A little-known fact about mosquitos is that for the last many decades, they have been ranked as the world’s deadliest animal, year after year. This bloodthirsty creature is known to disseminate diseases and viruses like Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Yellow fever, killing nearly 2.7 million people annually as per NASA, whilst causing billions of dollars of lost productivity each year, according to Bill Gates.
Trusted Proven Mosquito Control
With such a small entity, resulting in such far-reaching implications in our personal and professional lives, one brand of franchisees has taken it upon themselves to protect their communities and enable a life where individuals and society are no longer worried about mosquito-related diseases or worse. Consistently ranked as one of the top low-cost, franchise investment opportunities, Mosquito Squad of Macon, Georgia, first created, and now dominates the mosquito control industry.
Chief Operating Officer of the Squad, Tom Swift shares “We wrote the book on building strong, sustainable mosquito control companies with a model that can work in any state, city, community, or neighborhood. Our franchisees won’t just benefit from our branding, our national reputation, or our incredible marketing tools—they’ll benefit from the expertise that comes from helping business owners develop their own Mosquito Squads nationwide.”
Mosquito Squad formally took off in the year 2005 with the mission to create effective solutions that help people avoid the itchy mosquito and tick bites in their own homes and yards. The quest to create the perfect bug repellant came to fruition when Mosquito Squad created their proprietary ‘Barrier Protection Treatment’, a method that has been known to eliminate up to 85 – 90% of mosquitoes.
Built for Success
“Our success isn’t only because of our great mosquito control results—it’s also thanks to our incredible franchise owners.” The unmatched competency of Mosquito Squad is thanks to the 4 pillars of franchise that the company stands on. “We focus on four important things to make ourselves truly stand out from the competition: Passion, Service, Education, and Giving,” says Tom
Mosquito Squad’s industry-leading franchise support includes training, tools, and practices that have been perfected by hundreds of locations nationwide. Their franchising system’s collective wisdom and expertise are what allow franchisees to build a robust client base and create a powerful ROI.
The company mascot, Dread Skeeter, has been a key part of the organization since its heydays and has earned recognition throughout America. Over the years, Dread himself has become a functioning member of society, making this mosquito control franchise fun and approachable. From direct mail and websites to truck wraps, emails, and yard signs, Dread is a key component of the brand’s marketing materials.
Giving Back in More Ways than One
Each Mosquito Squad franchise is deeply entrenched with its community, providing them respite from mosquitoes and diseases as well as giving back in any way possible. While mosquito bites are a nuisance in the United States, they’re a life-threatening problem in other countries around the world. Every Mosquito Squad franchise owner partners with the Malaria No More foundation to raise funds to provide educational outreach, bite prevention, and anti-malarial treatments in Africa. Their goal – a world without malaria where no one ever dies from a mosquito bite again.
Mosquito Squad of Southeastern Massachusetts
For Elisabet Laferriere, her wedding day presented her with not one, but two life-long partners – her loving husband and the opportunity to own a franchise whose services and solutions she had experienced.
“We heard a Mosquito Squad commercial on the radio and inquired about a Special Event treatment for my outdoor wedding, which was to be held in the backyard under a tent. The closest location to us didn’t service our area but the owner was kind enough to go out of his way to travel to us to treat the property before the wedding. Our reception went off without a hitch and our 100 guests danced until 1 AM with no bites,” remembers Elisabet.
Amazed with Mosquito Squad’s effective solutions, Elisabet soon found herself exploring the opportunity of becoming a franchise partner with the Squad. That was 10 years ago!
Since then, Mosquito Squad of Southeastern MA has been aiding their community in the reduction and control of mosquito and tick populations. – Elisabet’s goal – to not only allow families to enjoy the haven of their yards and social outdoor events without the annoyance of biting bugs but also to help protect from the dangerous illnesses mosquitoes and ticks carry, like Lyme disease, Babesiosis, West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). “The market we operate in, the Northeast, is one of the most competitive markets due to the severity of the mosquito and tick problem, prevalent vector-borne illnesses, and the seasonality of our enjoyable weather,” continues Elisabet. Although the last 10 years have seen a substantial rise in competitors in the field, Elisabet states “Commitment to customer satisfaction puts us head and shoulders above the competition that will cut corners to deliver a lower-cost service.” And it shows,having been voted the Best Pest Control in their local market five times, each year since 2017.
At the community level, Mosquito Squad of Southeastern MA sponsors local youth sports teams, school events, and fundraisers. She shares, “We recently started our own donation drive as well, which will be an annual event providing contactless pickup of donated items from our client’s homes. Last year we collected 6 trucks full of children’s clothes, toys, and baby gear for a local charity, GiftstoGive.org, that distributes needed items to foster children,” shares Elisabet.
Looking back, for Elisabet Laferriere, it all started as a retirement plan for her business partners – her parents. They began with one truck, operating from her parents’ shed. Today, the family business employs over 30 professionals serving the expanse of her community. In 2020, during the pandemic, the MA state government came to a complete standstill. She says, “It crippled our ability to license the technicians who perform our pesticide applications – a requirement in Massachusetts – and created uncertainty as to whether we would be able to operate.”
Despite the Covid-19 inflicted setback, Elisabet remained undeterred and focused on helping her community remain safe from mosquito and tick illnesses. By choosing to solely offer an All-Natural alternative that did not require licensed applicators, she was able to add nearly 900 new clients to her roster. “I’ll continue to think outside the box,” smiles Elisabet.
