Birmingham, Alabama is known for a lot of things. Not only is it the largest city in the state, but it was also the hub of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, is the home of America’s first Veterans Day celebration, and contains the world’s largest motorcycle museum. You probably know it for sayings like “Roll Tide!” as it’s home to the most dominant collegiate conference in the country (queue the debate!), or maybe its southern charm. Even Southern Living Magazine is published out of Birmingham, But, did you know it also holds a spot on the list of top 50 worst mosquito cities in the country? And since it’s right in the heart of the hot and humid southern United States, that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
Birmingham has huge potential as a Mosquito Joe location for several reasons. First of which is that our primary target (mosquitoes) thrives there, and demand for mosquito control is high. The long summer season works in a franchise owner’s favor as well by allowing more servicing and brand awareness time. Second, while there are competitors in the area, Birmingham offers a great opportunity to stake a claim in the mosquito control industry with Mosquito Joe. Having competitors means that residents in the area are already familiar with the general idea of mosquito control, which means that a franchise owner can spend less time at square one building awareness and more time differentiating Mosquito Joe from the other companies by proving the superiority of the services.
If you are interested in a Mosquito Joe franchise, there is no better time to invest! We are in the midst of scheduling our monthly training programs for new franchisees, otherwise known as MoJo University. This week-long comprehensive program takes new franchisees through all facets of owning a Mosquito Joe franchise including operations, marketing, finance, and more! These classes begin in October and run once a month through April of 2017. New franchisees attend MoJo University on a continual basis as they join the system, so there is plenty of time to complete the training and open for the 2017 season!
On top of being able to attend an upcoming training, investing in a Mosquito Joe franchise now will allow you to attend our Annual Franchisee Convention this January! Convention gives us a chance to gather together for a few days in one place as a Mosquito Joe family. We spend time learning from one another, meeting new franchisees, sharing experiences, creating ideas, and celebrating our success. It’s a great opportunity to dive in head first and learn as much as possible before you open for business.
Lastly, this year is an especially great time to take action due to a higher than normal demand for mosquito control services as concerns about Zika virus spread. While we are not experts in the virus, we are experts in mosquito control, and are proud to be an added defense against mosquito-borne illnesses for homes across the country. With dozens of locally acquired cases nationwide and almost 30 cases in Alabama alone, Zika virus is sure to be top of mind for a lot of customers for a long time.
We are incredibly proud of our growth as a company over the last five years. This year, Mosquito Joe has over 165 territories open, over 270 territories sold, and 120 unique franchisees in 28 states. We ranked 128th on Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America and are just getting started!
