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Patty Pirlinardi
There's always a reason for everything. And, you know, relationships are huge. Is all about relationships and how to treat people kind. And things happen when you do that. Good things happen.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
It comes right back to you.
Narrator
Patty Pirlinardi is a bold, connection driven entrepreneur and the founder of Firefly Cellars. Drawing from her journey of building an eight figure pest control company and pivoting into winemaking, she creates businesses rooted in authenticity and unforgettable experiences that bring people together.
Patty Pirlinardi
I had this great business model and vision with a pest control company, so I said, why not take that same model, that same vision, and just put it into something else?
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
And it just happened to be a winery.
Ray Gutierrez
What community are you building? What's happening now?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, there are three different event spaces. You know, we call them the cottage, the cabin, the vine, the barn. That's what I love about this property is it's small, but it's impactful.
Unknown Guest
It spans the globe like a super high cold intern. Elvis Preston.
Patty Pirlinardi
I have agreed.
Unknown Guest
Today Apple is going to reinvent Lefon. It's not over until I win.
Ray Gutierrez
The Living youg Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary.
Unknown Guest
The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago. With the lead, Usain Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your life.
Ray Gutierrez
Welcome back to another episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast, the Women in Power edition. For Inside Success, I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is Patty Pier Leonardi, the founder of Firefly Sellers. Welcome to Inside Success. How do you feel?
Patty Pirlinardi
Thank you. Feeling great.
Ray Gutierrez
I know we're running a little behind. This is all real time, but we're about to film your episode of Women in Power. How does that feel?
Patty Pirlinardi
You don't even know.
Ray Gutierrez
A little bizarre.
Patty Pirlinardi
It is a little bizarre. It's a little bizarre. It's fun, it's exciting. It's a lot of different emotions going into this. Very new for me.
Ray Gutierrez
So are you often doing podcasts? Are you often on camera?
Patty Pirlinardi
I've been on camera quite a few times. Podcast, not as many. So this is, like I said, this is real exciting. I'm glad to be here and excited to share my story.
Ray Gutierrez
Cool. So before we get into Firefly sellers, I'm very curious about this pest control company.
Patty Pirlinardi
Okay.
Ray Gutierrez
What kind of pests are you controlling? Is it men?
Patty Pirlinardi
Yes. No. It can be. It can be. It's a little of everything, honestly. It's pests. Pests. Residential and commercial pests. When we say pests, it's something that annoys the person that lives in the home. Okay. To you, a pest could be a mouse. To me, a pest could be a snake. So it depends on the person, but we service for all pests. You know, ants, pests, everything. Roaches, mice, rats, snakes. I can go on and on and on.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
All the stuff that you love. Right?
Ray Gutierrez
All the stuff that I love. There's definitely. There's been a roach pandemic in Miami ever since I've lived here because I was born here. So how does one defeat roaches in Miami? Give me some quick tips with the 30 second montage.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah. Let's talk about roaches for a minute. They don't die.
Ray Gutierrez
I know.
Patty Pirlinardi
That was it.
Ray Gutierrez
That's it. Period.
Patty Pirlinardi
They just don't die.
Ray Gutierrez
So you're always going to be in business.
Patty Pirlinardi
Exactly. Roaches have been here forever and they're going to always be here. So just try to control it.
Ray Gutierrez
I see. So how does one control. Manage roach infestations? I'm almost learning that I've got a micro one in my kitchen because I have got this fridge and I know they live in it in the back. And I've always tried to control it. I keep it away. I'm about to dump this fridge. But before I dump this fridge, what can I do? Is it the paste? Is it the spray? Is it just prayer, crying? How can I control these things?
Patty Pirlinardi
All of it cry and then go get the actual product. So, I mean, for roaches in a kitchen, you know why it's in behind your refrigerator, Right?
Ray Gutierrez
Because of the moisture.
Patty Pirlinardi
The heat.
Ray Gutierrez
The heat, yes.
Patty Pirlinardi
Put the two together. Anytime that there's heat and moisture, roaches are going to be there.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
I love it. Yes.
