I recently sat down with Jorel Solis, owner of Confidence Pest Control in the Temple and Belton, Texas area, and his story is one that I think a lot of people need to hear. Jorel is a Marine Corps veteran, a husband, a father, and an entrepreneur who’s built a thriving locally owned pest control business in just two and a half years. He just crossed six figures and hit over 200 Google reviews, all while posting content consistently and building real relationships in his community. We talked about his journey from the Marines to entrepreneurship, the strategies he’s used to scale, and what’s next for Confidence Pest Control.
Jorel’s path to the Marines started on a day that most Americans will never forget. September 11th, 2001. He was in seventh grade, about to play his first football game when everything got canceled. Walking home with his cousin that day, Jorel made a promise. “When I’m 18, I’m going to be in the Marines and I’m going to be fighting the guys who did that to us,” he told me.
And he meant it. Jorel comes from a small Texas town where patriotism runs deep. He knew college wasn’t for him, but he loved a challenge. “If you’re going to join something, be the best at it. And the Marines, that’s the tip of the spear,” he explained. He enlisted during his junior year of high school and shipped off to boot camp right after graduation.
He didn’t plan to make the Marines a career, but he’s proud to say he served his country. And the lessons he learned there? They’ve shaped everything he does in business today.
Leadership and Accountability
When I asked Jorel about the biggest lessons he took away from the Marines, he didn’t hesitate. “Accountability is probably one of the biggest ones. That’s a principle and a life skill that the sooner you learn it, the better.”
He told me about reading Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, two Navy SEALs who wrote about how the military instills leadership from the bottom to the top. Even the lowest ranking Marine is leading someone. Jorel was around some of the best leaders this country has to offer, and he took notes. He had some bad leaders too, but he threw away the bad and kept the good.
“Leadership and accountability are two of the things that I’ve taken away and that I carry with me, and I try to instill in my children as well,” he said.
And you can see it in everything he does. Jorel showed up to our interview 15 minutes early. When I asked why, he said it’s because the Marines taught him that five minutes early is ten minutes late. That kind of discipline doesn’t just disappear when you leave the service.
The Pivot to Pest Control
After the Marines, Jorel was a little lost. He went from the brotherhood and camaraderie of the Corps to being back home on his own. Luckily, he met his now wife right before getting out, and they started building a life together. But he was still trying to figure out what came next.
He worked in the West Texas oil fields. He drove trucks. He worked for the city. He bounced around trying to find his place. Then one day, a job wasn’t working out and he left. His father-in-law, who worked for a pest control company, mentioned they just fired a guy. The owner was a Navy vet, and after a five minute phone call, Jorel was hired. “Show up on Monday,” the guy said.
Jorel thought it was just going to be something to hold him over while he found something more exciting. But then something unexpected happened. He fell in love with it.
“I really fell in love with the relationship part of meeting customers. I like to be very customer friendly and I love to meet new people,” Jorel told me. “With pest control, that’s exactly what it is. Solving problems and meeting new people, building relationships.”
Killing bugs? That’s easy. Anyone can do that. But building the relationships he’s built? That’s special.
The Leap to Entrepreneurship
Like most people, Jorel read Rich Dad Poor Dad and it changed everything. He started reading The E-Myth and other business books. He realized why he was never a good employee. “I’m not made to be an employee. This is the harder path and I’m one that takes that harder path. I like challenging and I like to push myself.”
Once that seed of entrepreneurship was planted, there was no going back. Two and a half years ago, he started Confidence Pest Control. The name itself is intentional. “Confidence comes from accomplishing hard things,” he explained. “I’d always been an athlete, always played football, always did stuff that was harder. The Marines, that’s hard. Those are all confidence builders. I knew that I could do it because I’ve been proving myself right time and time and time again.”
That Scary First Year
The first year was terrifying. He went from a steady paycheck to everything being on him. “I’m willing to drive two hours away to make a hundred dollars, doing whatever it takes,” he said. But it was rewarding too. He learned a lot about himself and his support system. He had his wife, his kids, and himself. “Honestly, I don’t think you need much more than that.”
