How the Skedaddle Franchise is Capitalizing on the Growing Demand for Wildlife Protection Services

Humans have always lived alongside wildlife, whether it was fighting each other for survival or working to keep our living arrangements separate while living on the same quarter of an acre backyard. While the best approach is to coexist alongside our animal counterparts — not together — this isn’t something we can communicate directly to them.

From our humble beginnings in 1989, Skedaddle has since opened franchise locations across North America, operating in a wildlife and pest control industry that has only grown, even through multiple recessions and economic downturns. Why? In this article, we’ll learn more about how the demand for our particular home protection services keeps steadily climbing and what we’ve done to capitalize on this trend.

Humans have always lived alongside wildlife, whether it was fighting each other for survival or working to keep our living arrangements separate while living on the same quarter of an acre backyard. While the best approach is to coexist alongside our animal counterparts — not together — this isn’t something we can communicate directly to them.

From our humble beginnings in 1989, Skedaddle has since opened franchise locations across North America, operating in a wildlife and pest control industry that has only grown, even through multiple recessions and economic downturns. Why? In this article, we’ll learn more about how the demand for our particular home protection services keeps steadily climbing and what we’ve done to capitalize on this trend.

Demand for Wildlife Protection Services

All cities, suburbs, and rural areas across North America have some kind of wildlife presence, meaning there is always going to be a need for the humane wildlife control and home protection that Skedaddle offers. Operating within the massive home improvement industry that some expect to reach $620 billion by 2025, this recession-resistant, essential service provides a solution to the common problems humanity has faced since moving to interior dwellings. Plus, unlike other services in our industry, our demand doesn’t change with the seasons, leading to a revenue stream that’s consistent, even in the winter.

Regional Differences but Similar Demand

Each region of the U.S. has its own pest and wildlife problems that they worry about. While the Midwest may have raccoons, squirrels, and small birds to worry about, the coastal Southeast has to deal with seagulls and alligators. As unique as the cause can be across different regions, the issue is still the same: animals are getting into homes and buildings when property owners would rather they stay outside. Every home in every state, whether it was built in 1890 or 1990, has its vulnerabilities that allow critters and creatures in.

Mice & Rats

In 2022 alone, mice and rats accounted for $303,314 in gross sales for our U.S. pest control Franchise Owner, making up 27.6% of total sales and the most common species our customers were hiring us to deal with. These are two incredibly common critters to see invade homes since they can get in through foundational cracks and holes in walls that homeowners would otherwise have no idea existed. As harmless as rats and mice may appear, they, unfortunately, carry a wide variety of diseases that can pass to humans and pets alike, in addition to the structural and electrical damage they can do to a house.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2020 to 2021, over 14.8 residents reported seeing rodents in their homes in just a 12-month window. If you consider the number of mouse and rat sightings that also occur but go unreported, you can see a massive demand in any market for Skedaddle’s home protection services, no matter the time of year.

Rodents

While rodents can include the usual culprits — mice, and rats — they can also include everything from chipmunks and squirrels to rabbits and even badgers. No matter what type of rodent gets into a home, they risk exposing residents to a host of diseases and can be responsible for home damage ranging from minor fixes to things warranting major renovations. Based on our U.S. Franchise Owner’s 2022 gross sales, squirrels alone generated $256,260 in revenue, contributing over 23% to our overall sales and making it the second most common call he received all year round.

Raccoons

The mask-wearing raccoon is one of the most common wild mammals found in the U.S., as frustrating it may be for both sides, their habitats are our neighborhoods and communities today. This animal is a fan of not only eating the food scraps we leave in our garbage cans each night, but they also love to use pieces of garbage and our homes in their nests, leaving our homes as ideal targets.

In 2022 alone, our U.S. critter control Franchise Owner saw raccoon calls contribute $163,131 to his annual gross sales, accounting for almost 15% of overall revenue, making their presence a common issue for homeowners everywhere, regardless of the affluence of the neighborhood or demographic of the neighborhood.

Birds & Bats

As sweet as a bird’s nest in the corner of a roof may look on the outside, living too closely with the winged animals of the world can cause issues on both sides, with our homes ultimately paying the biggest toll. When birds and bats become too comfortable with a home, they can quickly move in and damage everything from the roof and exterior materials to insulation and electrical wiring.

Instead of forcibly removing these confused critters, Skedaddle pest control franchise implements proprietary processes and one-way doors in access points, allowing bats and birds to leave on their own but be unable to get back in. This establishes a safe, ethical way to separate customers from the wildlife of their neighborhood and gives them peace of mind knowing they can’t get back in, whether they try to walk or fly in.

