Mosquito Hunters

In October 2018, home service franchise <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Mosquito Hunters</a> clocked in at eight total units. 

As of May 2019&mdash;just seven months later&mdash;<a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=mosquito-hunters-heading-toward-icon-status-as-it-surpasses-50-franchise-units-signed-2710092" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Mosquito Hunters</a> has officially surpassed the 50-unit mark for licenses signed.

Andy Fuller, the CEO of Mosquito Hunters, founded the brand in 2014. The Chicago-based company began franchising in 2016 and growth has accelerated faster than he could have imagined. &ldquo;Three years ago, we had zero franchise locations. Two years ago, we had two. One year ago, eight, and today, 54&mdash;and we may have more by the end of this week,&rdquo; he said

&ldquo;Reaching 50 units is a key milestone for any franchise,&rdquo; said Ron Ens, Franchise Development Manager of Mosquito Hunters. &ldquo;With 50 units, that moves us from a nice, new concept to an established franchise. We&rsquo;ve been attracting a very high caliber of franchisee, and our growth will continue to accelerate because we have so many great operators to provide validation for future entrepreneurs.&rdquo;

In 2016, with no previous franchising experience, Fuller had bold, bordering on presumptuous, goals to propel the Mosquito Hunters brand to &ldquo;household name&rdquo; status. &ldquo;I assumed early on that once you go through the trouble to start franchising, you are automatically iconic. The reality is, that&rsquo;s hardly even the starting line. Most franchises are brands you&rsquo;ve never heard of and never will,&rdquo; he said, adding that the vast majority of franchise brands will never claim greater than 100 units at any point. 

But with more than 50 units in just three years, Mosquito Hunters is actually on a real trajectory to become an iconic brand.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve found that our franchise development directors are really good at forming meaningful relationships, both in the franchise consulting community and with organic candidates who&rsquo;ve found us online,&rdquo; said Fuller. &ldquo;That has been the secret to our success, which aligns perfectly with our mission statement.&rdquo;

That aforementioned Mosquito Hunters mission statement reads as follows:

&ldquo;We believe our business exists to build relationships with our clients and with each other. When we provide support, these relationships grow. With extraordinary relationships, we believe that client loyalty, brand integrity, profitability, and professionalism are inherent.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fuller credits the brand&rsquo;s explosive growth to this philosophy. &ldquo;If you build strong relationships and support them, the money and success&mdash;everything you want for your business&mdash;will figure itself out as a natural byproduct,&rdquo; said Fuller, adding that forging a partnership with Lawn Doctor last year also helped take Mosquito Hunters&rsquo; franchising game to the next level. &ldquo;We couldn&#39;t have gotten there without our exceptional franchise development team. They are incredibly relationship-focused, diligent, and engaged with prospective owners, as well as franchise consultants.&rdquo;

The brand&rsquo;s top-notch corporate team is in good company. Fuller also gave thanks for the fleet of <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/the-top-5-reasons-a-mosquito-hunters-franchise-makes-business-sense-in-2019-2709386" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">amazing franchisees</a> the brand has attracted over the last few years.

&ldquo;I love the caliber of our franchisees,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They come from very diverse walks of life, but what they have in common is a willingness to go outside of their comfort zones. They want something greater, something with more purpose&mdash;to take their talents and experiences and apply them to create something of value for themselves.&rdquo;

The Mosquito Hunters system is comprised of individuals from an array of personal and professional backgrounds, from C-level executives to top military personnel, and from former educators to serial entrepreneurs.

&ldquo;Some of our franchisees are semi-absentee owners with other businesses, and some have built and sold off a number of businesses&mdash;this is their next big adventure,&rdquo; said Fuller. &ldquo;Our owners are not just those looking to exit the corporate world. I&rsquo;m happy to see experienced, established business owners seeing value in what Mosquito Hunters has to offer.&rdquo;

Fuller said that having a diverse pool of owners benefits each individual within the franchise. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t realize this when I started franchising, but one of the best parts of being a franchisee is the ability to talk to your fellow franchisees. They&rsquo;re going through the exact same thing you&rsquo;re going through,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have video chats every week and franchisees from Texas to New York to Nebraska get on to discuss best practices and what&rsquo;s working for them.&rdquo;

While much of this F2F (franchisee to franchisee: pass it on) sharing revolves around franchisees&rsquo; most recent Mosquito Hunters experiences, it&rsquo;s also heavily informed by their unique career experiences. &ldquo;When you have a CEO in Cincinnati, a biochemist in New Orleans and a restaurateur in New York City, for example, you know you will get some fresh ideas,&rdquo; noted Fuller.

