The Boardroom Buzz: Grow, Sell, or Exit From High-School Dropout to $12 M Pest-Control Powerhouse: Jared LaJaunie’s 18-Year Climb on the Gulf Coast
Louisiana native Jared LaJaunie went from quitting school at 17 to leading 65-plus employees, 72 trucks, and four branches of LaJaunie’s Pest Control—now tracking $12 million in annual revenue. In this candid sit-down with the Blue-Collar Twins, Jared breaks down the sales grit he learned at Orkin, the mindset shift that doubled his vision, and the family-run EOS machine that keeps it all humming.Buzz EP 207 Jared L MAS…
You’ll hear:
- Door-Knock Roots – joining Orkin’s late-’90s “Splat” crew and turning 20 straight “no’s” into $10 k days.
- 18-Year Overnight Success – nine years to hit $1 M, then a rocket to $12 M by combining EOS with acquisitions like Skeeter Force.
- Finance Hacks That Sell – why Wise Tack 0 % financing closes termite & wildlife jobs that competitors lose.
- Culture as a Moat – six-value framework, extreme ownership, and weekly L10s that hold 65 teammates accountable.
- Family Integration – wife Skye as certified EOS Integrator, sons learning P&Ls before swapping sprayers for spreadsheets.
- Mastermind Leverage – how groups with Luke Lewis & Maria Sorrentino expanded his vision—and spawned the new Eagles Nest peer network.
- Future Playbook – doubling again via Gulf-Coast acquisitions, 40 % Poop-Scoop margins on his radar, and grooming the next-gen CEO.
Stick around to catch Jared’s take on “profit over vanity” and an impromptu debate on the emerging pet-waste gold-rush.
From PE Teachers to Pest Control Owners: The Julio Twins Share Their POTOMAC Experience
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore
Produced by: www.verbell.ltd
Timestamps (podcast.co-ready)
00:00 – Cold-open: Jared on culture and integrity
00:35 – Intro & Louisiana roots
01:15 – High-school dropout, early hustle, marriage at 18
02:50 – Joining Orkin as a $10/hr termite tech
05:55 – Door-knock “Splat” team lessons & mindset shift
08:05 – Branch-manager years, then running a $3 M independent firm
11:00 – Launching LaJaunie’s on Jan 1 2008
13:30 – Solo-op to first admin hire; seven trucks by Year 3
18:15 – Self-financing termite jobs; switching to Wise Tack 0 % plans
24:20 – Nine years to $1 M; doubling vision with mastermind help
28:30 – BHAG: Gulf-Coast expansion & doubling again by 2025
29:50 – Acquiring Skeeter Force; lessons in mosquito markets
32:45 – Family salvage-yard backstory & entrepreneurial DNA
33:25 – Today: 65 staff, 72 trucks, $12 M top-line
36:40 – Running EOS—Jared as Visionary, Skye as Integrator
38:00 – Conferences, Ascension Leadership, and constant up-skilling
42:00 – Side ventures (Stereopure, CAT 4) and why poop-scooping tempts him
45:55 – Differentiator: living the core values every day
48:00 – Eagles Nest mastermind launch with Skye & Maria Serraino
50:05 – Main Street Mogul podcast and giving back
52:45 – Rough Stuff reveal: twins’ own pet-waste startup
54:00 – Wrap-up & Puerto Rico invite
59:00 – Outro & Masterclass CTA