Trading Secrets 245. David Royce: From Pest Control to Power Moves, how being a door-to-door salesman led to selling his pest control company for over NINE FIGURES, the art of closing deals and entrepreneurial lessons
Jul 28, 2025
01:18:54
This week, Jason is joined by a serial entrepreneur who has built four of the most successful environmental service businesses in North America, David Royce!
David is the founder and chairman of Aptive Environmental providing pest solutions to thousands of cities in 34 states. David’s companies have been highlighted in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine. In 2015, David was awarded the Earnest Young National Entrepreneur of the Year award.
David shares his journey from knocking on doors as a pest control salesman to becoming Rookie of the Year by mastering sales through relentless study. He breaks down the art of closing deals, why perfecting your pitch is everything, and how taking initiative—like creating a training manual—helped him dramatically increase his earnings summer after summer. David also dives into why “unsexy” jobs are underrated, how he nearly bankrupted his business before scaling it nationally, and the ways Tony Hsieh of Zappos influenced his approach to company culture. He opens up about his biggest career mistake, the importance of mastering sales as a lifelong skill, how to manage newfound wealth, what he looks for (and avoids) when hiring, and what’s next on his entrepreneurial journey. Plus, he shares his best advice for anyone looking to build a successful business from the ground up.
David reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!
Host: Jason Tartick
Co-Host: David Arduin
Audio: John Gurney
Guest: David Royce
Stay connected with the Trading Secrets Podcast!
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Trading Secrets Steals & Deals!
ROK Financial:
Business owners-when opportunity knocks, do you have the capital to answer? ROK Financial, helps small businesses access up to $5 million in funding—in as little as 24 hours. Whether you're expanding, upgrading equipment, or simply need working capital, ROK makes the process fast, simple, and personalized. Visit ROK.biz/tradingsecrets to get started and see what your business may qualify for in seconds.
Square:
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Rula:
The first step on your journey to mental-well being is easy. Rula starts by asking you a few questions about what's important to you and then provides a list of licensed in-network providers who match your preferences. You can schedule your preferred time and meet with your therapist as soon as the next day.
Go to Rula.com/ [tradingsecrets] to get started today.
This Is Small Business Podcast:
if you're the kind of person who's always chasing growth — whether it's in business, career, or just betting on yourself — There's a podcast that just dropped a new season and it's right in that zone. It's called This Is Small Business, hosted by Andrea Marquez, and Season 6 is all about entrepreneurs who took massive risks to build something real. So if you're plotting your next move - maybe launching that side hustle, scaling a business, or pivoting hard - go check out This Is Small Business on Apple Podcasts, Spotify — wherever you listen.
David is the founder and chairman of Aptive Environmental providing pest solutions to thousands of cities in 34 states. David’s companies have been highlighted in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine. In 2015, David was awarded the Earnest Young National Entrepreneur of the Year award.
David shares his journey from knocking on doors as a pest control salesman to becoming Rookie of the Year by mastering sales through relentless study. He breaks down the art of closing deals, why perfecting your pitch is everything, and how taking initiative—like creating a training manual—helped him dramatically increase his earnings summer after summer. David also dives into why “unsexy” jobs are underrated, how he nearly bankrupted his business before scaling it nationally, and the ways Tony Hsieh of Zappos influenced his approach to company culture. He opens up about his biggest career mistake, the importance of mastering sales as a lifelong skill, how to manage newfound wealth, what he looks for (and avoids) when hiring, and what’s next on his entrepreneurial journey. Plus, he shares his best advice for anyone looking to build a successful business from the ground up.
David reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!
Host: Jason Tartick
Co-Host: David Arduin
Audio: John Gurney
Guest: David Royce
Stay connected with the Trading Secrets Podcast!
Instagram: @tradingsecretspodcast
Youtube: Trading Secrets
Facebook: Join the Group
All Access: Free 30-Day Trial
Trading Secrets Steals & Deals!
ROK Financial:
Business owners-when opportunity knocks, do you have the capital to answer? ROK Financial, helps small businesses access up to $5 million in funding—in as little as 24 hours. Whether you're expanding, upgrading equipment, or simply need working capital, ROK makes the process fast, simple, and personalized. Visit ROK.biz/tradingsecrets to get started and see what your business may qualify for in seconds.
Square:
Whether you're selling lattes, cutting hair, detailing cars, or running a design studio, Square helps you run your business, without running yourself into the ground. With Square, you get all the tools to run your business, with none of the contracts or complexity. And why wait? Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com/go/tradingsecrets.
Nutrafol:
Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code TRADINGSECRETS.
Rula:
The first step on your journey to mental-well being is easy. Rula starts by asking you a few questions about what's important to you and then provides a list of licensed in-network providers who match your preferences. You can schedule your preferred time and meet with your therapist as soon as the next day.
Go to Rula.com/ [tradingsecrets] to get started today.
This Is Small Business Podcast:
if you're the kind of person who's always chasing growth — whether it's in business, career, or just betting on yourself — There's a podcast that just dropped a new season and it's right in that zone. It's called This Is Small Business, hosted by Andrea Marquez, and Season 6 is all about entrepreneurs who took massive risks to build something real. So if you're plotting your next move - maybe launching that side hustle, scaling a business, or pivoting hard - go check out This Is Small Business on Apple Podcasts, Spotify — wherever you listen.