CV Hustle
A Podcast created to educate, inform & inspire entrepreneurship here in our Coachella Valley.
We will be talking to some of the best & brightest entrepreneurs in the Coachella Valley about how they started their journey in entrepreneurship.
CV Hustle
Ep #14-Sink or Swim: A Story of Entrepreneurship Against All Odds with Amos Greenwood
Meet Amos Greenwood, the dynamic force behind My Party Rental Guys and Pest Protect 360, whose journey from poverty to entrepreneurship embodies the spirit of determination and grit that defines the Coachella Valley business community.
Abandoned by his mother at 17 with limited reading abilities and no high school diploma, Amos refused to let circumstances define his future. Through sheer determination, he secured housing, worked multiple jobs, and eventually taught himself to read through YouTube videos—a platform that would later become his business education center. His early struggles, which he once viewed as embarrassing, have transformed into his greatest strengths and most powerful teaching tools.
After climbing the corporate ladder in the pest control industry, Amos experienced a pivotal moment when he substantially increased company profits but received minimal recognition. This disconnect sparked his entrepreneurial awakening: "I can't just sit here and enrich this corporation." When poor service from local rental companies left him scrambling for a tent for his daughter's baby shower, he identified a market gap that became the foundation for My Party Rental Guys.
What began in his garage has expanded into a comprehensive event service business growing at 150% annually for three consecutive years. Rather than outsourcing, Amos has methodically brought everything in-house—from basic rentals to bartending services, floral arrangements, and even wine tours. His commitment to being "for locals, by locals" has resonated deeply in a market dominated by impersonal corporate alternatives.
Building on his industry experience, Amos recently launched Pest Protect 360, applying his technical certifications and management expertise to a second successful venture. Despite running multiple businesses, he credits his ADHD as both his "kryptonite" and "superpower," allowing him to balance demanding schedules while prioritizing family.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur facing obstacles or an established business looking for inspiration, Amos's story demonstrates that with persistence, continuous learning, and the courage to bet on yourself, extraordinary success is possible regardless of where you begin. Connect with Amos on social media or visit MyPartyRentalGuys.com and PestProtect360.com to learn more about his growing business empire.
What is up everyone? I am Robert Mraz and I'm Fina Mraz and this is CV Hustle, the podcast dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurship here in our local Coachella Valley, and today we got a real special guest. We've got an up-and-comer entrepreneur that's not only run in one company, he's also run in two. He's also an award-winning entrepreneur. That's how we met this entrepreneur at an award ceremony for entrepreneurs. So this guy's an up-and-comer. He's a young buck in the game but he's coming up um. Today we've got amos greenwood from my party rental rental guys and pest protection 360 two businesses man thanks for coming in, man.
Speaker 1:We appreciate you coming in and speaking to us today, definitely, definitely.
Speaker 2:Thanks for the invite. It's awesome, yeah, beautiful location, really excited yeah.
Speaker 3:Absolutely All right, so let's delve in. I want to know about.
Speaker 2:Amos the juicy stuff. Yeah, the juicy stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, did you grow up around here? Did you go to high school around here?
Speaker 2:So yes and no. I always tell everybody. They ask I'm from. I say I'm from everywhere, like I literally from everywhere. They say military brad, I say no, I just grew up poor, so it was like the same thing, you know.
Speaker 1:So people, thought we were the military.
Speaker 2:I said, oh, we just got kicked out of every place, uh so, but yeah, I went to um I I'm from alabama, florida, virginia, mississippi, a little bit of everywhere, so we moved around.
Speaker 3:How'd you make it out to Cali then?
Speaker 2:Yeah, moved around a lot. So I had a. My mom was a single mom majority of my life and my stepdad actually worked security, for I think it was like a General Motors thing, and he got a promotion and he had an opportunity to potentially get a supervisor role. And so they said it's going to be an Indio. And we're like what's Indio? We don't know what that is, you know, and so we come out to Indio Nonetheless. They were out here for about six months and left, and then I stayed and so been here.
Speaker 3:So did you go to high school here or not?
Speaker 2:Everywhere again. So I went to Indio for a little bit, not even a year, like under a year to Indio, but I went to high school in Florida, in Alabama, so a little bit of everywhere I went to by my sophomore year. I went to six different high schools. Oh gosh yeah.
Speaker 3:So when they left, where did you stay?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so weird story. My mom passed away a few years ago so she can't watch this and, like I can't believe, you told me she can't verify.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't believe you. She passed away a while back and but yeah, so I grew up with a single mom and you know, and it was, you know, my mom was just, you know, without getting too, but she, you know she had, she had mental disability, she also was blind, so she had some handicaps, you can say. And, long story short, we were out here with my stepdad. They split, she was out here on her own and, you know, end up getting with someone else and he was a truck driver and she calls me. I was 17 and still in high school. And she calls me and says, hey, I'm not coming back, you need to try to figure out a place to stay.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And I said I'm 17. I'm 17. I don't even think I can find a place to stay.
Speaker 1:You didn't graduate high school.
Speaker 3:It was. What do you call it? It's throw the baby in the swimming pool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, she let me swim.
Speaker 3:Sink or swim man. She let me swim and uh, so yeah, don't you think like that was part of like the grit? Oh shit, I gotta do something now and you gotta kind of like hustle right and correct yeah so a little bit more about my story.
Speaker 2:So when that happened, like I said, I was 17, I was still in high school. You know, I I throw it all out there and I'll kind of backtrack a little bit. But uh, this is the first time me kind of telling my story and actually being honest about, uh, the things that happened to me growing up. You know, um, my wife's family, for instance, they still just know little bits and pieces of my story because I I hid it for so long Cause I thought it was something to be you know, embarrassed about you know, and it was just, you know it was.
Speaker 2:I thought it was something to be embarrassed about when I was at Indio. At that point I had been held back already twice, you know, because I just I never stayed consistent in a school, I was homeschooled in between there. Yeah, that's hard, you know. So it was just, it was just a really kind of kind of weird, weird upbringing for me, I guess you could say, especially when it comes to education. So I was already held back twice at that point and I was 17, 17, still in school. You know, I was pretty much a sophomore going on my junior year and and, uh, you know, she gives me that phone call and I'm like you know what I said I'm dropping out, I'm not gonna finish. You know, that's it.
Speaker 2:I can't, I can't go to school and work, yeah, yeah and so, to answer your question, I definitely think it's part of the grit. I had to um, you know, get a job and I was blessed to be able to get a job at a it was a resort out here in Indio, so I was blessed to find a job there lied to them and told them I definitely graduated high school. Yeah, I had 4.0.
Speaker 1:I hope they don't check.
