About five years ago, a friend of Howard and Bruce Brenner came to the United States from overseas and brought along bedbugs.
The twin brothers were discussing the incident and concluded that it could be a serious problem one day. That led to them to ditch their careers (Howard was a housewares products buyer in New Jersey, and Bruce, a food broker in Florida) and start a business.
Outsourcing everything, they created a virtual company and started selling Rest Easy Bed Bug Spray, an all-natural pesticide that kills bedbugs.
In 2007, they received their first orders. The following year, sales increased by 500%. Revenues, which the Brenners keep private, have been growing briskly as retailers stock Rest Easy on the shelves. The Brenners' product can now be found in Walgreens and Big Lots.
"Nobody believed bedbugs were an issue, but then, of course, they started being found in businesses and homes, and people started paying attention," said Howard.
Now the entrepreneurs must contend with competition. "Everybody and their brother wants to start getting into the bedbug business," said Howard.
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