Ray Gutierrez
Really? Okay, that's good to know.
Patty Pirlinardi
Really.
Ray Gutierrez
Can I just go ahead and go and buy to Home Depot and get the. You can, but I should call you.
Patty Pirlinardi
But yeah, you want to use the product that you can't get at Home Depot.
Ray Gutierrez
Almost like a hair salon.
Patty Pirlinardi
Correct.
Ray Gutierrez
Good stuff is at the.
Patty Pirlinardi
Absolutely.
Ray Gutierrez
So when I call you and I go, all right, give me the good stuff. What happens next?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, then we send somebody out and they actually treat it for you. They do an inspection, they find them behind your refrigerator, they're going to talk to you about all the mess that you have in your home to bring the roaches in and why you're leaving food out and why aren't you cleaning up when you're supposed to and all of the awful things that roaches do when you let them live in your home. Like Possibly create asthma. Did you know that?
Ray Gutierrez
No, I did not know that.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah, it's a thing.
Ray Gutierrez
No, no, no.
Patty Pirlinardi
Now you're really scared.
Ray Gutierrez
I'm a little. A little frightened, yes. But not. Not by. Not by the. But not by the mere fact of these things. But we also have. Not. But we don't have a mice infestation. But there's definitely a path that I'm like, well, we're going to see another one in a couple of weeks because there's this path and they're exploring, and I've yet to close it up because I've yet to call you.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah, yeah. It sounds like you need us double.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah. Why do people take so freaking long to go, A, to the doctor and B, get their house check of pests?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, I mean, it's not on that list. You know, it's not on that list of priorities until it is, you know, until you're on a table and there's a mouse running around and you're screaming. That's when you call. That's when we get the call. So it's more of a reactive thing, more than a proactive thing. Unless, you know, you're a commercial property, because we also service those and you have a restaurant, then you have to be a little more proactive.
Ray Gutierrez
Oh, yeah. When you're in a restaurant, that's a business.
Patty Pirlinardi
Absolutely. Because then you're dealing with the chef's reputation at that point. So you don't want to wait until that person takes that video of the rat running across the dining room. You want to make sure that doesn't happen to start.
Ray Gutierrez
That's a rat A2E video you don't watch.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah, they're not that cute either.
Ray Gutierrez
No, no, no, no. Especially the ones that hold on to your hair and control. We don't want those.
Unknown Guest
So.
Ray Gutierrez
So how does one graduate to firefly sellers?
Patty Pirlinardi
Crazy, right? I know, I know. We actually purchase it over Covid.
Ray Gutierrez
Because that's what you do during COVID
Patty Pirlinardi
That's what I say. I say the same thing. That's what you do. So, you know, I had this great business model and vision with a pest control company. So I said, why not take that same model, that same vision, and just put it into something else? And it just happened to be a winery. My daughter at the time had just had her third. My third granddaughter. Oh, congratulations. And Covid happened. So now they're all in lockdown. So she's like, get me out of the house. So I took her to an open house for a winery. I Was like, yeah, let's just go look. And that's what we did. And at that point, we couldn't really talk. We were masked up, you know, all of that. And then when we got into the car and took our masks off, we both were like, oh, my gosh, we can do this, and we can set up a B and B and we can make our own labels. And we were basically saying exactly the same thing. So we're like, oh, my God, we need to do this, don't we? Like, we're really going to do this. And before you know it, I signed and then went home and said, look what I did.
Ray Gutierrez
Wow.
Patty Pirlinardi
And here we are.
Ray Gutierrez
When did the real work begin? Was it the.
Patty Pirlinardi
Oh, immediately.
Ray Gutierrez
Immediately.
Patty Pirlinardi
Immediately. We renovated for eight months.
Ray Gutierrez
Wow.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah. Created the labels, had a winemaker, bought the grapes. It's all Virginia grapes. It's a lot. It was a lot. Open to BNB and event space. Three event spaces.
Ray Gutierrez
I was just gonna say it's cool that you're cultivating a tribe, like a community within. It's almost like Coppola did well because he doesn't own anymore. But all the great weddings would be at the Coppola Vineyards out in the bay.
