February 17, 2023
Though pest control may not be top-of-mind during the colder months, signing on for a Pestmaster franchise in the colder months prepares owners to launch during the height of the busy season.
Pestmaster, the 60-plus unit pest management concept under the Threshold Brands umbrella, is favored by many franchisees due to its seasonality in cooler climates. While pests are a nuisance that exist and must be addressed year-round, there is often a surge of pest pressure during warmer, more humid months — the conditions pests thrive in. Because of this, business owners may not have pest control at the top of their minds during slower or off seasons, but these seasons can actually be a prime time to buy.
"This time of year is a great time to buy because pest pressure really ramps up in April and May," explained Kieran Scott, Pestmaster's Brand President. "You can get trained right in time for that ramp-up. The ability to get an early spring start can really launch an owner's business."
Scott added that the standard timeframe between signing and the grand opening is about six months, but this can increase or decrease depending on state licensing requirements. However, franchisees who live in states with more stringent requirements should not be deterred.
"The nice thing about our business is that we have a focus on standard consumers and government contracts. The consumer side does have a surge early to mid-spring when we find a lot of new customers experiencing pest pressure for the first time that year," he explained. "But pests can occur at every time of year. We might have a customer get bedbugs in October, and that's something we can solve for. We also work with government contracts which are mandated by the federal government year-round."
Even in times of lower pest pressure, federal mandates require continued pest control servicing on its properties. Because of this requirement, the availability of this kind of work relies more heavily on when contracts are set to renew rather than pest-heavy times of the year. In addition to attractive seasonal timing, the growth of the Pestmaster brand in recent months positions franchisees well to succeed.
"There's never been a more exciting time to look at buying Pestmaster. We've done so much work over the past year on revamping the brand and website and implementing best practices for franchisees," Scott explained. "Now's the time. Even though there's a recession, we're in a recession-resistant industry, and the government loves to infuse small businesses with money. Everything has just lined up perfectly."
