Pest Control Franchise vs Independent Business: Pros, Cons & Pricing | Nathan Clark - Pest Perspectives

Hello and welcome to Pest Perspectives episode 27. Leave it already at 27. So that's 26 guests down. It's good to it's good. I didn't think I'll be able to get this many things on the podcast, but so far we're actually booked up to obviously not the week of Pestech because I'm at Pestech, but I'm booked up to the week after and it so this week we have actually something another local person, the last local Pope. Well, closest to us was George and George and his dad from Pest force Northampton. And they're technically they're not that far down the road.

And the closest one I've got to me is now Nathan Clark from Force, Leicestershire, which he's, he is within my area and it's we're all within different. I go 25 miles from Oakham, Bertie. Depends if it's worth it. But yeah, you're very local to me, Nathan, didn't you? You even seen you seen the van the other day, but I weren't in it. Yeah, no, you're skiving, but yeah, no. Dad he's oblivious to anyone. He doesn't know anyone. It's like AI seen. I don't know if you know. Do you know the EM pest control?

He just a bees Elliot. Yeah. I met him the other day so I recommend him for loads of work and I rang him. I said niche for the on the roundabout. He was coming over. I was behind him and he rang me. I said do you want to say hello because I've never met you? So we pulled over at Co-op car park and shook his hand and I met him finally. I'd never met him before that. I got to know him because of the I'm in the British Molecatch's register and he's in it too and that's how I got to know him. He said oh I do B work and that's I've always recommended him ever since the B stuff because it's not something we do.

It's good when you can recommend local people. Yeah it is. And you also don't realise how many pest controllers are actually around you that you don't even know. I know the majority of them I would say I know well there's a couple I probably don't know, but I know most. I'm weird because I I I wave it of a pest controllers in in the van. I can't like that honestly, they must think ever aren't weird though, or I'm taking the meeting. I do. There was this guy in Stamford from a pest control company called health guard.

I won't say hello told about about my podcast. I'm going to get some cards and say listen to my podcast. I promote my podcast. That's what I was doing. It was but he might have listened. He might not have done. But anyway, how are you doing? Yeah, I'm good. Thank you. Keeping busy? That's the main thing. It's not as mental as it was though. Is it still mental for you or is it slowed down slightly? But what's? It's busy, what's has slowed down a little bit with the weather and different bits and bobs, but you know, I've had more.

I will now I've started to see rodent jobs going back a bit more. Yeah, no, I mean, I've had a few rhino, but a rhino Pest management, it's just said. Whereabouts in Leicestershire? You, Nathan. So I'm based at Tilton on the Hill. Oh, you're well. Or not my door. That's not far at all. Tilton on the hill. That's well. It's I was actually born and bred in Oakham. Oh yeah. Yeah. I wasn't. I was born at Leicester. My dad was born in up with him. Actually was born in up with him. He was, but we moved over to Oakham.

But fair enough. Can't say any more than that if you're born and bred there. But yeah, thanks Ryan O Pest Management for for watching. Sorry, carry on. No, no, you are. Go on. Thanks Ryan O Pest Management for watching. He's over in Leicester too, somewhere. Yes, think he's out towards zip stock way if I remember rightly. Yeah, he's been. He's been watching stuff up. I've noticed any like in the post and stuff recently. I have. So are you one of these people that wanted to be in pessimize? Did you fall into it like a lot of people did?

Didn't like like when you left school? Did you know it was a thing? I didn't know. I didn't know about it. No. So going back that age, crikey, it is my things back then was shooting and I wanted to be a mechanic, which that was that never put two and two together or multiple things. And I've done a whole list and yeah, the multitude of jobs in my life. So yeah, it's been. I never really knew about it before A. Lot of people don't, yeah. So how did you land in pest control?

Well, the pest control itself, so how it all come about was and it wait, it is quite a coincidental that it was actually pest force that I spotted at the time, but it would have been 16 or 18 years ago now that I was reading, I think it is the Basque magazine at the time and there's an advert in the back. Become a pest controller cost you this much, become a franchise and so forth. You know, inquired about it and I didn't go through with it because I didn't have the money. That was that simple. I was probably no more than 2020, early 20s sort of age and never thought no more about it from then done gamekeeping, things like that.

Gamekeepers. What kind of what kind of gamekeeper did he do all right? So it is. It was just small, like syndicate shoots, nothing kind of commercial scale, sort of just fell into it really just with the job that I'd done. He also ran shoots, started to get involved and yeah, I ended up doing most of it myself. Reared pheasants from day olds right through to put them into the pen till we hang them up and plucked and that was that OK. So yeah. I'll tell you what, there's been a lot of people on this podcast that have mentioned gamekeeping.

A lot of people have recently. But it's a route. It's a route in it is.

Yeah, obviously you did a bit of pessimizement within the within gamekeeping obviously. Yeah, it's a big part of it. It is a big, big part of it. Yes, you get your rats, but the more so is the more the Land Management side. So your fox is dealing with them. If there is a problem, then you'd have to take care of them and so forth and so forth. Oh, that's, that's coming. A big problem this country. There are. And I think, I think the government needs to educate the public about what's going on. It's I mean.

Around here you don't really get many. The bigger deer, most of them around like the lesson area. It's Montreal. Yeah, but I'll tell you one day, right? We were going down the road. I can't remember where it was. I said to my dad, be careful, boy. We were going down this road and it was on the other side of the fence, right? I wish I'd got a photo. And it was the biggest stag I've ever seen. It's on the opposite side of the edge. It's my dad slowed down a bit. They could just jump, can't they? Luckily it never came out, but this stag massive.

But yeah, you're right. There's mainly monk track around here. It is, to be honest, it is, but but yeah, it's I have seen a lot though. I was there. Wasn't it somewhere near Stamford? And I'd never seen deer in the wild. I mean as in, you know, in the open fields, you know, they call them herds or packs and there was like 20 or 30 of them and I'd never seen them all together running. I thought it was, I've got a video. It was so cool. But people thought I was driving in the videos. My dad was driving.

Oh, I thought it was so cool. I've. Never seen it before. It wouldn't. Be cool if they put they all came out of you. It wouldn't be, but I've never seen it before. Oh yeah. So you take detour by by by deer there. Sorry about that. So then how, how did you jump from gamekeeping then to actually getting into the pest control industry? Did you work for like other companies before you went into passport? No of apart from the gamekeeping side before I took this role on, which is a long story, but before this I was a HGV mechanic so I always had a full time role as well as do doing a bit of the gamekeeping and different bits and bobs.

So I was an HGV heavy goods mechanic before I decided to take the leap and it all just come about where pesos obviously register an interest all them years ago. They've kept me details. I had a bad car accident which wasn't my fault, but things happened. I had a fractured back, fractured collarbone. So I was off a few weeks and GAIL that does all the franchising on take at the time. She just emailed me and as all sat literally more or less in this place different sofa, but Satya hires the kite on codeine.

I thought I'll do that. And it is a sort of point in life where I mean, you'll probably know what I mean when I say this, but you work your ass off for someone else. You work all the hours, you do everything. Yes, you get a benefit of being paid extra, but when you actually sit down and think, well, they gain from it more than you do. So if I was going to do something, it's a sort of a case of, well, I might as well do it for myself and do something that I enjoy. Yeah, I had a shit job for 16 years, shouldn't have stayed there.

And I started to realise that they'd really worked out long things, like they weren't that bothered about. It was certain things that happened that where promotions and stuff I never got. But yeah, I'm the one that used to open the gates and under the case box you can do it yourself. I'm not doing that anymore. But in the end they've they've gone busting now. But yeah, I know exactly what you mean. You think you thought of, but you're not really. Yeah. And you're only benefiting them by you doing that little bit extra.

You only benefit them more than anything else. And that's where it just like it was the sort of a thing of hang on a SEC, well, if I'm going to do it for somebody else, might as well do it for me.

Yeah, that's what I do now. That's that. Good evening, Sean. Thanks for watching. So obviously it's like a like move that question, although you are working for yourself, what made you obviously go with a franchise rather than say build up your own like pest control name and brand, what made you go with that versus versus? It was a thing. So the S Force, it's always been said that we didn't. We want to do it, obviously, but not everyone is able to do it. So you've both of us. So we went down, met with Sean and GAIL, sat down, had the chat and everything else.