Speaker 2:I definitely graduated. So I lied to them and, you know, just started the grind from there. You know I was blessed to find a landlord that gave me an opportunity. She saw something in me and promised her hey, I'll be able to pay, you know, my bills. And so I was 17, moved to a little studio in Cathedral City and that was all she wrote.
Speaker 3:You started your journey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just started my journey and started working. Oh my gosh, yeah. So I was thrown in the water.
Speaker 1:That's quite a story, man, it's quite a story. Quite a testimony to your work, ethic and grit and just determination, right. It all kind of boils down to that right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now I see it as that. You know when you're in it. You're literally in the water just trying to swim. You know when you think it's normal. You know, at a point I had three different jobs, you know, and so I'm working. You know, and so I'm working. You know graveyards, I'm doing stuff during the day, I'm also doing a little part-time kind of security thing, and you know, just, multiple jobs is trying to make ends meet. Because, you know, growing up with a parent with, you know, disabilities as well as her being blind um, it was just something. You know. I grew up knowing how many bills we had to pay and what we had to pay, how much we owed. You know when we're going to get kicked out of here, how we're going to do this. You know selling Pokemon cards and stuff, just to try to get some food.
Speaker 3:You know what? I have somebody in my office right now that they just started a Pokemon business.
Speaker 2:Oh really, yeah, it's a business, I made some money. He's like oh my God, we paid some bills spent on Pokemon cards though that's true. Our kids, when our kids were yeah and then I've always been, I guess you'd say a hustler of sorts. I used to, you know, mess with the kids, like when I was a kid, like hey, let's battle. You know what I mean? Oh man, that's my card. Now you know, Battle, they're cards.
Speaker 1:They're cards Old battle cards yeah yeah.
Speaker 3:I thought you started boxing it's like poker with anime.
Speaker 2:That's what poker is, yeah there are different levels and all this. I used to battle the kids and I'd win. And you know, sweet talk. I'm like, oh man, just shoot me these two cards.
Speaker 3:And then I'd go slang them and sell them somewhere and all that like how did how did this start becoming a thing like?
Speaker 2:yeah. So that's an interesting kind of uh pivot for me. So you know, growing up I you, that happened. I had to find my own place to stay. I had to figure things out. During that same time I met my wife. I met Brianna.
Speaker 3:You made her a job that you guys were at. I met her at that resort.
Speaker 2:She was a lifeguard. She was a lifeguard, she was a lifeguard.
Speaker 2:I did a bunch of different jobs there. I was an attendant, working the front desk and doing a few different things. So I met her there and I originally thought I was going to end up joining the military or doing something like that, because growing up we always heard and I heard from some family of mine you'd hear the whispers. It's like they knew who I was and who my mom was and you know, and they were just you know. They would always say you know he's either going to be dead in prison or a drug addict or you know he's going to have to join the military or something.
Speaker 3:Right, Cause the military guy normally wants to well shape you up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Apparently it'll be in the shape you know, because I used to have to try to hustle and so even throughout my schooling and stuff like that I would, you know I would be gone from school more times than I was actually at school. So you know I was a little knucklehead of sorts. But you know I had to grow up really fast because of what my mom was going through. You know I didn't have the opportunity to. I had to grow up.
Speaker 1:Sink or swim man. Yeah, sink or swim. Really childhood, like you know, like a typical childhood, yeah. So where does the? Where does the entrepreneurial spirit of like hey, I think I can. So did you work for like what? What business came first? I know you have a couple of businesses going on which is amazing, like that's. You know it's hard enough to run one profitable business as opposed to two, you know, at the same time. So so where does that? To kind of walk us through that journey of like, okay, you know, did you start? Which business did you start first? And how did you kind of get the idea Like, maybe I can, you know, open up a business doing this For?
Speaker 2:sure? Yeah, definitely. So I'll, I'll when I. So when I met my wife Brianna, she, I met my wife Brianna. She grew up completely different than I did, you know, so it was totally different. When I tell you, you know, I said her family doesn't know much of my story. It was for a reason. You know, I step into an environment where you know her dad was he's. He's a wealthy man. She grew up in a wealthy household, you know, and so it's just different.
Speaker 1:You know, she graduated with like a 5.0 GPA. Wow, never had a B in school, so she's the brains of the operation.
Speaker 2:She's the brains right.
Speaker 1:I'm the beauty, the beauty and the brains, the beauty and the brains. You're just the bulk. I know you're cute. You're just the bulk man, You're good at moving stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, I'm the muscle, and so walking into that household was, you know? I remember having to think like, wow, I got to like step my game up. You know if I'm going to be around. You know, um, you know these successful people, this kind of just different environment and um. So nonetheless, you know, I got together with her. Her dad is in the pest control industry, has been in the pest control industry for a long time as well, as he's an entrepreneur of sorts too. He has a ton of rental properties and that's kind of his thing, so he's a real estate guru of sorts.
Speaker 3:You know what's so funny? Like the pest control business, they bring in money.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I can't believe it. Hey, they're always going to need, you're always going to need pest control, our guy.
Speaker 3:We've been with him 20 years and his wife has never worked.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:Like and they're always I mean, it's awesome, I love it, but it's just like man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's what surprised me. So when I first met her and walked in and met her dad and I'm thinking like dear Lord, I've never been in a house this big, you know pool, and it was just so different for me. And I asked him I said, what do you do? He says, oh, I work in pest control, I work for Ecolab. And I said, oh man, what do you really do? You know you don't do pest control.
Speaker 1:You know, I'm looking around like I heard you got a bunch of houses. Yeah, that's a front. That's a front for something. Man, what do you?
Speaker 2:do. Let me in on it. What are we doing, you know, and nonetheless in the pest control industry. So I was with her for about a year, give or take, and, no, a little less less than that, for sure and he got me into the pest control industry. So I started working for Ecolab for a little bit, and so like what is it?
Speaker 3:Is it just pests? Like you're just spraying stuff? I mean, like our guy kind of does it all yeah.
Speaker 2:So so, yeah, so so we work on. At that point it was just, I was a general pest control guy. I was just going around spraying commercial locations, right, um treating for whatever it was that they had. You know, dealing with rodent situations, um yeah, it was yeah, it was kind of a.
Speaker 2:It was kind of a different job and I'm a real scaredy cat. My mom used to say that scaredy cat, so I use that word a lot. I was a big scaredy cat and um got into the pest control industry and just for me it was just such an opportunity because seeing what he did with this kind of career path, my eyes just opened up where I'm like wow, I can do something else. There's not just military or you know, doing something illegal.
Speaker 3:So then, so like, like what I'm hearing is he? He was a big mentor in your life.
