Alex Cantaboni — Starting a Business In Shaky Times - Ep 137

<p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do you determine whether moving forward with your business idea during shaky economic times is wise? And what can you do to ensure that this new business is set up for success?</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Alex Cantaboni started his pest control business in 2009, he heard from his share of naysayers on the heels of the recession. Not only was the timing called into questioning, but Alex was also entering an exceedingly competitive market. In Texas, there are hundreds of these companies, all warding off Texas-sized pests. But a few things set Alex’s operation apart and, 12 years and 32 employees later, have made it into the success it is today. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On this episode of the Step It Up Entrepreneur podcast, Tomas and Alex talk about his journey from working 90-hour weeks for others to owning his company, how he’s transforming the way fumigation as a career path is seen (“I want it to be a respectable industry”), and the impact core values have had on his turnover rate.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What You’ll Learn:</strong></p> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Why never offering discount services has been one of Alex’s keys to success</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The hiring trick that’s saved him “hundreds and hundreds of hours”</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Why he does a quarterly review of his customers — and ultimately chooses to “fire” some</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">And much more!</span></li> </ul> <p><br /> <br /></p> <p><strong>Favorite Quote:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Firing customers is one of the most liberating things you can do… when you get rid of a**hole customers, the morale of your team increases, and