This months Start Up Hub guest is Paul Hams (yes my hubby) from Tommy Termites Pest & Weed Management who has taken time out from keeping the pests at bay to share with us information about how he started up his business from scratch and how he has grown it to a stage he doesn’t have to advertise much anymore.
How long has Tommy Termites been trading for?
3.5 yrs
Why Tommy Termites – why did you start it up?
Before starting up Tommy Termites Pest & Weed Management I had a seafood franchise which was a great business but for me was restrictive as I had to stay within the franchise guidelines. Also owning a pest control company prior, I loved this kind of work and me being my own boss gives me the freedom I am after. I am not knocking franchises as I think they are fantastic but they are just not for me.
How has Tommy Termites impacted your life?
As mentioned above being my own boss and having 100% control of my business suits me well. Winter is slow months for me so I work longer hours in summer which makes up for down time in winter. Being my own boss I have the ability to work my clients around whats going on in my personal life.
What’s the hardest decision you have had to make to date or the biggest hurdle you have encountered?
Hardest decision to date was whether to start my business up from scratch knowing there is a lot of pest control companies on the gold coast or whether to find an established business to purchase. The next hardest decision was how to market my business.
Do you outsource or employ staff?
I do not employ staff. My wife, Claire, does my bookwork and we also engage a web developer to update our website when needed. I am not an office kind of guy so find it important to engage the the right people to do the task I do not want to do or is not my area of expertise. This makes my business run smoothly.
What advice would you give a new small business starting out?
Don’t think you are going to make heaps of money quickly as it takes time to build a clientele. Don’t give up and keep persisting even when you do feel like giving up. Think of all the ways you can get your business name out there. Don’t be afraid to tell people about your business. If something didn’t work then change it and try the next thing.
What does the future hold for Tommy Termites?
I would like to keep constant work coming in and keep slowly building my clientele.
What makes you stand out from your competitors?
I am constantly keeping up to date with changes in the industry and new products that come on the market. When talking to clients I discuss their problem and the process of what we do and what the will happen once we have carried out the treatment. I have also made the policy of getting information like termite reports, quotes etc back to the client on the same day.
How did you promote your business when starting up?
At the beginning we did some flyers up on the computer and offered a special which I then pounded the pavement for months dropping them into letterboxes. I picked an area and spent the day walking around dropping the off. I revisited each area two times as we know it takes time to become familiar. I also door knocked for a bit and spoke to people face to face. My wife went to a one day build your own website workshop and built me a basic website which we still have today. We have tweaked it along the way but works well for me. We have an ad in the free sun paper which we run each week. We are also on free website listings like yellow pages, true local and the like.
Having a pest control company years ago I contacted body corporates and real estates that I dealt with back then as well.
How do you advertise now?
I currently advertise in the free paper, my website and Facebook. I have a database where I contact previous clients to remind them that their treatments or inspections are due which works well. I also get a lot of referrals which is great.
What are the links to your social media and website.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommytermites/
Website: https://tommytermites.com.au/
It’s nice to hear from a tradie that has done the hard yards to make his business work.