Patty Pirlinardi
Exactly.
Ray Gutierrez
What community are you building? What's happening now?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, there are three different event spaces. You know, we call them the Cottage, the Cabin, the vine, the Barn. Really simple names. Sure, but they're all very different. That's what I love about this property, is it' but it's impactful. There's a lot you can do on it. We do micro weddings. Really anything. That's the beauty of it. We can do whatever we want.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yeah.
Ray Gutierrez
I keep hearing ranches and farms coming up in our conversation throughout the entire day because I kind of want to get the hell out of Miami and buy.
Patty Pirlinardi
Sounds like you need to. If you have a roach problem.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah. It's like, oh, y' all can have the house.
Patty Pirlinardi
Right? Exactly. Leave, get it fogged and go.
Ray Gutierrez
Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What does make a stellar vineyard, a winery? Like, what makes good wine?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, it depends. It depends on the person that's going to the winery. A lot of people go for the view because there are some great views at some great wineries. You know, you get to oversee the vineyard. It's beautiful. You know, you sit there, you breathe, you take in the air. A lot of people like that. Other people like to go for music. There's always live music. Of course, people go for the wine, but if you don't have the beautiful view and you have great wine. People will come back.
Ray Gutierrez
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Patty Pirlinardi
So, you know, there's also a food aspect to that, which we're working on that we do charcuterie boards. But food's a big deal. You know, if you take your friends to a winery and there's nothing to eat, it's like. Cause you know, you always have the one guy that doesn't drink wine. So it's like, what do I do? You know, what am I doing here? I'm just tagging along with you guys. But there's no food, so you have to kind of balance out what everybody likes.
Ray Gutierrez
For sure.
Patty Pirlinardi
Everybody likes food. Everybody likes wine, clearly, or they wouldn't come. And, you know, it has to look nice and it has to be cozy and it has to feel good when you're there. It's a feel good place.
Ray Gutierrez
How often it is just a party shuttle, like, just like wheeze it on in with like, like a bridesmaids. And everyone's like, oh, I love those.
Patty Pirlinardi
Those are the best. Yeah. When they just come off the bus, you know, they've been to three already and they roll into the barn and, you know, and they all have their sashes on. It's a party.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah, that's great. That's a. Because you're facilitating that at that point. An experience which is essentially what you've created here.
Patty Pirlinardi
That is exactly what we trying to do.
Ray Gutierrez
It does work because when I would do this out in the Bay Area, we'd go up north to the vineyards and we'd jump in the bus and we'd get smashed. We would drink and we'd go through the whole spiel. But it is kind of tribal. It's like we've ascended, we've made it. You can have that moment to just look out and have that glass of wine and really taste it. What are folks really tasting in your wine? What's happening here and here when they're having a glass of your energy?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, I'll tell you, this is what we do with our wine. Like I said, it's all Virginia grapes. We have 12 varietals, red, white, sparklings, rose. We have all of it, blanc de blancs. And what we do, because again, I was in the pest control industry, right? So when our winemakers started making the wine, we just said, you know, let us taste it, of course, and. And we'll give you our input. Not that we're any, like, special wine person, we're new to this, but that's kind of what we did. And if I like it. Then it's like, eh, let's go with it. And that's just what we've done and it seems to work even though, you know, I'm just winging it. Honestly, my daughter is a little more of a winer than me, which is great because she has a little more input. But so far so good. You know, we have some great wine. Our cab franc won the Governor's cup year too, so.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
We're not doing too bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ray Gutierrez
Congratulations. What's the day to day hustle like now? Like, do you have a team? Is it within the family, a staff? How large is your operation?
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, my daughter basically runs the show.
Ray Gutierrez
Awesome.
