The Boardroom Buzz Pest Control Podcast

What has Paul learned from The Boardroom Buzz, and how it has changed his perspective? It's only a matter of minutes before Paul reminds Patrick of his Anticimex HQ boardroom conversation. Jarl Dahlfors shared his Quality, Profit, and Growth philosophy in Episode 24. With a quality-first priority, it’s time to hear the realities of chasing shiny objects vs. making internal improvements.

What makes up an effective board? Maybe better asked, who makes up an effective board? Taking a cue from the great Stevie Wonder, Board Member Paul finds himself with ‘No New Year’s Day to celebrate’. Paul confesses to his living laboratory, Company Bravo, and his mad science experiments. In light of Bravo, it’s time for another chat about incentive structures.

When it comes to outsourcing capabilities, does call center overflow pay for itself using a company such as Slingshot?

Patrick finds himself in confession for egregious sins committed years ago. When it comes to sales, which offerings should be considered and likewise avoided? When it comes to leveraging a customer base, does it make sense to acquire a similar business or would a joint venture make for a better return?

Co-Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Dylan Seals of hdaudiopost.com

Mark O’Hara stepped out to step up the family business. Is this wisdom for future generations of Buzz listeners? Mark served his time at both the US Army and Anheuser-Busch before rejoining Anderson Pest Solutions. Mark built on his non-pest experience to rise in the ranks at Anderson. His dad started it, his brother primed it, and Mark and his nephew, JT Barnard, scaled it. Mark and his nephew ultimately sold Anderson to Rentokil in 2015 with a $21M top-line mark.

People differentiate, not materials. Mark gives tangible examples of culture in this Boardroom conversation. Recruitment became a critical function as the business thrived. Mark tips his hand at a recruitment target outside of pest control. What is Mark’s take on leveraging employees’ relationships to grow the organization? What about recruiting from within the industry? He even shines light on the inevitable blinders surrounding employee interviews. Have you ever felt like sticking your neck out to hire someone? Mark suggests a solution for that.

It is hard to fathom building commercial sales machine without trials and tribulations. The conference room conversation doesn’t shy away from ‘sales vs service’. Town hall meetings, individual performance metrics, and committee feedback built the accountability culture. From grading leads to fixing funnel flow, Anderson’s sales process evolved. Patrick Quigley would be proud to hear that Mark refers to hot buttons and asking for the signature in this visit.

In battle-field fashion, Mark would often start new projects and then walk away. Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit led to switching course too often. It may not have been self-realized though. As ‘The Way of the Shepherd’ and ‘The 4 Disciplines of Execution’ were recommended to him, he gives his seal of approval to Buzz listeners.

When the Chicago climate suppressed pest pressure, how did Mark manage overtime discrimination? In Episode 5, Tony Sfreddo discussed segregating his commercial and residential technicians. How did Anderson structure its technicians’ routes? If Mark was dropped into a $2-3 million business today, how would he think about scaling that business? Tangible takeaways abound in this interview with another PCT Top 100 Great.

Co-Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Dylan Seals of hdaudiopost.com

Today in the Boardroom, Nick Bartolo and Patrick Baldwin sat down with Phil Rinehart. Phil is a practicing attorney and principal at The Law Offices of Phillip Rinehart. Phil is uniquely suited to provide legal advice as he also has a 20+ career in pest control and is currently the owner and CEO of EcoGen. As an attorney, Phil specializes in litigation, consulting, management, entity formation, liability protection, and growth. Phil shares essential tips on safeguarding your business through the right contracts. He emphasizes the importance of well-structured employment contracts, including critical clauses like non-solicit, confidentiality, and liquidated damages. Phil also discusses the necessity of having solid operating and service agreements to ensure comprehensive protection for your business. Do your contracts include these crucial provisions?

The team highlights the need to inform customers about their right to rescind a contract within three days to avoid significant financial risks. Failing to provide proper notice of this right can lead to serious consequences for a business. Are your terms and conditions updated with this clause?

Phil recommends setting up separate business entities for different aspects of a business to ensure extra protection and flexibility. Creating individual LLCs for partners and securing proper insurance coverage can mitigate potential risks. How are you protecting your business operations with separate entities and insurance?

Learn more about Phil and his work at www.philrinehart.com.

Audio Mixing and Editing by www.verbell.ltd.

Paul and Patrick dive into the intricate world of cognitive biases, drawing insights from Daniel Kahneman's book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. The duo dissected the concept of representativeness bias, which can lead us to make flawed assumptions based on surface-level similarities. Think about it: How often do we catch ourselves falling into this trap in our day-to-day decision-making? Can we truly overcome this bias, or is it wired into our brains?

Next, exploring the subtle power of priming – how seemingly insignificant cues can sway our judgments without us even realizing it. It makes you wonder: How much of our decision-making is truly our own, and how much is influenced by these hidden triggers? What steps can we take to become more aware of these influences in our professional and personal lives?

Let's talk about hiring processes and the importance of systematic thinking over relying solely on intuition. According to the peak-end rule, we tend to remember the most intense moment and the end of an experience more than the rest of it. It begs the question: Are we doing enough to ensure that our hiring processes are fair and based on merit rather than unconscious biases? Could implementing systematic approaches lead to more diverse and effective teams?

Audio Mixing and Editing by www.verbell.ltd

Looking to crack the code of success in the wildlife and pest control sectors? Fat Pat and Seth drop some wisdom on why simplicity is the name of the game for top-performing companies. By starting with a single service and gradually adding on more, these businesses maximize profitability and route density. Do you think your company could benefit from simplifying its offerings, or are you tempted to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks?

Let's talk recurring revenue. Seth spills the beans on how some savvy companies are ditching annual warranties in favor of monthly subscriptions. Even wildlife companies can implement subscription-based models. Staying laser-focused on building a business, rather than getting distracted by naysayers, is crucial to long-term success—it's all about keeping that cash flow steady and predictable. But here's the million-dollar question: Is your business ready to make the switch to a subscription-based model? What's keeping you from changing your billing structure?

When it comes to expanding your operations, Fat Pat and Seth shed light on their "rule of ten": Don't split your company into different departments until you've got a solid team of ten technicians. Efficiency is key when the business is guided by a clear understanding of where the company is heading but it begs the question: How close is your company to hitting that magic number, and what can you do if you're just under Seth and Patrick's rule of ten?

Audio Mixing and Editing by www.verbell.ltd