Speaker 2:Huge, huge, huge mentor in my life and, um, you know, so, getting in the pest control industry. I did that, for I was a technician for a short period of time before I start moving my way up through management. And you know, before I did that, one of the things I did and this was kind of a secret, like low key thing was was it wasn't that bad, but to me it was a big deal, was you know?
Speaker 2:I was with my wife and, like I said, I had to step it up. So I remember telling her I might join the military, I'm going to go take this military test, or whatever, and it wasn't. I was going to take the GED exam. I was terrified, though, right, I was terrified. I was like I can't tell her I'm going to go do this.
Speaker 1:I told her I graduated with like a 4 Wow she don't know.
Speaker 2:Wow, hopefully she doesn't ask me any math questions or anything. Hopefully I can get away with it, but I was always, so Just tell her you graduated from Indio man.
Speaker 1:There's no expectation. I know I'm a Raja.
Speaker 3:I can tell you that there's no expectation when you come from Indio. I'm sure she was in love with your personality, not the brain. Yeah, that's what happened to us. He's a raja, remember he's a raja, um.
Speaker 2:So I lied to her and said I was gonna go do some exam. It was might do the military thing. I don't know yet. You know it's. You know I was. I was really, I was really hyping it up and that was the first time I actually sat down and you know, I was so disciplined with trying to. I had to reteach myself everything. I didn't know how to read. I didn't know how to read. I didn't know how to write properly. I didn't know how to do my simple multiplication tables in middle school, you know, and so I had to sit there.
Speaker 2:I'm on YouTube and I'm you know kind of hiding, because I don't want her to know, I'm, you know, going over fractions and stuff, and she's like you know, she's a genius, literally a genius, and I'm, you know, I'm really looking at these simple things, and it was part of the embarrassment I told you guys when I, when I first came in, was, you know, my upbringing I used to always think it was an embarrassment, it was something I had to hide and, you know, throughout my my short term so far in entrepreneurship and my life, now I realize it's, it's part of my strength, it's part of my story, you know, and so I don't want to hide it because there's other people who can benefit from it.
Speaker 3:I mean to teach yourself that. I mean, like my dad, my dad didn't read, like both of my parents didn't even graduate high school, right, and so like my dad would have to call me and say I got something in the mail. I don't know what it is and or what does this bill mean or why like? So? Totally have respect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for you, for that and like teaching yourself that that's it was hard by yourself, like that's even it was hard. And when I say I couldn't read, I don't even mean, you know, I had to sound it out, I had to. What I mean is, like I, I could, I could read really slowly. I couldn't comprehend any of it. Like any of it, I'd have to reread it 20 times, you know.
Speaker 3:And later in life finding out I had adhd, I had all these you know, I'm like it's a superpower sometimes I like, yeah, sometimes, sometimes it's a superpower, it's your kryptonite
Speaker 2:yeah, it's also it's also a downside we'll keep it.
Speaker 2:We'll keep it light today I say it's my kryptonite and my downside so you know, I couldn't comprehend these things and I had to just reread it, reread it. I watched a story on TV and I remember at the time it was, I think it was about Dr Ben Carson and it was. I think it was a movie where, like Cuba, gooding Jr was playing him and he was in the library just rereading things, and it really inspired me. You know to where I was like I got to just keep rereading this until I understand it. And so I remember that was my one thing that I decided to do, because growing up I didn't remember one test that I ever passed Not one, you know, you know. So, not one test that I ever passed. And so I'm going into this, just like I don't know if I can do this, and I go and nonetheless, I pass with flying colors and you know I was able to teach myself some of these things.
Speaker 2:Wow, dude, she was like the perfect tutor, though, I know right, I couldn't ask her what's two plus two? What is it? Carry the what? Yeah, it was such an embarrassing thing for me because, you know, when I say she's a genius, she's a genius. You know, straight A's. I'm looking at her transcript. She didn't have one b, you know, it was just. It was crazy, you know. And um, yeah, so it was. That was a big part of my upbringing and so, after I got that, you know I started tell her about the ged.
Speaker 1:Afterwards, years later, she's all years later, after you're already married, like, oh, you can't, you can't leave now years later, years later.
Speaker 2:I, years later, years later, I said, I got something to tell you.
Speaker 3:Oh, what is it Like an exhilarating moment and then not be able to share it. It had to have been like come on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was just screaming and excited in my then car, you know, and so I was just excited and I was screaming and you know it was an exciting point for me, but it was more or less because I didn't have to fake it. I could kind of say these things, say it a little differently, but still mean what I'm saying and actually have done it, you know, and accomplish something. So when I did that, you know, I start, you know, really just diving deep into the pest control industry. During that I used to watch videos all day and all night about Toastmasters and about speaking you know all these different things I had.
Speaker 2:I had a slight accent, like Alabama accent, a slight accent. I had all these different you know. So I I got rid of it. I just, I just was religious about learning how to do public speaking and how to be able to, you know, articulate what, articulate what I'm trying to get through, because I figured, especially in that industry, I could be darn good at sales, right, so I always knew that was, that was my gift of sorts.
Speaker 3:So then, how did it go from? Like he was working at whatever. I forgot the name of the name already.
Speaker 2:Equalab.
Speaker 3:Equalab, and then to to you starting your business, and did he follow along with you this time?
Speaker 2:So no, yes and no. So I start working for EcoLab.
Speaker 3:I start quickly making my way through the ranks, not just there.
Speaker 2:I start working for a different company. Shortly after that I followed my wife to school at San Luis. She was in San Luis Obispo.
Speaker 3:She went to Cal Poly out there. That's an awesome place to be.
Speaker 2:I followed her to that out there working my three jobs doing my thing, and then got in with Ecolab and was still working multiple jobs at that point too, just because it was like you know, how are we going to survive out here? And we had to.
Speaker 3:You know, it's expensive out there. Oh yeah, we had to really figure it out.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, we had to really figure it out. And so I started making my way through the ranks there she, so I started making my way through the ranks there. She was almost finishing school at that point. I decided to come back sooner, start working for a different company, and then I started working for Terminex. I was a manager with them?
Speaker 3:Are they still around? Oh yeah, are they? Yeah, I haven't. You know what. I probably see them passing by.
Speaker 1:They're a big national brand right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're huge. They just merged and got bought by Rent-A-Kill, so now they're the largest pest control company in the world by almost double.
Speaker 3:So then you started working for them and then you just said I'm out of here. You started servicing clients and getting to know those clients.
Speaker 2:So all I did was manage with them. So I've been in management ever since I was with them. So I just managed with them. I was one of the youngest general managers. I was one of the youngest you know, guys that work on the divisional side. I did some service. It was a different service job on the divisional side where I manage multiple locations and did some things like that. Um, and so I start really making my name there and making a name for myself in the industry and for a long time I thought I was going to be a corporate guy. I was always going to stay there because I was so blessed to be able to make the kind of money I was making. I grew up and used to just think like man, if I could make this, I'd be a billionaire.
