Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business 270 - Best of 2025! From Door-to-Door Sales Bro to Seven-Figure Summer with Chris Koerner
Jan 15, 2026
Chris Koerner, an entrepreneur with a knack for door-to-door and summer sales, dives into the lucrative world of pest control. He reveals how unassuming services can yield impressive net margins and why wealthy companies pay top dollar for skilled sales crews. Chris shares insights on the power of specialty licenses for creating passive income and the unique business model of seasonal services like Christmas lighting. Plus, he discusses the advantages of learning through mistakes versus formal courses, all while highlighting the thrill of entrepreneurship.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Summer Sales To Starting A Company
- Chris did summer sales and his friend made $100k in three months, which sparked starting a pest control company.
- That firsthand exposure revealed how lucrative door-to-door contract selling can be.
Pest Control's Outsized Unit Economics
- Pest control yields very high margins because treatment costs and labor per visit are tiny compared to subscription pricing.
- Large firms see stable recurring revenue and ~40% net margins, making the industry extremely valuable to acquirers.
Mercenary Sales Scale Customer Acquisition
- Professional door-to-door sales crews sell contracts engineered to be acquired, not necessarily serviced long-term.
- Buyers will pay ~1.3x first-year sales to acquire large pools of sticky recurring customers.