All Episodes
The Boardroom Buzz: Grow, Sell, or Exit — 252 episodes
Why Avoiding Debt Made Byron Barnes the Youngest Millionaire Pest Control CEO
How Asking 'Why Not?' Transformed My Business and Can Change Yours Too
The Truth About Building a Relational Business in a Transactional World
How a 100-Year Family Business Evolved Through Generations of Challenges
The Surprising Shift from Commercial Dominance to Residential Profitability
How Failure Fueled Allan Draper's Multi-Million Dollar Success in Pest Control
From Big Ponds to Big Leaps: Eric Triplett's Story of Innovation and Tenacity
From Door to Door to Industry Leader: Chad Louk's Pest Control Journey
Inside The Freight: Craig McGraw on Navigating the Heavy Transport Industry
Building Legacy: Kevin Reif on Growing a Pest Control Brand Organically
Harnessing AI for Business Growth: Insights from Mat Rogers
EP233 – From Lawn Care to $100M Pest Control Empire: Jonas Olson's Journey
EP232 – From One-Man Van To National Player: Gary Journeaux On Building Australia’s Largest Independent Pest Company
EP231 – Door-to-Door Millionaire: Lenny Gray On Building In‑House Sales Engines That Actually Stick
EP230: From Zero To 3,000 Reviews In 3 Years – How Ruva Blends Door-to-Door & Digital In The Northeast
Episode 229 — The '96 Bulls of Pest Control: Chase Goodeill on Partners, Growth, and Grit
Episode 228 — Discipline Over Flash: How Michael Garvey Built Coastal Fertilization While Wearing a Badge
Episode 227 — The Business of Looking Sharp: Inside Brian Hatfield’s ByDesign Standard
Episode 226 — From Gang Life to Growth Mindset: How Michael Keith Built Cal Coast Pest Management
Teach, Build, Exit: The Unexpected Journey of Dan Peltz and Shift New Jersey
Windows, Washers, and What Matters Most: How Freddie Hodge Built Clearview’s $2.6M Climb
Say Yes and Figure It Out: How Jay Vigilante Turned Frozen Yogurt and Fitness into Freedom
$400, One Truck, and a Tune: How Jason Stenseth Built a Brand That Sticks
Mazza Recycling: From Family Scrap Yard to State-of-the-Art MRF—Dominic “DJ” Mazza’s Playbook
Ports, Trucks & Time: Arturo Lewin on Building Alliance Worldwide Logistics in Intermodal Drayage
Skye LaJaunie: Purpose-Driven Leadership, EOS Discipline, and Building Eagles Nest Peer Groups
Josh Fleenor: Whatever It Takes—Building Pest Pros, Owning Multifamily, and Leading with Heart
QB54: From Backyard Prototype to Big-Box Shelves — Mike Silva’s Playbook for Building a Tailgate Phenomenon
Byron Gifford: Door-to-Door Grit, Cashflow at Scale, and Building Teams That Don’t Break
Pest Pros, Peer Groups & People-First Growth: Maria Sorrentino’s Playbook
Letters, Letting Go & “What’s Next”: Alina Stevens on Selling All Pro Pest Without Losing the Team
Hustle → Habit: Sam Gembel’s Blueprint for Turning Atlas Outdoor into Michigan’s Culture-First Landscape Machine
From Pig-Farm Grit to Eagles’ Sidelines: Bill Hoffman’s 35-Year Journey Building Hoffman's Exterminating into a Top-100 Pest Firm
Systems Save the Day: David Mulcahy on Scaling O’Deer, Launching Ghost Scoopers & Leading Through Crisis
The Rebuild Mindset: Brandon Kraupp on Turning Setbacks into a Multi-State Service Machine
The Beehive Blueprint: Jason Carpenter’s 3,000-Page SOP, Million-Door Data Engine & Golf-Course Deal Flow
Scaling Spidexx: Coleman Spaulding’s Door-Knock Grit, Nine Acquisitions & the Next Chapter After Proactive