Reptiles

There are few sights quite as jarring to a homeowner as seeing a snake or other large reptile somehow invade their space and get inside their home. Whether it’s through exploiting an opening in the plumbing or sliding in through a side door, it’s something no resident ever hopes to experience. While fewer homeowners are less likely to call us because of snakes since they’re less common outside of the Southeast, we still encourage homeowners to proactively consider wildlife protection to secure their home from these slithering sneaks.

Demand for Pest Control Services

In contrast to wildlife protection services, pest control is the practice of mitigating or managing unwanted pests that can’t leave of their own accord, like with the previously mentioned service. This could be because the infesting pest is too small for our usual processes or because the infestation is more complex than a small family of animals burrowing in the corner of the home.

According to an industry analysis provided by Grandview Research, the pest control market was valued at 19.7 billion in 2019 and was calculated to grow at a rate of 4.5% from 2020 through 2027. This is partly due to the growing population density in many, if not most, metropolitan areas, as well as climate change acting as the force driving more creatures and critters inside. 

As frustrating as this may be for homeowners, it can mean great things for a Skedaddle Franchise Owner in the form of recurring revenue. Since pest control isn’t always a permanent solution like wildlife protection, it’s very likely that homeowners will agree to monthly or quarterly appointments, bringing in predictable revenue you can count on. 

Let’s break down the two most common pests our Skedaddle pest control franchise teams work with and how they’re contributing to the booming growth of the pest control service.

According to an industry analysis provided by Grandview Research, the pest control market was valued at 19.7 billion in 2019 and was calculated to grow at a rate of 4.5% from 2020 through 2027. This is partly due to the growing population density in many, if not most, metropolitan areas, as well as climate change acting as the force driving more creatures and critters inside. 

As frustrating as this may be for homeowners, it can mean great things for a Skedaddle Franchise Owner in the form of recurring revenue. Since pest control isn’t always a permanent solution like wildlife protection, it’s very likely that homeowners will agree to monthly or quarterly appointments, bringing in predictable revenue you can count on. 

Let’s break down the two most common pests our Skedaddle pest control franchise teams work with and how they’re contributing to the booming growth of the pest control service.

Insects & Other Pests

When it comes to pest control, insects, bugs, and other tiny creatures can pose just as much of a threat to a home or housing development as your common rat. Today, it’s not uncommon for someone to see a single cockroach across the room or to see dozens — if not hundreds — of ants, wasps, or any other bug in their home. As small as these creatures may seem, the harm they can cause to a home can be just as immense as any other infestation. Additionally, when you consider the fact that your standard homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover termite damage, it’s even more important to many homeowners that they adopt a proactive approach to their pest control needs.

The Growing Need We are Seeing Around Our Additional Revenue Streams

At Skedaddle, wildlife protection and pest control may be our bread-and-butter services, with wildlife control making up 72%-86% of yearly revenue and pest control generating an additional 6%-18%, but that doesn’t mean we stop there. As we built this wildlife franchise into the home protection business it is today, we recognized the need for two additional revenue streams to either complement our existing home services or to provide Franchise Owners with a seasonal service to help build more brand awareness for them in their markets.

Attic Restoration

When you’re a Franchise Owner with Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, your team will likely be in customers’ attics, putting wildlife protection measures in place or providing pest control services. Since this is one of the most common spaces we find our technicians working in, it only made sense to offer Attic Restoration as an additional service to fulfill another need that each Skedaddle home protection customer would inevitably have! By using our guaranteed home-sealing methods, you’re already ensuring that critters never make it back into the home, so restoring the space only complements your other services — creating a great upsell opportunity with each house your team works on.

Holiday Decorations

Covering the house with lights and filling the lawn with ornaments and other decorations has become a time-honored tradition around the holidays in certain neighborhoods. However, with everyone living busy lifestyles, few people have the time to purchase the decorations and hang them every single year, only to take them down and put them in storage again come January (or February). So, Skedaddle introduced our holiday decoration revenue stream to allow home services Franchise Owners the ability to provide a high-ticket-price service that covers our customer’s biggest complaints: purchasing, hanging, and storing decorations themselves.

Now that you see the demand that’s in your community, it’s time to capitalize on it and go into business for yourself. Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control is one of the only businesses in this space that provides a humane, ethical approach and consistent professionalism, making us a no-brainer franchise to invest in if you want to join the booming home protection market. See if you qualify to become a Skedaddle Home Protection Franchise Owner online today!