Mosquito Hunters | WHY I BOUGHT
How Mosquito Hunters’ First Franchisee Overcame Physical Obstacles to Pursue Business Ownership
How Mitt Romney and a bad date influenced Brandon Allen to open a mosquito, flea and tick control company
Brandon Allen had big plans of pursuing a degree in law enforcement, but an unfortunate car accident caused him to endure seizures and a back injury. Realizing he would need to switch career aspirations, he was inspired by Mitt Romney’s messaging during his presidential run in 2012. Allen says Romney championed that young Americans should focus on opening businesses, which inspired him to create a five-year plan filled with the ultimate goal of business ownership.
“It got me out of bed and back to work,” Allen said, “I wanted to put myself in a position to become a business owner.”
In 2013, Allen knew he needed to get healthier and stronger. The doctors told him that he would never work again, but Brandon had other plans. Upon his release from the hospital, he quickly got back into running to build muscle.
“I used to run five miles like it was nothing, and when I was sick, I ran my first quarter of a mile and I couldn’t breathe,” Allen said. “But I kept getting better and stronger and able to straighten my back and get myself back together.”
At the time, a friend was teaching autistic children and Allen felt like he could relate to those children based on his medication, so he decided that becoming a teacher would put him in a position to save money and open his own business. At the time, he didn’t know what he wanted to open, but that all changed when he was on a bad date in 2014.
“I was on a date in the park with my now wife and she was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. She was pretty upset, and the result was a horrible date,” Allen said. “It made me start thinking about mosquito control as a potential business opportunity and I began looking at franchises in the space.”
Allen’s friend owned a supplement franchise, and he recommended that Allen work with a consultant who eventually introduced him to Andy Fuller, the Founder and Chief Hunter at Mosquito Hunters. It was after this meeting that Allen’s real discovery period began.
“At that point, I knew I wanted to get into the pest control business, and I liked that Mosquito Hunters was in a fragmented, niche industry,” Allen said. “I like that it’s a young company that gave me a chance to be one of the first franchisees in the system. As an early adopter, I get an opportunity to help grow and build the company. At a big company, I’d have no say, but as a younger franchise I have a more personal relationship with the Founder and executive team.”
Allen signed for a territory within the Tampa, Florida metropolitan statistical area.
“Owners like Brandon are the backbone of Mosquito Hunters,” said Fuller, “Not only is Brandon a passionate, hard-working owner, he is a tremendous ambassador of our brand and culture. Every day, he’s focused on building relationships and earning his clients’ loyalty.” At the same time, said Fuller, franchising is a team sport and he applauds Brandon’s collaborative spirit. “Brandon is not afraid to say ‘I don’t know what I don’t know’ which is critical for a successful owner.”
Now into his second year of business, Allen has been continuing to build his business in the Tampa market by providing excellent customer service.
“Since becoming a franchisee, I’ve become more confident in myself,” Allen said. “I never would have considered myself to be a good salesman, or be good at public speaking or networking. Doing this has given me confidence to do that and talk about my business.”
Vice President of Franchise Development Eric Martin has seen franchising help Brandon and others like him achieve a level of success they had never envisioned prior to working collectively with a network of like-minded owners. “Franchising at its core is a duplication of systems and best practices. When you join a franchise, you become a part of an information sharing team working with a refined model that has been tested and proven to work.” Martin said. “Seeing someone like Brandon who brought a passion to build a community-based business succeed like he has after plugging into the Mosquito Hunters system is extremely rewarding.”
Even with the many health obstacles and challenges Allen faced, he says you get out what you put in. And the hard work is paying off. Allen says that by mid-year through his second year, he actually doubled his business that he saw in the first year.
“Making a good living while providing a much-needed service that makes a difference in the lives of families is a very satisfying feeling” Allen said. “When you love what you do and see the impact your business is making in the community, it doesn’t feel like work.”
To learn more about franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit www.mosquitohuntersfranchise.com.