And on the way down there's a sort of thing of, well, we want to do this through the franchise, but if we don't, I'll set up on my own. But when you sit down and actually work it out when we was talking, well, you see a lot of it like where people will set up on their own, do the full time job and start up just doing this little bit here and there, just trying to build it up organically like that. Or you can join a franchise which is well known in the sense of that. I mean, now there's within the franchise, I'm sure there's about 90 bands within the franchise on the road.

They do it to people all the time in the sense of they set a business up, they help you, they take you through the motions. And whereas if I do it on my own, I wouldn't have a clue where to start. I don't know, like about your Seos, I haven't got a clue about that. I don't have a clue about Google. And not just that, but it's all the bits that you don't see, like your Rams, all the essential bits that you need. It's already in place with them. So you are hitting the road running without realistically having to get the nitty gritty bits or you not worry about it.

It just makes life a lot easier. And it was literally I finished work on that day, start work that day. That was that. So with that, do you like they don't just take anyone on as a franchise? Do you have to be a fit and they have to like you or they just take any? They won't take anyone on, no. No, no, no, no. It's not for everyone. Whether you're not the right person or whatever, they've not got the right attitude. I don't know, but it's at the end of the day, we've got to, it's got to work both ways with them.

You know, that's, I fairly understand because you've got a, you've obviously got a pest force brand they've built up over the years. They don't want someone to ruin it as well. Yeah, exactly. One of them things protecting your brand as well. But it's nice also knowing that from my side, because yes, I'm building the Pest Force brand in Leicestershire, but they're also protecting that brand that I'm building in Leicestershire and not just letting any Tom, Dick and Harry, so to speak, come and do it and potentially ruin it, not just for me, but for everyone throughout the whole franchise.

Well, that's that's a bad point. That is, have you got like boundaries or areas you can't go into or have you got like how does it work? Yeah. So it's all worked off post codes. When you buy an area, you you're given a set amount of area with so many households, they're your post codes. They're the post codes you serve and that is that. Say like for instance, obviously so say you don't. Do you do beekeeper? Did you do bee removal? Yeah. Oh, you do do bee removal. Yeah, yeah. So. Say for instance, then you didn't do bee removal, right, But you had someone like George or someone down the road, could you get them to do, would they be allowed to come in your your area with your permission or?

Yeah, Yeah, OK. I just wonder. As long as we as long as we give them permission to work in our area, that's absolutely fine. You do get charged from the franchise a Commission fee because you're working out your area. But apart from that, as long as the franchise like myself, franchiser knows that they're working there, yeah. Well, that's, I just thought that's so when you had your gamekeeper and you came into it, were you qualified or did Test Force put you through your qualifications? No. So I wasn't qualified because it wasn't a necessary thing that I needed to do.

Then obviously it is now where so obviously it's a lot different now, but pesos put us through all our training. So when you're on board, it's about 3 weeks of training, so two weeks doing the actual everything else what we need to do. So you go through principles of rodents and insects, so forth, you do all the health and safety. We've got an OP system, so you trained to use that. And then you spend a week out with another franchisee. OK. Oh, is that is that's you, have you had to do this for many new franchisees?

Have you ever had any franchisees come with you or is it for near you? No. And to be honest, there's not many or there isn't a free area around us. I think the closest free area is out towards Birmingham Way. OK. Well, it just proves that the Pest Force brand is popular. It does. Yeah, it's it is growing month from week by week, month by month is growing continuously. No, that's good. I mean that that's a lot of work. Useless as to why you join Pest Force, It's what a lot what Georgia, Georgia and Mark said that's not nice to do with the websites and Google and SEO and all that.

They said that Pass Force sorts all of that out for you. Well, you've got the differences you've seen. So head office is what I would call it. So you've got Damien and Tom, which deal with purely down the marketing side, Damien Moore, Google, Tom Moore, the organic website. But they obviously they do both sides. They're wicked and they just know how to finally tune it all to make it work and make you generate phone calls. But then you've got other people there just dealing with phone calls, not necessarily for us, but just for the jobs that they've got for us, but.

Didn't they give you an option to have the phone call staff as well? Is that an option or is that? No, no. So at the minute, so that is just dealing with their like their accounts. So they've got so many accounts across the country that we serve for them, all phone calls, everything else like that comes through to us directly. Do you answer the phones or I believe you've got your have you got your partner in the business? As well. Yeah, so there's three of us that do it. Myself and Charlotte, my partner, wife, however you want to call her.

She's wicked. I think it's nice. I'd love to get my my wife in the business one day. It just makes life that a little bit easier because at the beginning it was me answering the phone, doing the job and trying to do it all together on my own and it doesn't work. You forget stuff you you don't realise or you miss a phone call. So getting Charlotte to answer the phone for me was like a gob send. So. You are right, that means when it gets busy I've missed calls by 20 seconds and they've already got somebody.

Yeah, yeah, especially whilst isn't it, it's the worst time or even all year round. In fact, as soon as you miss that phone call, that's it. It's a potential lost job. What I find though, you know, if you get repeat business, a lot of people, if you've had them before, not all of them, but a lot of people will wait for you to bring back. Not all, not everyone. We have a lot of customers that comes with us every year for what's nests. They they will wait, but certain paper you're in. But I've I've already I've got a couple of them before because I'll I said, oh, OK, how much were your interest?

Oh, you were achieving it. Wow, book somewhere else now, didn't you? You know. It's like, but we will get off that that. Later we will anyway. I mean, yeah, Well, I mean, we just give an example. We lost a job today just because I couldn't get there quick enough and they rang somebody else and we found out they can get there within 20 minutes.

That's not the fact that we missed a phone call, but it's the fact that someone can get there, attend there in 20 minutes. We actually had a phone call today that someone was, someone was, and we got there in 15 minutes. We did. I don't know if it was the same job. It wasn't in Stanford, was it? No, no, no. This is like towards out towards Northborough to be fair. I thought it was us that like it was literally, you know how you know how you have jobs where someone's having the garden all pulled out and some tree surgeon guy got like stoned five times?

It was a boss nest in a bag. I thought that was, I thought, I thought that was you. Then I thought, but no, no, it wasn't. We went there, but no, it's it, it, it can happen and it's, and they want some, some people just want you there. And then if you can't come there and then. But have you ever had it where you've got a wasp nest and they tell you it's an emergency of my my child or somebody is anaphylaxis and they and you say, OK, I've got a full list, but I can drop everything and charge you this price suddenly.

All right, it's fine, we can wait. Don't forget. That don't. Forget that we're saying I can drop everything, but you have to pay a bit more because I'm coming directly to you. Suddenly it changes from. I think we could wait a bit longer for you to come, wasn't. It happens, sometimes it don't. So there is like a call out charge from self especially at weekends. So there is a call out charge and you soon learn then how serious they are if they want you to come out. Because if they do seriously want me to come out then I will.

And there is a call out charge and if not then it'll be early part of the that week. Exactly. You're right, you're right. Is it because we now with all our boss nests, we now tell people we've got in in the software now that if you have misidentified what it is again, example, you've booked us for Wasness, but you've actually got honey bees, right? I won't treat it, but I will say you've got honey bees and now you've got to pay a call up charge. But we have a lot of that, believe or not, a lot of people can't.

They don't seem to some people, not saying it's their fault, just you've got to. You've got to do that because otherwise it's time out of your day. As I said to people. You're not doing another job, so you've got to. But of often we say if you could send us a photo, a little video, we can identify them through that. But it's the case where where they they say they can't. Yeah, it's quite often what I do is ask for a text message, just send me a picture, whatever, and I'll identify over the text because it's just the easiest thing to do because it just stops that heartache of sorry, but I've got to call, charge, call out, charge.

