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Pest control is the process of getting rid of unwanted pests from a particular place, house, or an environment. It is the use of a lethal chemical to kill or remove insects-including ants and termites from an environment. Farmers for example fumigate to remove pests from soil and shippers fumigate too to remove pests from items to be shipped. Generally, pest control tends towards getting rid of pests by applying lethal gas to suffocate them.

How it works

If it is discovered that a particular place is infested with pests, the first thing to do is to remove anything living from the area. This may include people and pets. Medicines and food may also be removed or covered properly in special bags to shield them from the fumigants. Food is a special case and if it happens to be the target of pest control, it is advised to use fumigants that do not leave harmful deposits.

The period when pest control is effective

Usually, the chemical used in the pest control is effective on an average period of between 8 and 15 hours during which the pests may have either died or incapacitated. However, fumigants can be removed from the area of pest control before the end of 15 hours by the process of aeration, in which windows, doors, including fans, are used for easy ventilation to get rid of the harmful chemicals. At the end of the aeration, the fumigator should be invited to confirm that the area fumigated is safe for human habitation before people are allowed in.

Pest control is as simple as that and with this simple process; it puts you at ease in case you are thinking about going into the business of pest control. It is a perfect business for you since it is neither risky nor difficult to get your business off the ground. What it requires of you to make a living is a few weeks training and the spirit of entrepreneurship

1. Decide on your services:

You must decide from the outset which services you want to offer since there are so many services you can choose from. Find out from the area you want to operate what sort of pest problems that are prevalent in the area. With this knowledge, you will be able to make a good selection of the services you will maximize from.

Some services you can choose from including the following:

• Residential apartment pest control
• Commercial building pest control
• Goods aircraft pest control
• Agricultural yields pest control
• Distribution warehouse pest control
• Wood treatment
• Flour mills pest control
• Food handling machinery pest control
• Maritime disinfestations
• Insect control
• General pest control
• Pallets anti-fungal treatment
• Wood packing materials heat treatment
• Pest control advisory services
• Warehouses inspection
• Air cargo pest control
• Air-craft pest control

Read Also: How to Start a Floral Shop Business

2. Train for the pest control business

Having proper training before handing chemicals is essential to this business. The training will equip you to know how chemicals attack insects and how dangerous they can be to humans. With good training, you would be able to know what to do in cases of emergency. More so you will be able to offer pertinent advice to customers and be able to know how to keep your equipment in good working conditions.

Training will also equip you with knowing the various categories of chemicals and what each does. You will learn what to apply at the point choking occurs and what to do to get relief. The average course outlines for pest control fall under the following:

• Pest mood and habits, how to recognize the way pest destroy things.
• Various pest control measures.
• How to choose the right pesticides, formulation, and application.
• Hazards that can occur and control measures needed.
• Safety procedures for both Personal and Public houses.
• Equipment needed for pest control, their maintenance, and replacement
• Methods of quotation used in the pest control industry

3. The need for a feasibility study cum business plan

A feasibility study is a way of knowing how feasible and viable the business of pest control is going to be for you. Feasibility study seeks to find out whether it is going to work for you while viability seeks to find out whether the economic benefit of the pest control business justifies deploying resources to set it up.

The business plan, however, is the road map through which you reach your goals. The business plan will include among other things the following:

Section 1

• The choice of a business name that suits the pest control
• Registration of business name and taxes, and obtaining business permits, licenses, and insurance
• Address of the business
• Ownership structure – describes those that own the pest control company and their shareholdings.
• Products/ services offered – pest control of commercial and residential buildings

Section 2

• Management team – lists those that are going to run the pest control company and their portfolios.
• Duties and responsibilities
• Monthly/annual costs of labor

Section  3

• Marketing Strategy – this describes the broad methods to be adopted to accomplish the company’s objectives of giving potential customers the best pest control service and making a profit.
• Marketing strategy to be pursued – these are programs of action required to meet the goals set by the company and they include.
• Identification of the target customers for the company’s offerings – these are segments falling within the target market.
• Pricing strategy – this is the pricing method chosen to attract the target audience.
• Method of distribution/promotion – this describes how best to reach the target market in terms of taking the company’s offerings to them as well as reaching them through advertising and other forms of promotion.
• Competition – their strengths and weaknesses

Section 4

• Financial management strategy and issues for the business
• Sources of capital
• Capital outlay and analysis
• Financial/economic forecast

Section  5

• Assumptions on environmental factors concerning the legal requirements for fumigators and how serious pests are ravaging the environment where you want to operate..

