Show Notes

In this episode, Donnie and Dan tackle a challenge nearly every pest control and lawn care company faces: the slow creep of unnecessary complexity. From software overload and endless KPIs to outdated service offerings, bloated processes, and unnecessary meetings, they explore why business systems fail when execution breaks down and how pest and lawn companies can avoid this trap.

This week, PestSure's Todd Burke & Kristina Phillips join Dan and Donnie to discuss risk exposures that pest control business owners may overlook. They cover cyber liability threats and real-world examples of breaches, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) for wage and hour allegations and harassment claims, auto insurance complexities around company vehicles used for personal errands, and the importance of proper umbrella coverage given increasing claim costs.

This episode features Jonas Olson, co-founder of Pest Control Millionaires and CEO of Pest Badger, discussing his journey from starting a lawn care company in 2010 to getting into pest control in 2020 and scaling Pest Badger to nearly $20 million in annual revenue across 17 locations in just six years. He highlighted pivotal moments in his firm's growth — including the transition to door-to-door, his approach to AI, and how mindset and finding mentors are essential.

This week, Dan and Donnie welcome Adam Weber, co-founder and CEO of Driven, to discuss how data and employee engagement tools can help pest control companies improve performance. Adam shares his journey from pest company owner to developing Driven, an employee engagement platform that helps service professionals see real-time scorecards and performance metrics. They cover how Driven works, the importance of giving employees ownership of their performance data and more.

Dan and Donnie break down the recent drop in Rollins' stock, what’s driving Wall Street’s reaction and why it matters for the pest control industry. They discuss the impact of CFO Ken Krause’s resignation, explain why the core business remains strong and review what this could mean for valuations, deal activity and rolled equity in today’s M&A market.

Dan and Donnie interview Kacey Wyman, CEO of Epcon Lane Pest Control, a fourth-generation family business. They discuss her transition to CEO, her involvement in NPMA leadership, and what it takes to create a self-sustaining business while maintaining 90 percent recurring revenue.

This week, Smarter Launch Co-Founders Eric Fletcher & Cody Smith join Dan and Donnie on the PMP Industry Insiders Podcast. They walk through the development of their proposal software, how it works and the ROI pest control companies typically see when they use it. Donnie also shares Triangle Pest Control's experience with Smarter Launch.

Economist, author and Forbes contributor Bill Conerly, Ph.D., join Dan and Donnie this week on the PMP Industry Insiders Podcast. Bill discussed the potential for a global recession related to the war in Iran, changing labor market dynamics, AI's impact and more. He closed with advice for a simple approach to contingency planning in your business.

This week, Dan and Donnie welcome back Raymond Kidwell, director of business development for Voice for Pest, for an update on the current capabilities of AI voice agents. Raymond explains how pest and lawn companies are using this ever-changing technology now, where it's going in the future, and how companies that have not yet incorporated it can get started.

🎙️ This week, Donnie and Dan welcome back Alex Booth, a digital marketing consultant for Coalmarch Marketing, to the podcast. He explains: ✔️ How AI search changes are affecting pest and lawn marketing strategies ✔️ Properly and consistently tracking leads ✔️ Advice for focusing on revenue attribution rather than just traffic metrics

Dan and Donnie sit down with Kevin Lemasters, Founder of PCO Leader Academy and Action Leadership, to tackle one of the pest control industry’s biggest challenges: developing strong middle management. Kevin breaks down his 18-month train-the-trainer leadership program, explains why investing in leaders is critical for growth and shares insights on self-awareness, accountability, and the traits that define an effective mid-level manager.

In honor of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Dan and Donnie welcome David Coleman from Truce Software and Romex Pest Control's Technical Manager Kannon Cravey to the show. They cover how Truce turns mobile devices into driver coaching tools instead of enforcement systems, how the platform addresses distracted driving and what implementation can look like for a pest or lawn company.

This week, Dan and Donnie analyze the available data for the first quarter of 2026, including the Pest Index, unemployment figures and fuel, labor and material costs. They discuss the impact of this winter's cold snap, how the industry is holding up against the March energy spike, thoughts on price increases and AI's impact on marketing.

This week, Dan and Donnie welcome Nick Bartolo, CFA, CPA, founder of Essential Partners, a wealth management firm specializing in post-exit planning. He shares strategies for maximizing after-tax wealth, including Roth IRAs, company retirement plans, and diversification of investment portfolios, with emphasis on preparing businesses for potential sale at any time.

This week, Dan and Donnie discuss why 80 percent of businesses fail to sell when they go to market, and they explore what it takes to maximize a company's value over several years using a proper discover/prepare/decide model, rather than exiting at a disadvantageous time.

In Part 3 with the Pest Control Business Coach team, Rick Bell, former VP of government relations at Arrow Exterminators, joins Dan and Donnie to discuss why smaller companies need to engage with regulators and participate in legislative processes. He provides successful examples of industry advocacy and outlines the primary issues PMPs should monitor.

Dan and Donnie welcome AJ Treleven, executive vice president of Sprague Pest Solutions, to the show. He covers the history and philosophy of the 100-year-old family business and shares how Sprague has grown to $50 million-plus with a stewardship mindset and a commercial focus.

This week, Dan and Donnie address the best way for leaders to encourage healthy conflict to ultimately improve their companies. They share their mistakes, signs you may have a problem and recommendations for getting great results, including training your team to speak up effectively.

This week, Dan and Donnie welcome Andy Architect (COO) and Megan Striegel (Senior Director of Public Policy) from NPMA to discuss the 2026 Legislative Day event, March 15-17 in Washington, D.C. They share priorities for this year's hill visits, including state pesticide preemption and legislation related to credit card swipe fees and wildlife services. They also cover practical advice for industry members who cannot attend Legislative Day in person.

This week, My Pest Pros Co-Owner Brett Lieberman joins Dan and Donnie to share his company's real-world experiences with AI implementation. He discusses his firm's AI voice agent that books jobs and handles customer inquiries, what he learned from analyzing 1.3 million lines of call transcripts and how he created an AI board of directors to provide feedback on business decisions.