On the Hunt For Something New: Sales Executives Brian Gore and Troy Miller Find Perfect Fit with Mosquito Hunters Franchise
“Working in sales for global manufacturing companies, I spent the majority of my time traveling extensively for nearly 20 years,” said Gore. “But I knew that I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and wanted to look into something that would keep me closer to home.”
The entrepreneurial itch quickly led him to considering a franchise opportunity, which felt safer than building a business from scratch.
“I began looking for existing franchises to buy and spent about a year looking at different options,” said Gore. “When Troy and I decided to partner up together, our search led us to Mosquito Hunters fairly early on. Not only was it a great opportunity from a cost standpoint, but since it was a young brand, we were able to get a really good territory here in Charlotte.”
Up front, Gore and Miller bought two territories to kick-start their new partnership, the first Mosquito Hunters franchisees to ever do so.
“For us, we saw the opportunity and took it,” said Miller. “Two territories was a lot to take on, but our goal is to utilize our sales backgrounds and our customer service experience to be the number one franchise in the Mosquito Hunters system.”
Gore and Miller officially opened Charlotte’s Mosquito Hunters this past January, and while currently beginning to wrap up their first season, the duo is more than proud of their debut performance.
“With any customer service business, but especially when its seasonal, you have to put in the long hours and work really hard to see success,” said Gore. “Here in North Carolina, our season is fortunately about eight months a year, which gives us some extra time for our service. It’s a lot of work, but if I can work eight months out of the year and live comfortably, it’s worth it”
Speaking to the success they’ve experienced in their first year, Miller adds, “We’re one of the fastest growing franchises in the system. We met our own individual progressive goals this year so now we know what’s possible. We’re really dedicated to growing our existing territories and hope to triple in size over the next few years.”
The two also emphasized how smooth the transition has been since joining the Mosquito Hunters team and entering a completely new industry.
“It’s been great. I’ve gone from a suit and tie environment to being my own boss,” said Gore. “Our last 20 years have been in leadership and sales and flying all over the world, so it’s been exciting getting to be so local and being able to really connect with the community. The best part about this experience though is that our Mosquito Hunters location offers a true value. With the CDC reporting on all of the diseases coming from fleas and ticks, especially here on the east coast, we feel like we’re really helping the community and their pets.”
Since opening, Gore and Miller’s Mosquito Hunters location has embedded itself into the Charlotte community, partnering with a number of local humane societies and animal shelters, including Piedmont Animal Rescue, Lake Norman Humane Society and The Rescue Ranch.
“We want to help educate pet owners about the dangers associated with the diseases from mosquitoes and ticks,” said Miller.
In another effort to give back, Gore and Miller offer a 10% discount to all veterans and first-responders in the community.
Miller, who is a veteran himself, adds, “We get a lot business from veterans here in the community, and while we offer a discount, we’re always looking for additional ways to give back and we’re really excited about the good that our business can bring to the community in the years ahead.”
Now backed by leading lawn-care franchise Lawn Doctor, Gore and Miller’s Mosquito Hunters franchise, along with any new locations as well, is positioned better than ever to outperform competitors and continue to expand across the both the east coast and rest of the county.
“They bring a high level experience and competence to our emerging franchise,” said Gore. “Lawn Doctor is such a large organization with a lot of experience. They’ve opened our eyes to things we can do differently to help us keep growing, and it’s only the beginning.”