There's no other way around it. Because it's a lot of the time it's like I've just driven 30 minutes here for basically nothing. We write it in now. So all that it's in there. So we we call it misidentification. And I do recommend the guy for be removed. But I said you've got to pay us this and then and but it's suddenly no, there's no. Oh, I didn't know that. David Askins, thanks for popping in on LinkedIn. You're not on LinkedIn, are you? No. I've been looking for you. Yeah, yeah. Many, many years ago I probably had an account, but no, I don't do it at all to be.

Honest a lot of us pest controls are on it now. I have a lot of posts that my dead animals was the best one that that really kicked off that did. I got invited, invited on the beauties and beasties because of it. I did. That's how that's how I got my invite post it done really well. Good. I'm good. I'm bad. Yeah. So then obviously, you know, you said your partner answers the phone. She got like, has she gone through and got qualifications or she trained enough to understand what what situations?

So the thing was for her to answer the phone, I wanted her fully qualified so she understands from a professional side of and she knows what to talk about and knows how to handle situations that she may come across. My biggest thing is this customer care, and with that it's knowing what I'm going to do is a part of her job. That's that. So it's easier. She does do technical as well, so if I do need to, she does go out and go and do jobs. It just makes life easier. Like you just said, you get a call out and you're the other side of somewhere else.

But absolutely desperate. She's here to help.

A good thing to have, really. It's an extra pair of hands. Does your you say your your daughter helps as? Well, eldest daughter, so she's just left school. Does she actually want to be in the? Does she want to be in the here and there? Sort of, it's sort of a thing of that. She does show an interest into it. She does enjoy it, but she doesn't want to do it as a full time job. I'm not going to force her to do it by all means. I mean, she's just done a GCSEs now. She's going to, so she's done a GCSEs at Catmus, she's going across to Melton Vale to go into sixth form or whatever they call it nowadays.

But she helps me as and when needed. If we got a big job on, she'll be roped in just to speed things up. Yeah, it should be roped in, but she's like, Dad, I want the money, I want the money. Don't worry to get plenty of that you ever do his older ones that it's. True. It's true. Mine are a lot younger. Mine are 10:00 and 7:00 so I've not got. Oh, don't worry. We've we have a household here. So we've got so me and Charlotte, we've got together. I think it's eight years ago now. Nine years ago. So Charlotte had two girls, I've got a lad with my ex and then we've had one together.

So across the all four of them that ranges from a 2 year old up to 16. Oh, if they all want to join the firm Monday, you can have a big firm. Yeah, make my life easier. No, you set me off if I can do it all. It will take some time to work through them all, but yeah, no, it will be good.

So with regards to what, what's the majority? What's the majority of the work that that you do? Is it rats? Is it, is it like what's or have you got something that's speciality? Then have you got like a speciality that you like to do?

I like my I enjoy most jobs to be honest, and it's like bed bugs interest me in a big way. I do enjoy those jobs, but then you look at rat jobs, I seem to get quite a lot that is quite in depth where other people's not solved it or whatever. Sometimes it's like you say other people ain't solved it. It's like I've had jobs where I've recommended a drain survey. That was the last option, but they decided I had it or I had it. I'm not saying who, but I had it recently where somebody, I'm not mentioning names, it's not you obviously where we recommended a drain survey.

I said you need a drain survey. What they did was they rang a different pest control company hold them and they did a drain survey and they said, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It came out. He did everything we did then said at the end you drain survey lady went, so I've just paid you to do exactly what the previous chapter told me to do that I asked for a drain survey. So in the end she got a drain survey company and it was a redundant line, but I was right in the end. I was right in the drain survey.

I need to do it. But a lot of the recommendations I find is a lot of people don't want to pay for the train survey. It's a big problem. You've got a multitude. Aren't you though? You've got you have got some jobs where it is that, but then you have got other jobs where there is just bait truckers and it does happen and no ifs, no buts. And most people are known now because it is coming more well known that drainage issues. And I've even had a job where he's had a train survey by the one and only Davey.

So. Oh, really? Yeah. I mean, that's all I that's the person I use, full stop, is him. And I've gone into it and he's already had three other pest controllers go in. Couldn't solve it or whatever. And I stood there and he's telling me everything. Checked around everywhere, gone inside, gone in the loft. I'm thinking Thomas, just not right. Just didn't feel right. You put in instinct and I said to where's your manhole? I want to have a look down there. And it's like it's just down there because I was stood in the kitchen.

He's buried it an extension. And then when you look at the whole job and you put it all together and everything, Kelsey, your eye on a SEC. So the drains there, the SVPS there, another toilet there. And you think, where you getting the noises all along that back wall? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's exactly it. OK. You need a drain survey, mate. And he looked and I looked at him. I thought, you don't look very surprised, buddy. This is, I'll tell you the truth now, I've already, I've already had it surveyed.

Oh, why didn't you just tell me that beginning? Or just spent an hour and a half of my life listening to yourself, to the issues and everything else, checking around, checking everywhere, and you've already had it done. Yeah, you can have a look at the report. So it gets me the report. I have a look done by Davey. All the diagrams are there with the pictures and everything else like that. And yeah, he just didn't want to believe it. Three of the people have been there, couldn't solve it. He's had a drain survey and the drain survey.

So I was there in November last year and the drain survey was done two years prior to that,

so. There was, so there was so there was drain fault. Oh yeah. So he didn't want to believe that was what was causing the problem. In his head he did. No, in his head, he didn't believe. He didn't want to believe it, even though everyone pointed out to him that I don't know what the other pest control has done. I couldn't honestly tell you, but. That's interesting not to believe in video footage and pictures and graphs and everything. Well, I've learned something there. I've never heard that before.

Did he get the work done in the end? Well, funny enough, the reason why I know the story so well and remember the dates, it's because I've been to him today to set the traps up because the remedy works being done tomorrow morning. So I'll put all the traps in ready for the remedy work to then obviously clear out what is there and then it should be job done. Yeah, that's interesting. That is a long time to resolve an issue. Yeah. I've heard that before, but normally with drain surveys there's that much information there.

They they can't not doubt it. But you've proven me wrong well. It's just the fact he didn't want to believe it. I think you just wanted an easy option. Well, to be fair, if you if you like go on the Internet and or if you believe like water companies not mentioning any names, they alltel you that rats don't live in them, don't live down there.

But so did you you obviously we touched on earlier. Do you do? Do you do a lot of you mentioned EDB removal? Yeah. Do a lot. Do you do all sorts? Ones that are in chimneys and all sorts. Or is it just no? So it's a new thing that I've just started doing this year. Not done many. I've only done 3 up to now. I've got another one this Saturday but it's just something that I've never really done before because I don't have the building experience, whereas I'll wanting to do it. I'd want someone there with me.

They've got the building experience and don't mind bees and I've managed to fall on my feet now and find somebody and fingers crossed in the next few months he'll be my third person fully employed. Nice. That's because I do know that people keep telling me to why don't you need BB removal? I don't like heights, That's my problem. And you have to go up on scaffolds on top of buildings. And I'll be honest, that's my main. My main problem is someone said, just think of the money. Maybe one day, maybe one day.

But there is A, there's a lot of B work out there because I know, I know some people, they're actually fully booked for the book for the rest of the rest of the season for bee bee removal.

It's been quite a good year in the sense of bee swarms this year and what I can gather. I want when the bee swarms happen, I get, I get fed up with the phone calls. I thought, yeah, you've got a swap. I've got Wasps outside and I ain't got bee swarms, I mean. Yeah, there's swarmer Wasps. Yeah. So don't swarm. Oh. And that's been all of a sudden they're allergic to them as well, aren't they? Yeah. And I said just go back, go asleep. High chance that when you wake up in the morning they will be gone.

And most of them are are they're gone. But you do get people that will actually go and move them on themselves. But I just feel why? Why do that when they're just most of them going to own a own a course? Yes, no. So if you've got a swarm on the side of the house, there is beekeepers out there. I will myself or even George would go and collect them. The main reasons being is because if you think fit that swarm sat on the side of the house, if they then move in the morning, come to your house and they end up in your in your loft or in your wall or somewhere in your property.

But if that could have been stopped by someone going to collect the swarm of bees, so then they'll be taken away to an apri, managed, looked after properly and so forth, you'll just save someone else a heartache. Fair. That's a good point. That is, I'll tell you who does that not, not around here, but Martin Belch voucher that's on the MPTA board with me. He, he's part of the BBK Brit BBK. Is that what's called the British Beekeeper Society? And. He does. He's got the British Beekeepers Association.

