How To Start a Home Service Franchise in 2025: Bill Dowd

Sep 9, 2024

Hey there, Danny Leibrandt here—founder of Pest Control SEO, where we help pest control companies grow with the power of search engine optimization. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Bill Dow, a near-legend in the pest and wildlife industry. For over 35 years, Bill has been building Skedaddle into arguably one of the biggest and most respected wildlife control franchises in North America.

Skedaddle isn’t just about wildlife removal, though—Bill and his team also do pest control and, interestingly enough, Christmas decorating services. In our conversation, Bill dropped a ton of insights on marketing, SEO, company culture, and what it takes to build a thriving franchise brand. Check out the highlights below!

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From Professional Hockey to Professional Wildlife Control

Bill’s story is anything but typical. He started out as a professional hockey player in the early ’80s, drafted by the New York Islanders. Although he never made it to the Islanders’ Stanley Cup-winning roster, he bounced around various minor leagues in the U.S. before deciding to make a major career pivot. After retiring from hockey, Bill went back to school, earned his degree, and spotted a gap in the market: effective and humane wildlife control.

With that realization, Bill launched his first wildlife control operation, which would eventually grow into the Skedaddle brand. I couldn’t resist asking Bill what made him so passionate about wildlife control, and the answer was simple: he’s always been entrepreneurial and hands-on. And in his eyes, there was (and still is) massive potential in wildlife and pest control services, especially once you build a system that can scale.

The Birth of Skedaddle & Its Unique Branding

When Bill first started, Yellow Pages (yes, that thick phone book!) was the #1 way to market local businesses. But Bill’s always been big on standing out from the crowd. He realized early on that success in wildlife and pest control comes down to two major things:

Memorable Branding: Skedaddle is a name you just don’t forget. As Bill puts it, “You gotta have a name people remember.”
Outstanding Customer Service: This includes everything from handling baby raccoons gently to answering your phones 7 days a week.

Skedaddle’s name and bright green trucks became instantly recognizable—and that brand recall still pays dividends today. Ask anyone in Canada about wildlife removal, and there’s a good chance they’ll say, “Oh yeah, I know Skedaddle.”

Building a Multi-Service Powerhouse: Wildlife, Pest, and Christmas Lights

Most pest control and wildlife companies struggle during winter. After all, fewer bugs are buzzing around when it’s cold. Bill solved this seasonal slowdown by adding a surprisingly festive service line: Christmas decorating.

It keeps his teams busy in the colder months, boosts revenue, and—best of all—builds genuine goodwill in the community. Their holiday lighting service is all about turning houses into holiday showstoppers while keeping homeowners safe off their roofs and ladders.

But the year-round core of Skedaddle remains wildlife (think raccoons, bats, squirrels) and pest control. Bill emphasizes that these two services operate differently:

Wildlife Control: Often a one-and-done job, where you fully remove the animal, repair entry points, and guarantee that wildlife won’t come back. These can be large, complex jobs, sometimes costing thousands—even tens of thousands—of dollars.
Pest Control: Typically more route-based, recurring monthly or quarterly treatments for issues like ants, spiders, bed bugs, and rodents.

The Christmas decorating service adds a whole new revenue stream that’s aligned with the same skillset (ladders, roofs, and customer-focused service). It’s a great example of looking outside the box (or attic) to keep your technicians busy year-round.

The Power of SEO and Digital Marketing

Given how big Skedaddle is now, you might assume they dominate just by word of mouth alone. But Bill is quick to credit SEO (search engine optimization) as their main growth driver. They invest a lot in organic search, local SEO, and Google Ads campaigns—always with an eye on seasonality:

Early Preparation: You can’t start trying to rank for wasp control keywords in the middle of wasp season. You need to lay the groundwork months in advance.
Local Focus: Skedaddle creates unique location pages to target each market. This ensures they’re showing up when people in specific cities search for local wildlife or pest control.
Online Reviews: Bill’s team encourages happy customers to leave reviews, which boosts local rankings in Google Business Profiles (the Map Pack).

For newer or smaller businesses, Bill recommends working with reputable SEO agencies. Trying to manage it yourself is often a rabbit hole—one that distracts you from day-to-day operations. Let the experts handle it so you can focus on delivering great customer service.

Franchising: Accelerating Growth for Ambitious Entrepreneurs

One of the most fascinating parts of our talk was how Skedaddle’s franchise model works. Bill started with one truck 35+ years ago. Now, there are over 150–170 trucks on the road across multiple territories. If you’re a pest control or wildlife operator with one or two vehicles and you’re itching to expand fast, the Skedaddle franchise system might be a game-changer.

Instant Brand Recognition: Tap into a trusted brand and proven marketing system.
Training & Support: You’ll learn wildlife control, pest control best practices, attic restoration, even holiday lighting.
Website Authority: Because Skedaddle has been a top dog in this space for decades, new franchisees plug into a site that already ranks well on Google.
Flexible Business Model: Some franchisees buy multiple territories and scale quickly, while others choose a single territory and enjoy a balanced, seasonal workflow.

As Bill explained, franchising requires upfront money and lots of work. But for the right person who wants to become a major player in their market, it’s a phenomenal way to grow far more quickly than going it alone.

Memorable Wildlife Stories: The Japanese Snow Monkeys

I had to ask Bill about the craziest wildlife call he’s ever had—because if you’ve been in the game for decades, you’ve definitely seen some wild stuff. One of the most bizarre calls involved Japanese snow monkeys that had escaped a private zoo in Canada and roamed free for over a year. Eventually, the government asked Skedaddle to step in. Bill’s team managed to lure the monkeys into a storage shed (with the help of a hockey stick and strategic primate food) and safely relocate them to another zoo.

Whether it’s snow monkeys, $30,000 bat exclusions, or entire church attic restorations, Bill has done it all. It’s no wonder Skedaddle’s become a household name.

Top Advice for Growing a Local Service Business

Toward the end of our chat, I asked Bill for his #1 tip to newer pest and wildlife control owners looking to expand. His advice was simple but profound: Treat your team right. Hard work and marketing are essential, but the backbone of your business is your employees. If they feel respected, get paid well, and have work-life balance, they’ll stick around—and your customers will notice the difference.

Additionally, invest in:

Local SEO: Be where your customers are searching.
A Unique Brand: Choose a name and look that people won’t forget.
Top-Notch Customer Service: A phone that’s answered consistently and politely is still one of the best “marketing tactics” around.

Final Thoughts

Talking with Bill Dow reminded me why I love this industry. Pest control, wildlife control, and all the sub-services that come with them are essential to maintaining healthy and safe homes. But building a brand that stands out—especially one that thrives for three decades—requires not just technical skill but also entrepreneurial savvy, a willingness to adapt, and a laser focus on customer experience.

Bill has grown Skedaddle into the powerhouse it is today by relentlessly working on those fundamentals. If you’re in the pest or wildlife space and you’re pondering how to scale, definitely explore what Skedaddle offers—or at least borrow a few pages from Bill’s playbook. I guarantee you’ll walk away with fresh ideas to expand your own operations.