SwarmCast Episode 25: Door-to-Door Pest Control to Scaling with Virtual Assistants with Seth Watson

The SwarmCast by Swarm Pest Control Marketing

What does a free lunch at Olive Garden, door-to-door sales, and a hard lesson in hiring during COVID all have in common? For Seth Watson, they were the stepping stones to building Arete Pest Control and later launching Focus Virtual Assistants.

In this episode, Seth shares how he went from knocking doors in 2003 to running multi-location pest control operations in Georgia and Utah. He opens up about the challenges of finding good people, why he turned to virtual assistants, and how VAs have transformed his business.

You’ll hear:

• The real story behind the name Arete (and why people keep mispronouncing it)

• How Seth scaled Arete Pest Control without losing sight of service and culture

• The turning point that pushed him to explore VAs—and why they can outperform domestic hires

• Key roles VAs can fill right away (CSRs, routing, sales support, collections)

• VAs vs. AI: where each fits in today’s service businesses

• Advice for owners under $1M in revenue who feel “stuck” and need to scale smart

Packed with lessons on entrepreneurship, team building, and smart scaling, this conversation is a must-listen for pest control operators, service business owners, and anyone ready to free up time and grow with the right systems in place.

🌐Learn more about Focus: https://focusvirtualassistants.com/

🌐And Arete: https://aretepestcontrol.com/

🌐Learn more about SWARM: https://www.swarmpestcontrolmarketing.com/

🔗Connect with Seth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-watson-430b65181/

🔗Connect with Wyatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wyattchambers/

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