Speaker 3:You don't know that I'd be a billionaire.
Speaker 2:You start doing it and you're like wow.
Speaker 1:Start doing the math, right right in your head and you're like, 10 years, I'll be doing this right, exactly.
Speaker 1:So what? When was the reflection point, though? Because all of us entrepreneurs that have like, took in that leap of faith and bet on ourselves. There had to been some point where you were like right on that fence, like am I just going to stay in this cushy job? Because that's kind of what we experienced. We're like, okay, you know we're going to stay here and be comfortable. Are we going to take that leap and be uncomfortable and then really, like, try and bet on ourselves and and and go out on our own and enrich ourselves? So, like, where was that? Where was that inflection point for you? It sounds like you were working your way up doing the corporate thing. Yeah, is there, like, is there a moment that you can kind of remember?
Speaker 2:and point there is. It's funny you say that because I didn't realize I had that until you just said what you said right now. Um, my reflection point was so when I told you I wasn't a numbers guy and then I turned into a numbers guy where I was running you know, I'm running a multimillion dollar branch, at one point I was managing you know multiple multimillion branches. You know so many different things, and so I'd be looking at these spreadsheets and looking at these P&Ls and you know, and I'm looking at the kind of money that I'm handling on a regular basis where it is all I'm the leader, right, and I mean everybody, I'm the leader.
Speaker 2:You know I had multiple managers reporting to me. You know we had, you know, 50 plus employees that reported directly to the managers who reported to me. And being so young in that kind of position, you know it was, it was, it was such a win for me where I couldn't imagine not doing it at a point. And then when I'm sitting down there and I'm looking at these, these PNLs, and I remember I was in my office one day and I'm looking at this and I'm looking at, you know I crush year over year by. You know I beat our profit by over a million dollars. Whoa.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:And I'm million dollars right, and I'm sitting there like, wow, we did it, you know, and they're like great job, here's a little bonus.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean here's your, here's your 200 gift card from starbucks.
Speaker 2:What, yeah, I don't mean you know it's like this is. It was just such a a wake up clarifying moment for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it, like this is the kind of money we're making, and especially when you're directly the source to bring those. You know, certain decisions I had to make, not only with hiring certain managers and putting certain people in places and starting new services and programs and different things that we do internally. Right, you know, produce this, you know, seven figure increase over what we projected, and so it was just such a like ugh, like I almost had that gut. You know, you just have that feeling like you got punched in the gut where you're just like wow, you know, and it's, it almost seems unreal when you're looking at these numbers on paper and you're looking at months with hundreds of thousands of dollars and you're just comparing it and then you put it on, you know you, you kind of absorb all of it and you realize how much money you're dealing with. So, to to be quite honest with you at that point, that's when I realized I can't just sit here and make Enrich this corporation.
Speaker 3:What was the first step to starting that business and your own business?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so good question. So amongst all the agreements and NDAs and stuff I signed with the brand, that's true.
Speaker 1:Big corporation going to make you non-compete all that, which are not legal, by the way, but in California, but they still make you sign them. They can still sue you, right, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So, amongst that, I realized I said, well, I'm not ready to do this yet. You know, my wife finished school, she became an engineer. You know, she started doing her thing. I was, you know, you know, in my area I was a top manager. I was, you know, you know, in my area I was a top manager. I was crushing it, year over year. You know, we were just, we were killing it. You know, we were in the top 10 branches year over year. Everything I touched in a sense, just I don't want to say turned to gold, but turned to gold, you know. And so I realized I had a certain skillset, and why not utilize that skillset? So, to answer your question, what I did was I said well, I can't start a pest control company because I work for a pest control company, they'll go after me, I can't start this.
Speaker 2:And so it was around the time we were, it was our baby shower, my wife, it was my daughter's baby shower, layla her baby shower at the time, and I remember calling around trying to get quotes for a tent, and it was last minute, it was going to rain, and so I'm panicking, like, oh, I need to find somebody. And the companies that we have locally, just, you know pardon my French, but treated me like crap. Right, I'm on the phone and I said, hey, I need a tent tomorrow, like, and they all but giggled at me, you know like what Tomorrow? And they all but giggled at me, you know like what tomorrow? I'm like, yeah, I need a tent tomorrow Is that unreasonable?
Speaker 2:Yeah, they all but giggled at me. One company did giggle at me it was only like two of the big ones out here and I said, yeah, I need a tent. And they said, okay, we'll see what we can do. And they sent me over some quotes and it was like six, seven grand or something like that.
Speaker 3:And I said you know what that's called. It's bad, the pain in the ass fee.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's bad. They don't even want you to accept it at that price. It's like they're jacking up so hard. It's one of those you know.
Speaker 2:You give a customer a price. You're like, ah, I don't want to deal with them. But if you do, you know them telling me it was like all but impossible so did you get the tent?
Speaker 2:no, no, no, no, no. I went to like tractor supply or something, and I was like we building this today. You know what I mean. We're building this, you know, and um, so, nonetheless, it was sometime later. I was, uh, I love having cigars, I love smoking cigars, smoking cigars with some buddies and, like I say, she works for the city and um, so I'm having a conversation and I and I heard how much the city spends per year on just rental equipment and it clicked to me in my head and I'm like, well, yeah, two and two. Right Now I know it's three, it's four. So, yeah, I put two and two together and nonetheless, it just clicked to me. You know, I always try to look for gaps. I did that in the pest control industry, where we did it within the industry, right. So I always try to look for gaps in our community and nonetheless, that was a gap where I realized there's only, you know, there's two big corporate hedge fund owned companies out here that are just there.
Speaker 3:They're hedge fund owned. Yeah, they're eating up all the business.
Speaker 2:They run the market to where they can. You're not going to price yourself out of the market, because it's just them two right, it's like the DMV.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, Bobby always like don't even bring that up. The government ain't got no competition, so there's no customer service there for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're speaking my language. I've been there the last week. It's every day week, every day.
Speaker 3:So.
Speaker 1:So then you felt like, because your wife also worked in that industry like if you started up your own deal. Well, you kind of had like. You had like an idea right, yes and no.
Speaker 2:Um, so still, to this day, I'm barely getting those contracts now actually, and we're what, three years in now? Um, so I'm still barely teeter-tottering my way in there. Um, because one thing I didn't want as as crazy as it sounds, because I'm a sales, but I didn't want a handout. Right, I wanted to prove that I can do this and to the caliber of events that they do. It was like you know, they're very large scale events.