That's the one I think his local 1 and he he does it very cheap. He goes round and he he moves it. I mean a lot of. Beekeepers will do it for free. But when it comes, it's mostly a lot of it's just to cover his petrol, a lot of it. And he he moves. But there will. Be local. There will be local beekeepers which will just do it for nothing, just because, for the love of bees and they want that swarm for themselves to expand on their aprey. But yeah, it's, it's all interesting. It is. It's we do get tonnes of colds.

It's it's like what, Swans and Wasps? I bet you get it too, don't you? Yeah, yeah, it's always silly. Everyone loves bees. Everyone loves bees until they like, even with like when they're saying, oh, I've got a bee's nest. The biggest sign is when they go got a wasp nest in the chimney. Got a bee's nest that says I've only ever seen one in a chimney and that was in the crack at the bottom of the chimney. So and then in the end they go tell us the truth. All right, It's a beast. It's a beast nest and they they try it because they think you'll just come and spray it.

They do think it's Wasps. And then then I'll just recommend whoever I whoever I do quite often, Elliot, but I'm willing to recommend whoever if they're in the area. But but no, So obviously you don't deal with paperwork you'd you've always done yours through digital. That was mentioned, weren't it? It's all. So has Pest Force got their own software that you can all use or is it? Yeah, yeah. No, it's their own software. So it's their own app then system that you can go onto the Internet. It's quite good where it's a you you want a new feature put in or you recommend something.

Will they? Will they update it or make to look at your feedback? Let's. Say you wanted a certain bait or something adding to it or a new feature. Put it into the software. Would they update it for you if it's? If it's, if it's feasible from, I mean, it's pretty much a basic sort of system the way it works. In a sense for us to use it, so for instance was less you're going to a wasp job, you can select obviously. So we take the bookings straight onto the system, then we allocate them to time and day and so forth.

When we allocate it, they get a text message and an e-mail go through to them saying that we've allocated it and along with that we can now send a device sheet. So just what to expect, what's going to happen, so forth, so forth.

Once you're there, when you've done the treatment, you fill out the report from that. Obviously you've got three basic columns, which is inspection action taken, recommendations below that you've got obviously you message all your Rams and you can do your invoicing through that. If we want stuff adding to an extent of where it's pretext, you just ask them, but it's constantly moving forward. The app is which is quite nice really. It's good to hear. I mean, we're we're still very new to it. We started back in February.

Well, we got the software in November, We started using it properly in February, but we still get, we're still getting there. We're doing it, but it's like with your appointments, do you you give times, How do you do that? Because it's very difficult in pest control to give times isn't? It no, so it's generally AM or PM slot as you well know that first job in the morning, it can go peeped on and that's the whole day rect. So it on the e-mail that's sent out, it does state that this is the time frame, but we'll do our best to stick to it.

But if something does happen, we are sorry basically, but we'll do our best to be with you as quick as possible. Oh, that's. Fair enough. Because you always know that if you give someone a time, you know that first job's going to be Yeah, you just know it. I do get, I get people ringing me throughout the day. Look, I know you don't. I know it's an AM. Do you know a rough time? And I'll say, well look, if it goes to plan, it will be about 11:00 and normally I'm about right, but it's like you just said, it just takes up one simple little thing in the morning that's the whole day that could.

I just, I just wondered how you did it because it's, it's very because of the software we have. It's I've been asking them to, I think they've updated it. I've been asking them to like put AM slots and not a time, but apparently they've updated it because it's hard to give a time difficult because you just don't know. Sometimes I'm far early in the time says the week is in the text messages and it tell an e-mail and it tells them so and so, like I'm on a route. I wish you would say technician is all right.

Calls me an engineer, but engineer is on the way. I'm not an engineer, but that's but that's what we've got. We're still new to it. I think even like I was like going back to my did my, my RSPH level rewarding pest management. I was like, no, no, we're all paper, all paper. Like, you know, Debbie, Debbie Wilson, the one who recommended you, She's probably watching. She's supposed to. Be. I hope so. I did. I did send her a WhatsApp saying Nathan's on tomorrow at half 8. So she did. She did say I'll better TuneIn.

I said well you recommended him, you wanted him on it and I've no, I'm all paper, more paper. I was like, but then a message just says, you ever guess what? Digital now, really, Because I thought it was unaffordable. Basically I thought it was expensive, but it's not. It's not as expensive. Many years ago my dad said it was. You had to have so many operators, except you don't know it is affordable. It's a lot easier. It's made my dad's life easier because he said to me it's much easier because on the tablet as well, you can talk if you don't want to type it.

It's used to your voice. You can actually torch the tablet. It types it out for you if you want to as well you can. So he likes it from the perspective of it's made his life easier with paperwork. And obviously when your tablet gets used to writing certain words out certain things, it kind of, it sometimes can predict what you're going to write, but not all the time obviously, because not everything is the same. But in general, I'd say digital report, it's made everything much easier until system goes down and you're a bit up.

It's only been down once. Only happened once as. But it's the same with anything nowadays. Everything, everything is moving the same way. And do you look at multiple things, you have a power cut. You can't do 99% of this stuff like for us with our Internet through Starlink. And then obviously we had the styling count issue of the week where we didn't have nothing the first time ever. But we rely on that for our that, we rely on that for our phone signal. So is that because where you live they haven't got fibre yet?

It, it, it's, it's more to the fact of where we live, we haven't got a decent Internet signal, but we haven't also got a phone signal. So our phone signal here because we're not in tilting itself, we're more down the hill towards. Melbourne down the hill with the with the Manor gates and the Lamborghinis. I wish we are down a single track dirt Rd don't worry about that. But no, it it's it was too unreliable in trying to run a business. You are right. Obviously signal. We need phone signal and I'm trying to answer phone calls or missing phone calls.

And yeah, it was just in the end it was just easier to get a Starlink because it gives us the Internet, but it also because our phone network will do Wi-Fi calling. It just works on the phone calls as well. So does Starlink work well then for you? Does it? Work. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Really, really well. We get speed wise up to about 300 megabytes. Wise 500 up and down, but obviously as you know, it's not always that fast. We only used to get to 5 before. But.

We couldn't even watch TV. That was that. Yeah, I can't see now. I can't think of going back to it's all. It's all of our TV in our house. We always watched Netflix, etcetera. Yeah. When our Internet goes out, none of us know what to do. I'd better read a book then. Exactly. Yeah, there's no such thing as books when you think about it now, because what do you do? You read books on your tablet, you've got like your Kindle and things like that. I have actually got books though, physical books as well, but.

What you can read? I can read. Yeah, I can read. I know it's hard to it's hard to believe I write an article. I can read.

Got an article coming out soon as and the MPTA, yeah, MPTA newsletter out Thursday about my fitness, my fitness journey, relating it to pest control. I always share it with everyone when, when it's out. Yeah. I'm sure you will. No, you make sure you share it to me. I'll give it a read. Well, don't get me, it's not me, I'm not APT. I'm just sharing my experience on how I was nearly 30 stone, you see, and I've lost like 88 stone I think, and it's revolution. I broke my knee twice, same knee, different parts.

It's made the world difference to my job when people undervalue it. Undervalue mobility in our job. Not saying you do, but in general people. Do I think I'm saying that I'm not a small lad? You're smaller than me.

But when you look at it across the average, I'm not a small lad, I'm 8, I'm 18, near on 19 stone. I would love to be that size at the minute. I'd love to be that, but I'd look a lot more because obviously I do a lot of weight lifting. Yeah, I'll probably look a lot more stacked.

I would. But now I'll share that article when it comes out. Oh, I'm going to mention a thing that in the industry when it's been a bit of controversy and it's been caused a few arguments and all sorts. And I've only mentioned it because the Beauties and Beast is doing a podcast on it on Friday. I'm not going to go have an hour and a half on it, but it's basically about pricing jobs specifically within wasp nests. But you can, you can look at it from any, any job really. Yes, quite often because some people go from money £30 to a few hundred.

