The fast-growing home services franchise, Mosquito Hunters, is experiencing an increase in female franchise partners who are owning their territories like the bosses they are. While a common misconception is that the outdoor home services space is for men, four of Mosquito Hunters’ recent franchisees are women and are taking control of new markets.
Jane Connerton, Jennifer Graft, Beth Willis and Mary Guarino all joined the Mosquito Hunter family in mid-March, each of them discovering the brand through their own means in January 2019. Their stories carry familiar threads.
After working in corporate America for several years, Connerton decided it was time to get back into what she loved most: Customer service and relationship-building. Driven by excellence and a desire for a flexible schedule, she sought to franchise with a brand that would let her engage with clients and provide a much-needed service to the community.
“I was attracted to Mosquito Hunters not only because it has a low financial barrier, but because I could interact with clients,” said Connerton. “I never once thought about the ratio of male-to-female franchise partners with the brand or if it was a ‘masculine’ line of work. I saw investing with Mosquito Hunters as an opportunity to build relationships, provide critical services to my community and have the backing of a proven business model with Lawn Doctor’s 50 years of franchising as support.”
Graft, too, was drawn to Mosquito Hunters because of Lawn Doctor’s backing as well as the brand’s recurring revenue and marketing. In addition, she found the energy of Andy Fuller, Founder and Chief Hunter of Mosquito Hunters, exhilarating—especially given that she was the CEO of her own business and knew just what kind of leadership she wanted to see in a franchise opportunity. With all of these factors combined, plus Mosquito Hunters’ recession-resistant model and customer service-centered culture, Graft knew the brand was a natural fit.
Graft said, “I wanted to take my skills out into the community and help another company grow. Mosquito Hunters has a solid foundation and when I talked with my franchise coach about my investing criteria, the brand kept climbing up the list. Everyone I talked to from Mosquito Hunters was transparent and honest about the business perspective.”
Those components of the brand that attracted Graft also resounded for Guarino. She and her business partner already owned another company and were looking to expand their business portfolio. After conferring with a franchise broker about the criteria they had, the pair realized that Mosquito Hunters hit every mark.
“We have a four year old brick-and-mortar business which is very established and practically running itself,” said Guarino. “As a mom with five kids, I wanted to partner with a brand that allowed for freedom and flexibility in our schedules, too. We found that Mosquito Hunters nicely complemented the seasonal nature of the other company.”
Willis also found the seasonal nature of the brand attractive.
“Franchising with Mosquito Hunters fits our lifestyle,” said Willis. “My husband and I own other retail businesses which are active from fall to spring. But March through late summer is less busy in our stores, so we wanted to invest in a brand that would be complementary with its seasonal schedule. Mosquito Hunters has that component, along with solid corporate support. We love that we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
With their collective backgrounds in business, Connerton, Graft, Willis and Guarino have applied their skill sets to franchising with Mosquito Hunters. Both Connerton and Guarino have started with two territories in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. Graft and Willis, while they each have one territory, expressed that they look forward to seeing the success of their business this season and taking the journey from there. Willis noted that she intends to purchase more territory, especially in western Michigan as she is currently the only Mosquito Hunters partner in Michigan.
Graft said, “I’m certainly excited to expand and grow Mosquito Hunters in Ohio. My plan is to establish my territory first before seeing what other areas will be successful. So far, I’ve seen great traction in the community and my fellow franchisees in the area have also benefited from the incentives, like a Groupon deal, used to jumpstart business in their markets. There are also plenty of opportunities to pair with fellow franchisees in our areas.”
“There is an incredible amount of camaraderie within Mosquito Hunters,” said Connerton. “We are all supported by headquarters and our fellow franchisees. No one cares whether you’re male or female because we all are aiming for the same goal: expand the brand and become bigger than the large corporate competitors.”
Although their businesses have just kicked off, Connerton, Graft, Willis and Guarino collectively discussed how they seek to continue penetrating their markets and are confident that their strength as female entrepreneurs will greatly benefit their client base over other brands’.
Guarino said, “Being female business partners with an outdoor home service brand like Mosquito Hunters has earned us some raised eyebrows. But we see it as an advantage, rather than an obstacle. When you go outside the box as a woman and put yourself in a position of power, only good things can happen. In fact, I enjoy when people tell me I can’t do something because it motivates me to prove them wrong and be even better.”
Each of the female franchisees of Mosquito Hunters expressed excitement over their recent partnerships with the brand and are ready to provide needed services to their communities.
The initial start up investment for Mosquito Hunters is between $70,107 and $85,903 with a franchise fee of $35,000. To learn more about franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/.