one here. There used to be one here as.

Well, but I think it's gone single. Okay.

Yeah, I moved the stuff around a bit.

So. So what are we doing here, Jason? So it's just a rodent job. This is a past client for Nathan, one of the other local guys. So it's closer to me. So I'm just helping him out with this one. So we're just going around finding some of the old stations, going to reuse them and then get into the ceiling and treat for rodents. There's just some evidence they're coming down into the house into some of the hallway cupboards. So these ones have been gnawed out a little bit and there's a nice fat red back spider in there. So how many base stations are we chucking in? I'll put in a couple of two extra for her. So I'll put one in the kitchen. I'll put one, I'll replace the one outside that she said has been lost. For a house this size, I'll do about six in the roof. And this is just a one time treatment. Normally come back in a week and treat again. So you go around and inspect all the stations and see where the activity is the highest. So the one offs are very effective but we don't do a warranty for them because a bit tricky. But today because I'm seeing the signs of the spiders, I'll offer to come back in a week, do the spider treatment, the additional rodent inspection for free. Now offer that warranty as well. And I package it all together, talking about earlier, adding as much value to the customer as we can. So just bringing that extra layer of this treatment and then, hey, you'll get the warranty on the spiders as well. Jason, what does a typical day look like for you? Get up early in the morning. I'm an early riser and I do my best work early. And I'll do that my admin pro from the day before, like my reporting payments and things like that. So I'll do that typically before breakfast, make myself a coffee and just sit down and do that. I'll go for a walk typically on a weekday. I'll drop my daughter at school and then I'll head to my first job. Can usually get two or three jobs booked in for a day, which I try to do early because then on a day like today, this afternoon, I'll be explaining, expecting some same day B service calls to come in. And I'll usually finish off with a few of them in the evening and then get home, take the dog for a walk, cook some dinner, get to bed and get to bed early so I can wake up early and do it all again. And that's my good days, that's what I aim for every day. And then sometimes you can't book those early jobs in. So I'll do the things like catch up on admin. I'll make my service calls on those days. Yeah, just try and build my business so I have more days where I don't have to do those things because they're the things I dread, to be honest. It's like service calls and cold calling and trying to promote myself. I think you're doing a great job with the social media and everything. Yeah. You get good reviews, mate. Yeah, I try. That's, that's one thing I'm, I'm good at. I'm good at getting the good reviews and just building those customer relationships of the customers that I, I win. I'm good at keeping. I think, I think part of that is that like I genuinely have a desire to add value and to give them the best value for the, for their money. So I think that matters. Oh yeah. Okay. I just noticed that you've got quite a few signs of spiders around and it's really good time of year to treat them. Like one of those rodent boxes actually had a red back in there. So what I wanted to offer you was this treatment. So one time treatment so you don't get a warranty on the rodents. But if you booked a general pest control service with me in a week's time, I'll come back and I'll do that for you and then I'll do the second treatment on the rodents. I'll give you the rodent warranty of.

Six months or the January one.

It's 260 if we just do outside and 330 if we do outside and inside.

Yeah, I think I'll do inside, outside as well.

Inside and outside.

So in a week's time. Yeah, I'm free on Friday. I'm on Friday. Other days I'm working.

Yeah, the, just the, the thing with the general pest is just need to. Especially if I do inside, everyone will need to vacate for two hours. Oh, okay. That's fine.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, no. Cool. Well, it's safe for the dog once it's dry. The dog. So while I'm here spraying, the dog needs to go as well.

I can put her in a daycare. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that sounds good.

Yeah. Cool.

Yeah, Lovely.

Right. Thanks, Matt. So. So that's how you do it. So I just like, essentially booked myself another job for next week and I added another $160 worth of value to the client for. For nothing by adding that warranty and coming back and doing that. So, yeah, works well. One of the reasons I really like to use these baits is they're a pasta based formula. So they, the rodents really love to get into them and there's no wax or anything involved with them, so they're highly attractive. It's one of the key things with rodents is bait shyness. The more tasty a bait is, then the better for them. It's easier for them to overcome that shyness. Jason, you've been in the business a year now or you're still in your first year. Yes, in the first year. What have you learned and what sort of advice can you give to those who are in their first month? In your first month, try as much as you can to learn from other people's mistakes. Because one of the hardest things is you get given advice. But the advice, you know, it's good advice and you're not dismissing it. But you don't understand enough yet to really know what it means. Sometimes you still have to learn. Try as best you can not to learn the hard way, because everything everyone tells you is, well, meaning. What have you learned the hard way? I guess starting when I started, everyone told me, start in summer. But at the same time, for me that was just a timing issue. So I started when I was ready to start and that was better than not. So I just used that time to try to do all the little things that while they're not making me money, were trying to set me up. Because success now, like get my systems right so that now that when I'm busy I can, I can just be hitting the ground running. Tell us about the job. You know, which jobs you like the most. Which. Which jobs are a bit more difficult. Bees, I think, are my favorite. Bread and butter is a general pest. The trickiest problem solving ones are the cockroaches, the bed bugs and the possums. Really possums, because they're so. Every possum is unique. They have very different personalities. You really do need to put your detective hats on for them. And some people really thrive on that and enjoy that. You came into this with no business background? No, none as a franchise. If. And I know for me, coming in with no business background personally, but I had a partner who started a business from scratch and I know how much she put into it and how they had to build their systems and learn from their mistakes. And I think one of the things coming in as a franchise was that I do have an appreciation for the ready made systems that Sean and Renee have in place for us that we don't even have to think about. When you're looking at the value that you get for your franchise fees and things like that long term, that's where that is. Like there's a whole team of people in that office that are ready to help. Somebody has taken the time to put in the work and is ongoing managing those systems behind the scenes. Even though I didn't personally have the business experience, I've seen enough to know how much work that is that I don't have to do. Holding yourself accountable to those things that in the early days feel like work for nothing, but really you are. It's money in the bank for the future. And I regret that I didn't do that as well as I should have because the payoff, the gratification wasn't instant enough. You really need to understand at that point and in the first six months that that's what you're doing.