Bootstrapping a business is scary. But Jorel had done scary things before. He knew he could make it happen. It was just a matter of getting it done.
The Power of Google Reviews
Fast forward to today, and Jorel just crossed 200 Google reviews. In his area, the only companies with more reviews than him are multi-billion dollar corporations like Orkin and Terminix. That’s massive.
When I asked him why reviews are so important and how he got so many, his answer was simple. He listened. “I listened to podcasts from the Bug Bucks guys, they talk about reviews. Jonas and all his guests talk about reviews. You talk about reviews. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. There’s clearly something here with that. So I just made it a point to get reviews.”
And the key? Just ask for them. “So many people are scared to ask. I build a relationship with the customer and if you do a five star service and if you have a really good relationship, you should have no question asking for a five star review.”
The results speak for themselves. Google rewards consistent review generation. Jorel went from the very bottom of page five when he first got verified to page one. Now 50% of his calls come from Google, and he hasn’t even invested in SEO or paid for anything. “Everything that I’ve been doing was completely on me. My own website and my own reviews, taking the time to get that.”
Content Is King
If you follow Jorel on social media, you know he’s everywhere. Facebook, YouTube, TikTok. He’s posting consistently, showing up authentically, and connecting with his community. And it’s working.
“Content is king. Everybody says that. Get content out there. Get in front of people,” he told me. He credits Jonas for hammering this home. “It’s not the best product that wins. It’s the best known product.”
Jorel’s been posting regularly since day one, but over the past few months, he’s really ramped it up. He’s being authentic and letting people see who he is. “People want to buy from people that they know, like and trust. If they think you’re fake, they’re not going to really give you that time of day.”
The results? He gets phone calls and messages every single day from Google and from Facebook. People see him posting, they ask for recommendations in neighborhood pages, and 20 to 25 people comment saying “Jorel and Confidence.” He’s become an authority in all these small local groups, and even people who aren’t customers are recommending him first.
What Content Actually Works
Jorel’s figured out what works on each platform. On Facebook, he knows people aren’t there to buy pest control. They’re killing time during lunch or waiting in line to pick up their kids. So he doesn’t just sell to them.
He posts informative content about whatever pests are active that season. “Wasps are really bad right now. So if you post a video or pictures of wasps, that immediately pauses them. They’re like, you know what, I have that on my garage door.”
And he posts funny stuff. He has a video of him with his web pole during the brutal Texas heat, doing a little stripper move with it. The caption says something about the heat making him think about a career change. “That one blew up. I’ve had multiple women show up when I arrive and they’re like, did you bring your pole? It’s the funniest thing.”
His philosophy? “I don’t necessarily need to be your pest control company. I wanna be your pest control resource. That’s a great way to earn people’s trust. When you tell them exactly what they can do at a fraction of the cost, you’ve earned their trust. And then they’re like, you know what, actually you just come do it.”
It’s the same principle Alex Hormozi talks about. Give away all the secrets for free and sell the implementation. People appreciate the honesty, and it builds massive trust.
Joining Pest Control Millionaires
Jorel joined the Pest Control Millionaires program in January, and he credits it with helping him hit six figures. “I will say that. Absolutely. And I’m a fraction into the program. I found a honey hole. So I’m just getting everything that I can out of that.”
He’d been listening to Jonas’s podcast before he even started his company. Jake Sheldon found him on Facebook and reached out. Jorel took the leap and bought the program. “It helped me scale from the hundred customers that took me 18 months to get, to an additional hundred customers in a much shorter time. To most people that’s not a lot, but for a solo entrepreneur, it’s a big deal.”
He’s focused heavily on the modules about Facebook marketing, strategic partnerships, and Google reviews. Just those three things have moved the needle significantly. And the Thursday night calls? He’s learning, contributing, and connecting with other owners every single week.
