Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Lieberman.
Hi Brett, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My path to pest control was not something I ever would have expected. I studied journalism and political science in college. After college at Boston University, I worked for almost 20 years as a journalist. I started at a local paper in Pennsylvania and later worked for news organizations in Washington, D.C. I was a Washington correspondent for a large newspaper chain and covered government, politics and issues ranging from interstate waste to presidential elections from 1992-2008. I was an imbedded reporter in Iraq and traveled to areas such as China and Cuba. Unfortunately, I was laid off in 2008 when they closed the Washington bureau. I pivoted and went to work in communications, marketing and public relations for several major heath insurance organizations. During this time I also earned an MBA and Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. A friend and I were looking at different businesses – franchises and non-franchises. One day I received an email about a mosquito franchise opportunity. At first, we laughed about it. But the more we thought about it, the more interested we became. A lot of families use these services or can’t enjoy their yards. We wanted a business where we could make a difference and help people. We eventually purchased a different mosquito franchise and the plan was to eventually get into pest control as well. I later bought out my partner and also got out of the franchise. We still perform a lot of mosquito services for hundreds of families and communities each year, but we also provide protection for a wide variety of pests such as ants, spiders, termites and mice. While it’s a big shift from my journalism days, it’s still about helping people and making a difference in our community and in the lives of our team.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ohhhh nooo. We have learned so much from our mistakes. For one, the mosquito franchise we purchased really had no support. So we had to learn it on our own. Our initial territory we were servicing was too large. Instead of focusing on a narrow area and building out, we tried to do too much. We did not understand the challenges of route work and driving in the traffic across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Hiring has been both a challenge and an opportunity. We have gotten to know so many people and learned from so many people in our industry. And, we have learned a lot of lessons about hiring the wrong people. They were great people, but not the right person for the position. We try to hire for cultural fit. We want people who want to help others, who have high integrity, great communication, respect, empathy, and accountability. Our clients expect us to be reliable, and we need reliable employees. That’s been tough to find. We have learned we would rather hire and train somebody who is a great fit than hire somebody with lots of pest control experience. We can teach those skills if the person is a good fit and has the ability and desire to learn.
Another area of challenge and growth is more personal. I am hard-charging, love winning, love when we succeed. I want people who are problem solvers. I have definitely improved in my approach, but I am often a little too direct for some people. I like to be honest with people and want them to succeed and be the best that they can be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about My Pest Pros?
We started My Pest Pros in 2013. We initially had a mosquito franchise serving Northern Virginia, Montgomery County MD and Washington DC. We got out of the franchise and My Pest Pros is owned by myself and my wife, Debra. Our team helps protect families and businesses across the region from general pests, mosquitoes, termites and bedbugs. But really, we’re a customer service business more than anything. As our reviews show, for us it’s about helping people, great communication and best in class customer experience. We are grateful to have been named the best in pest control for the last three years by Northern Virginia magazine readers, ARLNow, AlxNow and FFXNow. We’re invested in our community. We support local organizations from animal rescue to little league, and homeless service organizations. I am the president of the Maryland State Pest Control Association, and serve on the boards of the Virginia Pest Management Association and the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I was a competitive swimmer. While my family lived in New York, I lived in the Boston area in high school and competed internationally. It was an amazing experience and help me be competitive, understand the value and rewards of hard work and practice, and teamwork.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mypestpros.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mypestpros/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mypestpros/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-pest-pros-llc/
- Twitter: https://x.com/mypestpros
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mypestpros
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-pest-pros-fairfax
