Mosquito Hunters

<a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mosquito Hunters</a>, the outdoor pest control brand with 100-plus units across the country, offers prospective franchise owners an exciting, uniquely well-positioned business opportunity in 2021. In 2020, as homeowners spent more time in their outdoor spaces, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters">Mosquito Hunters’</a> services were in higher demand than ever, and the brand signed 21 new franchisees for 23 new units across the country. So far in 2021, the brand has added an additional 20 franchisees for 28 new units.Now, with a home-based business opportunity, membership-based model, strong support infrastructure, low cost of entry and high-profit margins, there is a slew of reasons qualified franchisees continue to join the Mosquito Hunters family and enter the <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/home-service-concepts-are-boomingwhy-2715654#stories">booming</a> $500 billion home services industry.&nbsp;Shelli and Todd signed on to open the <a href="https://mosquitohunters.com/chesterfieldwest-va/why-mosquito-hunters/about-us/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mosquito Hunters of Chesterfield</a> location earlier this year. The husband-and-wife team both hold MBAs, and after spending their careers working for other people, they decided it was time to start something on their own. The duo looked at several franchise concepts, but the more they learned about Mosquito Hunters, the more they knew it was the right choice for them.&nbsp;“As parents of five children, the biggest reason we were drawn to Mosquito Hunters was the amount of time we could spend with our family,” said Shelli. “A lot of people talk about wanting a work/life balance, but they don’t end up actually living that work/life balance. While we wanted to make money, we were also really focused on that time factor.”&nbsp;As a seasonal, home-based business, the Mosquito Hunters franchise opportunity offers a wide array of <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/the-culture-and-lifestyle-benefits-of-being-a-mosquito-hunters-franchisee-2713017#brand-latest-stories">culture and lifestyle benefits</a> that allow entrepreneurs like Shelli and Todd to achieve their personal goals and spend more time with their family. Even better, Shelli says her children have recently been helping with the business, including assisting with social media marketing and advertising.&nbsp;Shelli also says the level of <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/mosquito-hunters-employee-moves-up-through-the-ranks-to-become-regional-business-coach-2711882#brand-latest-stories">professional support</a> offered by the corporate team was a major factor in their decision to join Mosquito Hunters. “Starting a small business is always a risk, but with Mosquito Hunters, we get to tap into the vast experience of the individuals at corporate and also benefit from the flexibility within the parameters we are given to run our own franchise,” she said.Another recently added husband-and-wife team, <a href="https://mosquitohunters.com/bocaraton-fl/why-mosquito-hunters/about-us/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Matt and Caryn</a>, are the owners of <a href="https://mosquitohunters.com/bocaraton-fl/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mosquito Hunters Boca Raton</a>. Matt was a franchise owner with another brand for several years, but when it came time for a change, he began looking into Mosquito Hunters in 2019. He says the main component that attracted him to Mosquito Hunters was the opportunity to leverage a recurring revenue-based business model.“Mosquito Hunters allows you to build lasting relationships with your customers,” said Matt. “When you gain a customer, it is like gaining equity in your business because the customers are going to stick with you and use the service multiple times. It also means you don’t have to use all of your marketing fund on bringing in one-time customers. We had more than 200 customers during our first season, and many of those will return next year without any additional marketing spend.”In addition to recurring revenue, Mosquito Hunters franchisees benefit from low operating costs and high margins since the business doesn’t require a storefront. This also means franchisees only need to hire a limited number of employees, who can easily be trained and on-boarded due to the simplicity of the service. With this, Matt said it was clear that Mosquito Hunters offered a scalable franchise opportunity.Another huge selling point for Matt was the brand’s Mid-Season Rollout Program (MRO). Summer is considered the brand’s peak season, so an owner who signs on between April and August wouldn’t have enough time to get everything done in order to be up and running. Rather than rushing the process, the MRO program allows new owners to train, obtain licenses and begin their “Ground Game,” activities such as networking and marketing at the local level.&nbsp;“I’m glad we participated in the MRO — there is a lot to prepare for in any market and the more prepared you are, the stronger you will be coming out of the gate,” said Matt. “That is a <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/thanks-to-the-soft-roll-out-program-mosquito-hunters-franchisee-cindy-hostbjor-was-able-to-establish-her-territory-and-ramp-up-her-ground-game-2713430#brand-latest-stories">huge advantage</a> with Mosquito Hunters. We were able to build a customer base before the season even started.”Father and daughter-in-law team John and Alicia of <a href="https://mosquitohunters.com/manhasset-ny/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mosquito Hunters Long Island</a> started the process of looking for a franchise in 2019. When they discovered Mosquito Hunters, John says there was one thing that stood out to him right away: the <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/mosquito-hunters-franchisees-businesses-taking-off-following-late-season-training-pre-spring-ramp-up-2713433#brand-latest-stories">seasonal</a> nature of the concept.&nbsp;“We weren’t looking for something that would require being out in the field 12 months out of the year,” said John. “In Long Island, our peak season lasts around seven months, which gives us the flexibility during the quieter winter months to work on growing our business.”Alicia also says the <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/voyage-chicago-meet-andy-fuller-of-mosquito-hunters-2707599#franbuzz">Mosquito Hunters brand culture</a> was important —&nbsp;they knew the team was trustworthy and would support their business in every way possible. “The Mosquito Hunters team provides everything you could need when it comes to marketing, analytics, technology, you name it,” she said. “There is also a <a href="https://1851franchise.com/mosquitohunters/how-mosquito-hunters-in-house-telesales-center-dojo-alleviates-the-burden-of-selling-for-franchisees-2713080#franchisor">national call center</a> that helps with bringing in customers. It is amazing what the top-notch corporate team can do.”&nbsp;Now in their second season, John and Alicia say the pandemic-proof nature of the business model has also been a primary advantage as they continue to expand. “We looked at gyms, tutoring companies and other franchise concepts, but we are so glad we chose Mosquito Hunters in hindsight because it has proven to be uniquely resilient against the pandemic,” said John. “In addition, many families were staying at home more and spending time in their outdoor space last year, which allowed us to not only survive but thrive.”Looking ahead, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmartinfranchisedevelopment?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Eric Martin</a>, Vice President of Franchise Development for Mosquito Hunters, says the brand will continue to find ways to help franchise owners thrive. “Over the past year, our business model and franchise opportunity has proven to be well-positioned, which is why we’ve grown to more than 100 locations despite the challenges of the pandemic,” he said. “Now, home-based businesses like Mosquito Hunters are continuing to grow, and we are excited to expand our family with new franchisees across the country.”The total investment necessary to open a Mosquito Hunters franchise ranges from $73,937 to $96,437. The franchise license fee ranges from $25,000 to $35,000. For more information on franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-mosquito-hunters-franchisees-invested-in-the-booming-home-based-franchise-2715807" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/</a>.&nbsp;

Why These Mosquito Hunters Franchisees Invested in the Booming Home-Based Franchise 

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Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, 21 new franchisees signed on with the pest control brand last year to open 23 new units thanks to attractive lifestyle benefits, a recurring revenue model and an in-demand consumer offering.

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<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;

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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.

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

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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;

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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.

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Why These Mosquito Hunters Franchisees Invested in the Booming Home-Based Franchise

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