Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Maki
Hi Erik, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey in pest control began in the early 2000s in Las Vegas, where I spent two years working for a local company. Afterward, I joined a much larger pest control company, which opened doors to work with some of the best people in the industry. I seized every opportunity to learn, traveling across the country to gain knowledge from others.
After 16 years, I realized it was time for a change—I wasn’t getting any younger, and I wanted to try it on my own. With the support of my wife and kids, we decided to take a leap of faith. We wiped out our 401k and lived off our savings to start our own business. We began with just $5,000, of which $3,500 went toward a used 16-year-old truck with nearly 300,000 miles on it. We had zero customers, and I was still working another job. Our growth depended entirely on acquiring customers, which wasn’t easy without a marketing budget. So, I took to selling door to door, relying heavily on referrals once we got in. This approach helped us build a solid foundation for growth.
Today, we continue to rely on referrals and strong partnerships, which remain the cornerstone of our business. Our focus is, and always will be, on customer service, ensuring that service comes first.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road is like an old European cobblestone street from the 1700s—bumpy and uneven. The biggest challenge was balancing a full-time job while also running our pest control business, often working 16-18 hour days, six or seven days a week. I couldn’t stay at the big pest control company and run my own business, so after leaving, I still had to keep a full-time job. But over time, you learn to stop fixating on the rough patches ahead and instead focus on strengthening your suspension so you don’t feel the bumps as much.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a customer service focused pest control company. We focus on Service First. With a focus on the customer first, we strive to make sure our clients are taken care of first. We are most proud of the fact that we have more emphasis the customer first. We then back that up with knowledge and experience that is far beyond what people think we do. We are not just the “ bug man”
Our residential services are red carpet worthy and our commercial service standards far exceed regulatory requirements.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Yes,
Be deliberate with your schedule everyday. Take care of your customers and you will be fine. There are going to be days that you wonder why you even did it, but that’s normal. Keep going. Just wash, rinse, repeat.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.utahpestpros.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/utahpestpros
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/utahpestpros