Fighting the Bite
Mosquito Squad’s Barrier Protection Treatment was initially designed to provide relief to outdoor light installers during the height of the mosquito season. Seeing the immense respite it brought to the light installers, it was clear that this solution had to be made available to the public. Since then, the squad has been credited with applying more than 2 million outdoor treatments.
At present, Mosquito Squad has a wide portfolio of yearlong anti-tick and mosquito services catering to the needs of individuals and establishments alike. Thanks to the effectiveness of their solution and the strength of their franchise teams, this company’s system-wide revenue in 2020 was recorded to be a little over $70 million!
Mosquito Squad of Hartford-Springfield
Meet Keegan Cravo. She is the Managing Partner and operator of 4 territories for Mosquito Squad in Massachusetts and Connecticut, which she runs with her family. She also happens to be one of the many women that own and operate a Mosquito Squad franchise. As they work together to build their success, Keegan and her family are committed to protecting their community from the harmful effects of mosquito and tick bites.
Their services are designed to help you enjoy time in your yard without the dangers and nuisance of mosquitoes and ticks. A Mosquito Squad of Hartford-Springfield treatment allows you and your family to maximize the outdoor season without ending up with mosquito and tick bites that can be anywhere from a big pain to a medical nightmare.
What was your motivation behind starting this particular business?
As a family, we spend a lot of time in our yards and the idea of enjoying being outside without the nuisance of mosquitoes was extremely appealing. In 2017 my father and I started the business from his garage and basement. My mother helped too and by the end of the season, we recruited my brother to join the family business.
What prompted you to consider franchising?
The best part of starting a business as part of a franchise is the systems that are in place. From the technology to the procedures, you are often getting the benefit of systems that have been tested and proven successful. It really gives you a step up when you are learning something new. This group of franchisees specifically is very open and available to help each other.
How do you stay ahead of the competition?
This industry has no shortage of competition. I think what sets us apart is our knowledge of the products and our commitment to doing what is best for the customer to get the best results. We set our customers up on a seasonal program (we also have event packages) so that we regularly treat the yard so you don’t have to worry. We pride ourselves on the best customer service in the industry.
How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your service?
Fortunately, a lot of our work is done at a safe distance from our customers. We work outside and alone when completing the treatments. We have had to switch some office staff to remote work during the height of the pandemic. It forced us to learn new ways to do business online, but for the most part, we were already set up that way, just hadn’t used all the tools at our disposal.
Join The Squad
So, what makes the Mosquito Squad franchise model so successful? It’s simple! Comprehensive end-to-end support to the brand’s partners. “Each year, we conduct an anonymous survey with all our franchisees. So, not only do we provide the training and support that our franchisees deserve, we’re always listening to their honest feedback to make an even better business,” states Tom.
Mosquito Squad’s franchise model empowers the franchise owners with the control and freedom that they need for success. However just because franchisees run their own businesses doesn’t mean that they aren’t supported! “It’ll be your business, but you’ll be able to use our branding, marketing materials, customer management system, and support team however you see fit.”
Mosquito Squad of Greater Indianapolis
The team of Mosquito Squad of Greater Indianapolis is in all sense of the word, trained to kill! Spearheaded by Capricia Turner, this Veteran owned family business is dedicated to helping transform the way our community spends time in their outdoor spaces. Capricia is a 20-year- veteran and active-duty Army member for the National Guard, who first joined the Army in 2000.
Looking for her next venture, she along with her husband decided to find a business that served their local community. “We were ready to build something for ourselves. As veterans, we loved the idea of a franchise because it is a system, a set process, and procedures much like the military. We have a “manual” if you will on how we can make our business successful,” states Capricia.
Mosquito Squad of Greater Indianapolis has been in business for a little over 8 years. Operating out of three locations, over time the company has advanced from just providing mosquito and tick control, to a variety of other outdoor pests as well. “Our brand’s success is a result of its franchisee and franchisor relationship and relentless dedication to improving with technology, maintaining our commitment to our communities, customers, and environment,” says Capricia.
Like their brand partners, Mosquito Squad of Greater Indianapolis, along with the Global Malaria No More Foundation is committed to ridding the earth from the perils of malaria. On a local level, Capricia remains involved with various social foundations and NGOs as well. She says, “We provide and support several non-profits from Foundation for Unbreakable Boobs, an organization dedicated to supporting women’s health and wellness to include transportation to appointments while battling breast cancer.”
“We are also involved with Why Not Today, an organization relentlessly dedicated to donating fresh produce and meat to local food pantries. Mosquito Squad also has the pleasure of supporting several local children’s sports optimist clubs as well as school fundraisers, aiming to keep children active and outdoors,” smiles Capricia.
Mosquito Squad’s franchise flexibility has allowed Capricia to remain active with the National Guard as her husband helps her run the business. Furthermore, Capricia is proud of the fact that she can inspire her kids and scores of women across the country as a female business owner, while also being an active military member. She shares, “As women in leadership, we will always strive to find a work/family life balance. My family is my priority, but my career is my dream. This industry is dominated by males, but so is the military. So, I accepted the challenge which has allowed myself, my business, employees, and family to flourish.”
On the Anvil
Today, Mosquito Squad stands tall as America’s original and guaranteed mosquito control company dedicated exclusively to controlling the annoying outdoor pests that ruin backyard experiences and transmit diseases.
Driven by a passion to do everything in their capacity so that their clients can enjoy their yards and outdoor spaces, the Squad strives to provide extraordinary service in every aspect of their client relationships. In fine, for the Mosquito Squad, “the only good mosquito is a dead one—and we fight them globally every chance we get,” promises COO, Tom Swift.
