Today we’d like to introduce you to James Colburn.
Hi James, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started working on a tie down crew at the age of 14. At 16 we came to a parting of the ways, which left me with a car payment and no job. I had a friend that had a pest control company that did apartments. They would send treatment notices out three days before clients services, so I would go out and pass out the notices and while I was out there I would do any resprays that were needed. And boy, you learn how to kill bugs doing resprays. Then I went to a full blown pest company and learned how to do Termite work. After about a year I went to work for a guy named Tom Ford who had a big pest control company and excelled. Mr. Ford offered to have me run my own branch office; I thought to myself “if I can do that, then I can run my own business.” So I started Aarrow exterminating, later rebranded to Colburns Pest Control and have been doing it ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No it hasn’t. Advertising, advertising, advertising has always been a problem. How much do you spend or how little do you spend? And people are your biggest blessing and greatest curse. People are probably the greatest challenge. Finding the right talent, trying to keep people working and building teams that care about your customers are ever changing demands that you have to evolve with.
We’ve been impressed with Colburn’s Pest Control Service Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have always believed we need to be a 1-on-1 company. I never felt that being a stand off company benefits the customer. What do they need? How can we go the extra mile for them? How can we build a relationship with them. Our customers love that they can always get ahold of a live person when they call. We have had technicians help clean up wedding venues for the owners and go out of their way to leave a positive impact with our clients. I am truly blessed with my team. I think we have excelled through the years at trouble shooting termite problems and we are now specializing in rodent/wildlife exclusionary work.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Starting in business I mimicked the companies I worked for. After being in business I would find friends in similar walks of life to help with issues. The key to networking is to jsut do it scared, alone, or awkwardly and get your reps in. After a while, people will start coming to you as well because confidence (even the illusion of confidence) attracts people to you. I am always asking questions and open to input/feedback from people, which helps a lot, in essence, making everyone my mentor.
Pricing:
- Rodent/Wildlife exclusion work usually is above $1,500 which shocks some people
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ColburnsPestControl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colburnspestcontrol/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Colburns-Pest-Control-Service-Inc/100090356560088/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/colburns-pest-control-service-katy-2?osq=colburns+pest+control&override_cta=Request+pricing+%26+availability&q=colburns+pest+control
