Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control First Franchisee in the US on Why This Brand was the Perfect Fit

Compassionately handling wildlife issues in populated cities has always been a passion of Marcus Mueller’s. The Wisconsin native did a Wildlife Ecology program at the University of Wisconsin and did his Masters in Wildlife Biology, focusing on conflict resolution between homeowners and animals. He also worked as an intern with the Wisconsin Humane Society fielding questions from the wildlife hotline and did research with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Throughout all this experience, he noticed a major need for what the industry calls “humane exclusion service” rather than trapping.

“It was really interesting to see how many people were dealing with wildlife on a regular basis. We didn't have anybody we felt comfortable referring people to if they didn't want to go about doing the work themselves. That lit a little bit of a spark for me that there's a need for this service,” said Mueller.

He did some research to see if any companies prioritized safely removing the animals and preventing reentry, and he found Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Society, a growing franchise in Canada that was looking to expand to more parts of North America. It was a “perfect fit,” he says.

Franchise agreement details

“It was exactly what I wanted to do, but I had no experience in owning a business. For them to provide a structure, game plan and wealth of knowledge and resources, it offered a lot more stability,” said Mueller, who signed a franchise agreement in 2017 to bring Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Society to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The corporate team at Skedaddle offered amazing, in-depth training that helped Mueller feel fully confident and ready before opening. He traveled to work with the team in Hamilton, Ontario for two weeks and immersed himself in the job. Mueller said the hands-on experience was invaluable, showing him how they do inspections, how to get the animals out, what tools they were using, how the trucks were outfitted, how the teams are organized and how to set up and schedules.

“They've been nothing but supportive in terms of providing me with the resources. As soon as I got back to Milwaukee I felt comfortable taking calls and getting out there working with customers. And even now, five years later, they provide a lot of ongoing support,” Mueller added.

Support and operations

Fellow Skedaddle franchise owners are always just a call aways when he needs advice or tips on how to safely deal with an issue that’s new to him. And the franchise’s call center handles all the appointments and initial contact with clients, allowing his teams to focus on showing up on time and providing great service.

Mueller has continued to reinvest in the brand. A year and a half ago, he signed a second franchise agreement for the Madison, Wisconsin area, and has been busy getting that up and running. Between the two territories, he is on pace to bring in seven-figure revenue this year.

“Being able to expand to another service area was a big win for us, and shows just how needed this type of service is everywhere. There are wildlife control companies all over the place, but really Skedaddle is the only way or the only company out there doing it humanely, at this scale,” said Mueller. “Every city can use this type of service. There's always going to be wildlife getting into homes and people are always going to want value-based services that solve the problem long term.”