With a true three-in-one service model, Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting offers a powerful platform for entrepreneurs to grow, and it provides a smoother launch period, regardless of the season. For strictly seasonal brands, franchisees often feel pressure to align their launch with the busy season, or shortly ahead of it, to capture as much revenue in year one before things die down. This is not the case for Hunters-Humbug franchisees. 

Rather, owners can launch whenever best works for them, and as time passes and brand awareness grows, introduce additional services to grow market share. This is what Karen and Robert Hoffman, franchisees in South Dakota, did as they worked to launch their Hunters-Humbug business.

“We bought the franchise and joined the system in July, and we worked hard to get everything ready and operational as fast as we could,” Karen said. “We quickly learned that preparation for holiday lighting jobs starts early, so we focused on that. We ordered our marketing materials and began putting out yard signs and door hangers as soon as possible.”

As the pair began building brand awareness in the community, the business got off to a strong start.

“From the very beginning, it was clear that Karen and Robert had what it takes to succeed as 3-in-1 owners,” said Shirley Warrington, Senior Franchise Development Director for Hunters-Humbug. “They were fully engaged throughout the Discovery process, both showing up, asking questions, and staying committed every step of the way. When couples approach this as a shared decision, even if one will lead day-to-day, it sets the tone for long-term success. The Hoffmans followed our process exactly, and I had no doubt they’d bring that same focus and coachability to their launch. I can’t wait to watch them thrive across all three service lines.”

The Hoffmans’ proactive approach paid off. By taking advantage of the early-season opportunities in holiday lighting, they were able to build brand recognition and operational confidence before expanding into the additional service lines. Their early success validated the flexibility of the model.

“We noticed in October that our brand was already getting established. We were the only Hunters-Humbug owners in the market, so we were kind of building awareness from scratch,” Robert said. “But we would talk to people, and they’d tell us, ‘We see you all over town!’”

Laying this strong foundation and building awareness through holiday lighting services first provided an even better runway as the pair prepared for the following year’s pest control busy season.

“During any downtime we found in the winter, we were doing everything we could to become experts on not only mosquito control but overall pest control,” Karen said. “We worked to get the necessary licenses and learn new software programs so we would be fully ready come spring.”

Their methodical approach has earned the respect of the Hunters-Humbug leadership team.

“What I love about the Hoffmans is they have grit. They know when to grind and when to jump on an opportunity,” said Miguel Diaz, Director of Operations for Hunters-Humbug. “Robert is always thinking big, and I have seen him present service opportunities that, quite frankly, are year-round opportunities. They can establish a relationship with a commercial customer for holiday lighting, and then also end up servicing the same customer for pest control. Year-round revenue is a year-round relationship with their customers.”

While investing in a three-in-one model and ramping up bit by bit allowed for a smooth, measured onboarding process, the Hoffmans agree the process still required discipline.

“It’s not a part-time job,” Robert said. “If you want to maximize your opportunity with this franchise, you need to be all in.”

For prospective owners looking to join the Hunters-Humbug system and start the ramp-up process after the Spring mosquito and pest control power window has fully opened, Karen recommends going all in with holiday lighting as the primary focus, just as she did.

“It was easiest and best for us to start with lighting,” she said. “There wasn’t too much thrown at us at once, and we were able to put a ton of focus on a single service line. We felt this recipe allowed us to truly master the fundamentals of the business before we began introducing the pest control service lines into the mix.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters.