I think the biggest thing for me, if I was to give any advice would be to understand that the trapping and business skills have to be in place, as well as equipment, insurance, licences and all of that but that in the begining its not about taking calls and solving customers problems. Its about spending every living moment advertising, getting your info out there and finding ways to market yourself.

In short, what I am trying top say is to be successful you have to have skills to do ADC, but just as important is that you have to be a marketing guru as well.

....and with that gentlemen, Barkstone has a 2 page post!
( As it should be!)

It would be interesting to know how the big name companies did it. I mean every body starts with a dream...

Yea, and they keep on dramin too.Even when the seasion is slow, the truck is running on fumes, and hes so hungry he has to eat his own bait! The others just QUIT! LOL

Two things that I see others doing wrong. Taking on to much work. I know of a company that has trouble keeping techs as each tech may have 75-100 jobs open at a time (or at least this was reported as so to me by one of their former techs). This can happen to anyone, it really helps to realize that are limits to how much one can handle. Someone is going to get shartchanged when one over extends. Definitely bad for business.
The second is the one I absolutely despise. Down right dishonesty. I know of companies that will sell anything and everything whether the customer needs it or not. Some even cut their own throats by stealing customers from their lead sources (ie pest control) Even worse are the folks who sell it then fail to follow through. I won't even get into the ones that do so called bat work.
Personally I have no problem if these folks want to put themselves out of business or get invited to see a judge for fraud what burns me is how it reflects on the rest of us trying to do right.

Real good point! I worked one time for a guy who went by Critter Bill, out of Cincy. Biggest crook you ever seen. I still got over $3,000. worth of rubber checks he wrote me. First day I worked for him , I worked 17 hrs. straight , went home and got up in 6 hrs. and did it again. But he got what was coming to him! Oh yeah, did he ever!