Patty Pirlinardi
But we do have a staff. It's mostly part time, college students, stay at home, moms, you know, that kind of thing. But I mean, it's pretty simple. You know, we come in, we open up, we stock the wine, we make the boards. You know, there could be a party going on in the cabin that day. There could be a birthday party in the cabin. There could be a party, a sports watching football. Party in the jar. It's another space that we have. Hell yeah. There's a new space called the vine that we're trying to figure, figure out what we're going to do with that. Just to create another choice for people that come on the property and want to have something. Every day is different. It really is different. You just don't know what you're going to get because a wine bus could show up or a group, a family group of 15 could just show up. We've had sports athletes show up because we are big into the partnerships with the professional sports teams. So that's happened where they just randomly show up and they're like, oh, we have to make room for that. So it's a day by day. You just don't know what you're going to get, which is kind of fun.
Ray Gutierrez
What's your next step? We've gone from pest control to wine. What's next for you?
Patty Pirlinardi
Hello, I'm here.
Ray Gutierrez
Hello. All of it.
Patty Pirlinardi
All of it.
Ray Gutierrez
So are you a brand? Would you consider yourself a brand? Of course.
Patty Pirlinardi
I'm past Patty.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah. So talk about yourself as a brand and how you've evolved to you knowing that you now have control and your light is lighting all these other projects and folks that you're touching.
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, the brand was an accident. Okay. It started as an email. And then what happened in the pest control business is, you know, being the control freak that I am, that I Had to make sure that when our customers were getting any kind of correspondence over email, that it came from me.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
Why not? You know, if they want to contact me, they can. Which I'm really different in how I do things in my industry. So, you know, there's presidents, owners of other pest control companies that want absolutely nothing to do with the customers. Right. You handle it. You deal with it. I'm the total opposite. I'm like, call me. Yes. So that's kind of what started with Pest Patty. Email.
Ray Gutierrez
Got it.
Patty Pirlinardi
So then what happened is I started going to some of these events, and I would run into some of our clients, and they're like, wait a minute. Did you say you're Patty with this pest control company? I'm like, yes, you're Patty. And they're like, you're Pest Patty.
Ray Gutierrez
Wow.
Patty Pirlinardi
Oh, my God. You're Pest Patty. I didn't know that was real. I'm like, yeah. And it just kind of started there escalated. There were a couple, you know, commercials that we had on TV with sports teams that said pest Patty. And so then I started getting calls and emails for Pest Patty.
Ray Gutierrez
Well, yeah, it just. It's crazy because folks don't really correlate someone like you with pest control.
Patty Pirlinardi
That's what I hear. I hear that quite often, which is
Ray Gutierrez
great for you, obviously. I'm sure it's great for business.
Patty Pirlinardi
It is.
Ray Gutierrez
So when they finally get. And when they finally get a hold of you and you're onboarding a client, what is the difference between what you present versus the wannabes or your competition?
Patty Pirlinardi
Oh, so many things. Okay. I am who I am, so I'm as authentic as you get, and I'm gonna tell it like it is. So, for example, I went to a restaurant, and at 2am because they said they had a rat infestation. And two other pest control company people showed up to do the bid as well. And like I said, it was 2am because that's when the rats come out. Right. So I wanted to go see what kind of infestation this was, because to you, it could be two. To me, it might. Might be 50, you know, which one is it?
Ray Gutierrez
What does the uniform look like working for you? I'm not. I'm assuming you're not wearing the hat. And this. This is it. And you showed up looking like this at 2am and the other guy showed up with their hand.
Patty Pirlinardi
Well, it's leggings usually, because, you know, I'm. I'm switching leggings off every time I can dress it up, dress it down, you know, who knows what I'm doing? But the other guys show up, you know, in the ties and the boring stuff. Yeah, right. But of the three of us, who do you think went down and. And saw the rats?
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah.
Patty Pirlinardi
You did. Yeah, of course I did.
Ray Gutierrez
You party with the rats before you killed them.
Patty Pirlinardi
Exactly, exactly. I went down there running over my shoes. I'm like, yeah, yeah, exactly.
Ray Gutierrez
Let's do it. That's how the rats are partying.
Patty Pirlinardi
The grandfather of all rats was, like, right there in the corner, eyeing me down like I'm in a space.
Ray Gutierrez
The raccoon of aquins, all. They're all. Tails are all kinds of. Oh, we're all jumping on this one. Exactly.