I think some of the nationals charge 3 or 400 LB a nest a day. It's like because I know that because there's a certain golf course that every time they get a wasp nest they actually ring us because it's cheaper because their, their provider is the Big R. You'll know who I'm on about the big R and they charge a lot more and we do the wast nest. But then again, I heard a couple of a few years ago I did, I did 2 wast nests for a pub and it's the Big R again. They tried to charge from nearly 2000 lbs for two wast nests.

They rang us. We did it for like what? It's a fraction 20. But at the time, I think we did both nests, £440 back then, three years ago now that was but yeah, but. Yeah. A lot. A lot. Of how you look at it. So there's multiple things I mean, I know me and you have both had the chat before obviously about price and so forth. But what you've got to think of obviously when you sit and think about it, think of what you charged before with FICAM, which it is no doubt the best stuff we'll ever have on the market, but it's gone now.

That's that it's gone. No point dwelling on it. But you've got to sit and think to yourself, OK, so most used product is Vulcan because that's the only real other stuff that most people do use. Obviously there is deadline and so forth and I've been. Testing one I've been testing Deadline and Vulcan I've been. I've been fine so far. I have. But when you sit and think about it, so you now you've got to think to yourself, well, five cams gone, that's the easy cheap route to what it was. So now you've got to think for a different approach.

Well, I've got to price it. Am I going to guarantee the work or you're going to do it price per job. But whichever 1 you do, you've got to stick to where what your costs are. So I guarantee my wasp nest, me personally are there as well. Before. I was £90 for a wasp nest. I've now gone. Since then I've gone fat registered, so that has changed things things. But I'm just moving fat around now for the fat man. So you think about it, I'll go and do that wasp nest and £90 but now I've got to do it twice, potentially not every time, but potential odd chance.

I've got to go twice. You're going to guarantee it. What are you going to? Charge You can't charge £90 you've got. To put your price up. To make it worthwhile, you have because like obviously. You've got all that included, but then you've got things like. You know what? See. One pick one thing. People don't obviously think about within jobs and be fair customers also when you run. The business you've got. Fuel bank insurance bank insurance advertising business like liability materials, PPE, great body costs, all you know workflows, mobile phone everything is all thrown into the price and a lot of people don't don't think about them considerations.

What would you do with what? What would you do with the? Wasp nest that you've just treated and removed. I do. I've never. Removed one. So if you. Remove one if you. Think about it, you've just used an insecticide. It's hazardous waste. This you got. I just can't. I've never actually physically removed.

Then you start to break your cost down, like you say, like that. So I'm going to be quite open. I charge £120 plus fat for what's less. Now you divide that by two. That's £60 per treatment potentially. Oh yeah, there's not a lot. No, it's not but. Obviously, what happens if it's bigger than you're expecting? You have to do a third. It's not happened yet, but I've guaranteed. That so. What do you do? Do you like? Have you got, because we've got a policy now on this. We actually make the clients send a video of them going in and out of the Watts Nest area because what we find is people this year seem to think that when you've got a wasp nest and you've killed it that you will never see a wasp again.

Yeah, no. So that's all in our paperwork. The video has been quite good because. Like you can't get a video. Oh well, it's only every now and then it says no. It needs to be constantly in and out, in and out of where it was. Otherwise it's not. And it's us saying that it's cut down callbacks because people, some people seem to think that if it's a big year for us, you're still going to get lost in your garden regardless. You're going to yeah, you are. So that's. Stopped a lot of. People. Calling today I've only I've only had.

The one when I've gone back and there was no activity, you think it's people think you haven't got. Their money's worth. Sometimes I do I have a feeling, but sometimes no, because it's not It's not. Just I think a lot of it is that the product that we we're now using is just took that slightly bit longer to to work its way through the nest. As you well know, you're if you blow that dust into an area is a lot of the time it's pot shop. So you don't you're just going in on to where they're going in.

But like obviously Sean caught up a video a while ago, obviously with a thermal camera. Well, his is coming in here, but the water less is over here. Well, as you well know, if you blow dust there, you're not going to be able to hit that Vulcan. Doesn't seem to pick. Up on Wasps as well as what Ficam did. So it just I think it was just a case of it took a lot longer to actually spread through the nest to actually to kill them all off. I've heard some people say that they tell. People give it a week and then let us know, but in general, what more about the people that I've had, but they've said it is still there.

They weren't going in the. Hole, I'm saying there. Were people that were I've also had it recently. It was a bit weird where I had a wasp nest and it it worked. So we went back and it was like a flight. Path of wasp going past. But they kept going outside of where the wasp nest was or outside but not going in the building and then buckling off. It was really strange. And they weren't going in. They've just. Yeah, but they've. Got a flight? Line haven't they somewhere going for food? And this year I've found even they've hit the sweet stuff quite early on and aphids have been quite bad this year and they've been feeding off the sweet stuff.

And a lot of that side is just the management side of their expectations we had recently on the. Where this lady thought she had a was nest, but what would she have? Was and she was throwing. The Wasps were dropping down into into the Bush we got. Got the suit on, have a. Look and we don't want dad. Dad went to have a look and what he. What? He opened it. Up and what was happening was there was no wasp nest in there. They were attacking the aphids. They were going in there and it was. A sweet spot.

For them. So we just sold the lady a wasp bang pretty much help help the situation. There's nothing more you, nothing more you could do in that situation. Because it wasn't a wasp nest. No, he was. Right. I mean generally. You tend to look for a hole they're dropping into and there was, they made a hole at the top, but they're all dropping in and they were going for the aphids. That's what they're after. Yeah, no, I've had that a few times already this year. I use wasp bags with the lore syrup, whatever you want to call it.

Is it wasp bags they can't get out of? Yeah, good. I've seen them yellow pots. I can get out of them. Yeah, I've got them. As well, to be fair. I've had quite good success with them Yeah, within like the matter of a day. It's full. Oh, right. So you've. Got to do it quite quickly. Because a lot of them escape. I've seen it where they just act as feeding stations and they get out. The majority of them escape. Assuming it's a lot down to how much. Liquid you put in, if they're getting back out potentially, I don't know, probably you know what.

You're doing, obviously, I wouldn't say that. But it. You just do it. Don't you? I don't really sit there and watch them and watch them come back out again. I set them up, obviously set it up for them and off we go. That's that. Well, that's fair. I mean. Well, we just do the wasp bane we've got what we just do. Set up 4 four places now, clubs, cricket clubs I've got Yeah I. Use I will use a wasp bane for contracts anything like say general public as. Such or your. Residential work I'll use wasp bags or pots, just depends on what I got on the van at the time.

But purely down to the fact of the cost of the bags. The cheap enough they're easy throw away, whereas obviously a wasp banner of serviceable item. So I'll use that more on a contract side. So I'll put them up year one, but they're not can serve some year on year on year.

But no, actually we're talking about cost. It's all, it's all, it's all included, isn't it? You are right in. What you. Say with the new chemicals, now you've got to go back two times or three times, and with the third time you've lost money anyway, you've lost, you've made them, you've made them think because they're not always accessible. We. Have got a thermal we've. Got not. I wouldn't imagine it's as good as Shawn. He he just be removed. We've got a thermal, probably £200 but you can't. You would be able to see where they are.

You would, but I haven't had. Any difficult ones yet? Yet a lot of the ones I've dealt with. And there's not been many where I've been able to get all close and personal. They've always been right down in the eaves. That's probably the worst. Ones where you have to. Get physically down into the eaves, obviously up close with them. A lot of them this year for me have been in the cavities.

Yeah, I mean the vast lot. Cavities, yeah, it seems to be popular spot this year because not had as many in roof. Tiles this year. Because as compared to previous years, there's been, yeah, I'd say thinking of it, the vast majority I've been in cavity as opposed to roof tiles I've. Normally as the season. Goes on. They get higher and higher and higher, don't they? More. Yeah, they haven't yet. They haven't. I'll probably jinx myself.

Get yourself in them lofts. Only if I have to. Only if I have to. Well, it's one way to lose weight. Especially with the temperatures we've been having, spend half hour in there, it'd be like it'd be better than a sauna. Oh yeah, yeah. You're. Right, but no, it's.

