From Pro Hockey Player to Wildlife Control Franchise Entrepreneur – Meet Skedaddle Founder Bill Dowd!

Bill Dowd, Founder and CEO of Skedaddle – the largest wildlife control franchise in North America, recently sat down for an interview with The Athlete’s Journey, Catalyst Training & Development’s new entrepreneur podcast to share his experiences and insights as an entrepreneur. 

Still growing after several decades in business, Skedaddle has moved into a new phase, searching for potential Franchise Owners who want to take advantage of a one-of-a-kind business opportunity in the wildlife control field.

Operating in over 75 different municipalities in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, Bill Dowd’s wildlife control company initially began in 1989 as the former professional hockey player’s post-playing career developed.

But nowadays, Bill operates one of the most successful environmentally responsible companies in Canada with plans to expand throughout North America in the coming years – if Bill can find wildlife control Franchise Owners with a mindset as competitive as his.

Here’s a rundown of the podcast’s highlights in case you missed this week’s episode of The Athlete’s Journey.

How an athlete's competitive mindset thrives in business

“I started Skedaddle and kind of learned everything myself and made lots of mistakes,” Bill explained, “I think any business person out there makes lots of mistakes. You have to learn from those mistakes, and you have to get better.”

Honestly, that’s a perspective not many business owners take as they build their companies from the ground up. Far too many of them would rather succeed without overcoming any adversity whatsoever and grow revenue without any hiccups.

Yet, Bill’s business has prospered and keeps thriving after overcoming frustrations, setbacks and eventually building a company that’s already expanding its reach in the U.S. market, a significant attraction for Franchise Owners in any industry.

As Bill said during the podcast interview, “one of the benefits of buying a franchise [from Skedaddle] is that I’m not going to let you, as one of our franchisees, make the mistakes I’ve made. We’ve rectified them. We’ve got new systems and procedures in place now, so we’re always improving.”

But how exactly does Bill approach entrepreneurship as a former pro athlete? His answer might surprise you if you’re unfamiliar with what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.

An athlete's drive to achieve greatness

“As athletes, we’re very, very competitive people,” Bill said with genuine confidence, “whether it’s anything in the athletic field, I kind of take that same philosophy in the business field.”

“I think athletes just have that in them,” he wrapped up, “they always want to do better no matter what. If you win a championship – you win the Stanley Cup, you win the NBA Finals, or you win the Super Bowl – you’re not happy with one. You want to repeat! You want to three-peat. You want to do it again.”

Indeed, that’s the proper mindset to have when opening a franchise because it takes tireless, unwavering dedication to launch a successful business, just like launching a career as a pro athlete.

For a pro athlete in any major sport, it’s not about getting the win versus your rival every year; it’s about achieving real greatness and triumph when things aren’t going as planned, and you have to work harder than you ever imagined to succeed.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs seem to think otherwise, trying to force their business over the goal line without any help. The question that then comes to mind is something like, how can I find a new, easy gimmick to keep my business fresh?

If you ask Bill, the real question is this: “what do I need to do to be a better person – or a better company – to give that exceptional customer service so that clients can stay happy and refer us to others?”

“I feel we are the best,” Bill added, “as we franchise, I’m not going to be happy until we have hundreds of locations in the U.S. and win that championship year after year!”

If you agree with this type of competitive business attitude, Skedaddle has a wildlife control franchise opportunity just for you!

What’s unique about the opportunity to start a Skedaddle wildlife control franchise?

We’re pioneers in humane wildlife removal, focusing on hands-on animal removal from the home without invasive or potentially harmful techniques.

Certainly, humane wildlife control is in high demand as both urban, and wildlife populations continue to grow and encroach upon each other’s way of life.

So, our clients want the peace of mind of knowing that the animals in their home aren’t trapped or killed, but they also want to be sure they won’t be back!

That’s why Skedaddle only uses humane, hands-on removal techniques – never trap or poison – to relocate animals safely and responsibly from your home’s attic, basement, or garage without taking them out of their urban habitat.

While on the job, we focus on securing your home’s points of entry, so those furry unwelcome guests can’t return after we’ve removed them safely and humanely.

Simply put, it’s a competitive advantage that we don’t plan to relinquish any time soon because we’re early movers in the wildlife removal business.

At Skedaddle, we’re not catching up to our competitors; instead, they’re catching up with us!

Click to find more detailed information about becoming a Skedaddle Franchise Owner.