David Royce - 4x Exited Entrepreneur ($500M) | Following Your Dreams Can Keep You Broke
David Royce - 4x Exited Entrepreneur ($500M) | Following Your Dreams Can Keep You Broke  
Podcast: Success Story with Scott D. Clary
Published On: Wed Jul 30 2025
Description: ➡️ Join 321,000 people who read my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.scottdclary.com➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstoryDavid Royce is a serial entrepreneur who turned a door-to-door pest control hustle into a billion-dollar empire. He built and sold Moxie, EcoFirst, and Alterra for a combined $170M+—with individual exits of $13M, $30M, and $130M—before launching Aptive Environmental, now one of the fastest-growing service companies in America with 3,700+ locations. Known for scaling “boring” businesses into goldmines, Royce mastered the art of growth through elite teams, strong culture, and bulletproof systems. His playbook is the blueprint for turning everyday industries into nine-figure wins.➡️ Show Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/david-royce-22539425/ ➡️ Podcast SponsorsHubspot - https://hubspot.com/  Cornbread Hemp - https://cornbreadhemp.com/success (Code: Success)iDigress Podcast - https://idigress.show NetSuite — https://netsuite.com/scottclary/ Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary➡️ Talking Points00:00 – Intro01:27 – Accidental Entrepreneur?03:04 – What Made David a Sales Star04:22 – Passion vs Profit08:24 – From Employee to Founder11:50 – Building a Service Business13:37 – Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made?17:04 – Near Bankruptcy and the Comeback19:14 – 7,500 Customers in Year One25:26 – Sponsor Break27:23 – The 3 Phases of Business31:51 – How His 4 Companies Evolved37:39 – Lessons from 4 Exits40:54 – Hiring Rockstar Executives44:27 – Sponsor Break46:05 – When Will He Exit Again?54:41 – Why Founders Can’t Switch Off58:54 – Redefining Success1:08:41 – How David Learns1:13:52 – Will His Kids Take Over?1:15:56 – What’s Next for David1:16:48 – One Lesson for His Kids