Six months ago, Neil Finneran bought a Mosquito Joe franchise resale. And he bought small, less than $700k in revenue, which means some days he is out in the truck & spraying customer lawns. It's a big change from his days at a hedge fund or as a CFO. He's embraced it, and he actually thinks his years of finance experience give him an edge in running an SMB. But of course, there is still a steep learning curve going from the relative comfort & routine of corporate life to being the operator of a blue-collar business. Neil is still figuring that out — and with a smile. Fortunately he mostly likes his new role, and he and I try to tease out what it is that makes some formerly-corporate people like SMB life while others can't stand it. This is a salient question for so many of you. We also talk about the pest control business, which is one you hear a lot about in the world of buying small businesses. Entrepreneurs are attracted to it for the same reason Neil was: it's easy to understand, and it has recurring revenue. I actually have an interview that will air around the same time as this one with another acquisition entrepreneur who bought a pest control business, and in actually the very same franchise system as Neil. Jesse Sunquist also bought a Mosquito Joe resale, so listen for that episode soon. OK, please enjoy this conversation with Neil Finneran, owner of a Mosquito Joe territory in Massachusetts.

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