Patty Pirlinardi
It was just like that. But the other two men wouldn't even go down. They're just like, oh, we got this. We're gonna write the contract. So when I came back up the steps out of the dungeon of rats, they basically shook my hand and said, you got it.
Ray Gutierrez
That's amazing.
Patty Pirlinardi
It's that simple.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah. How much of that resilience and just kind of main character energy do you carry every day of your life?
Patty Pirlinardi
Like, well, like I said, this is me, so it is what it is, Right? I don't know any other way.
Ray Gutierrez
Yeah. Right on. I can't wait to learn more about your Women in Power episode. I'm sure you're. You're all jacked up and powerful now. What are we gonna learn about. More about you in your episode? In just a couple moments, I think,
Patty Pirlinardi
wow, you're gonna learn why I am this way. Cool.
Ray Gutierrez
Hell, yeah.
Patty Pirlinardi
You know, why am I like this? What drives me to do what I do?
Ray Gutierrez
Cool.
Patty Pirlinardi
The craziness that I do. You know, I didn't. I wasn't born and said, oh, I'm gonna go kill bugs. Like, that wasn't a thing. So, you know, you never know what you're gonna get into, and there's always a reason for everything. And, you know, relationships are huge. So that's a key point in the Woman in Power episode about relationships and how to treat people kind. And things happen when you do that. Good things happen.
Ray Gutierrez
Right on.
Patty Pirlinardi
It comes right back to you.
Ray Gutierrez
Well past Patty. How can people find you? How can people work with you?
Patty Pirlinardi
Pass patty.20mail.com.
Ray Gutierrez
Do you got a start in the finish? Do you got a dot com? Do you have a social media? A tik tok? A LinkedIn?
Patty Pirlinardi
Firefly sellers?
Ray Gutierrez
Firefly sellers. Cool.
Patty Pirlinardi
Yes, you can get.
Ray Gutierrez
So there's firefly sellers, Pest Patty, what else are we dropping?
Patty Pirlinardi
Wow. There's pink hydration water as well.
Ray Gutierrez
Holy moly. We'll leave that for the up. Sure. That'll be.
Patty Pirlinardi
That'll be for another time.
Ray Gutierrez
Well, Pest Patty, it was such an honor to share this time and space with you.
Patty Pirlinardi
Thank you.
Ray Gutierrez
Can you just look into this camera and just give me the list of montages of things that you're working on?
Patty Pirlinardi
I'm Pest Patty. I sold a pest control company, I sold a water company, and now I own Firefly Sellers, and I'm awesome.
Ray Gutierrez
And that is Woman In Power. With that concludes another episode of Living youg Legacy. Episode for Inside Success. I'm Rigou Tierrez, and this is Pest Patty.
Unknown Guest
Sam.
Host: Ray Gutierrez
Guest: Patty Pirlinardi ("Pest Patty"), Founder of Firefly Cellars, Entrepreneur
Date: May 6, 2026
Episode Theme: The authentic path of Patty Pirlinardi from building an 8-figure pest control company to creating a thriving winery, with lessons in leadership, brand-building, and the power of relationships.
This episode of "Living Your Legacy" spotlights Patty Pirlinardi, affectionately known as "Pest Patty," as she recounts her transition from the world of pest control to launching Firefly Cellars, an acclaimed winery. Through candid conversation, Patty and host Ray Gutierrez explore the lessons she’s learned as a pioneering woman entrepreneur, her relationship-based leadership style, and the importance of authenticity and adaptability in building successful, lasting brands.
Patty Pirlinardi’s story is a roadmap for building legacy businesses through authenticity, relationship-building, and adaptability. Whether tackling a roach infestation or hosting micro-weddings at a vineyard, Patty’s fearless, personal touch and business resilience shine through. She turns “main character energy” into a brand—sometimes by accident—while demonstrating that good things truly do happen when you focus on people, community, and showing up fully as yourself.
How to connect with Patty/Pest Patty:
For aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone hungry for inspiration, Patty’s journey is proof that kindness, courage, and a willingness to do the work—yes, even the 2am kind—can build remarkable legacies.