Speaker 3:You don't want to bite off more than you can chew either. Like that's how I mean. I think we went about our businesses too.
Speaker 1:Slow growth is sometimes better than too much too fast.
Speaker 3:So you said all right, I'm gonna start our business and I'm gonna name it my party.
Speaker 2:Guys, right, yeah, my party rental guys, huh yeah, yeah, um see the dyslexia no, everybody calls us the party guys the party guys, we're the party, guys, um and so it's catchy, it's catchy, yeah, yeah, it's catchy, it's catchy, yeah, yeah, it's catchy, uh, and so, nonetheless, after that conversation, 90 days later I had my own brand. Um, I decided I'm just going full throttle and right into it.
Speaker 1:So did you not have any experience in that industry, you just saw the need.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's some cojones man.
Speaker 1:That's.
Speaker 2:That's like I just saw the need and once again, I told you how to do the whole YouTube thing. Youtube was my education right, so I just Googled it.
Speaker 1:Wow, you learned this on YouTube how to run a party rental company. See, there you go, people out there. If you want to start a business, there is information to start. I mean, we've got living proof right here.
Speaker 3:A hundred percent. That's crazy man and honor of Super Bowl tomorrow. You're like the quarterback who threw the hellberry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I threw the hellberry. Oh my God.
Speaker 1:I don't think, because you can sell right, because you already knew you could sell Correct, so you just had to learn the ins and outs of the business, right?
Speaker 2:Correct. And so I always joke and say my mentors are all these different guys online. They just don't. You're my mentor, you just don't know. I watch all your videos.
Speaker 1:Just DM them and say hey, I watch your videos.
Speaker 3:I want to know who was your first client. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like who gave you that opportunity? No, that's a good question. So we had all these little small. My first client actually was my wife's mom. They were like it was like I need 20 chairs for this right or whatever?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And she was doing it through. I coach AYSO, so I was a soccer coach at that point and so it was through. One of you know they needed it for one of their things, so she's like no, let me pay you because it's from them, and so she was my first client. So that was awesome. Thank you, gloria. Yeah, she's my. I got that my first year in business, first couple months in business.
Speaker 3:How did that connection come through?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I had a consultant. I had a business consultant that I start working with through the Was it SCORE. No, no, it was through. It was through an SBA thing, right, so Not through. It's through a small business, you know, program kind of thing, where they do it for free, right, and so you can just sign up and I'm like, hey, I'm going to sign up.
Speaker 2:Heck yeah, and so I had a consultant that I would work with, and she used to tell me how powerful networking is and I'm thinking like, nah, I just need to get in front of customers, that's it, I'm going to sell. And then I realized who my customer base is it's everybody.
Speaker 2:Everybody there's literally no one that's not going to need my services for something. Yeah, and so I just start going real heavy on networking. I joined almost every chamber there is to join and start going to all their events. And I met someone from Visit Greater Palm Springs. Her name was Susan and she just absolutely loved me and what we were doing and the brand. And she just absolutely loved me and what we were doing and the brand. And so she sent a referral out to Janie, who runs the Alzheimer's Walk and does a bunch of other stuff for them, and called me up and said, hey, we need 20 tents. And I'm thinking like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, we can do it. You always say yes when you first start. We're the biggest and baddest in the game. You'll figure it out after you hang up the phone.
Speaker 2:We can do it. Yeah, we can do it. Youtube we're going to get you on a dance, Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we can do it. You better be calling them vendors real quick.
Speaker 2:I scattered and one of the cool things, like I said, I try to do everything in-house and so, to be quite honest, that was the first Hail Mary I threw, which was investing in a ton of equipment.
Speaker 3:I was going to say obviously it takes a lot of space, correct?
Speaker 1:And a lot of capital. I mean, you've got to have a lot. So when did you get to the point, where was it the Alzheimer's event was where you said, okay, I can quit my job and do this full time? Did you just go in full time from?
Speaker 2:the beginning. No, so I actually had my brand for a little over a year before I decided to go on my own almost two years actually okay, so it was like a side hustle that turned into your yes or no. So I always say I kind of jump too quickly into things. It's that adhd he's like I know what you're talking about it's that, just like I dive so deep into it so when I tell you, um, I dove straight into it.
Speaker 2:so I not only bought a ton of equipment, I hired a full-time employee, someone to run my brand for me While you're working at another While I'm working at another.
Speaker 1:Wow, so you had an employee before you were even full-time in the business. Yeah, I had a couple. I'm telling you, man, that's some cojones right there, man, you're like we're doing this.
Speaker 2:I was over six figures in and a couple employees in and invested in. You know everything from the warehouse vehicles, big box truck, you know all sorts of stuff that I just and at the time, once again, I didn't know how to do it the right way. You know, even though I'm used to running a corporate brand, I'm also used to, you know, signing off and doing big purchases and I'm thinking that's how we got to do it. You know it's not. I'm not easing into it, I'm just going right in. So I'm buying my truck cash, I'm doing everything.
Speaker 2:I'm just going in and throwing cash around. You know I've been blessed to be able to have a position where I was making good money and I was a killer and you're stacking it.
Speaker 1:obviously you had the capital to do it.
Speaker 2:We got those little, the little bonuses that they would throw over here and there, you know, for you know, finishing as high as we did, but we had those little bonuses and things like that so stacking it up and you know, I just kind of dove straight into it.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'm confused. So you were doing pest control and then you were doing this as a side hustle. Who is giving you the bonuses now? Yeah, Right.
Speaker 1:The pest control company. Yeah, pest control, he's still doing the management. The pest control company yeah, pest control.
Speaker 2:So I still worked for terminex at the time. So I was a, I was a manager um with terminex, so I was running my own branch. At that point I actually jumped back down from the division and then I was running my own branch um because I had my daughter at that point too.
Speaker 1:So I didn't want to move around too much.
Speaker 2:I wanted to stay in one location, um, so nonetheless, yeah, so I just dove straight into it and just start doing my thing.
Speaker 3:So you mentioned the SBA. We love the SBA. They have helped us tremendously.
Speaker 2:Tremendously.
Speaker 3:And so you said I need a warehouse, right? So do you still have that same warehouse today?
Speaker 2:No, so we grew pretty quick, so I'm a numbers guy. So we've grown 150% year over year. Wow, 150%, 150% in the last three years, that's pretty spectacular.
Speaker 1:Those are good numbers, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've been absolutely blessed to be able to do that. In my first year, we did absolutely amazing, which I was surprised. But one thing you're always looking at, especially starting your own thing and throwing all this into it, I'm like pushing out all this money. I'm like we did so great, and then you look at what you spent.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's not what you bring in right? It's not what you bring in, it's what you keep.
