Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Watson.
Hi Travis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My grandfather started as a beekeeper over 40 years ago. When responding to calls for honey bees he would frequently find yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets. He recognized a business opportunity.
Most pest control companies are generalists. Very few specialize in specific areas. It gives us an opportunity to grow our expertise beyond what a typical exterminator would carry for stinging insects.
My grandpa started it out as a hobby and grew it for 30 years. I began working for him when I was 15. It was a high school and college job. I wanted to be a lawyer instead. Once I graduated and got into the legal field, I realized it wasn’t for me so I came back to work for the family business and went on my own once he retired. We’ve grown since then and, in addition to the Youngstown/Warren market, we now cover Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No small business is smooth. I had enough experience that the treatment side of things was easy to transition. It is always difficult to learn how to register everything properly. Learning how to do payroll, sales taxes, licensing, insurance, and figuring out what taxes to pay and when are all very difficult things to do. But if you keep at it, you learn those things.
The business side of things has always been successful though because it’s been around for so long. The hardest part now is growing into new markets and scouting companies to partner with in those markers to ensure our standards are maintained.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are stinging insect specialists. We do everything from relocating honey bees to exterminating yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets. By specializing, we carry a level of expertise beyond a typical exterminator who must treat a wider variety of pests. That allows us to provide better service while keeping prices competitive.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I am a voracious reader but I don’t read much when it comes to business books. We had to read a book about how to do Google ad words but the rest of the knowledge for running the nuts and bolts came from my legal background
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebeemanllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeemanllc/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebeemanllc
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/TheBeeMan
Image Credits
Travis Watson
