Start a pest control company
When a site is invaded by insects or small animals, such as ants, cockroaches, mice or rats, among others, a supermarket poison or a trap is not always enough, since sometimes they only make the problem worse by giving the invaders time to reproduce and generate a real plague. In such cases, we must turn to a pest control company.
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Learn in this article how it works and what requirements you need to set up your pest control business, and thus respond to a need that is presented in different parts.
A pest control company can become a very lucrative business, with relatively low investment costs. In particular, if the company has the skills to obtain a state license. Because this license is one of the most important requirements for setting up this business where the pest enterprise can generate very significant profits.
Licenses are something fundamental to be able to work with safety and quality, and it is a requirement that can vary according to the country or province where you want to start the business. Generally, a pest control company has to pass a theoretical exam and verify the products they use. Particularly in the United States, states require that the pest control company have liability insurance in order to obtain licenses.
Another requirement is the certification of the handling of the different chemicals, which if not handled carefully can be very dangerous. In addition, personnel working for the company must perform a background check.
Since this is a mobile business, a van must be invested in in order to be able to move all the equipment and chemicals. The investment could be high, but it depends on the country, and the model of the vehicle, investing in a vehicle that fits the needs.
Requirements for setting up a pest control company
Legal processes: To open a pest control company you need to legally register it with the State entities that are in charge of this type of registration. The company must have a legal name, which is the company’s name, from which you will be given a registration number that must later appear on the printing of your invoices. The company will also be assigned a fancy name, this will be focused on attracting the attention of potential customers and sometimes has the surname of its founders in part of the name, for example: Fumigaciones Míguez.
In addition, there is legislation regulating the sale, registration and use of pesticides, pesticides and other biocides. In order not to make any mistake that could cost you a significant fine or even the closure of your pest control company, we recommend that you get that legislation, read it, study it and apply all the safety measures that it requires. Keep in mind that the exact procedures depend on the area where you are located.
Business personnel: The personnel you hire must be accredited in the application of biocides and, in general, have the necessary knowledge for each of the processes you are going to carry out.
Advantages of having a pest control company
Setting up a pest control business is an advantage because you can attract customers from large companies that need fumigation on a constant basis, and not all pests can be controlled in any way, but you need professional help to intervene to control or eradicate the pests.
It can also be part of the chain of clients, family homes, offices, public and private spaces that require these services constantly, so that there will be clients interested in the service throughout the year.
Another advantage is that you can set your own prices according to the complexity of the work, have your own trained staff and hire the suppliers you need so you don’t run out of inventory. There can be several suppliers of these inputs working with those who supply other successful fumigation and pest control companies, avoiding at all costs any emerging product that someone outside wants to offer you for an attractive price of an unproven product.
Certificate of work from a pest control company
The pest control company must have a pre-established schedule that must be completed each time a job is done and which must include the following data:
Data of the contracting party: Company name if it is a company, address and telephone number.
Data of the pest control company.
Work to be carried out.
Characteristics of the pest to be controlled.
Type of treatment to be carried out.
Products to be used.
Date of beginning of the work.
Guarantee of result of the work to be done.
Signature of the head of the pest control company.
Working method of a pest control company
Once your pest control company is up and running you should follow a working procedure that consists of the following steps:
Visit and quotation: You go to the place invaded by the pest and fill out a form that includes the characteristics of the silver, how long it has been in the place, if it has increased, the area to be fumigated and other relevant data to quote the total cost and carry out the work. The technician who will carry out the work must attend this visit, but not necessarily the person who will finally quote it, since the data on the form will be sufficient to calculate the final price of the work. In order to quote, qualitative factors will be taken into account, such as the type of pest and the qualitative factors, such as the quantity of product to be used according to the conditions of the area.
Details of what is to be done: It is a matter of putting in writing what is to be done and its justification. The plan will include the quantities of product to be used and the duration of the work, i.e. the estimated time that the process will take, as well as the guarantee of the process, which refers to the exact results that will be achieved and how long the residual effect of the products to be applied will remain. This report will be signed by the contractor, thus establishing its approval.
Carrying out the work: It consists of going to the assigned site and carrying out all the tasks that were detailed in the pest control company’s report.
Subsequent visit: Once the work is done and the required days have passed for it to take effect, a visit to the site will be made in order to check the result of the work.
Necessary implements for the process
The key is to invest in quality equipment, as well as good and efficient products that do the job. Among the main equipment you need to invest in are Dusters, thermonebulizer, office material, business computing, manual sprayers for the application of insecticides that come in liquid form, among other particular elements.
Business plan for pest control company
Every business needs to have a business plan, which will become the main basis on which to build the business we are considering. This document allows us to collect data that are extremely necessary for the operation, such as an estimate of the amount of investment we will need, advertising strategies, aspects to be worked on according to market demand and competition, among others. Let’s see:
Premises: You may or may not have a place from where you offer your service and where you receive people or sell products and items for this type of process in a small format and with less capacity. You can also choose to have a space with ventilation that is not accessible to anyone and is the area for storage of the products you will use for fumigation, as well as equipment and clothing.
Permits: Although all emerging businesses need a series of legal permits to be able to start their activity, not all need to go through the same processes and perform the same procedures. It is important that you check with the agency in your area to find out what documents you need to register your business.
Suppliers: You will need a series of specialized products for pest control work, so it will be necessary to investigate on the suppliers that provide this type of products. Take into account different factors, including: quality of the products and brands they contain, delivery times, wholesale prices, distance, among others. We recommend you to have more than one supplier in contact, with this if some product you need a supplier does not have it, most probably another one if it has it in stock.
Staff: It is important to have one or more people to do this work and where they can take turns if they cannot attend. The truth is that one person is not enough, especially when the demand grows and there are more service requests in different places in the same day. Make sure your staff has the necessary knowledge for these types of activities, as they are extremely sensitive.
Uniforms and clothing: Staff protection is an extremely important aspect of this type of work, as well as other protection needed for the area where the fumigation is to take place. It also allows personnel to be identified in terms of the work they are doing.
Promotion: One of the most essential tasks not only in the launching of the business, but also during growth and advancement is promotion and publicity for it. For this type
It is essential to create advertising strategies that have high reach in terms of distance, especially in social networks and websites, although we must not forget the distribution of flyers, business cards for potential customers and references, among others.
Keep in mind that in the business plan we must also include the material and equipment we will need, which is in point 4 above. To obtain a figure close to the one we will need, what we must do is select the materials, clothing, promotion and advertising processes, among others, to make a quote on the money we will need. I recommend that you have a reserve amount in case the figures exceed the total cost at the end.
Possible difficulties: The economic losses that can appear in a pest control company are mostly linked to the absence of registration with regulatory entities of this type of process, since, especially large businesses and companies are the ones who contract the service and require registration in this type of organization to ensure the efficiency and quality of the work we are offering.
You must have your knowledge and techniques, as well as the personnel that operates with you in order not to offer an incomplete or low quality service that could have some serious consequence with respect to physical integrity or danger for the area in which you operate.
Key: As we mentioned, Internet advertising for this type of business is very effective, especially if we establish and create strategies that allow us to obtain results. Therefore, in addition to participation in social networks, the creation of a website with articles that promote SEO, is one of the best techniques to find customers, in addition to the segmentation of marketing strategies. Don’t forget to have an insurance policy that covers you for not complying with recommendations given to clients.
For different factors, the services of fumigation control companies are being increasingly requested, thanks to the immediate solution they offer, not only for individuals, but also for companies and established businesses that this problem attacks, so the possibilities of profitability are many, what are you waiting to start?