Jake Jones, a former corporate salesperson, spent about 20 years in the award recognition business before exploring opportunities to become his own boss. Though he initially considered brick-and-mortar brands, Jones found his way to the home services space and eventually got connected with the team at Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting, the over 140-unit pest control and holiday lighting franchise backed by Happinest Brands.
“At the time, I knew nothing about franchises. I just knew I wanted to be my own boss, and given I’d been in the recognition industry for 20 years, I didn’t have any background on starting a business,” Jones said. “I had no education on accounting or marketing, so I needed a franchise to get me trained in both pest management and holiday lighting, as well as the how-tos of starting your own business.”
Jones made sure he took the time to find the right fit before launching his business in July of 2025.
While Jones’ corporate role was flexible in terms of his schedule and the option to work from home, he was no longer fulfilled by the work. When he was “no longer excited to get out of bed in the morning,” Jones knew it was time to look for another path.
“My wife, Kelly, played a big role in this process,” he said. “Her dad was an entrepreneur, so she grew up in that lifestyle. She was very supportive through the transition from having a set salary to taking the leap of faith. She wanted to see me doing something I enjoyed.”
With the encouragement of his wife and three daughters, Jones launched his Hunters-Humbug business last summer, just in time to take advantage of a busy pest season and build a runway for a steady holiday lighting season, too.
“The pest management got off to a quick start, then the lighting season was fast and furious for sure,” he said. “It started in October and November with sales and installations and continued through December and January with maintenance and take-downs.”
While business ownership was new to Jones, he was able to draw on his prior sales experience to serve as a foundation, of sorts, as he began to grow. The industry was new, but the practice of building relationships was not. His prior experience actually paid off nearly immediately, empowering Jones to sell services to a large country club in his area in his first week of sales.
“I apply the relationship-driven approach to residential sales, too,” he said. “There is so much information available as you walk up to someone’s house. Maybe they have a Kansas City Chiefs flag, a motorcycle or animals out front. I’m always just trying to build the personal connection. I’m not trying to sell them on anything immediately. I’m introducing myself, explaining that I’m a small business owner and trying to break down some barriers to help them feel a bit more comfortable.”
This approach has helped him make the most of Hunters-Humbug’s three-in-one model. While the recurring nature of the mosquito business helps stability, the ability to build strong relationships with clients and expand services from that point has opened the door for substantial business growth.
Now, Jones is also passionate about the Pest Hunters facet of the business, noting that it allows for higher-level problem-solving and an opportunity to shine in an industry where many providers fall short.
“The mosquito control is a huge part of the business, but, for me, pest management is the biggest piece of the pie,” he said. “A lot of times, people are intimidated by it, and there are a lot of pest control companies that don’t do a great job. The opportunity to complete those services at the level of quality we maintain is what really gets me excited. I just think there’s so much potential.”
As he looks toward the future with the business, Jones is focused on scaling, and he feels confident to pursue this growth thanks to the backing of the franchise system.
“One of the huge benefits of the franchise system is your peers,” Jones said. “I've got three guys who were in my training class, and I talk to them daily. We're all at the same point in our business journey having been live for about the same period of time, but there are also franchisees I can talk to that have been doing this for a long time. The amount of information they have is very valuable, and everyone’s willing to help everyone else out.”
Armed with the operational playbook from Hunters-Humbug and the support from fellow franchisees, Jones is focused on expanding, hiring and training a team to focus on execution while he continues to focus on business development.
“My plan for the year is, essentially, to sell and figure it out later,” he said. “I feel confident I have the tools available to figure it out, and I’m working to build a team to be out in the field so I can do more of what I enjoy, which is the growth of the company. As I look back on the first eight months of operations and how far I’ve come in such a short time, I feel this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If I could do it over again, I would — in a second.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters.