It's it's a thing like obviously it, it's obviously down to the company how much they want to charge. There's no rule for What's that? How much you charge? But you are right. But you know that. But it's possible, isn't it? It's like for. Yourself you don't have. So for instance, the one biggest difference between you and myself, I've got franchise fees to pay. Yes, they're not a big massive amount a month, but we still have to pay a franchise fee. So there's one thing straight away and it's the area you cover.

You may be able to do it a lot cheaper than what I can, depends on the van. You've got fuel costs and things like that. So you've got to take everything into account. There's a whole list of things that that people don't. Think about yeah, I mean, it's people in Melton. It's people. In Melton that will do it for like £30. Not seen them. Yet I've seen. Oh, there's plenty of lawn care company that keeps doing them. Yeah. No, no, no, no, I've seen. Him as well. He's he's down that way, but I don't think he's that cheap.

I'm not sure though, but I've not heard that that. Cheap though, Yeah, yeah, yeah. All the time. But at the end of the day is another way you can look at it if you look at it on a money side. OK, so he does it for £30, I'd do it for 120.

So you look at it, he's going to do 4 wasp nest to my wad.

So who's the fool? There you go, I mean.

Exactly. I mean what? You do? I mean, yeah, you're right, it'd take a. Lot to get. Up to to to your one. And imagine you're 10.

Wasn't it what we in business? For Make Money it's not we're not a charity. There's. Too many there is too. There is too many charities out there for you've got to know. The problem is you've. You've got too many people that don't realise the cost of stuff and they're just making a living if that. It would surprise me if they don't. Some jobs that may do and others that won't. You just obviously everyone's circumstances are different, don't get me wrong. But as we break it down, so being a part of a franchise, we've got tools and everything around us for us to be able to work out our hourly costs to what it costs for us to get the van moving and so forth and so forth.

So we know, we have to know that what that cost is and someone like yourself. Do you know what your hourly? Rate at what cost is for an hour time as a running cost does everybody, I wouldn't say everybody, yes, but. It's like when you have like when you have like obviously I do mole jobs as well and we're not, I wouldn't say for mole work we're the cheapest, but I wouldn't, I don't know if they're the most expensive, but like when you get people tell you, oh, you're only here for 15 minutes every time you come, I solved your job.

I've solved your problem like. Anyone can buy some mole trap. Maybe you can do the job. Is it never matter? Well, yeah, it takes years to. To work out with moles and get the traps put in right. I've only been doing it I I. I started trying. I used to hate mole work because I met a guy called the Scott Nice Laugh on the on the RSPH level 2 or the pest management course and he always told me you've got to get into moles. I can't be arsed. And one day I said to him I want to get into moles and started taking it seriously.

So then I'm actually quite good at doing moles now. I hate it. When you've got sandy ground. And made-up ground, it makes it so difficult because sometimes on them jobs you do lose on moles because it's be a nightmare. But most of the jobs it is, but it's not the. You've got the expertise, but they don't always see that. It's not always because you're not there and out. Yeah, it's not there, not always it's. Yeah, it's not appreciative that it's taken us. So like for me moles, I've been doing it.

Crikey, because it was well over 25. Years over the time, not nowhere near the scale of what I'm doing it now, but going back then it's yeah, I didn't really know, but I got myself through and I just kept getting better and better as time went on. But that's say it's 25 years. Well, that's 25 years of experience learning how to find and obviously do the trapping properly to catch them as quick as possible. I did well, I I cleared the job recently and like within you give them, you give them a week or two, but and if they get any more moles, you don't include it and then you.

Can't you? Can't you? Can't leave it open forever. Can you? Say you ever get your moles again, I'll call them back for. No, you can't do that. Can you? Have to leave that. No, I. Say to people a month, yeah, that's my time. Frame if they get. Another one then yeah, I'll just deal with it.

That is. But yeah, it's all. It's all. I mean, I'm related to me. My dad's, my dad's done it for a long, ever since he started pest control because as you say, the, the way you were talking about the way you start it on the side, that's what my dad did. He he, he was a labourer as a state and he did pest control on the side until he built it up till he, he could leave. And that's what he did. Took him a long time, but that's how he built the business up over time. Whereas you could go in as a franchise and it's a lot like he didn't understand websites even coming to build his site and everything and learning care for him, Yeah.

It's. Utilising what they. Offer and enabled me literally to I had to regard to stop my job to go and do this. But there is no regrets. Yes, there is a massive outlayer at the beginning, but when you type that all into consideration of the yes, that do give you a stock to get you going to do all your training. Thank you if you'd like. Pest equipment, you mean? Yeah. Oh, with it. Always in the face. They don't. The only thing they don't get you is a van, which you have to sort out yourself. But when you break.

It all when you. Break it all down. It is only a basic kit that you get, but it's enough to get you going. That's that and. Yes, my first month was it was quiet compared to what it is now. Crikey, I'll be crying if it was like that now because it was really, really quiet. But within. The month. Six weeks time, it was just like someone just went up to turn the key. Well, you can have the business there dump and it's not stopped. What you want is it's good. It's like there's there's straight. So if anyone of them was listening to this podcast, they now know setting up your own business versus joining a a franchise.

I believe that in the UK pest control companies and the only ones don't they of course don't they? When I looked that was the most the pest force was the most obvious. I've never heard of any of us unless I'm just. No, there's. There's one other that I did find, but there wasn't a lot of information about it. Whereas if you look up Pest Force, they're quite open with a lot of the stuff for what they say. I mean, the biggest thing was for like the Pest Force was a brand, It's we're the most reviewed pest control country in the country.

There's. 20 I think there's. 26,005 Star Reviews within Reviews. I'll tell you now how difficult to get even when you ask. Yeah, I mean, it's like myself in two years. In just over 2. Just no sorry. I've just into my third year now of business. Third year in few months I'm over 250 reviews. Is that is that do after? You finish your work. Do passports automatically send out something to ask for a review or is that something you do? Or do they do automatically? We No, they don't do it. Automatically we have to tick the box.

So we do tick boxes to sort of say, yes, ask for a review, but it doesn't mean. You're going to get a review.

Yeah, and sometimes you can. Get people that like to like to put fake ones. You'll always get it no matter what you do. But the fake ones will be quite obvious, yeah? Yeah, this I hate. It when they get these companies, I have to have the way to go. We can get you XMR. I don't want your fake review business please, says Google is very. Hard to get on. If you mess with Google, they can lose your account. I said I've worked hard to get on 63 reviews. I've only I've only recently started trying again.

I lost the load last year and they were all real. They changed their algorithms or their policies. But I said, you know, I was bad about Google reviews. These companies actually pay. I don't know why you'd risk it. See, we use. We use I think. There's three if obviously, well, there's two main platforms, obviously Google and press pilot. Just this. No trust this. Oh. Trust this. That's what we use. Yeah. Oh, OK. So there the trust. This is the main one for us. I'll look that up. I will. Yeah, I'll look that one up.

But yeah, it's just, it's just people are. It's not worth the risk of getting fake reviews. I'd rather earn a real review and I'll be happy with that. Yeah, if you know how, Google. Google. And these companies are, they know it's something they could just take your account off you. It's gone. We can. It's sort of. Funky words, isn't it? And how? They do things. It's forever. It's forever changing Google because even even the companies do SEM if you. Ask them honestly, say do you understand what's going on?

And they say no. We're just just trying to stay ahead. We're guessing they they don't. There's no. No magic book. I don't say here's the algorithm in one page we've updated. They don't do that, no. I don't understand it personally. Damien deals with that side for us. He's wicked. He, he gets it, he understands it. He knows what we need to do. And if we're not doing it correctly in the sense that we're not responding to reviews or we're not answering the phone enough or whatever it may be, he'll make sure he tells us to what we need to do, to where we need to go to the system from the Google side.

