Roots of Success: The Story Behind Jo's Pest & Lawn in Austin, Texas

At the heart of Jo’s Pest & Lawn is a happy couple trying to escape the traditional 9:00-5:00 work week. While working evenings or weekends has been more common,  Johanna (yep, that’s where “Jo’s” comes from) and Ryan will gladly do it because it helps THEIR small business. 

In April 2022 Ryan and Johanna got married at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center. For a year they did the “newly-wed life” - with frequent vacations, fancy dinners in downtown Austin & enjoying each other’s company on the Greenbelt. It was a very adventure-filled first year of marriage for them, but there was one more thing they wanted to try before adding kids to the family: start a business.

It had always been on the bucket list to start a new business & there seemed to be no better time than the present to get rolling. The next question was: what were they going to specialize in? Ryan had nearly a decade of experience working in management at one of Austin’s home service companies. Johanna had a green thumb & a passion for naturally enhancing a yard. Integrating their two talents, they started Jo’s Pest & Lawn to help Austinites protect & enhance their home.

While the pest control industry has historically been a very crowded space with dozens of "Chuck & a truck," private equity firms have become real players in hot markets such as Austin. While there are benefits to both, Jo's promises to give homeowners the reliability of the big companies while also being able to deliver the personal touch that often gets lost in the larger pest control providers. When you become a Jo's customer, you are supporting local, you are supporting Austin & you are supporting a family.