Fuller said his favorite part of <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/executive-q-a-andy-fuller-of-mosquito-hunters-2707907" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">serving as CEO</a> of Mosquito Hunters is getting to work with small business owners every day. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m obsessed with small business,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m sitting next to someone on a plane and they say they&rsquo;re a business owner or want to start their own business, I don&#39;t care what industry it&rsquo;s in, I&rsquo;m infinitely fascinated. I have a million questions.&rdquo;

It&rsquo;s no wonder the CEO particularly loves the franchise model, since franchising inherently creates a network of small business owners. &ldquo;A franchisee is not an employee or a customer. They&rsquo;re a business owner. We get to support each other every day as business owners,&rdquo; he said.

Moving forward on the heels of this 50-unit milestone, Mosquito Hunters continues to look for strong franchisees to join its system of talented small business owners.

&ldquo;Anywhere in the market where there are mosquitoes, people with a little disposable income and homes with yards, there&rsquo;s an opportunity,&rdquo; said Fuller. &ldquo;We just need to find people who are the right fit: People who are independent, but want to be coached; who are willing to go out of their comfort zones; are communicative; and want to be a part of a business that helps the community. The timing is perfect right now. &nbsp;We&rsquo;re sold out in only two markets in the entire country, so we are ready to grow.&rdquo;

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really exciting to build something meaningful, and to get to do it with people you really enjoy working with,&rdquo; said Fuller. &ldquo;What more could you ask for?&rdquo;

The total investment necessary to open a Mosquito Hunters franchise ranges from $70,107 to $82,903. For more information, visit <a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=mosquito-hunters-heading-toward-icon-status-as-it-surpasses-50-franchise-units-signed-2710092" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com</a>.

<div>&nbsp;</div>

Mosquito Hunters Heading Toward ‘Icon’ Status As It Surpasses 50 Franchise Units Signed

1851 Franchise

The home services brand has grown to 54 franchise locations in just a few years.


This brand page has been paid for by MOSQUITO HUNTERS. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

mosquito-hunters-heading-toward-icon-status-as-it-surpasses-50-franchise-units-signed

FRANCHISE INFORMATION

Own a Mosquito Hunters

Mosquito Hunters 3-in-1 Model

Franchisee Highlight

Executive Q&A

Learn

Download Brochure

Visit Website

MOSQUITO HUNTERS

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

YouTube

Pinterest

SOCIAL MEDIA

Corporate Salesperson Transitions to Entrepreneurship With Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting Franchise

Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting Names Industry Veteran Court Aiken Brand President

How One Hunters-Humbug Franchisee Blends Technology and an Interpersonal Focus to Drive Expansion