Speaker 2:It's not what you bring in. We made all these sales and then we look at the bottom line.
Speaker 1:looking at my balance sheet and stuff, I'm like oh, my God. Whoa yeah.
Speaker 2:This went away, so that's what kind of did it, and so I decided to invest in it, and so my first warehouse was my garage my garage and then I got a huge storage like RV storage unit, you know, a pretty big one. And then I got into my current warehouse, which is in cathedral city. It's a, you know, it's a pretty nice size warehouse. It's a full, legit warehouse, um how big is it?
Speaker 2:I think it's gosh, square footage wise 30 000 square. No, no right, you're like 100 000. I don't know how large it is actually. Um, yeah, I'd have to look at that, but it's. It's a pretty decent warehouse. We can now fit, you know, six to eight rvs in in there now. Yeah, so we can fit a ton.
Speaker 3:And do you have to buy racks? We do, yeah, yeah we had to buy rack. I mean I can't believe how much money they cost. And then to have those guys, I paid somebody to install them.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, that's a good business to get into, yeah, then you don't realize you need all the space in the middle clear because you need to be able to remove those pallets and do this and do that. So now we're expanding and getting into the other side of the warehouse, but even to backtrack a little bit. So I was with Terminex and decided to do my own thing and, to be quite honest with you, it was the best thing I could have done, because I was able to. I always told myself it was the way I could test it, to see if I could truly be an entrepreneur, right, while I'm still working.
Speaker 2:And so, luckily, I was a GM I'd work half the week at home, work the other half of the week in the office, and in the office I stayed in the office on my computer. So I'm, you know, I'm in the office, you know. So I was blessed to be able to have that position, to do that. And then, during that same period of time, I told you my wife's dad, who I would definitely say is my mentor since I was and I joke and even say her little brother is one of my other mentors he taught me how to do my own repairs and he owns his own air conditioning company, so he was able to kind of show me hey, this is how you deal with electricity, this, okay, I don't.
Speaker 2:This, okay, I don't put this one here, yeah, I don't put this one here. So during that time, while even right before I started my own business, I was able to invest in some rental properties and things like that. So I was able to kind of tuck some properties under my belt, and it was nice because my mom was still alive at that point and so it was really cool to be able to see her, see me succeed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:We didn't even know what purchasing a house was like growing up. I didn't know it was a thing.
Speaker 3:That's what I tell him. Like I grew up in apartments my whole life. You know what I mean. So it's like oh, I didn't. You know, I wanted my kids. I'm sure you want your daughter Lay the same thing right, like to see a whole, completely different way of life, and I think that's what's kind of cool is like you grow up with one parent and then you can turn that around and parent your child differently. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent, and so I didn't grow up with my dad in my life and I and I also joke and say my dad's one of my number one mentors. Also, he showed me what not to do, right, so he showed me what not to do with raising kids, and you know how I treat my daughter now is a direct correlation with how he didn't treat me, you know, and so it really did help me out. And so being able to have my mom see me grow up and you know she's like you just bought another house. So you, you know it was just, it was so awesome to see that and she eventually went completely blind. I've always taken care of her. So, to backtrack years before when she told me hey, you got to find your own place Less than a year, she ended up moving back and she moved in with me because it didn't work out In the studio, in the studio.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:And then she got her own little studio across from me and so studio across from me, and so she was there for some time and ever since then, like I said, I start purchasing properties and stuff. So she lived in my casitas. I bought a duplex, so, smart, lived in the front, she lived in the back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I love duplexes well, you know what I just got my real estate license okay yeah because I told him we're gonna be buying and selling until we die and he wants to sell one of our properties and I I was like, only if I can have a fourplex, that's it yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a good condition. Duplexes are nice I love. The one thing her dad taught me was a few different things I love, like the bird technique. I love that passive income. A few different things right.
Speaker 2:So I bought a fixer-upper in the city of Coachella, where my wife works. We love supporting local. We don't just preach it in all my brands, but we actually live by it. Right? So we lived in Coachella, the city she worked in, and bought a property out there and it was a fixer-upper. Had no idea about the whole equity in this and I'm watching all these videos online learning about it and so purchase a property out there. Her dad's like this is going to be a good one, and I'm like I don't know. You know, let's do it. You know what you're doing, I'm going to do it. So I delve right into it and start doing my own repairs. I'm on the roof on my phone watching YouTube how to replace a roof.
Speaker 2:I'm replacing the everything from the plywood, like I learned how to do roof, uh, from youtube. Do you have your own youtube channel? I do, I do, but I don't, I don't post it, it's just a business youtube channel. I don't, I don't post anything on there.
Speaker 1:Um, but I, yeah, I, I want to start one day, but yeah yeah as much as I watch it just follow the the journey huh from business to business correct, you got a bit seems like you've got. When you have time for your family, you got've got three different businesses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no.
Speaker 1:It's a lot.
Speaker 2:You know, it's an ADHD thing that I tell you about. That's definitely my superpower, so I'm able to balance, you know, to where I'm able to be with my daughter. I'm able to, you know, still spend time with the family and do the things that I need to do, and then I'm up at 1, 2, am on my computer doing stuff while everybody's sleeping. I need my sleep, though, and I don't. I need a few hours and I'm up. Really, you know what.
Speaker 3:I mean yeah, oh nice.
Speaker 2:I joke and say, like you know, life's too short to waste it sleeping.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:You know, so I'm like I don't need to sleep.
Speaker 1:My brain is going to be backfiring on me. So did the ADHD lead you to start the other business, and I'm kind of assuming that, since it was already like a family business, the Pest.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Tech 360 was something that kind of you were already thinking about while you were running this one.
Speaker 2:Correct. You know, I was even in my head planning out things right and just how I'm going to do it, but when I found out my first business can be, and was being, successful, it really helped me kind of put that guard down a little bit, to be quite honest with you.
Speaker 3:Well, it gives you confidence, right? Like, okay, I do know what I'm doing. I mean, it's right in front of your eyes that you're seeing your baby grow and like okay, I can do this, so that's awesome.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what happened. But it still wasn't easy. It still wasn't easy to branch off from that Cause. When I tell you, the way I grew up was just such a like, you know, in my mind I'm rich, you know, and I was like I made it, I'm doing it. So to step out of that and get uncomfortable and bet on myself was really, really scary to do, really scary to do, even with my business that was doing what it was doing. But one thing I always told myself is, if my business is doing this successful with 25% of my time, imagine how successful I can be with 100% of my time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, you know, and so I just I tried to do the math. The two plus two. I was still equal. It equals three. I was still there.
