On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Steve Delaney, the founder and owner of Yard Boss out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Steve started mowing lawns in high school, turned it into a legit business in 2008 while he was still in college, and has since grown Yard Boss into a $1.4M+ lawn care and pest control company running multiple crews and serving around 2,400 mostly residential clients. From dropping architectural engineering to studying turf management, to rebranding from “Steve’s Lawn & Landscaping” to Yard Boss, Steve’s path is a real look at what it takes to turn a side hustle into a serious, scalable business.

Steve and Danny break down the pivotal decisions that changed everything: leaving a tiny 8,000-person town to go all-in on a bigger market like Lincoln, getting around masterminds and high-level operators in 2019, and the mindset shift that came from realizing “you don’t know what you don’t know.” They dig into how Steve added pest control as a natural extension of his fertilizer business, why he avoids termites and bed bugs for now, and exactly how he thinks about service stacking, rebranding, and picking a market that actually matches your growth goals.

You’ll also hear how Yard Boss is quietly crushing it with upsells and retention using tools like Go High Level—selling $10K–$12K days off a single text blast, turning fungus and armyworm outbreaks into profitable campaigns, and building a seasonal rhythm with aeration, seeding, and Christmas lights. Steve shares practical, street-level tactics like oversized yard signs, aggressive truck wraps, home shows, answering the phone (seriously), and hiring an office manager “as soon as you can.” If you’re a lawn care or pest control owner trying to scale beyond word of mouth, get out of the field, or figure out your next market, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons you can apply right away.

Steve Delaney, Owner of Yard Boss:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.delaney.5

Yard Boss: https://yardbosslawns.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Chapters:

00:00 The Genesis of Yard Boss

03:01 Growth Strategies and Customer Acquisition

06:09 Mindset Shifts and Key Pivot Points

08:49 Expanding Beyond Small Towns

13:10 The Importance of Customer Service

15:53 Service Diversification and Rebranding

19:06 Upselling and Marketing Strategies

22:54 Launching Successful Campaigns

25:21 Upselling Strategies and Seasonal Services

27:56 Marketing Innovations and Messaging Adjustments

30:08 The Power of Yard Signs

34:02 Branding and Rebranding Insights

40:31 Future Expansion Plans

42:06 Lessons for Business Owners

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #stevedelaney #yardboss

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On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Jesse Beltran, founder of Drop Dead Pest Solutions out of Evansville, Wisconsin. Jesse is a third-generation pest pro who launched Drop Dead Pest Solutions in 2009 while working construction, then went full time in 2013. He shares how growing up around the industry shaped his approach, what those early grind years really looked like, and why a simple inspection-first process builds relationships that turn into customers for life.

We dig into the business model too. Jesse breaks down his current split of services at roughly 75 percent general pest and mice with about 25 percent wildlife. He explains why bats can be highly profitable within tight seasonal windows, how he trains techs to spot and upsell recurring services, and the little touches that make customer service unforgettable. Think dog-treat welcome packs, remembering pet names, and documenting personal notes so every visit feels familiar and trusted.

Jesse also opens the playbook on growth. He credits the Pest Control Millionaires Program for a pivot to Facebook groups and dialed-in ads that paid for the program in the first two weeks. We talk about hiring his first tech, why bringing on an office manager (his wife) unlocked capacity, and his plan to scale to multiple trucks and a door-to-door sales team while keeping quality high. He closes with timeless advice for owners at any stage. Set the long-term target and work backward. Take smarter risks. Delegate what slows you down so the business can move faster.

Jesse Beltran, Founder of Drop Dead Pest Solutions:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.beltran.3760

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-beltran-7b769171/

Website: https://ddpestsolutions.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #jessebeltran #dropdeadpestsolutions

On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Walker Rose, founder and president of Turf Chief, a fast-growing Louisville-area lawn care brand now topping $2.5M/year. Walker shares how he left civil engineering, bootstrapped from weekend landscaping to full-time owner, kept things lean (paying himself ~$12K that first year), and brought his brother in as hire #1. After hitting $1M around year 6 with Local Lawns, he spun up Turf Chief three years ago to focus on scalable services—lawn fertilization, weed control, and mosquito management—with a personal, locally rooted touch.

We dig into the marketing pivot from door flyers and cold lunches with property managers to in-house Facebook ads that actually convert—after burning six figures with agencies that delivered “robot leads.” Walker breaks down what’s working (native-feeling creatives, the right lead forms), the red flags he watches for (keep ad accounts in your name, demand transparency), and why he’s targeting residential for scale while still maintaining a 50/50 commercial split on the turf side. He also unpacks the acquisition game: five deals to date, including Daleco this spring via SBA financing and a creative seller holdback—plus how community plays (youth sports fields, banner shout-outs) turn visibility into trust.