From High-School Dropout to $12 M Pest-Control Powerhouse: Jared LaJaunie’s 18-Year Climb on the Gulf Coast
In PS3 We Trust: Paul Sansone Jr. on Sub-Prime Innovation, TikTok Car Sales & the 100-Year Dealer Legacy
Building Axel: Sean DeDeyn’s Path from D-1 Wrestling to a Staffing Powerhouse
From Candy Bars to Cleaning Empires: Dom Williams on Systems, Mindset & Multiple Revenue Streams
Oceanside Service: Scott Nelson’s 36-Year HVAC Journey from One-Man Shop to 10 Million in Revenue
From Wall Street to Water-Damage Warrior: How John Majeski Scaled Four SERVPRO Franchises—and Aims to Top the Northeast by 2034
From Side-Hustle to Eight-Figure Exit: The Blue Collar Twins
Paul Giannamore Unfiltered: Hustling Out of Chicago, Cracking Wall Street, and Building POTOMAC M&A
Episode 199 — From $3K to $150M: Brian Gottlieb’s Leadership Beyond the Hammer
Episode 198 — Discipline by Example with Fred Wingate
Episode 197 — Leveraging Fire Protection Sell-Side M&A with Paul Giannamore and Nick Bartolo
Episode 196 — Family First, Focused Always: Robert Pittman’s Specialized Vision for Tuxedo Mosquito
Episode 195 — Don’t Just Change, Get to First-Order Thinking
Episode 194 — Tackling Today’s Economic Shift with Jamie Clement
Episode 193 — Evolve's Blueprint: Rapid Growth to Strategic Exit
Episode 192 — The Wildlife Playbook with Kyle Waltz
Episode 191 — 100 Doors a Day: Grit, Rejection, and Success with Nick Gifford
Episode 190 — An Interview with Jonas Olson, the Pest Control Millionaire
Episode 189 — Always Ready to Lead: How Charlie Church Took Over and Transformed a Family Business
Episode 188 — Mastering Management: Finding the Balance Between Empathy and Expectations
Episode 187 — The Unofficial State Bug of Rhode Island with Brian Goldman
Episode 186 — Stop Selling with Mark Stewart
Episode 185 — Why Execution Matters More Than Ideas
Episode 184 — Taking a Different Route with Court Parker
Episode 183 — Summer Heat: Rentokil Speculation and Private Equity Deals
Episode 182 — Leveraging Social Accountability
Episode 181 — Discipline for Long-Term Value Creation in Commercial & Residential with Drew Fenn
Episode 180 — Principles, Pest Control and Politics with Jason Walton
Episode 179 — This Ain't His First Rodeo with Mike Houston
Episode 178 — Paul’s Ultimate Guide to Pest Control Success in 2024 from POTOMAC TV
Episode 177 — Advising From Experience with Attorney Phil Rinehart
Episode 176 — Commission Culture: The Power of Production Pay
Episode 175 — Lessons in Culture & Authenticity with Caleb Fabry
Episode 174 — Focus on Joy: Brian Lunsford's Leadership Journey
Episode 173 — Chasing Excellence and The Role Mistakes Play
Episode 172 — The Dual Pillars of Trust and Accountability
Episode 171 — From Scarcity to Abundance: The Key to Business Growth with Jared LaJaunie
Episode 170 — Earnouts Unraveled: Navigating Risks, Rewards, and Reputation in M&A
Episode 169 — Why World-Class Dealmakers Avoid Negotiations
Episode 168 — Inside Modern Leadership with Skye LaJaunie
Episode 167 — Hitting the Brakes on Growth
Episode 166 — Breaking the Bias: In Honor of Daniel Kahneman
Episode 165 — Partnership Agreements & Trusts
Episode 164 — Paul Answers Listener Questions
Episode 163 — The Wild Life of Mike Hurley
Episode 162 — Nurturing a High-Performance Culture
Episode 161 — The Rule of Ten
Episode 160 — The Lies We Tell Ourselves
Episode 159 — The Happiness of Pursuit
Episode 158 — Are Your Goals Nothing More Than a Wishlist?
Episode 157 — Scaling: Sales, Service, and SOPs
Episode 156 — The Cost to Step Aside
Episode 155 — Management Matters: Subscription Billing and Price Increases
Episode 154 — Short-Term Risks and Long-Term Gains
Episode 153 — Marcus Sheridan on Becoming the Voice of Trust
Episode 152 — Subordinated Debt: Risk and Reward
Episode 151 — Rob Greer: From Rove Pest COO to Chris Voss co-author
Episode 150 — Reactions from Rentokil and Rollins Reporting
POTOMAC TV: Live from PestWorld 2023
Episode 149 — Ritz-Carlton Service at Courtyard Pricing
Episode 148 — Jason Cupp: The Kolbe Index, Jerry Springer, and a Mexican Intervention
Episode 147 — Succession Planning: Compensation and Communication
Episode 146 — Urban Invasion: Market Share and Labor Unions
Episode 145 — M&A 103: A Three-Way Merger
Episode 144 — Holding Managers Accountable for Accounting
Episode 143 — Nick Bartolo: Not Your Typical Wealth Advisor
Episode 142 — The High-Stakes Home Game: Consumer Fears & Private Equity
Episode 141 — More Than a Lawn Care Millionaire with Jonathan Pototschnik
Episode 140 — Food Safety and Pest Control Intersect with PSSI’s Paul Lambert
Episode 139 — Buy Versus Build and Preparing for a Recession
Episode 138 — Brian Peters: From Franchise Support to Chief Encouragement Officer
Episode 137 — Scaling for an Exit and Leveraging Consumer Data
Episode 136 — Private Equity’s Impact: Dynamics, Risks, and Strategies
Episode 135 — The Salesperson Spectrum: Technicians to Hunters
Episode 134 — The Pain and Possibilities of Paying in Perpetuity
Episode 133 — Cash is King and It Grows On Trees with Carroll Fitzgerald
Episode 132 — Performance-Driven Data and Fat Pat Spills the Beans
Episode 131 — Don’t Say Sorry?
Episode 130 — AdVance Your Leadership with Garland Vance, PhD
Episode 129 — Better Call Paul: More Listener Questions
Episode 128 — Preventing Partnership Problems
Episode 127 — The Mixed Bag of Questions One
Episode 126 — From Pest Pro to Plumbing Proprietor with David Johnson
Episode 125 — Commercial Broker to Janitor-in-Charge with Ryan Bishop
Episode 124 — Pest to Mechanical: Working Across The Trades with Bryan Benak
Episode 123 — Held Hostage by The Banks
Episode 122 — Highs & Lows: Cross-Selling, Margins, and Capital Allocation
Episode 121 — Moneyball
Episode 120 — The Process to Create Wealth
Episode 119 — The Flip Side: A Sell-Side Perspective
Episode 118 — Buy-Side 102: Realistic Expectations
Episode 117 — Next Level HR with Former Terminix CHRO David Dart
Episode 116 — Breakthrough: Revenue Plateaus
Episode 115 — Entries and Exits: Financing, Deal Structures & Partnerships
Episode 114 — High Stakes: At Risk of Losing Urban Entomology at Clemson
Episode 113 — One Focus: $40 Million in Commercial Pest with Ross Treleven
Episode 112 — Former Terminix CFO Tony DiLucente: 4 CEOs in 4 Years
Episode 111 — 14 Key Buyer Considerations for M&A Deals
Episode 110 — Control the Narrative: Public Relations with Mike Harris
Episode 109 — Blue Ocean: Lake Management with Kevin Tucker
Episode 108 — Compensation and Culture Conundrums
Episode 107 — Brett Madden: Listen. Learn. Lead.
Episode 106 — Pour on some Rocket Fuel with Author Mark C Winters
Episode 105 — The Battle of EBIT’s
Episode 104 — What's next for The Buzz?
Episode 103 - Daniel Schröer: Flipping the Switch on Green Tech
Episode 102 — At Last, A Listener Drops His Termite Offering
Episode 101 — Technical Services 101 with Cassie Krejci PhD
Episode 100 — Know Thyself: The Dunning-Kruger Effect with David Dunning PhD
Episode 99 — Franchising with The Redneck CEO, Gary Findley
Episode 98 — Scaling a Commercial Powerhouse with Andrea Brubaker
Episode 97 — A New Economy: A Wall Street Perspective with Jamie Clement
Episode 96 — Bubble Trouble: Expanded
Episode 95 — Developing Leaders the “American” Way with David Billingsly
Episode 94 — The curious case of private equity and Fat Pat’s Pest
Episode 93 — Byron Gifford: On 'Another' Mission From God
Episode 92 — Frank & Cindy Miller: nobody goes into pest control to kill bugs
Off The Record With Paul Giannamore - Episode 3
Episode 91 — Jay Keating: Creating opportunities with PestCo and Thompson Street Capital
Off The Record With Paul Giannamore - Episode 2
Episode 90 — Jared Borg has never regretted being bold
Off The Record With Paul Giannamore - Episode 1
Episode 89 — Jared Borg and Jay Keating: A Blank Check to Grow and Grow
Episode 88 — Sticktoitiveness (noun) : don’t quit with David Clark
Episode 87 — Chris Eby: "Living In A Lambo, Down By The River."
Episode 86 — Risks On The Horizon: The Buzz Returns to San Juan
Episode 85 — Adam-ize It: Best Practices with Todd Leyse
Episode 84 — A Legacy of Learning with Pest Daily’s Seth Garber
Episode 83 — The Modern Firm: Culture & Incentives with John Roberts PhD
Episode 82 — A Show About Nothing
Episode 81 — From Acquaintance to Acquirer: Buy-Side with Bill Hoffman
Episode 80 — The Rentokil / Terminix Merger Brings Back Tim Mulrooney
Episode 79 — An Insider’s View on Executive Leadership with John Byrne
Episode 78 — Teeka Tiwari: Bitcoin or Bust?
Bonus Buzz — Merry Christmas from San Juan
Episode 77 — The San Juan Sessions: Attorney Phil Tortorich Returns
Episode 76 — Lessons from Disney: Systematic Magic with Vance Morris
Episode 75 — The New Nisus President: Head Coach Lee Barrett
Episode 74 — The Future is Now: A.I. Is Disrupting the Pest Industry
Episode 73 — Plan Ahead: Entities and Estates with Attorney Phil Tortorich
Episode 72 — Mike Agugliaro: From Vocational School to CEO Warrior
Episode 71 — 7 Ways to Destroy Value in Your Business
Episode 70 — HBS Search Fund Friends Find 10X in 6 Years
Episode 69 — Disclaimer: This is Not Financial Advice
Episode 68 — Marketing and More with #1 Bestselling Author Allan Dib
Episode 67 — Fighting for Family Business with Bryan Dodge
Episode 66 — Private Equity: A Sign of the Times
Episode 65 — The Atlanta Sessions, Part 4: Anticimex North America President Brian Alexson
Episode 64 — The Atlanta Sessions, Part 3: Leadership Lessons with Andreas and Victoria Roos Olsson
Episode 63 — The Atlanta Sessions, Part 2: Arrow Exterminators CEO Emily Thomas Kendrick & President Tim Pollard
Episode 62 — The Atlanta Sessions, Part 1: Mr. Mister’s Mosquito “Mad Man” Matt Brill
Episode 61 — For Everything There is a Season: A Time to Sow, a Time to Reap
Episode 60 — Terminix CEO Brett Ponton's Industry Media Debut Opens Season 2 of the Buzz
Episode 59 — Project Black Bear
Episode 58 — From Bubble to Boom: The M&A Supernova is on the Horizon
Episode 57 — Kyle Varona on Exiting the Family Business in Style
Episode 56 — Peter Schiff: Bet Your Assets He Likes Gold
Episode 55 — Getting Out, Getting In, and Getting Crazy
Episode 54 — Win BIG or Go Home with Phillip Stutts
Episode 53 — Turning it Around the Responsible Way with Darin Huffaker
Episode 52 — The Bug Guys on Breaking the Rules (of 23) and Selling to Certus
Episode 51 — Boardwalk Empire: The Pest Control King of Atlantic City Sells to Anticimex
Episode 50 — The M&A Miniseries - Part 1: Anatomy of a Merger
Episode 49 — Author Mike Michalowicz: Profit First, Clockwork, and Get Different
Episode 48 — Franchising, Scarce Assets and the Tax Catalyst
Episode 47 — Cashing in the Blue Chip, Selling the Family Business with PCT Top 100 CEO Jeff Phillips
Episode 46 — Banking on Pest Control & Real Estate to Build a $70M Empire with Sean McCauley
Bonus Buzz — A New Start for PestPac with WorkWave CEO David Giannetto
Episode 45 — A Suburban Family Goes Corporate with Jason Byer
Episode 44 — Drag-Along, Tag-Along, Options and Agreements with M&A Attorney Mike Stanczyk
Episode 43 — Service Agreements and The Recurring Reformation
Episode 42 — Jeff Bain on the Power of Customer Retention
Episode 41 — Leadership Lessons and Management Mantras with Edge COO Mitch Smith
Episode 40 — Expect the Opposite: The Sell-Side M&A Discussion Continues
Episode 39 — The Routing and 4-Day Workweek Wizard, Pam Blauvelt of Griffin Pest Solutions
Episode 38 — The Dennis Rodman Paradox in Pest Control
Episode 37 — Five Stars for Pest Control Pioneer Shelby Hawkins
Episode 36 — 2020 M&A Wrap-Up, Channel Partners, Joint Ventures and Patrick Preps Paul for a Board Meeting
Episode 35 — Twas the Listeners' Show of 2020
Episode 34 — CEO Mark O’Hara of PCT Top 100 Anderson Pest Control on Building a Commercial Empire
Bonus Buzz — Anticimex Enters California, Acquiring Pro Pacific Pest Control
Episode 33 — Buckle your Seatbelts and Prepare for the Exit
Episode 32 — The Stevenson Sessions, Part 2: CFO Doug on Modern's Moneyball
Episode 31 — The Stevenson Sessions, Part 1: Scott Stevenson, the Modern Ambassador
Episode 30 — John Myers, CEO of Rentokil North America: On Growing a $1.5 Billion Pest Control Business
Episode 29 — Sage Advice on Life, Relationships and Business with Mike & Debbie Rogers of Killingsworth
Episode 28 — Family Business Realities : The Good, The Bad, and the Unproven with Jeremy Kreer
Episode 27 — ‘The Tax One’ : Top 20 Accounting Firm Partner Cory Vargo Proves his Worth in the Boardroom
Episode 26 — Benchmarking, Integrating, and the Great P&L Giveaway
Episode 25 — Jim McHale, CEO of JP McHale Pest Management, Steps into the Boardroom. Is the Buzz finally ready?
Episode 24 — The Stockholm Sessions, Part 2: ‘Swedish Beast’ Jarl Dahlfors, President and CEO Anticimex
Episode 23 — The Stockholm Sessions, Part 1: Svein Olav Stölen, Turn Around Artist & Former Nomor CEO
Episode 22 — Open Book : A Transparent Conversation with Jeff Annis and Dena Thomas from Advanced Services
Episode 21 — The Irony : U.S. Navy Officer to Harvard Business School to Pest Control Owner
Episode 20 — Life After a Death: How Brandon Hier Saved His Family’s Business, Sold it to Rentokil and Found Happiness in an Unexpected Place
Episode 19 — Private Equity in Pest Control: Clairvest’s Michael Castellarin and Mohit Kansal Discuss Alternatives to a Change of Control Transaction with a Strategic Acquirer
Episode 18 — From $250K to PCT Top 100 to an Exit: The Curious Case of Brandon and Brian Lunsford
Episode 17 — A Sell-Side M&A Discussion Puts Patrick Under the Interrogation Lamp - Part 1
Episode 16 — Socialized Pest Control and Intrastate IPOs with Fan Favorite Jamie Clement and Guest Co-Host Andrew Barrows
Episode 15 — Tim Mulrooney, Rockstar Analyst of Pest Control, Brings His Unique Perspective to the Buzz
Episode 14 — Buy-Side: “The Opposite”
Bonus Buzz — Jamie Clement and Andrew Barrows Debate TruGreen’s Entry into the Pest Control Industry
Episode 13 — Incentive Structures, Opportunity Costs, Mindset and the Great Terminix / Copesan Disengagement
Episode 12 — A Conversation with Transaction Attorney Mike Stanczyk on M&A Agreements, Stay Bonuses, Profit Interest Agreements, Leases and Trusts
Episode 11 — Thinking About Your Business as an Investment, Using Proximate Objectives and the Mathematics of Your Exit
Episode 10 — Killingsworth: From a Trailer to #37 on the PCT Top 100, the Fantastic Tales of Mike Rogers, an American Entrepreneur
Episode 9 — Fifty Shades of Gray and McKay: Is Door-to-Door Sales the Armpit of the Industry?
Episode 8 — Why You Shouldn’t Really Care What Acquirers Like or Dislike and Should Anticimex’s Portfolio Company Killingsworth Really Start Bundling Food Delivery and Medical Services with Pest Control?
Episode 7 — Certus CEO Mike Givlin on Building a Private Equity-Backed Pest Control Company… from Scratch
Episode 6 — A Rare, First-of-its-Kind Conversation with Independent Wall Street Equity Research Analyst Jamie Clement on Pest Control Industry Valuation and M&A
Episode 5 — The King of Route Density and PCT Top 100 CEO Tony Sfreddo Steps Into the Boardroom
Episode 4 — Extortion at the Closing, Stay Bonuses, and the Takeover of ServiceMaster’s Board of Directors
Episode 3 — Valuations, Benchmarking, and KPIs
Episode 2 — COVID-19 effects on Pest Control Investments
Episode 1 — Deals, Contingencies, and Gotchas