Speaker 3:Now we're at three and a half. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was like, does this add up? I was like, does this add up? And so I was doing the math and I said, if I dedicate my time into my own brand, you know I'm tired of making. You know hedge funds and corporate conglomerates and all this even wealthier, and they barely know who we are. You know we're the ones at the bottom making them all wealthy, making them their money, dealing with the people, dealing with the managers, dealing with all the issues, and you know we're the ones doing it.
Speaker 3:I said always issues right, I do it for myself you know, and so doing that was really.
Speaker 2:it was really scary to pivot and you know, luckily I was able to kind of branch off of that and when I decided to start Pest Protect 360, you know it was, it was. It was not easy. I had those like coming to Jesus moments where I'm sitting there just like, wow, should I do this? Should I do this?
Speaker 3:This is going to be like a little nest egg, right Cause it's always like, okay, I have a little money, I can go ahead and put some money into this new business too.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I did. There was never not to sound any kind of way, but there was never a lack of funds. Right, it was. That wasn't the issue in the second half of my life. It was never the issue, it was more of taking the risk and taking the jump.
Speaker 2:Correct, because we also live a certain lifestyle. You know it goes. You know I even joke and I was telling someone just the other day. I said I felt like I was, I had more money when I was working three jobs you know, I had a truck, I had my motorcycle.
Speaker 1:Your expenses were low, man, you ain't got no employees to pay.
Speaker 2:I was doing it big you know, and so now it's like our lifestyle is just such to where, when you look at how much money you push out, you're like, wow, like yeah, you have this huge nest egg. That feels like it's a big nest egg. But when you look at how much money you push out, you're like, wow, okay, we can survive for a few years, or whatever it may be. But one thing I always, you know, kind of relied on is that you know you have to get state licensing for pest control. I got all my licensing as well, as it's kind of like what they call contractors call their contractor license. I got my operator's licenses, so I have all of mine. So I had these things that I can kind of, you know, hold as security. And those were huge accomplishments for me because, like I told you, growing up and with school and all, that it was just hard to read stuff.
Speaker 2:And so to be able to get these licenses that only a handful of us in the company had, literally only a few of us had. This license was, you know, was something that I can. I can kind of keep a security in case I need to go back out and I'm like, oh my God, this failed, I need to go get another job somewhere.
Speaker 3:Entrepreneur, you're always think that's always in the back of your mind. It's like, oh my God. But it kind of keeps that fire going right, Keeps shoveling that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Gotta have that fire under your ass. So when did you, when did you go out on your? When did you start officially your pest control, the pest protect 360 company a year ago, not even a full year okay um, it was about a year ago ago.
Speaker 2:I've had, uh, my party rental guys for three years now. We started in 2022, and so I've had that for three years now. Now this one, uh, we started in 24, started in 24, but in the beginning, um, I want to know.
Speaker 3:I want to know some goodies about the party rental business. Are there any crazy times that have any crazy clients that you know every?
Speaker 1:day, any parties.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you need to surprise. Yeah, my guys always call me. They're like hey boss, we're gonna need to wash this twice. Wash what twice? They said it was crazy. We delivered pipe and drape and it was just uh, it was just a cover off a little room yeah, so you'd be surprised. I'm sure you gotta sign a non-disclosure and your bachelorette parties and this and you're, you're the party guys, and we're like we're not here for that.
Speaker 3:Okay, I have another question. Yeah, because I like to ask questions. So when you and I talked about this, so should we bring up the firebirds thing first?
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, you can yeah go ahead. Well, I mean okay, so just back story, how we kind of ran into you got your story again is we got, uh, fina's company got an award from first bank as on like an entrepreneur, small business of the year, and you were also involved in that. You, your companies were also honored at that firebirds event, so that was kind of cool, um what was it was?
Speaker 3:it was for being what one of the top top small businesses in the Valley.
Speaker 2:It was a good business award, so it was a top companies in the Valley.
Speaker 3:So how did you hear about that? Because I had like three people tell me you need to apply for this, you need to apply.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I got nominated, and I don't know by who. Someone signed me up for it, which was great.
Speaker 3:Did you have to write your little essay about stuff, or did you just? You just collected your dollars.
Speaker 1:You just got an email that you won. Come get your check.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got an email and I was like, wow, is this real?
Speaker 1:I didn't think it was real.
Speaker 2:They're going to give me money.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I don't have to do anything for it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, man. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I got an email. Someone nominated me, you know, but I'm a when I tell you, one of our mission statements is we support locals, we're for locals, by locals, right Like we support our community. So I have a good relationship with first bank, do as much as I possibly can for Accreture and you know I, I just promote local businesses and and we are we're really big in that because our direct competitors are Signature and Bright, two hedge fund-ran companies that claim to be local and they're not. They ship all their stuff out here from Orange County and all that.
Speaker 3:It's the same thing with him and his payroll business right.
Speaker 1:Yep. There's big box, payroll big box guys that outsource everything to india and call centers to india and we're like the little you know engine. That could you know.
Speaker 1:We're here locally, you can call and talk to people and that's where we win you know and I'm sure that's how you you win too is because you got that local feel. We can run stuff out to you. Then that day it's like your whole story I need a tent tomorrow. Well, I can't do it, but you can do it right, because you're, we're in your community, we can, we can go to the storage spot and pick it up and bring it tomorrow. So that's where you kind of beat the big box guys right, do you ever get any?
Speaker 3:uh, you're in what part of the city?
Speaker 2:yeah, yes, yeah, no, they, they ask all, yeah, they ask all the time. Especially, it's funny because most of our calls start with where are you located, and it's because they're not expecting us to say Cathedral City, they're not expecting us to say we're local.
Speaker 3:You know they're not expecting that. I'm saying like if you ever deliver to rough neighborhoods you're like where are you located?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no we deliver everywhere. We're the party rental guys, we go, yeah, we go.
Speaker 1:You guys are taking stuff to DHS you ain't scared, we're going up that alley.
Speaker 3:Okay, so you were saying that you have a photographer. What else is involved with the party guys?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so cool, really good question. So we do everything. So we do tents, tables, chairs, flooring, we do dance floor stages, av lighting, porta potties.
Speaker 3:People ask you hey, do you have a DJ or do you have somebody that can make our table pretty Like, do you?
Speaker 2:do that, yeah, so now we're starting to do all that in house. We're just we're launching our flatware side next month. We just partnered with the floral company. So we're doing fresh floral centerpieces nice. We're doing arches, we're doing photo booths. Now, oh my gosh, we're doing all that stuff and it's all in-house um and you're like you're running this department, correct?
Speaker 2:yeah, and so it started that way. So within my brand we have a mixology department, a bartending department also. Yeah, because I just kept getting asked, hey, do you recommend any bartenders? And I start, you know, referring people. And I'm really cautious of that because I've been, you know, customers have been done dirty and same with me, where I decided, you know, screw that, I know how to do this on my own.
