29 Mar Peace of Mind Termite and Pest Management
Question 1: What does your business produce or supply?
Peace of Mind Termite and Pest Management supplies ethical pest management services to the Gold and Tweed coast regions. Our name came from interaction with our clients who often say as we are leaving “You have given us such great Peace of Mind”
Question 2: What motivated you to start your business
We were formerly Tedmans Termite & Pest Management when owned by Dennis Tedman who had been in the industry with his family from a young age in South Australia. He had his business here for over 20 years before retiring in his 70s.
Dennis hired me some 15 years before to build his staff levels. When Dennis retired, I took on his role and have now been in the Pest Management business for over 20 years. Dennis had the attitude that the customer is to be treated as family and we have continued that tradition. We will turn up at a client’s home, look at the problem they have and give them practical solutions to the problem. This should involve environmental changes first, not high costing termite management solutions that profit the company not so much the client.
Question 3: When you think about your business what keeps you awake at night?
My biggest concern is how to employ more staff and not lose our client focused results, not profit as our driving force.
During the recent flood in the Northern Rivers, our business was stalled as we had no internet services. We were out every day pushing mud out of people’s homes and restoring petrol driven items to working condition, again due to a previous life as a small engine mechanic. I estimate we restored around $30,000 in getting motorbikes, lawn mower, chainsaws, concrete cutters, whipper snippers and ride-on mowers going again. This put a great big smile on those we helped as they thought that their item was lost to the flood. Just part of our caring for the community ethos.
Question 4: What has your business taught you personally?
That every problem has a solution if you focus on the cause and available tools in our industry. Also, that in every difficult situation there is always a thread of Silver to follow and learn from.
Question 5: What’s a recent business success that you have had, that has motivated you to keep going?
We enjoy turning up to a client’s home talking about their concern and offering solutions, a lot of the time the problem is not as big as they are imagining. Take today for instance, I had a call from a new client who as it turns out was less than a km from where I was at the time. I dropped in 10 minutes later to look at her termite problem.
She was ecstatic to find out that the problem she found was just fungal decay in the sapwood of a post attached to her home. I advised her on what should be done with the post and looked around her home pointing out things that should be changed to make her home less attractive to termites. This was a 20 min stop that I did not charge for as we had done no work but given out advice which gave her great peace of mind to know she did not have termites. I left her home with an armful of her products she sells as a gift for the Peace of Mind she had from us.
Question 6: How do you feel about the future of your business in the next three years?
We have been operating for over 20 years, built on the previous business that had more than 20 years in the Tweed Gold Coast area. I am now looking at putting on another operator and stepping back into a full-time management role that better suits my 60 plus years of experience.
Our business is one of the few pest companies that operate fully in the cloud, meaning jobs can be booked from any location, inspection reports, quotes, booking confirmations can be emailed to clients before leaving their place.
Question 7: How does your relationship with SRBEC help you and your business?
The learning supplied by NRBEC’s Digital Business Advisor, Liza Lyttle, has helped me to build my social media presence on Facebook. I can now set up posts in Canva months ahead knowing that I have posts going out 3 times a week. Whereas before I was paying a company that gave me only one post a week. I now have a greater social media presence that is helping with my number of new clients we get each week. My confidence increased as Liza gave me direct knowledge on how to use Digital tools such as Facebook and Canva, plus I reduced my monthly costs.
Peter’s contact details are as follows:
Website: www.pompestcontrol.com.au
Telephone: 07 5524 5550
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeaceofMindTermiteandPestManagement/
PS: If you would like your business to be showcased like Peter’s, please contact your BEC business advisor to discuss.
Andrew Campbell