When Life Is Preparation

Vanesa Ellis was no expert on mosquitoes or lawn care. But as it turns out, something else made her the perfect fit for two home-care franchise brands.

- CARL STOFFERS

Vanesa Ellis had no pest control experience. She'd also been out of the workforce for 15 years, having left a job at Wells Fargo to raise her kids. Then she opened a Mosquito Squad franchise in 2016, and it's thrived ever since. How'd she make the transition so easily? Because, Ellis says, her background helped prepare her in unexpected ways.

"I wouldn't change the experience of immigrating to the U.S. for the world," she says. Ellis moved from Argentina to the Bronx at age 11. She didn't speak English at the time, and had to quickly learn how to navigate new situations and take care of herself. That, she says, turned out to be a massive learning opportunity - and it helped her master Mosquito Squad, a pest control brand that's based in Maryland and has more than 200 locations, and then open a franchise with Conserva Irrigation, which provides sprinkler systems based on water conservation principles. Here's how she did it.

Are there things you learned growing up as an immigrant in the Bronx that translate to your entrepreneurial career?