Mosquito Squad Plus is trying to make 2026 the year of decisive action. In a  recent episode of “Meet the Franchise” with 1851 Publisher  Nick Powills , Brand President  Jef Flournoy framed the moment around innovation, recurring revenue and territory availability across 34 states, arguing that the pieces are aligned for operators who don’t wait. “Look at the innovation and things we’ve accomplished over the last 24 months. It’s remarkable. We’re positioning ourselves to be the leader in this industry,” he said. Flournoy’s credibility comes from time in the trenches. He taught school, moved into private banking and then bought an America’s Swimming Pool Company franchise in 2007. After selling the business in 2015, he joined corporate, shifted to Mosquito Squad in 2020, became brand president in 2022 and helped steer the 2025 transition to  Mosquito Squad Plus . Along the way, he says, the category has matured: “Protectors of public health. I mean, that is ultimately what we do at our core.” Post-pandemic, he adds, most homeowners understand the value without a primer. On differentiation, Flournoy points to R&D and shared scale. “We have two full-time entomologists on our team. We just recently, in 2024, patented a natural product,” he said, referencing the brand’s Essential Botanical Insecticide. The broader  Authority Brands network layers on enterprise dashboards, vendor benchmarking and leadership collaboration across 15 concepts — advantages that inform local decisions while keeping operators on an established playbook. Demand is feeding growth, but Flournoy is clear about pacing and fit. He favors question-heavy Meet Your Team Days over hard closes and calls onboarding “the most critical point” for new owners. Internal expansions and second-generation transfers are rising, he said, while markets such as California still offer meaningful white space: “California is a market we weren’t in five years ago, and now we have 11 owners there, but still tons of territory.” The footprint today sits at about 240+ territories. With Mosquito Squad Plus adding adjacent pest offerings and leaning into its patented product, Flournoy believes the next phase will reward operators who pair diligence with decisiveness. “I want the candidate to be fully informed. I want them to feel like they have all of the questions answered,” he said. But once the answers line up, his advice is plain: “Jump in that deep end and go do it.” A transcript of Powills’ interview with Flournoy has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style. Nick Powills: All right, Jef. First you, then the brand. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What’s your franchise backstory? Jef Flournoy: It’s a great question, Nick. I taught school and was an athletic director and soccer coach for a couple of years. It was a lot of work, but the reward was tremendous. I pivoted into private banking for two years. One day my wife came home and said she wanted to go to dental school. After the initial shock, I said OK. We lived in Macon, Georgia, and the only dental school in Georgia — I noticed your pullover — is in Augusta. She applied there. I started asking whether I wanted to stay in banking and what my next career move should be. We had a young entrepreneur in Macon named  Stewart Vernon . He had just started America’s Swimming Pool Company. I thought, I have to call that guy and see what it’s all about. They had a campus off Lake Street in Macon. My wife and I went over for a Meet Your Team Day. Stewart did a phenomenal job. Megan, my wife, said, “Well, there are swimming pools over there at Meet Your Team Day for a pool business.” They had only four or five locations at the time. Fast forward, we signed a franchise agreement in late 2006. We didn’t have any children then. Last week I sent my oldest to college at the University of Georgia. I got into America’s Swimming Pool Company in 2007 and loved it. I’ve been in franchising almost 20 years. Powills: Are you still a franchisee of theirs? Flournoy: I’m not. When my wife finished her residency — she’s a pediatric dentist now — I sold the business in 2015. That’s the goal, right? You have a business, not a hobby. Our goal was to build it up and either run it remotely, pass it down or sell it. I was fortunate to sell in 2015. I called Stewart back and said I loved the concept. I asked if there was room on the corporate team. I joined America’s Swimming Pool Company corporate in 2015. In 2017 Authority Brands entered the picture. We were still an upstart with about 100 locations. Authority Brands also purchased Mosquito Squad, based in Richmond, Virginia, in late 2017. In 2018 our COO,  Tom Swift , came in and said Authority Brands had hired him to run Mosquito Squad. He left right then. In 2020 he knocked on my door and said he needed help running the brand. I came over to Mosquito Squad in 2020, officially became brand president in 2022 and in 2025 we transitioned and launched Mosquito Squad Plus. Powills: How many locations does Mosquito Squad have now? Flournoy: We have over 240 territories in 34 states. Powills: It’s got to blow your mind. Both brands were young when you were breaking into franchising. Mosquito Squad had more franchise competition. ASP was very early in a marketplace. Both solve an important issue for the homeowner and, because of the subscription model, there’s residual income that continues to come in for the franchisee. When you look at Mosquito Squad’s growth and the value proposition to the customer and to the franchisee, how do you answer that? Flournoy: As I look back at this journey, almost 20 years, that’s what I’m most proud of — being the fifth owner at America’s Swimming Pool Company and seeing their growth. Now I’m a Mosquito Squad Plus guy. We’ve shown tremendous growth through our system. Systemwide sales continue to grow. For candidates looking specifically at Mosquito Squad Plus, we were the first to get into the business in 2005. The space is a bit crowded, but innovation and technology are how we distinguish ourselves ahead of the competition. We have two full-time entomologists. In 2024 we patented a natural product. There’s a lot of opportunity for our current owners and