You’ll hear his hiring and culture rules (hire for integrity and team fit, train the skills), the discipline to avoid complacency by protecting mental/physical bandwidth, and a clear plan to dominate Louisville first before expanding. Walker’s message to owners: believe in your ability, ignore the naysayers, and keep your head down—progress compounds faster than you think.

Walker Rose, Founder of Turf Chief and Local Lawns:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walker.rose.9

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walker-rose-35469891/

Turf Chief: https://turfchief.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Walker Rose

06:00 Transitioning to Turf Chief

12:00 Lessons from Marketing Failures

17:57 Future Plans for Turf Chief

20:43 Acquisition Strategies and Experiences

23:58 Community Engagement and Local Presence

27:08 Final Thoughts and Advice

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #walkerrose #turfchief #locallawns #louisville 

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On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Nick Russler, the founder and CEO of Honorable Pest Control. Nick went from “almost out of pest control” to launching Honorable and hitting a $70K month in under a year—while building a reputation for integrity, punctuality, and family-safe, environmentally responsible treatments across Ann Arbor and Lansing. He shares the roller-coaster path from failed acquisitions to a surprise investor, opening an hour from home under a non-compete, and grinding through 100-hour weeks to get two trucks, a front office, and sales humming.

We dig into how he cracked big commercial accounts (including multi-property portfolios) by proving results for free, then turned that momentum into high-margin residential growth. Nick breaks down why he’s moving away from apartments, the callback/tenant-prep headaches, and how switching from one-off jobs to properly priced subscriptions (mice included) doubled his recurring revenue—supported by LSAs, referrals, door-knocking, and a simple, repeatable “show up and solve it” promise.

You’ll also hear the hiring playbook (commission-only techs, recruiting hungry wrestlers, bringing in 25-year veterans to add services like termites and moles), the sales mindset shift (ask better questions; let customers sell themselves), and the discipline of reinvesting almost everything back into the business. If you’re building a pest control company the right way—for customers and your team—this one’s a blueprint for speed, grit, and doing what you say you’ll do.

Nick Russler, Founder of Honorable Pest Control:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickolas.russler.3

Phone: 517-990-7399 

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://honorablepestcontrol.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Podcast Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction to Nick Rustler 

06:01 Rapid Growth and Marketing Strategies

11:56 Transitioning to Residential Services

14:52 The Impact of Joining the Program

20:55 Hiring and Building a Team

25:32 The Journey of Entrepreneurship

31:15 Sales Strategies and Techniques

37:25 Marketing and Lead Generation

41:07 Advice for Pest Control Owners

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #nickrussler #honorablepestcontrol #annarbor #lansing #lansingmi 

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On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with John Stopka, the founder and owner of Liberty Pest Control. John got his start in pest control at just 19, sharpened his sales chops at Orkin, and launched Liberty only a year and a half ago—growing to 1,700+ accounts and on the cusp of $1M/year. He credits the surge to a simple formula: be obsessed, deliver real value, and treat people like people. From winter door-knocking to BNI networking, John focused on getting known—wrapping trucks for maximum brand recall, posting consistently on social, and using permission-based “thank you” posts that double as local proof.

We dig into the sales mindset (value over price, ask real questions, skip the gimmicks), offers that resonate (monthly billing, a mosquito + general pest bundle, going above and beyond with de-webbing and small helpful touches), and the marketing levers that moved the needle—especially Facebook ads he tuned from $100+ CPL down to $10–$15 by building scrappier, native-feeling creatives and the right lead forms. John also shares how delegating early helped him scale to seven employees, why culture and small acts of appreciation create referral flywheels, and how he’s upgrading systems now to support the next phase.

If you’re stuck wearing every hat, John’s message is clear: delegate sooner than feels comfortable, get relentlessly visible in your market, and serve customers, employees, and fellow owners with a “servant’s heart.” He’s aiming for $25M revenue and a future exit—not by being the cheapest, but by being the most valuable and most known.

John Stopka, Founder of Liberty Pest Control:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.burkeen.1

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-stopka-1663bb2b4/

Website: https://www.liberty-pest.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Podcast Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction to John Stopka

05:06 Starting Liberty Pest Control

10:11 Marketing Strategies and Brand Awareness

14:14 Joining Pest Control Millionaires Program

20:47 Hiring and Company Culture

26:48 Lessons Learned and Advice for Owners

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #johnstopka #libertypestcontrol 

JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/

Are you a pest control owner looking to grow? Join Our Facebook Group with 900+ Members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pestcontrolmillionaires

On this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Aaron Huskey, the founder of Huskey Turf Solutions. Aaron shares how a side hustle mowing nights and weekends turned into a 13-year journey of building a thriving lawn care and pest control brand. Starting out with long hours, door knocking, and reinvesting every dollar into better equipment, Aaron eventually shifted from mowing to high-margin, scalable lawn treatments — now focusing on weed control, fertilization, and perimeter pest services.