So. Basically, they monitor. Your analytics or calls yeah, so the monitor so. Yeah, there is a lot of things that are traced within the franchise. So for instance, my all the phone calls apart from my mobile, they'll be traced one way or another. e-mail obviously they'll be able to see regardless or whatever, but it's they can analyse stuff. It's not to spy on you, no. It's not to spy. It's far from. It it's so if I went to them and says, oh, I'm really struggling here, I'm losing jobs left, right and centre and I'm not doing enough.

I need more money, I need more business. Or they've got it to where they can help you push you in the right directions so they can look at your phone calls, see what's going on. Well, OK, well, they can listen to the phone calls because they are recorded and so forth. So they can listen to it to see where you're going wrong. Is it my fault? Am I doing something wrong? Or is it just one of them things that happens so they can be able to fine tune it and help you resolve the issue or push your business further as it is in the end?

When went into kind of thing because if you do well, they do well because you all make more money in the end. It's about helping. If you pay that fee, franchise fee, you you get franchise. Franchise fee is fixed. Yeah. So it's fixed rate, so it don't matter what you do. That's that rate. There is other packages, there is packages and things like that to what you can pay for and which I pay for like the marketing package, things like that. So they're always there working on my website and keeping up to date with it all.

Not everyone does, but I do. I have weekly meetings with Tom in the office, just over the phone every Friday, just quick chat. It'll go through the statistics with me, how many phone calls I've had that week or the month, so forth, and he'll be able to give me information. So in fact, I did ask him some information before I come on here. So this year alone I've had over 500 tracked unique phone calls. I've done over 4. 100 visits this year. And yeah, there's it just says on. There that there's over 255 star reviews well is that?

Over the 2. Platforms you're using, yeah, yeah. So that's overall. Yeah. Did that help you? And I recently done a day with them on a business booster day. So sort of like hit this sort of patch where I'm, I'm too busy to a degree. I'm starting to struggle. Well, my next plan was to actually, I can't need a second person. Then you worry about obviously I'm going to pay that second person and so forth, so forth. And then the business boost today, you go down there and there's a group of the Sixers in there and they actually gave us like information, like reports that they've done that just showed a hell of a lot to myself where when you I looked at it personally and looked at it and thought, wow, so they've.

Broke it down to the degree. Of well, that month I got, I don't know, say 100 phone calls, but. I missed. 38% of. The phone calls. Really. But my conversion rate. Of jobs is X percentage and then they worked out how many jobs I've done that month. So that's gives them that percentage, but and then it tells. You at the bottom which? The bit that done me the most is the potential loss sales, working off your average job per price per job. And it's not actually a second person that I needed. Oh. It's actually an admin person.

Oh, OK, so. Hence where Charlotte's come in more. So now, but I still I've now got to take on that second person because the phone call rates are improving, which means more jobs. Well, that's good. That is, it's. But without their help. You won't know that. I want to know I've just. Got myself in a worse situation. Take on a second person and it potentially cost me more money. Yeah, because you've got a like because obviously. When I haven't took nobody on, but I know that when you take another person on, you've got to make sure that they're making well, they're not just you've got to make sure that that extra money's coming in for that second van.

You've got to make X amount of 1000 per year for that van, not just for your, you know, help with the work. The work's got work rates got to go up into it. You've got to make money off the second person. Yeah, there there's a cost. Obviously that that second person is going to be and he's going to have to do X amount a month before it that breaks even. So anything above that figure, then you're into profit. And it's the sort of things that they've helped me work out and go through. They've got things there in place that we can put all the information in to give us the answers that we need to say, oh OK, or I need to do X about 1000 lbs from him a month just to make him pay for himself.

It's good to know that they they. Help you in that, in that way it is, it's, it's a lot more than you think because obviously you wouldn't think that our franchises want to send money. Obviously they they care and they support and they help you. Grow and teach you as well, not just leave you high and dry. Sounds like you get a lot of value in return for what you pay, which is which is good. Without a doubt it it's worth. Its weight in gold. I won't be in the position. So if I go back to the first original question, what, why did I go for a franchise and not start out on my own?

It's sort of. I won't be in the position I'm in now if I would have started. Out myself 2. Years ago because. I can tell you now you want that about many. Reviews. Either, but you don't. You, you don't put all your effort into it, do you? You try as much as possible, but at the end of the day, what's paying the way if if I've done it that way would be my other job. And it's like, you know. You know the difficulties about like even like your websites? Yeah, that's been built. The new one is. Yeah, so it's like things.

Like that would you get a bad person that does it and doesn't put all the correct information in it? I mean, you've just. Spent a lot of money. Doing that while they're doing it, well. If they haven't done. It right? Well, you're going to have to. Spend it again to find. To do it well, to be fair, I mean, it's the company. We first first went with all them years ago. So they've got a very good reputation. So and they were the ones that got us up on the on the Google rank searches or whatever you call them.

So it should that from what they can tell me, it should stay in the same position. Then basically when the site's ready and it's all been approved, just swap and switched it just like that. It's strange. No downtime, Hopefully it. Helps, but we'll we'll see. But no, you are. But don't worry though. Obviously I've got an Oakland page and yes, I do. I get the statistics come through, obviously the placement of my website, sort of like I do of all my other websites. So it's very, very quickly. The Pest Force franchise managed to get my website in Oakland to the second place very quickly.

Well, of course you know that. You know exactly who that is. You just sat there Googling it. Now look, it's me, it sounds to me. Yeah, but type in. Type in pest control Rutland.

Oh, it's my website. Oh. Has it gone back to you? It's gone. See. See. We've also got a site called Rutland Pest Control. So it was on on this search. It's gone Rutland Pest Pest Control Rutland and it's gone Oakland Pest Control. Then it's gone then then it's gone to you. Yeah, the other day when I. Looked, I've got the. When I got the paperwork through the other day it went to one, but I know it flicks up and down all the time. It it it changes, it does. I don't know how many people type that search term in.

I don't know. I don't know to be honest. With you, we've got. Satellite sites. A bunch of yours. Worked like satellite sites for the earliest Yeah, yeah, it will do. Tom will the, I mean the head, our head office will be able to tell me how many times it's searched for and everything else, but it's the things that they do and how good they are at doing it.

They've got to be. They've got to know what they're doing there. Yeah, takes time. We're learning, doesn't it? But. Over the years they've got that them expertise in what to do and I suppose. It's OK that they're always. Trying new things and ways to to make it work and stay up or down the list or whatever. I don't know if I tried that search term tomorrow then again the reckon. If you try it on. Your computer and you've been doing it on your phone a lot that the search results will vary. The reckon you're supposed to put it on a new phone or a new that's got all the cookies wiped out of it and it will be different, Yeah, if you do a private search.

It's more if you do a private search. It's how it is, but. If you do it on your phone, well, it picks up that I am who I am because it will do. If I go on to Google, it knows who I am. It changes it around, but yeah, it does. It does vary. I don't often, so I. Normally just type. Open pest control in but I was checked. I forgot the Google reviews. My new one today if you get them, I'll try, but no, it's it's been fun having you on Nathan. Who would you like to see on the? Podcast then give us some more non pest force.

OK, I'll get I'll get he's getting pest force people on. I would love to see. Matt from Lodi on. All right. There you go, Matt. Nathan wants you on and we can do a non live version if you want.

But yeah, no, I think Matt. Lodi. That'll be a good one because he's not done anything else like that before. No, I can't think of anyone else to be honest. All. Right. Have you had have you had the MPTA on? But what do you mean? I am MPTA as well. Well, yes. Yes you are. No, you're not. The head honcho, I can't think of his name. Oh, Kevin Lawrence. Yeah, that's. Him thank you no, why not so if you're. MPTA then you should be able to get him on quite easily.

I've got a Direct Line to him. Everyone know it Well yeah, I can just bring him whatever, but I will try I. Will. There's your challenge then I will. Try.

But but yeah, no, it's been fun. Have you? Have you liked coming on the podcast? Yes mate, it's been good. Very, very good. Been very. Is this your first? Podcast, I know you, you've also done you've been on the Lodi channel, I think. Yeah, I seen your video ages ago. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's first podcast. I've done videos. Before so I've. Done videos with S course I've done my own videos of little bits of snippets of my life as such and as you do throughout the. Day and I'll try and. Make it with like as much information as possible to the end user away from that, No.