Pest Hunters - Mosquito Hunters - Humbug Holiday L
SPONSORED
After about two decades in sales performance and award recognition programs, Jake Jones turned to the pest management and holiday lighting brand as a pathway to exit the corporate world.
Jake Jones, a former corporate salesperson, spent about 20 years in the award recognition business before exploring opportunities to become his own boss. Though he initially considered brick-and-mortar brands, Jones found his way to the home services space and eventually got connected with the team at Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting, the over 140-unit pest control and holiday lighting franchise backed by Happinest Brands.
“At the time, I knew nothing about franchises. I just knew I wanted to be my own boss, and given I’d been in the recognition industry for 20 years, I didn’t have any background on starting a business,” Jones said. “I had no education on accounting or marketing, so I needed a franchise to get me trained in both pest management and holiday lighting, as well as the how-tos of starting your own business.”
Jones made sure he took the time to find the right fit before launching his business in July of 2025.
While Jones’ corporate role was flexible in terms of his schedule and the option to work from home, he was no longer fulfilled by the work. When he was “no longer excited to get out of bed in the morning,” Jones knew it was time to look for another path.
“My wife, Kelly, played a big role in this process,” he said. “Her dad was an entrepreneur, so she grew up in that lifestyle. She was very supportive through the transition from having a set salary to taking the leap of faith. She wanted to see me doing something I enjoyed.”
With the encouragement of his wife and three daughters, Jones launched his Hunters-Humbug business last summer, just in time to take advantage of a busy pest season and build a runway for a steady holiday lighting season, too.
“The pest management got off to a quick start, then the lighting season was fast and furious for sure,” he said. “It started in October and November with sales and installations and continued through December and January with maintenance and take-downs.”
While business ownership was new to Jones, he was able to draw on his prior sales experience to serve as a foundation, of sorts, as he began to grow. The industry was new, but the practice of building relationships was not. His prior experience actually paid off nearly immediately, empowering Jones to sell services to a large country club in his area in his first week of sales.
“I apply the relationship-driven approach to residential sales, too,” he said. “There is so much information available as you walk up to someone’s house. Maybe they have a Kansas City Chiefs flag, a motorcycle or animals out front. I’m always just trying to build the personal connection. I’m not trying to sell them on anything immediately. I’m introducing myself, explaining that I’m a small business owner and trying to break down some barriers to help them feel a bit more comfortable.”
This approach has helped him make the most of Hunters-Humbug’s three-in-one model. While the recurring nature of the mosquito business helps stability, the ability to build strong relationships with clients and expand services from that point has opened the door for substantial business growth.
Now, Jones is also passionate about the Pest Hunters facet of the business, noting that it allows for higher-level problem-solving and an opportunity to shine in an industry where many providers fall short.
“The mosquito control is a huge part of the business, but, for me, pest management is the biggest piece of the pie,” he said. “A lot of times, people are intimidated by it, and there are a lot of pest control companies that don’t do a great job. The opportunity to complete those services at the level of quality we maintain is what really gets me excited. I just think there’s so much potential.”
As he looks toward the future with the business, Jones is focused on scaling, and he feels confident to pursue this growth thanks to the backing of the franchise system.
“One of the huge benefits of the franchise system is your peers,” Jones said. “I've got three guys who were in my training class, and I talk to them daily. We're all at the same point in our business journey having been live for about the same period of time, but there are also franchisees I can talk to that have been doing this for a long time. The amount of information they have is very valuable, and everyone’s willing to help everyone else out.”
Armed with the operational playbook from Hunters-Humbug and the support from fellow franchisees, Jones is focused on expanding, hiring and training a team to focus on execution while he continues to focus on business development.
“My plan for the year is, essentially, to sell and figure it out later,” he said. “I feel confident I have the tools available to figure it out, and I’m working to build a team to be out in the field so I can do more of what I enjoy, which is the growth of the company. As I look back on the first eight months of operations and how far I’ve come in such a short time, I feel this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If I could do it over again, I would — in a second.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters.
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