By Albert Brand

Think a fat exit check is the finish line?

A Canadian farm-town kid turned door-to-door OG, Karren went from rookie rep to leading brands like Insight Pest Solutions and Vantage Marketing—and later co-founding Aveyo Solar—by mastering the rep-to-operator leap, partnering smart, and keeping standards sky-high when everyone else eased off the gas.

If you love the chase but hate the chaos, this is your blueprint: work like an owner, measure like an operator, and stack stories you’ll still be proud of ten years from now.

The real secret, according to industry veteran Tom Karren, is to find value in the journey itself, not just the financial endpoint.

Tom Karren has spent over 25 years in the industry and has done everything from selling door-to-door to building and scaling multi-million-dollar organizations. His story began in a small Canadian farm town, where a hardworking upbringing instilled the discipline that would become the foundation of his career.

Watch / Listen

This episode of The D2D Podcast explores the hard-won lessons from Tom’s career, from the early days of paper contracts to his recent work in solar and pest control.

You can watch the full conversation on the D2D Experts YouTube channel or read on for a breakdown of his insights.

What you’ll get in this episode breakdown: How to shift from producer to operator without blowing up quality, the partner model that lets sellers sell while ops hums in the background (Vantage’s long run repping Terminix didn’t happen by accident), and the mindset that keeps you fulfilled before the wire hits.

Guest: Tom Karren, Founder and Partner of Insight Pest Solutions, Vantage Marketing, and Aveyo Solar.

From Rep to Operator: The Lessons of Building a Business

Tom’s career began in 2000, selling pest control in Lancaster, California. After a successful summer, he recruited 35 people for his second summer and quickly realized his passion for building teams. His third year, he partnered with his current business partner, Shandon, to grow a small pest control company called Safeguard.

This is where Tom learned the crucial difference between being a great sales rep and being a successful business operator. He had to wear every hat—from technician to secretary—and learn the service side of the business. This experience gave him a deeper understanding of both worlds, which helped him teach reps to sell higher-quality accounts and create a more sustainable business.

1. The Power of Partnership

Tom and his partner quickly realized that most sales reps who try to start their own companies fail because they lack operational expertise. They built a unique model where sales-focused partners could do what they did best—sell and recruit—while Tom’s team handled the back-end operations, finance, and acquisitions. This model led to more than 33 of their partners becoming millionaires, all from a single acquisition payout.

2. The Canadian Opportunity

After the J1 visa program for Canadian students ended, Tom decided to take a chance on his home country. He opened up new offices across Canada, where he found a deep pool of humble, hardworking young people from small towns, just like him. Today, his Canadian operations are thriving, proving that the fundamentals of hard work and grit can succeed anywhere.

A Checklist for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Don’t Rush the Exit: A great sales rep is not automatically a great operator. Take the time to learn the business side of things before you try to start your own company.
• Be a Jack-of-All-Trades: Be willing to wear every hat, from technician to recruiter, especially in the early stages. There is no job “below you.”
• Work Year-Round: A successful business isn’t built in a summer. It requires a year-round commitment of 40-60 hour weeks.
• Bet on the Right People: Find partners who excel where you have weaknesses, and build a model that allows everyone to win, not just the founding partners.

The Most Important Lesson: Enjoy the Journey

When asked about his biggest takeaway from a 25-year career, Tom says, “Enjoy the journey.” He admits to spending years chasing acquisitions and financial goals, only to feel empty once they were achieved. He now looks back fondly on the “war stories” of moving his family across the country and living in cramped apartments, realizing those tough times were the most fulfilling.

His final lesson is a reminder that the money is a byproduct of the journey, not the point of it. The real value is in the growth, the lessons, and the relationships you build along the way. Life is happening right now, and happiness shouldn’t be delayed for some future milestone.