MOSQUITO HUNTERS MOST READ STORIES

1851 LOGIN

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

ABOUT MOSQUITO HUNTERS

CONTACT MOSQUITO HUNTERS

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

City

State / Province

Zip Code

Own a Mosquito Hunters Franchise

<a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise&amp;utm_medium=referral%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Elite%20Window%20Cleaning%202-minute%20drill">Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting</a>, the 140-unit pest management and holiday lighting franchise, continues to grow both in footprint and infrastructure, now with the addition of industry veteran&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtka">Court Aiken</a> as its new brand president. With 24 years of experience in the franchise industry, including time spent with Cold Stone Creamery, Dunkin’, Clockwork Home Services/Direct Energy, Neighborly and Threshold Brands, Aiken has experience in operations, mergers and acquisitions, compliance, customer service, finance, and brand leadership. Now, in his new role with&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/info">Hunters-Humbug</a>, Aiken will work alongside both franchise owners in the system and members of the&nbsp;<a href="https://happinest.com/">Happinest Brands</a> leadership team to propel the future success of the Hunters-Humbug brand.While Aiken sees clear business potential in the Hunters-Humbug model, much of what drove him to join the team was less tangible. In addition to a scalable business, Aiken sees clear value in the leadership team's approach. This alignment was a key contributor to his choice to join and will continue to inform how he steers the network as everyone throughout it pursues healthy, impactful growth.“I very quickly identified the love and dedication that everyone at Happinest shares for their brands, and it’s not just siloed into the brands that a single person might work for,” Aiken said. “It truly is a cross-functional team where everyone helps each other. The passion is palpable. One of the things that struck me very early on was that the development team at Happinest maintains their relationships with the people they’re bringing into these brands long after the ink is dry on the franchise agreement. The strength and power of these relationships is truly unique, and I’m excited to be a part of an amazing team that focuses on this aspect of the business.”<h2>Aiken’s Vision for Hunters-Humbug’s Long-Term Growth</h2>Aiken joins the Hunters-Humbug team at a unique inflection point. After&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/mosquito-hunters-three-in-one-franchise-model-2729107">officially rolling out its three-in-one model</a> last spring, Hunters-Humbug has significantly expanded the revenue potential for its franchisees and opened the door to even stronger long-term growth.“I truly believe in and endorse the idea of us not just being a mosquito control or abatement company but moving into the pest control space,” Aiken said. “The mosquito control space has become crowded both with other franchises and mom-and-pop operations — even lawn care companies have jumped in with both feet. Branching out to pest control allows us to differentiate ourselves, and adding holiday lighting only compounds the impact even further.”With this in mind, Aiken is embracing a franchisee-first leadership approach, prioritizing the support, resources and additional innovations that will propel growth. While Hunters-Humbug was built on a foundation of mosquito control, the addition of pest control was a big step, and the brand has now positioned franchisees to enter the lighting world with both holiday lighting services and the potential to provide permanent lighting solutions.“My vision is for Hunters-Humbug to be the leader in this space,” he said. “And it’s not just one space. I really look at our market as two spaces. We’re a pest control franchise, and we’re also a lighting franchise. And the team and I are incredibly well-positioned to take us to the next level in both industries.”<h2>Driving the Next Generation of Hunters-Humbug With Collaborative, Hands-on Leadership</h2>Reflecting on his career to this point, Aiken says one of the best pieces of advice he has received is to “listen first, talk later.”“When I was younger and trying to establish myself, I always wanted to be the smartest person in the room and make sure people knew it, but I’ve learned that I learn much more from the people around me than I could ever hope to know on my own,” he said. “This has taught me to be methodical… to make sure I’ve truly processed what people are saying before giving a deliberate and measured response."As Aiken steps into his new role, he carries this lesson with him, making a concerted effort to prioritize a collaborative approach and work alongside the Hunters-Humbug owners who have “boots on the ground” each day. By hearing what they have to say and not just falling back on default rules, Aiken will support and empower owners in the ways they actually need, driving success at both the unit-level and system-wide.“I’m not the kind of person who likes to sit behind the computer and tell people to do things because I think they’re the right things,” he said. “The beauty of Hunters-Humbug is that I’ve joined a team that shares that vision. When we’re making decisions for the Hunters-Humbug brand and for the franchisees, we’re asking for feedback. We’re looking to franchisees to give us their opinions.”&nbsp;“And as much as I love the franchisees, I love the technicians even more because they’re often the ones actually doing the work; they’re the ones who have to live with the decisions that we make,” he continued. “Getting out and spending time in the field with the owners and their techs is incredibly important to me. I’m a very hands-on leader.”With Aiken at the helm, Hunters-Humbug is poised to enter its next phase, balancing aggressive market expansion with a deep, personal understanding of the franchisee experience. Combining his decades of corporate expertise with the practical lessons he learned as a franchise owner himself, Aiken is charging toward the future with a high-powered, multi-service model that remains rooted in the success of the people behind it.&nbsp;To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters">https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters</a>.&nbsp;

Photo of Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting president Court Aiken

Aiken, who brings over two decades of franchise experience and a deep passion for franchisee relationships and support, will lead the brand’s next major growth phase.

brand-president-court-aiken

Photo of Miguel Diaz, Pest Hunters, Mosquito Hunters, Humbug Holiday Lighting

Science and Scale: How Miguel Diaz Is Driving the Future of Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting

miguel-diaz-franchise

Why Invest in a Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting Franchise in 2026

why-invest-hunters-humbug-franchise

Photo of Humbug Holiday Lighting team members wearing festive sweaters, beanies, smiling at camera

