Podcast

12: Year-Round Growth: Building Revenue During The Slow Season With Scott Young

Jul 11, 2023
1 min read
12: Year-Round Growth: Building Revenue During The Slow Season With Scott Young
Episode Overview

How does a pest control business keep the cash flowing and employees paid and retained during the slow winter months? Host Dr. Christopher Fasano sits down with Scott Young, president of Certified Lights, to discuss how he successfully added holiday lighting services to his pest control business and eventually evolved from Certified Pest to Certified Lights. The two discuss the original company’s expansion into new branches, their sale to a larger pest control company, and evolution over the years into Certified Lights. 

You’ll learn how Young added holiday lighting services to his pest control business after getting tired of laying people off during slow times only to struggle with hiring later. You’ll also see how that change led to unprecedented growth, and how it eventually led to the creation of a new business focused on training others to do the same. 

In this Field Famous episode, Scott Young and host Dr. Christopher Fasano discuss:

  • 6:28 From $400K to $2 million in five years and the evolution of Certified Pest

  • 11:13 The next phase and pivoting to include holiday lighting services

  • 15:03 How to expand into holiday lighting: training, margins, expenses, and more

  • 17:06 Labor retention and growth during slow times, including the great recession 

  • 20:53 The Certified training opportunity 

  • 24:25 Lease vs. sell model by the numbers

  • 29:20 The Certified Lights process and support model

  • 35:10 Growing to sell and what buyers look for 

Useful links from this week’s show:

Check out more episodes

Manufacture Money: The 5 Steps to Financial Mastery in Your Business

Manufacture Money: The 5 Steps to Financial Mastery in Your Business

Ellen Rohr shares 5 steps to top-notch financial management.

2024 State of the Pest Industry Report

2024 State of the Pest Industry Report

FieldRoutes' Anders Fredericksen unpacks the 2024 State of the Pest Control Industry Report.

Active Listening and the Apprenticeship Advantage in Pest Control

Active Listening and the Apprenticeship Advantage in Pest Control

Zach Boardman discusses HomeShield Pest Control’s apprenticeship program.

Giving Back: Human-Centric Stories from the Pest Control Field

Giving Back: Human-Centric Stories from the Pest Control Field

Host Amanda Salvatore shares holiday inspiration from pest control pros giving back.

Get Them Home Faster: Leading Efficiency in a Family-First Culture

Get Them Home Faster: Leading Efficiency in a Family-First Culture

Ashley Morrison talks about the family business, technology, and leadership.

Give Them a Voice: The Role of a CXO in Customer Retention

Give Them a Voice: The Role of a CXO in Customer Retention

Aaron Curtis, CXO of Alta Pest Control, talks customer experience.

About the Show

The Pest In Class podcast from FieldRoutes is your destination for hearing insight, inspiration, and stories from fellow pest control industry leaders and entrepreneurs. Pest In Class host Amanda Salvatore will interview a new leader each episode as FieldRoutes celebrates the success of its customers while delivering software solutions to help them along their growth journey.

Get on our show
Switchback Reference Frame

FieldRoutes helps field service companies simplify, scale, and grow.

Graphic Conversion Panel