potential new owners. Powills: Not that you want another Zika to happen, but a Zika moment was useful because the media educated homeowners on the importance of getting rid of mosquitoes in the backyard. Moments like that helped propel franchising because it made it clear there was a problem you were solving. On the consumer front, do you still have to educate homeowners, or is it easier today because they know they don’t want the disease risk and they’re going to put as much enforcement in their backyards as possible? Is it easier to sell this service today than it was 10 years ago? Flournoy: Another great question. I love going on field visits to see my owners. I love being in this office and running the company, but I love going out and hearing stories. Owners who bought in 2005, 2006 and 2007 faced that exact challenge — it was really about education. The scares that happened, and then COVID, were the two big events that made it so we don’t have to sell that part of the business anymore. “Protectors of public health” is what we do at our core. Now I’d say 95 to 97 percent of the consumers we sell to understand it. I’m grateful for those owners who paved the way. I was up in Minnesota with one of our oldest owners from a time period — not age —  Tom Olson , and loved hearing stories. That’s what Tom talked about: it was a great concept, and  Boyd Honeycutt had done a great job, but they were doing marketing for name recognition and to explain what we actually do. I don’t get that question nearly as much. I got a decent amount in 2021 and 2022. Now, in 2026, I rarely get it. Powills: In your opening statement, with both brands, you were early in. Being early means you get to say, here’s where my family would like to own. You can secure additional territory because you plan to expand, or you can say, I don’t need to, we’ll expand as long as we have first right of refusal. When a brand has more than 200 locations, that means expectations turned into realities. Now buyers come in and say, I’d like to open in Market X, and the answer is, unfortunately, we’re sold out there. How would you encourage a franchisee — because you’ve been one — about having some sense of urgency? If you don’t, you risk not getting the market or the brand you want. Flournoy: Based on what we’ve done over the last two years, interest is at an all-time high. As we entered the Mosquito Squad Plus phase and created EBI, as we leaned into being the innovators and leaders in technology, it’s a rush. We truly map it out, but we probably have another 250 territories we can sell. California is a market we weren’t in five years ago, and now we have 11 owners there, with tons of territory left. It’s exploded in California. We get a lot of calls there, but across the country, going into Mosquito Squad Plus and offering pest packs has opened additional white space. There is a sense of urgency. Tuesday we have a Meet Your Team Day with five candidates. I’m proud of what our team has done to put us in position to grow like we have. I’m especially proud that our owners continue to buy more territory and expand. There’s no bigger compliment than internal owners buying more. We like new people, too. It’s great to sell an expansion, but there’s nothing better than someone new coming in. There’s also nothing better than second generation. Parents who started in 2005, 2006 or 2007 — we’ve had probably three of those deals in the last 18 months where they’re selling to their children or in-laws. We balance that with brand-new owners full of excitement. We just completed a Franchise Business Review survey, and we score off the charts for community. Our franchise owners love each other, they lean on each other and it’s a great part of being in Mosquito Squad Plus. Powills: I’m thinking about the value of the business as it relates back to the parent company, Authority Brands, and all the data across multiple brands. With ASP, homeowners are willing to pay to have their pool serviced. If we have a Mosquito Squad Plus in one of those markets, there’s an opportunity to sell. Is there an advantage from a data standpoint for the franchise buyer? If they’re looking at this versus “Nick’s Mosquito Franchise,” which is singular, is there a larger advantage to being under a multi-brand franchisor with data and best practices shared? Flournoy: That’s one of the biggest advantages of Authority Brands — the 15 brands across the country, different success stories. People always ask how you get into franchising. The beautiful part is, if you expand outside of Mosquito Squad Plus, you hear incredible stories. Sometimes it’s hard because people want a cookie-cutter story, but the success of a franchise organization is that you can take someone who was a banker or in medical devices — almost anybody. The sharing of information is profound. The systems — like marketing dashboards — are at an enterprise level. We’re looking at how a vendor is performing not only at Mosquito Squad Plus, but at America’s Swimming Pool Company or maybe DoodyCalls or Woofie’s or The Cleaning Authority. Then you get leadership from across the organization. I’m fortunate — we have a great brand president group. There are 15 of us. We get together on a call once a month and in person at least two or three times a year. As you think about signing a 10-year agreement, what I tell candidates is to analyze what the organization is doing today, but think about what they’ll do in three, five and seven years. You’re signing a 10-year agreement. That’s where Authority Brands’ strength and leadership come together so candidates can see there’s a direction and vision — something they want to join. Powills: I’m going to frame this question. A long time ago, I went from journalist to publicist. When I made that shift, I hated PR people. For my advantage, I used that as part of my story to add credibility. When I called a journalist, I’d say, I’m a former journalist — yes, I went to the dark side — but I know what you’re looking for. I leaned into my prior career. How much do you lean into the fact that you risked your life savings to invest in a franchise, became a franchisee, then built and exited a successful business? How much is that