He breaks down how Huskey Turf grew from a small-town operation to $850K in revenue this year, up from $640K the year before, driven by smart upsells, a standout pink rebrand that made their trucks locally iconic, and a simple but effective Facebook strategy — personal posts in community groups instead of salesy company ads. Aaron also dives into hiring lessons (slow to hire, fast to fire), focusing on one service area at a time, and why spraying lawns beats mowing for long-term scalability.

His advice for other owners: “Stop chasing shiny objects. Pick one thing, do it well, and get 1% better every day.”

Aaron Huskey, Founder of Huskey Turf Solutions:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaron.huskey

Website: https://www.huskeyturf.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Aaron Huskey

05:24 Navigating Early Challenges and Growth

10:49 Transitioning to Pest Control Services

14:12 The Power of Branding and Marketing

17:28 Leveraging Social Media for Growth

25:30 Future Aspirations and Advice 

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #aaronhuskey #huskeyturfsolutions #edmond #edmondok 

JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/

In this episode of Pest Control Success Stories, Danny Leibrandt interviews Jorel Solis of Confidence Pest Control, a Marine Corps veteran turned entrepreneur who has built a thriving locally owned company in Temple and Belton, Texas. Jorel shares how his military background shaped his leadership and accountability, how he scaled his business past six figures, and the strategies he used to earn more than 200 Google reviews that pushed him to the top of local search.

Danny Leibrandt and Jorel Solis dive into the power of content creation, from informative seasonal tips to authentic and even humorous posts that connect with the community. They also explore how strategic partnerships, like teaming up with a lawn care company, can accelerate growth, and why being the “best known” in your market is more powerful than competing with national chains.

In closing, Danny Leibrandt highlights Jorel Solis’s vision for Confidence Pest Control as he looks to hire his first technician, build a values-driven team, and continue growing by focusing on relationships and consistency. This episode is packed with lessons for pest control owners who want to separate themselves from competitors, build authority, and scale their businesses the right way.

Jorel Solis, Founder of Confidence Pest Control:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jorel.solis

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jorel.solis

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConfidencePestControl

Website: https://confidencepest.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Jorel Solis 

06:21 The Transition to Entrepreneurship

10:14 Lessons from the First Year

16:02 Content is King

23:52 Joining the Pest Control Millionaires Program

28:47 Building Strategic Partnerships

35:59 Future Aspirations and Growth Mindset

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolowner #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #growpestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #jorelsolis #confidencepestcontrol #austintexas 

JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/

Pest Control Success Stories kicks off with Shawn Riley, co-founder of Tactical Pest Solutions in Oklahoma City. Host Danny Leibrandt digs into how Shawn went from zero customers to $1.5M ARR in 12 years (adding about $300K in the last year) by becoming a “customer service company that happens to do pest control.” Shawn shares the early grind of balancing a full-time job while building the business, plus the role of bright red trucks, relentless community branding, and smart acquisitions (including a pivotal 2014 deal) that accelerated growth.

You’ll hear how Tactical tightened operations by promoting a service manager around the $1.2 to $1.5M mark, why over-communication (calls, text ahead, text behind, knock and notify) drives retention and referrals, and how culture is the real moat. Customers do not cancel “Caleb,” because they would feel bad doing it. Shawn also talks about joining the Pest Control Millionaires program, the impact of weekly calls, on-site time with Jonas and Jake, and finally getting a handle on the numbers with advanced bookkeeping. His next target is $3M in five years, built on people, process, and pride in the craft.

Shawn’s message to owners and techs is simple and strong: honor your craft and your customers. Treat every visit like you are a guest in someone’s home and the referrals will follow. Connect with Shawn on Facebook and LinkedIn (links in the description), and subscribe for more real, boots-on-the-ground wins from inside our Pest Control Millionaires community.

Shawn Riley, Co-Founder of Tactical Pest Solutions:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rilo51

Website: https://www.tacticalpestsolutions.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Co-Founder of Pest Control Millionaires:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Shawn Riley

03:07 Early Challenges and Growth Strategies

10:42 Transitioning from Branding to Marketing

17:43 Empowering Women in Pest Control

22:23 Customer Service as the Core of Pest Control

28:39 Learning from Industry Leaders

33:16 Future Goals and Business Growth Strategies

40:17 Message To Pest Control Owners

#pestcontrol #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolads #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolmillionaires #dannyleibrandt #shawnriley #tacticalpestsolutions

JOIN PEST CONTROL MILLIONAIRES: https://pestcontrolmillionaires.com/