EP 482: How Integrated Pest Management Keeps Homes Safer

What makes Steven Tsang with Pestmaster Plano and McKinney a good neighbor?

“Just spray it” sounds simple—until the pests come back or the treatment feels like too much. We sit down with Steven Tsang of Pestmaster Plano and McKinney to talk about what modern pest control should actually look like when you care about real results and what’s being used in your home.

Steven shares his journey from a numbers-focused background into building a fast-growing pest control business serving residential homes, commercial properties, apartment communities, and even government clients. Along the way, we talk about how he’s grown through trust, referrals, and local relationships—not just advertising—and what it takes to stand out in a crowded industry.

The core of the conversation is Integrated Pest Management, or IPM—a smarter, root-cause-first approach where chemicals are the last step, not the first. We break down how targeted treatments work for issues like German roaches, why follow-up visits are often more important than a one-time service, and how consistent protocols help prevent pests from coming back.

We also answer practical questions homeowners actually have, like how long you should stay out after a treatment—and when you might not need to leave at all.

If you’re looking for safer pest control, better prevention strategies, or a reliable pest control company in Plano and McKinney, this conversation will give you clarity and confidence. Subscribe for more local business insights, share it with a neighbor dealing with pests, and leave a review with the biggest pest question you want answered next.

To learn more about Pestmaster Plano and McKinney go to:
 https://www.pestmaster.com/plano-mckinney/

 Pestmaster Plano and McKinney
📞 (214) 919-9324

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Meet Pestmaster Plano And McKinney

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a pestmaster? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, Stephen Sang, with Pestmaster Plano and McKinney. Stephen, it's great to have you on this morning. Now we are so excited to learn all about you and your business. So go ahead and let's get into it. You know, start off by telling our listeners a little bit more about your company.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Sure. My name is Steven Sang. I'm the owner of Pestmaster Plano McKinley. So uh we do pretty much like anything that you can think of pest control. So then we we service residential, we service commercial, and in the meantime, we service uh government entities as well.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

So wow. Now, how did you originally get into this business, Steven?

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Well, I mean, I was actually I'm I'm actually a numbers guy by trade. And so I got into it kind of wanting to kind of branch out, looking into um, you know, some blue-collar type of work that is that is more recession proof and uh and in the meantime like less AI disruptions as well. And I stumbled into uh pest control and then end up talking to a uh franchise broker um about the what I was looking for and all that, and then end up I kind of got in touch with Pestmaster and end up making a decision late 2024. So we have technically been open doors slightly over a year now, and uh man, we're growing rapidly right now.

Beyond Spraying Integrated Pest Management

SPEAKER_02 1:42

So great. Now, you know, being in the pest control industry, what is that number one misconception that you hear on the day-to-day?

SPEAKER_01 1:53

On the day-to-day, uh, it's just spray, spray, spray. But the thing is, like, it's a lot more than that. So uh we we do what we call a uh IPM integrated pest management. So on top of, of course, we would do, you know, we will kind of use the product and all that, but that is technically our last resort. So the way that we when we get into a situation or um get into a you know infestations and all that, we would then kind of look into what what was the root cause of that. And then once we kind of know the root cause, we would then be able to kind of have like target treat rather than just kind of go in into um maybe like a home and all that. Let's say if they have German roaches infestation, we don't just go in and we don't we don't just spray everything, we don't bomb everything, we don't do the kind of um, you know, uh what we call a clean out. But the thing is, uh what we would do is that like we would really target it and kind of put in the baits and all that, and then we'll come back multiple times to kind of make sure that like those are um you know fully eradicated within the house.

Marketing Referrals And Growth Strategy

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Amazing. Now let's go ahead and switch gears for a second. We do know that especially with being a newer business, you know, marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, who are some of these families, customers you're looking to help, and how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Sure. So currently, currently is only by word of mouth for now. Um in fact, in fact, we actually got into quite a lot of like apartment complex and all that to start and government contracts, and that consists of about 90% of our business so far. And uh in year two, that's pretty much like what we're trying to uh really, really dialed in was to um get into more of the residential market. And uh right now I'm really active in like local networking um, you know, groups. Uh I'm I'm a member of like a B and I chapter here uh in town, and uh that's pretty much where we would uh get quite majority of our referrals and and leads from at the moment.

Goals And A Safer IPM Approach

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Love that. Well, let's go ahead and you know dive into that number one thing that you would like our listeners to take away from learning about Pestmaster Plano and McKinney today. And let us know, you know, what is your biggest goal this year with Pestmaster?

How Long To Stay Out

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Sure. Uh let's talk about the goals first. Uh, you know, I would definitely want to uh increase our uh residential penetration from 10% to about like 33%, one third of it. And uh knowing that we just signed a huge contract with uh with one of the cities around here, uh that that number is going to be quite hard to achieve. But then, you know, that's our goal this year, and we're trying to go really hard on that. One thing, one thing that uh is different from us compared to like other pest control companies out there is uh is the fact that we do we go on IPM. Uh, you know, at the end of the day, the product that everybody sprays is pretty much the same. But it's just that like whether or not whether or not you got the right amount of it. Um are we are we doing the target treat? Um you know, or or we just simply just kind of blast out like all the quote unquote chemicals and all that in the environment and all that. We kind of have a different approach. We want to, because like I I have two young kids at home, right? So so like I don't I don't want them to get exposed to all those chemicals out there, and so I'm I'm I'm my own customer as well. And uh yes, we do spray, but those are technically our last resort. If we have anything that we can do that is outside of the spray, we would do that first. And then even if we were to do the spray, we wouldn't be doing like you know, a full-on like spray everywhere. Um, but then but then we'll just kind of do a target spray on the on the issue.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

So now, ideally, how long should the families be outside the home if you do have to do the spray?

SPEAKER_01 6:05

Uh technical, technically, a good maybe like 15, 15, 30 minutes would do. Um, but I think like let's say for like outside spray and all that, the family can technically stay inside of the house. Um, and let's just say if there's like say German roaches and all that, technically they don't even need to leave the house uh because mainly we'll just kind of focus on the target areas where like you know where the roaches and all that will be at. Um but the thing is like our technician would definitely kind of like provide some sort of like a guidance to the customer every single time when we go there, and so like they would they would then kind of know what the expectation is and uh and the protocol as well because like we treat different pets differently, and so when even when we're talking about say like bed bugs and all that, there might actually be some of the things that the the client might actually need to do beforehand so that the treatment can be as effective as possible. And uh, and of course, like we don't we don't want that to ever come back, and so like we wanted to kind of follow the protocol and everything kind of done the same way every single time.

Treatment Protocols And Prep Guidance

Where To Learn More And Nominate

SPEAKER_02 7:11

So awesome. Well, I think we went over so much great information today. You know, before we wrap up, where can our listeners go to learn more about Pestmaster, Plano and McKinney?

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Sure, you know, uh you guys can go on to uh www.pestmaster spelled P-E-S T M-A-S-E-R dot com. So then we are one of the two franchises around the area, and uh, you know, both of us we pretty much like follow the exact same protocol. So then, you know, depends on the geographical locations that you might be at, you know, it would be either us or another franchisee of Pestmaster. Both of us were more than capable to service your needs, and um, yeah, you know, looking forward to to serving you.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

So well, Steven, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Absolutely. Thank you, appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco dot com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four four four four four five.