“Jonas, Jake, yourself, you guys know what you’re talking about. And even when it’s something you might not be specifically knowledgeable about, you have the people on. You’re teaching and you’ve learned so much and you’ve been able to help us with that.”
Jorel’s a little starstruck every time he hops on a Zoom with Jonas. “This is that guy that’s all over Facebook and everything. It’s really, really neat.” But what stands out most is how much Jonas genuinely wants to help. “It’s been great, man. I got nothing but great things to say about it.”
Strategic Partnerships Done Right
One of the biggest wins from the program has been strategic partnerships. Jorel partnered with a local lawn care company owner, and they’ve become really good friends. They even coach their sons together in flag football.
“I’m not trying to take your customers. I’m trying to help them and vice versa,” Jorel explained. When his partner’s customers need pest control, he doesn’t give them options. He just says “I’m going to send my guy out here.” Same goes for when Jorel’s customers need lawn care. No other options. Just a direct referral to someone he trusts.
“Once you’re in, your partners are in as well. These customers trust you and they trust that you’re not just going to send anybody off the street to their home.”
But here’s what I really respect about Jorel’s approach. He made a list of potential partners across different industries. HVAC, plumbers, electricians, lawn care. Ten companies in each category. But before partnering with anyone, he called to make sure they shared the same values and core principles.
“It blew my mind to see how many people just wouldn’t even answer their phone or when they did answer the phone, not very customer friendly.” That’s why he’s only partnered with one company so far. He wants to make sure anyone he refers is going to take care of his customers, because those customers are the lifeblood of his business. They’re how he makes sure his kids eat.
That level of intentionality and care? That’s what separates good business owners from great ones.
What's Next for Confidence Pest Control
When I asked Jorel about his long-term goals, his answer really stood out. “I don’t ever want to say that I want to get to a $10 million company and just stop right there because as I grow, I really want to invest in people.”
He wants to build a great team and develop them. Bring out the best in them. “I can’t change the world on a major scale, but where it starts is with home and your family. Your wife and your kids deserve the best version of yourself. I want to be able to help others get their best version of themselves.”
He doesn’t want to reach a certain milestone and plateau just because he’s comfortable. “That would be a very selfish thing. Whenever I have people on the team who are still wanting to grow and they say, hey, I can manage these three offices, let’s get another three offices.”
Short-term? He wants to get a technician on board so he can work on the business more, create more content, and let his tech run the routes. From there, it’s about building a team that’s bought into his vision and letting them run with it.
His son is already working with him all the time, talking about wanting to take over the business one day. The sky really is the limit.
Key Takeaways
Jorel’s journey offers some powerful lessons. First, the skills you learn in one area of life translate everywhere. The accountability and leadership he learned in the Marines show up every single day in how he runs his business.
Second, relationships are everything. Whether it’s with customers, strategic partners, or your team, the quality of those relationships determines the quality of your business.
Third, consistency beats perfection. Jorel posts content regularly, asks for reviews consistently, and shows up authentically. That consistency has compounded into real results.
Fourth, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Jorel listened to the experts. He followed the program. He did what Jonas, Jake, and others told him to do. And it worked. “Find somebody who’s where you want to be at and follow their path.”
And finally, put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to be the one to stand out. “Take advantage of social media, post content, and just be willing to be out there. People are gonna love it. They do love it, and you’re gonna earn their business, you’re gonna earn their trust, and lifelong customers as long as you continue to do those types of things.”
From the Marines to entrepreneurship, from zero to over $100K in two and a half years, from zero reviews to over 200. Jorel’s story is proof that with the right mindset, the right mentors, and a commitment to showing up consistently, you can build something special.
Want to connect with Jorel? You can find him on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Search for Jorel Solis or Confidence Pest Control. And if you’re looking for the same kind of support and community that helped him scale so quickly, that’s exactly what we’ve built with Pest Control Millionaires.