Never been on a podcast ever. Well. At least I've beat peas and beasties. I'd like to beat. I'd like to beat. Them. But yeah, no, thanks for coming on. And Debbie? If you're watching, thank you, He's he's. Been on now. Maybe she's busy, but I'm sure she will listen. I I thought she's going to appear in chat earlier, but maybe she's she's busy. We must catch up later. I'll. Send her links tomorrow saying. There it is. You need to listen to it now. Yeah, just. Send her the message. Just saying. Oh my God, I can't believe Nathan said that about you.

Then she'll have to listen to it all then. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, well, she was the one. That recommended you on the podcast? Yeah, she's. Wicked. I love Debbie. Absolutely love her to pieces. She's down. She's so down to earth, she is. Yeah, she's also. Oh no. She is, That's the thing I liked about her teaching in my RSPH level 2 and pest management award. Whatever it is, she can give you real life situations and she can tell you what happened in a certain scenario and each it was more a closed. Like.

It was more, I think that's about five of us on the course or something. And it was more cheat. She'd if you had a question, she'd answer it or she could put it in real terms. Yeah. So Debbie's been. So I made friends Debbie quite quickly and it funnily enough, it was through Matt loading and Debbie's helped me along the way of a lot. So if I've ever had any technical issues or something that I'm unsure about or whatever, can't get old because obviously our technical director is Natalie, can't get old of anyone.

I'll ring Debbie or anything in particular, like some nitty gritty bits of information that I need. It's always Debbie that I'll ring, and she's been wicked. She's a nice person. She is, yeah. She's a. Very good teacher I think. She is if I ever do my, if I ever do my Level 3, I will definitely get through Debbie if I can. Is that something you're going to do then? Maybe in the future, yeah. Maybe roughly see if it's under this new this new framework. It'd be different because the current Level 3 would actually be your level 4.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you level. What is level 2? Now going to level. Three, you've just got to do a practical. Yeah, you've got to do a practical now, haven't you? Compared to whereas before you didn't have to to show you it's all. It's all. Doing it, it's all still being. The process is still being gone through. The MPTA is working with the BPCA. I'm not involved in any of that, but I do know that there's a the BPCA was a thing where people could pay to have like a practical exam to upgrade them to Level 3 as far as I understand.

I don't know. That's not. Factual anymore, I don't know. They're still working all the fine details, but the current Level 3 would make you a level 4 and the. Four would make you a 5. But maybe one day I just about past level 2 past that second time round.

For that one maybe. One day I'll get me off. I'm doing a course online at the minute, Diploma in entomology.

OK, just to get me. Better at insect. Identifications and stuff, yeah. Is it Vitas Veritas?

That's. It I'm not, I'm not, I'm not doing. It through them, no. But I've not he'd done. A He'd done one at I had BPCA head office and I wanted to go but it I had a conflict but they done the identification through a microscope course I I have been recommended to do. That course, at some point I might, yeah, it's something. It's on my. Hit list to to do but it's just like an online course that cost. 28 lbs, but it's like 150 hours worth of stuff. So there's no limit, though it can take me like a year or more.

But I I have been recommended by a few people to do that. Some point his insect identification course at some point, yeah. Yeah, Paul was it was Paul at Denar Trend and he's wicked. He's been on the podcast as well. Yeah. No, no, no, I watched it. Don't. Worry about that. Oh, yeah. Oh, you've watched it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who do you do your CPD with? CPD. Points. It's PPCA. Oh, so we're. We're members of. BPCA have you logged? Have you logged my podcast? Through there, I'll be honest with you, I'm.

Shocking with logging the you know the simple little things like we have weekly, we have like a technical half hour is what they call it. But then monthly we'll naturally have a guest on or whatever, so half the time it's just logging in, have a quick chat with everyone, any problems, you can discuss it with other people within the franchise and on the bigger ones we can claim the CPD points. And I always forget a lot of people do, but there's. A big rush, there's a big rush at the minute and panic for next year, but it's not that different.

I think I'm. Three points away from the end of that, I'm done. I've got 40 on on British press. Register not BPCA Sean Mooney's scheme. I've got 42 points at the minute and on the my. Basis prompt. I've got the, I've got 25, I think on basis prompt, yeah. I should know I'm on a trade body, I. Should know what I'm doing when it comes to points. I should. But there are a lot of people that are confused. About what's going on next year, we'll have to make a video on it as well, but there is all the.

Information's out there. It's. Fairly easy, yeah. I mean even for before. Obviously this will come in. We had to be compliant before SO. We still had to. Do the CPD. Points every year. Before this will come in, obviously I'll be right because I've done obviously the the basic principles within the five year period. So I would have been all right anyway.

But there are some people though that. Obviously have level 2, the proper level 2, but I'll just redoing the basic principle for the CPD which is allowed. Yeah, of course it is. It is. People can do that. It's part of the. Part of the whatever you want to, even though I'm, I'm, I'm on the board, the MPTID tell people if you didn't want to be on the trade body, just join the CPD scheme, £46 a year, you're done. You don't have to spend a lot of money, you don't have to be your trade body. I know being on the board I should be pushing trade, but I don't know.

I don't want to influence people if they want to just be in a CPD scheme or whatever they can or if they want to do them reading their courses every five years, they can. It's up to them whatever is good for their business.

Yeah, I'll tell you what it's been. A really good, really good chat. Nathan I think we got on really well. I've enjoyed it. We've not met yet. In real life, but there's. There's a chance we could. Well, we could at some point. Don't forget after today we're. Enemies again. That's that. But yeah, I've what's it called? I've got someone on that's very local to me. I have tried even more local, but he doesn't. They don't really want to go on the podcast.

I don't. I don't push people don't want to come on. I would love someone to. Come on, that's. Within the chemical company. So that's where I really hit walls the big boys don't want. Their people on. Podcasts. They won't know, will they? They just want. To protect themselves. But so all you can do is try. Yeah, you can, because some of them the. Worst thing I'll say is only no. That's that, yeah. So. Thanks everyone for watching live or after the fact. Please log your There will be some CPD for this when they work out, go back and work out what we talked about.

There will be some CPDS. I'm sure. There'll be some learning points, I'm sure. Yeah, do a business.

There will be some. CPD 1.5 points but you're going to get your CPD if you're with PPCA or British pass register. I've had all my bases prompt codes for the year so I can't get anymore. Give me 8 you. Know they give me 10. Points, Nathan. People can only claim six that. Does that make sense to you? Gives me 10 points for the year but people can only claim 6IN podcasts. It sounds a bit backwards. But there we go. It does because I I actually looked. Into my points from last year, I registered eight points.

Suddenly it's 6 and they would log. Eight points the previous. Year and I, I gave them a load of points and so no, no, you're getting 3D6, right? Last year I went back and looked on the website, you see, so I knew I don't I. Think you should be able to log as many. Podcasts as you want to do. As long as you learn and you can tell them what you've learned, that's all that matters. That's why. BPCA self register. What Sean's doing with his self register, good. Because they're only bothered about learning that.

That's all they're bothered about, not what you did. Obviously you've got to do your standard crew, you know your crew training, but apart from that it's whatever you've learned. I think self registers the way forward. Are they? It seems good the way to do that. But I also. Do feel that if you don't go on courses, how are you going to progress? I'm. Not, I'm not. I'm not condoning just. Just it's. It's like, obviously I've been on to that Davies drain course and like we've already discussed. About the.

Identification. I'm all up for doing courses. No, I am. That's all my. Points I'm the opposite way I. Don't register like this type of thing because I forget.

People do, to be fair, but I I know. People watch my podcast but they forget to register the points. They watch it though, so it just shows you're not that fussed about getting the points. They enjoy watching it.

Either way, I think. It's all good for the industry. But anyway, let's end it on that. But thanks, if you just hang around for just a minute, I will end the stream. But yeah, thanks everyone. I'll be back next week and I cannot remember who's on next week, so I'll advertise it when I know I look on my phone. But thanks everyone and I'll see you next week.

Yeah, Sean, thank you.

Pest Control Franchise vs Independent Business: Pros, Cons & Pricing | Nathan Clark

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