Happinest Brands Turns the ‘Off-Season’ Into a Bright Spot for Franchisees

happinest-holiday-lighting-franchise-support

Following a decades-long corporate career in global sourcing and green energy,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-lopez-48a785377/">Gina Lopez</a> began considering a pivot. She wanted financial freedom, but having risen to the leadership level, any corporate career move would likely require relocation, and she was determined to stay in Greenville, South Carolina. So, she turned to franchising.“What really triggered us to look at business ownership was that we wanted to have more control over our destiny from a financial perspective,” she said. “I had learned quite a bit about scaling businesses, making and keeping them profitable, even in tumultuous times, so I felt like I had the skills I needed to do it on a smaller business scale.”After connecting with&nbsp;<a href="https://happinest.com/">Happinest Brands</a>, the parent company of&nbsp;<a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/">Pest Hunters-Mosquito&nbsp;</a><a href="https://humbugholidaylighting.com/">Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting</a>, Lopez completed a thorough due diligence process before deciding to bring&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/info">Hunters-Humbug</a> to her community.“We spent several months having conversations, going through due diligence — all those things,” she said. “I really liked that Happinest had a growth objective. They intended to continue to expand their brands and service offerings, so I felt like it was a good place to land.”“At&nbsp;<a href="https://happinest.com/">Happinest Brands</a>, we combine decades of franchise expertise with a commitment to continuous innovation,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmartinfranchisedevelopment/">Eric Martin</a>, senior vice president of franchise development. “By leveraging technology, automation and data-driven systems, we’re helping franchisees operate more efficiently, improve customer experiences and scale smarter — while still maintaining the personal, community-focused service that defines our brands.”Since launching, Lopez has leaned into this growth objective as a part of the larger Happinest system and within her own business, embracing new technologies, staffing strategically and taking advantage of opportunities for additional visibility where possible.<h2>Leveraging AI and Automation</h2>As she has grown, Lopez has taken a strategic look at where technology can step in, as well as where it absolutely shouldn’t. By staying on the cutting edge of technology, Lopez learned early on that there were tools available to help her clear the all-too-common hurdle of working&nbsp;in the business rather than&nbsp;on it.By considering where technology can augment the business and team’s performance, rather than replacing the people themselves, Lopez has established a cost-efficient operating model for today and set the stage for long-term scalability within the business.“I’ve leaned into automation quite a bit,” she said. “It’s a pretty good substitute for adding people for about 80% of cases. And it’s kind of a natural evolution for a business like this to integrate some of these things because it’s really how people are used to behaving now… They’re no longer making phone calls; they’re sending inquiries online. They’re used to chatbots.”As the technology develops, Lopez is also keeping a close eye on the data it yields, using it to make smart decisions for the business.For example, she built an AI agent that can generate 90-day cash flow forecasts and acquisition plans. She performs detailed return-on-investment analysis on additional fleet vehicles at specific revenue points to ensure her expansion is backed by real data.“Business is a combination of taking your own knowledge and leveraging AI, and some of that is just a gut check,” she said. “For me, the AI analysis is typically confirmation of what I was thinking anyway, but with real numbers and a tangible business plan that I can look at and say, ‘Okay, am I executing to this?’”While the tools and technology have been key to her success, Lopez’s commitment to the human element remains an important part of her strategy.<h2>Prioritizing Connections, Locally and Nationally</h2>Having created a strong baseline with the Hunters-Humbug system and her own technology integration, Lopez has been able to focus even more closely on the interpersonal aspects of the business. From networking locally to contributing to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bhg.com/home-checkup-after-winter-11931911">Better Homes &amp; Gardens article</a>, Lopez keeps her focus on the visibility and relationships that will drive the business.“Leaning into networking and becoming an active member of the community has been so valuable for me,” she said. “Having worked in corporate America, my network was global, but this is a different network now. I’m really leaning into different business networking groups and fellow business owners to find opportunities to increase my sphere of opportunity. As the owner, you’re the face of the business, and you have to build a reputation through relationships.”As she looks toward the future, Lopez is leveraging the three-pillar revenue model that includes mosquito control, pest control and holiday lighting. With a blend of AI-driven efficiency and a real commitment to her Greenville community, Lopez is building her business and securing her family’s future.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters.">https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters.</a>&nbsp;

Photo of Pest Hunters-Mosquito Hunters-Humbug Holiday Lighting Gina Lopez

Gina Lopez, owner of Hunters-Humbug of Greenville, blends executive-level data analysis with a high-touch community presence, reimagining what home service franchise leadership looks like.

success-gina-lopez-hunters-humbug

Mosquito Hunters Heading Toward ‘Icon’ Status As It Surpasses 50 Franchise Units Signed

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS