We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Korey Keels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Korey below.
Alright, Korey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I’d been working for a local small pest control company and the owner decided he was ready to sell the company. I had a wife and son to take care of. I’d saved up the money to buy the company, but to bet on myself not knowing if I would be successful or if I would fail was nerve wrecking. I hit the ground running. No turning back now. I focused on having excellent response time and customer service. I was able to convince my customer base to stay with me as I took over the business. I worked tirelessly and I made myself stand out from other businesses by being accessible outside of normal business hours. I sacrificed having fun in order to invest in myself and grow my business. 11 years later, I’m still the owner of Raven Termite and Pest Control. Many of my original customers are still using my services. Now I have time to spend with my wife and son and we’re able more fun than we could’ve imagined,
Korey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Korey Keels, owner and president of Raven Termite and Pest Control. We provide quality pest control solutions for a wide range of pests. I bought the company from my previous supervisor/owner of the company. Raven is based out of Baltimore, MD. We provide service from the PA state line to the VA state line. We use industrial strength, as well as green and pet friendly product options. We provide service for commercial properties, apartment complexes and residential properties. Raven has secured contracts with the largest commercial real estate developers in MD. We’ve even worked with local state politicians on commercial projects as well as providing pest solutions for their personal homes. If you’re in need of pest solutions for general insects, rodents, bedbugs, termites or wildlife, give us a call today!
Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?
I was originally employed with the former owner of what is now, Raven Termite and Pest Control. The owner was moving to the UK, and was looking to sell the business. Working in the field showed me the tremendous potential to maximize my income in the pest control industry. The customer base was familiar with me. They trusted me. I felt confident that they would stay with me if I became the new owner. I saved 15k and purchased the business to include the expanding customer base and equipment. I serviced the customers on my own. When I could afford it, I hired my first employee. Within 2-3 years I had a team of 5. 10 years in the game and I now have 5 technicians and 2 office personnel.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Being a business owner has shown me the ups and downs of owning a business. There are busy seasons and slow season in most industries. The slow winter season approaching can be very daunting as an employer and employee. As an employer, I’m focused on being able to keep my staff’s salaries paid. We work tirelessly during the spring, summer and fall in preparation for the winter season. Almost like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. We have to have a plan so that our employees don’t grow discouraged and find employment elsewhere. In our early years, we struggled with employee retention. I had to learn to navigate through the seasons so that my team saw that there was always a plan to make sure we all eat during the winter. I learned to keep our candidate job pool open, so that if we lose an employee, we always have a plan B. Sometimes, our plan B means suiting up and completing routes myself if that’s what the company needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: raventermiteandpestcontrol.com
- Facebook: Raven Termite and Pest Control