4. Make a budget for your business

The budget should consist of the income and expenditure expected earned and incurred in the next one year. The budget helps you plan well as well as spend wisely. With the budget, you will always spend on the necessary things you have planned for such as the tools you need to work with, chemical materials, and payment of salaries for your workforce.

The budget will also cover the income to be generated from the sale of your services and other incidental income. You will also be going to know from the budget whether in a particular week or month you are going to have surplus cash or cash deficit.

Read Also: How To Set Budget on Marketing

5. You need tools and equipment

For a start, you need a truck and other pest control equipment to start work in earnest. The other materials needed to work include the following:

While bees benefit the environment in many ways, hives too close to homes can pose dangers.

The next step is to get equipment and supplies. At a minimum, you need at least one reliable truck as a service vehicle as well as:

• Chemical compounds
• Other chemical materials
• Safety gadgets such as gloves as well as respirators, etc.
• If your home can’t be used, lease, or rent a workplace. 

6. Legalize your business and get appropriate licensing

It is necessary to register your business in such a way that legalizes it. Use the name you have chosen to register as a limited liability company (LLC). This form of business will protect you from personal liability if your business happens to fall into debt that remains unpaid for a long time and has become a subject of litigation. There are other forms of business organization such as sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation, these may not be appropriate for your business.

There is an existing pest control regulations in each state and it is advisable to find out what the law says before starting your business to ensure compliance.

In some cases, there may be numerous Federal, State, and County licensing, registration requirements, including other certification processes that you will need to know about and adhere to before you launch your business.

For licensing, in the case of Federal law, it requires any person who applies or supervises the use of restricted-use pesticides (RUPs) to get certified following EPA regulations and state, territorial, and tribal laws. Those who apply Pesticide must know how to use RUPs properly and effectively.  These are from the EPA website:

In the case of states, many of them require those who adopt the commercial use of pesticides to be certified.

7. Obtain the necessary permits and insurance

You will hardly be allowed to operate your business in any state in the US without first obtaining your business permits. This document is mandatory for you to operate and failure to procure one will lead to heavy fines as well as the possibility of shutting your business down.

Every business requires insurance cover because it enables them to protect themselves and their businesses against losses that can arise in the course of business.

You will need the following business insurance:

• General liability – this is necessary to cover your business assets against fire, theft or other losses.
• Products – this will cover liabilities arising from the services you render to your customers
• Worker compensation – this covers the workers against accidents occurring in the course of business.

A surety bond is also necessary business it gives coverage in case of litigation or settlement and maintains financial accountability in client interactions. All employees are required to possess a surety bond

So watch out and be sure you are law compliance before you start your business.

8. Develop Your Value Proposition and grow your brand

You should at this stage seek to discover what makes your pest control business unique and separates you from the crowd. What was the reason you conceived the idea to set up you a pest control business?. In trying to unravel this puzzle, you should be asking yourself the following questions:

• What you are going to do to make your pest control business different from your competitors.
• What advantages are your potential customers likely to gain from your pest control business?
• How is your pest control business going to solve your customers’ pest control problem?

You should be able to discover why your potential customers may want to patronize your business. Once you can pinpoint what are the core reasons why you are special, you should incorporate them into your marketing communication.

In the same vein, you should establish your brand identity. Your brand is your name, any symbol such as logo, your color scheme, and indeed anything that identifies you which you have planted in the minds of the customers. Once your customers have identified your business with its unique brand, you should incorporate it in everything your customers will use to recognize you such as the following:

• Your marketing communication – your ad should bear the remembrance of your image.
• Your website should do a similar thing.
• The company’s vehicles should bear your brand.
• Your company’s uniform such as vests and caps should connote your brand image.
• Your social media account such as Facebook page should bear the attribute of your brand.

Indeed, everything that connects you to the public should publicize your brand of a business.

Read Also: How to Start a Business With No Money

9. Seek for potential customers

Your potential customers are those likely to patronize your pest control business, and you will begin to find them. Determine the biggest problems pests pose on them and how you are going to solve them. Figure out what their needs are likely to be and how you are going deal with them and make them satisfied. To find out:

Who they are likely to be?

What their needs are likely to be?

Where they are likely to be found?

Why they need pest control services?

If you can answer the above question in the affirmative, you are on the way to garner a chunk of the market. If however you already have a related business such as lawn care or landscaping business, you can leverage on this and begin to upsell your pest control business.

You are likely to find your potential customers in the following areas:

• Apartment complexes and shopping malls
• Property developers and owners
• Business owners
• Government offices
• Government reserved complexes

Those who are also likely to need pest control services can include dairy factories, biscuit factories, and others who stock perishable goods as well as raw materials. Included also are schools, hotels, and farms.