Speaker 3:And so I went out and YouTubed it again. How to start a mobile bartending brand? Wow. And so we launched and we did it. So I was just at this big thing in Cancun for my business, right, and there's a brand called. I want to say it's called Perlic and it's a mobile bar. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:It's really popular, yeah, really popular. I'm telling everybody it was a shoo-in. We rent bars right, and we rent bars right, we do all these different things, and so it's just now. We supply the bartenders, servers, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:You have to get your liquor's license to do all that. No, it's like a one-time thing, right? All the bartenders are licensed.
Speaker 2:I got you, we have that department ran by Jules, is our. She runs that department for us, so she's in charge of that. She runs that, but licensed bartender herself. Everybody else is licensed as well. So the way you do it is. You know you have to supply the liquor. We bring all the garnishes, fresh juices, all the stuff. We bring the bar, we pop it all up ready to go.
Speaker 1:So you're a one-stop shop man. Any event, you guys can handle at this point, yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay, so do you have any news to tell us? Because I know what we talked about when we were at the Firebirds game about some vino, a little bus, anything like that, going on A little bus, the tour side, yeah, the tour side of things. Is that going on?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we haven't launched that. It's funny you say that. I was like how do you?
Speaker 3:remember that You're all quiet? Yeah, no, I was like how do you remember that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I was like how do you remember that? Yeah, yeah, so we will be doing wine tours eventually, nice, so just getting into the party bus game as well, anything to do with events. I'm trying to have my hand in it Absolutely, and I mean my hand in it where I'm doing all this stuff in-house. That's the hardest part, and what takes the most time is because I don't like to directly outsource things. Right, I like to do it all. I want to own it all. I want to have it all to where we were not just saying for locals. By locals we mean what we say, um and so, yeah, so we're going to be doing wine tours here eventually, directly from from Palm Springs to you know to.
Speaker 1:Temecula yeah wine country.
Speaker 2:We're going out to Temecula.
Speaker 1:That's an easy drive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's in the works. But we're always launching so many different things because it's at that point where we're growing to the size where we just did the arts festival, we're doing the car show this month. We're doing all these large events now.
Speaker 3:And you know what, in business you start getting a reputation for being able to deliver and of course there's always going to have, there's always going to be things that go wrong, and absolutely I mean just sometimes I just go okay, I submit this, this job's just going to go to shit. It just, it just happens. But you know so, how do you, how do you when that things go wrong, how do you kind of handle that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's so. When I was in the pest control industry, that was one of my super powers was, you know, I? I joke and say I, like you know, I've been through so much in life where nothing's gonna nothing's gonna frazzle me, it's not gonna get me, you know, on my rocker to where you know. There was a point where I was running a branch entirely by myself, no managers, no, you know customers, all you know it was.
Speaker 1:It was crazy you're the last line of defense, huh literally the first and the last line.
Speaker 2:At that point you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:I was literally all
Speaker 2:of it and I would get calls from our vice president and this like hey, how you doing, how you feeling? I'm, like I'm good, what do you mean? You know, it's just because I'm a firm believer you can only do what you can do. And, uh, certain things are in your hands and out of your hands and you know, unfortunately, having that kind of composed mindset that I have has really helped me in my career. So when stuff like that happens, it's unfortunate, but sometimes we have to. Just we do, we can do what we can do and we can't do what we can't do.
Speaker 2:I'm always going to go above and beyond. To this day, knock on wood, we don't have. You know, I'm sure there's upset customers somewhere. That's in any business, especially as many customers as we service now, sure, exactly. But we try to go above and beyond for everyone and we do more than try. We do do it. But you know you're always going to have those events and those customers. That it's just. You know it's one of those things. But that's where, utilizing local people and local companies. You know it's really hard for us not to be able to do something because everything's here. You know we don't have to, like I told you about our bigger competitors.
Speaker 3:Well.
Speaker 2:I got to bring it from San Diego. We got to bring it from LA. We got to. It's not that it's, it's a 20 minute drive back to the warehouse, Right. So we'll go get it Correct, so we're able to make that happen. And, uh, you know, it's one of the skill sets that I've learned throughout my life, because when you're constantly getting kicked out of places and this, and we're trying to figure it out and we're trying to, to me those are things to worry about. When you're worrying about what you're going to eat?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, how are you going to eat tomorrow? What are we going to do? Well, we'll figure it out. So, when a customer is upset because you told them you're going to spray your house on Monday and you're there on Tuesday, it's like, well, there could be a lot worse. You know a lot worse. Um, you know, sit down, I need to tell you, exactly, exactly. We're going to kill those bugs, right? So that's what we try to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I mean your story is pretty amazing, man. So I think I think, uh, you know, just sitting here for you this hour I mean those of you out there that are listening to this you know this guy, this guy is the definition of CV hustle. So we appreciate you coming in, man. I mean you know everybody listening. If you think, you know, I have a lot of things stacked against me where I can't do this, I can't open this business, I can't get this degree.
Speaker 1:I mean just re-listen to Amos's story. I mean it's he, he's a, he's a, he's one of the top business guys down here at a young age and he's all self-made. I mean he just had every excuse to give up and just never chose to take them. Correct, it's never. You never chose to take them. So that should be a lesson to everybody listening. Hey, you know, if you, if Amos, can do it with all the struggles and things you had to go through at a young age, you know there's anybody can do it if they just grind it out, you know, and put their work in and and find their passion and find their niche. Amos found his passion, his niche, and here he is today. I mean you know very, very successful guys. So you know you are the definition of cv hustle and we appreciate you coming in man today. And so where can our listeners kind of find you and kind of connect with you and find your businesses? If they want to use your party rental or your pest control, when can they reach out and find?
Speaker 2:you Definitely so. Yeah, you can look us up on Instagram, facebook, twitter. Just type in MyPartyRentalGuys or PestProtect360. We're going to pop up, or it's MyPartyRentalGuyscom and PestProtect360.com as well. Or just look up Amos Greenwood. Follow me on Instagram and I'll shoot it all to you.
Speaker 3:Okay, and have you. I know Bobby's going to kill me. Have you ever been called?
Speaker 2:Famous Amos. Oh, all the time, all the time, I got you again.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I'm sure she's never heard that one before, never heard that one before.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is so cool, that's funny.
Speaker 1:I mean the name is pretty synonymous with cookies.
Speaker 2:That's how I explain to people because they always say how do you pronounce it? And I say it's like famous without the F, like famous famous, yeah, there it is Perfect.
Speaker 1:Well, on that note, if you found some value today in this story, you know the routine like subscribe and share, and we'll see you next time on CV Hust.