still part of your story, and how much do you use it to relate to candidates? Flournoy: I think about it almost every day. My franchising journey began probably 100 yards from this seat. I mentioned the Meet Your Team Day on Tuesday — I’ll tell that story then. It’s important when you’re leading a brand and relating to owners. I remember the struggles and the support I was looking for. While I can’t do everything and my team can’t do everything, it drives us to be the best leaders and create the best environment for our franchise owners. We hired a vice president of operations on Jan. 1, 2024. He was Franchise of the Year the year before. I like to surround myself with people who understand what it’s like to be a franchise owner. For candidates and, once they come on board, for owners, they know the support is authentic and genuine. Powills: It gives you a unique perspective. From a franchise development standpoint, awarding franchises is the hardest thing to sell. You’re convincing someone to invest their life savings in a business they have little control over. They control operations, but they don’t get to change the logo. You’re operating an established system. Those who have actually gone through becoming a franchise owner have a different perspective. Many buyers walk up to the edge and don’t jump. They get frightened by something — royalty, franchise fee, being on their own, health insurance, the stability of a job. For you to have gone through that is spectacular. If I’m a buyer — even if I don’t buy Mosquito Squad Plus — I still want to talk with you. How did you get comfortable? What were the conversations with your wife? Were you scared as a franchisee? Were you scared selling the business and asking what’s next? You hold great answers because you walked a day in the life of a franchisee. Flournoy: I appreciate it. When we pulled the trigger, my son was maybe eight months old. It’s a scary time when you have a young family. We moved to Augusta. I didn’t really know anyone there. It was frightening. I took a day off work and talked with my wife. OK, this is really scary. I still remember the room in the house where we went back and forth. At 10 a.m. we were in; at 11 a.m. we were out. At the end of the day, it’s about the system, due diligence and getting comfortable with the people. Our Meet Your Team Days are pretty informal. We leave opportunities for questions because I don’t want to see a candidate rushed into buying anything. That’s the wrong approach to any business. I want the candidate fully informed, with all questions answered and comfortable. In one year, I want to look them in the face and say, this is what I told you you’d get, this is how we’d support you—and I hope they say, thank you, you delivered. Credit to  Greg Atwell , my VP of operations — he does an incredible job. A lot of people talk about onboarding. To me, it’s the most critical point in any business, not just franchising. You go back to the John Wooden quotes—you have to set a foundation if you’re going to build a team. Many franchise owners have never owned a business. They come with varying degrees of experience. It’s our job to take that person, once they sign, and prepare them to take baby steps and really change their lives. Some aren’t used to working that hard or doing it this way. There are all kinds of questions. It’s our responsibility because someone is willing to give us a large percent of their savings and trust our systems to build one of the biggest assets — probably the biggest — they’ll have in their lives. From the time they sign to three or four months into the business is the most critical. Powills: What I love about what you said is it’s more like a real estate agent. A real estate agent shows homes, educates the buyer and wants the experience to be great, so the buyer becomes a referral. They lead the buyer to an important decision. Franchising — plenty of companies treat it like car sales. Sell and be done. What you talked about is cultivating culture and aligning opportunity to expectations. A lot of brands sell; very few develop. If we treat it like real estate sales with transparency, honesty and good advice, we set the franchisee up for success. My closing question: let’s say a candidate has watched this far. What else do you want them to know about the opportunity to help them decide to fill out a form and have a conversation? Flournoy: Number one, do your due diligence. Do your homework. Be educated to make the best decision. You want them to make the leap and jump in, not jump and turn around. Jump in the deep end and go do it. Look at the innovation and things we’ve accomplished over the last 24 months. It’s remarkable. We’re positioning ourselves to be the leader in this industry — in the mosquito space and other pests. The team we’ve formed —  Dr. Kurt VanDock has done a tremendous job getting EBI, Essential Botanical Insecticide, which is a natural product. We are the only brand that has that patented. We’re part of a great organization in Authority Brands, which gives you the data. If you want to expand, there are plenty of other franchise awards within Authority Brands. Ultimately, it’s about cultivating the relationship, continuing to build on what Mosquito Squad has done and making Mosquito Squad Plus best in class over the next zero to 10 years. Powills: I overuse this statement, but most buyers didn’t grow up saying, when I’m older, I want to own a mosquito brand. They say, I want to own a business. Then you look at how much you have to invest, the outcome you want, who the people are and you bet on the jockey, not the horse. With your story — franchisee to franchisor — there’s a tremendous thing there. For franchisees looking for advisory, even if they don’t buy, I encourage them to reach out. I’m grateful you shared your story today. Thanks for doing this. Flournoy: Thank you. I’m glad to share the story anytime with anyone. I appreciate you having me. Happy Friday to you. Powills: You too. For Jef, I’m Nick. This was another episode of “Meet the Franchise.” Watch the full interview above or on  YouTube . To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit  https://1851franchise.com/mosquito-squad .