You should begin to develop marketing communication strategies such as printing and distribution of flyers, print and online ads, direct mail, events hosting and the use of other electronic channels to communicate to your potential customers.

10. Register for taxes and obtain insurance cover

Before you launch your business, register for state and federal taxes since they are part of the requirements before you open your business to the public.

Read Also: What You Must Do When Starting a Business

11. Craft your marketing strategy

Your marketing strategy should cover the four elements of the marketing mix, namely: product/service, price, promotion, and distribution. You should blend the four elements and use them to stimulate demand for your product/service.

Product/service – in the first place you will have to identify the actual needs of your potential customers and tailor your offerings to satisfy those needs. Your offerings should be of a high standard and always comply with your quality control standard. You should have a standard for your pest control services: before, during, and after the sale; any complaint at any stage of these should be resolved as soon as possible.

Pricing – the pricing strategy you select should attract potential customers and make them stick to your pest control business since it pays to keep existing customers than to attract new ones.

The price you charge should be based on the cost of pest control and a mark-up to cover your expected return on capital. The cost of production consists of the material costs, the cost of labor, and other incidental expenses, including depreciation of the pest control equipment. Depreciation is the wear and tear of fixed assets. Once the cost of production has been arrived at, you calculate the marketing cost and add it to the cost of production to arrive at the cost of sale. From the cost of sale, you calculate the profit.

This pricing method is called cost-plus and may not be the best approach to arriving at the price. Other methods include:

• Variable cost method
• Market price

But to arrive at the price to charge customers, you must consider competitors’ prices and what the consumers can afford.

Promotion: To promote your pest control business, you need to tell family members and friends to pass on the information to their friends. Then print flyers and distribute them within the neighborhood as well as advertise in the community newspaper and radio.

You can use target mail to introduce you pest control business to corporate bodies, property developers, and shopping malls

You should also use social media such as Facebook and have a business account opened; use online advertising also. Use your social media account to generate traffic by having a photograph, video, and engaging content to attract visitors to your page. Make sure you include links to your website where you are going to showcase your services in full.

Participate in trade shows and home improvement fairs to share your flyers and garner prospective customers’ contact details for future visits.

You can organize events such as seminars to sensitize potential customers on the danger posed by pests.

Consider adding your pest control company to the list of business directories such as yellow pages.

Distribution: one of the ways to distribute your services is to appoint fumigators in other neighborhoods who will serve customers in those areas.

12. Hiring your first employee

As a start-up, you may tend to be working alone and still cover every aspect of the work but when you begin acquiring a few customers, you may find it difficult to cope. The sign that you need to hire employees may be any of the following:

• If you are working late hours trying to meet the needs of your customers.
• If you begin to reject jobs not because they are no longer profitable but you don’t have time to attend to them.
• You are being selective of the jobs you do and do not care about how you turn down jobs at the last minute.
• A friend is helping you and suddenly quit because of work overload.
• You spend a lot of time in the field fumigating customers’ premises instead of marketing your growing business.
• If you don’t attend to all inquiries because you are so busy attending to customers’ fumigating services.
• The thought of going to work the following day saddens your heart because you have plenty of jobs lined up that you don’t know which one to attend to first.

The list isn’t exhaustive, but if you are having issues with any of the above consider hiring your first employee. When you do, be sure your employees are certified under the Federal and State laws of your area.

Read Also: Tips on Staff Hiring Process for Small Business

13. Set up your website

Your website is a pre-requisite in this business if you hope to succeed. The reasons aren’t farfetched. Your site is your office space and inquiries for your services tend to be coming through your website. Your business will be exposed to your potential customers through your website especially those who learn about you through your social media handle as well as those who visit your site through your promotional activities.

In crafting your website, be sure to include your profile picture and pictures and/or videos about you fumigating an edifice and the list of your valued customers. You must also upload engaging content in the areas of advice to your customers on the prevention and control of pests in their neighborhood.

14. Open a business bank account

By opening a business bank account, you conveniently separate your account with your business account so facilitating account preparation and filing of taxes a simple process.

15. Conclusion:

Some people may not desire to go into the pest control business because they detest handling all sorts of harmful chemicals. They give reasons for their dislike of this lucrative business because they feel they can accidentally inhale harmful chemicals. Of course, that is a possibility but you can put in place various safety measures to prevent such accidents from happening.

The point is that the pest control business is profitable whether in the good or bad economy since pests of all kinds are here to stay. All houses, private, offices, shops, barracks, factories, warehouses, stores, aircraft, ship, name it, they all need to be fumigated in good season and a bad season. Just be ready to package your business and with the right approach to marketing and serving your prospective customers, you are on a clear route to success.

Agriculture

Tags: Agricultural business ideas, Business ideas