The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan 615: Stop Chasing Sexy Businesses - This Boring One Made Me $500M+ | David Royce
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Dec 18, 2025 David Royce, a serial entrepreneur known for scaling Aptive Environmental to over $500M, shares his journey from a door-to-door pest control job to making nine-figure exits. He discusses how he turned a seemingly dull industry into a lucrative business through systematized sales training and a vibrant company culture. Royce emphasizes the importance of following unsexy markets, leveraging AI for efficiency, and preparing companies for successful sales. His insights serve as a guide for founders aiming to thrive in service-based industries.
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From College Summer Job To Startup Blueprint
- David Royce turned a college door-to-door pest control job into a playbook he used to start his own company with seed capital and operational experience.
- He leveraged a mentor's encouragement and $300k savings to launch a test branch that became the blueprint for later rollups.
Fix Closing With The RAC Framework
- Read sales books and practise 90 minutes daily until you master closing techniques and rebuttals.
- Use the RAC method: Resolve doubt, Ace with new information, then Close again with a different close.
Train Nonverbal Sales Skills Visually
- Teach body language and paraverbal skills visually and repeatedly using videos and office review sessions.
- Record approaches, critique publicly, and reward top performers to make soft skills replicable at scale.