Kortney Paul is the owner of Ideal Partners, a North Texas-based commercial and residential services group known for exceptional customer service and comprehensive property solutions. Since its start as a pest control company in 2010, Ideal has grown to include specialized divisions in pest control, roofing, security, fire protection, and HVAC services. A former collegiate and minor league baseball player, Paul brings the same dedication and teamwork from the field to his business. Under his leadership, Ideal Partners continues to expand, offering bundled services that simplify and streamline property management.
Company: Ideal Partners
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Kortney Paul: Kortney Paul, founder and CEO of Ideal Partners, launched the company in 2009, inspired in part by his grandfather, who owned a small pest control business decades earlier. Carrying on that legacy in name and spirit, Kortney built Ideal Partners from the ground up into a trusted, multi-service organization.
What began as a pest control company has grown into a full-service provider offering HVAC, security, roofing, staffing, and commercial fire protection. With a background in collegiate and professional baseball and an MBA from TCU, Kortney brings a competitive, team-first mindset to the company. He takes great pride in the team behind the business, crediting employees for its continued growth and success.
Today, Ideal Partners continues to expand under his leadership, including a 2022 move to a 60,000-square-foot headquarters in Fort Worth. All the while staying committed to delivering reliable, high-quality service to customers.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Kortney Paul: Covid was hard on everyone, but especially on a service business. We immediately started reaching out to our pest control customers and offered it as a free service to our current customers who needed extra disinfectant.
With our other service lines, we utilized the time that our clients were closed to go finish projects that they wanted to do, working with them on payment terms and anything else that could help the customer.
Ultimately, we put our customers first and took care of our team. We kept all our employees and used the extra space in the building for our teams’ kids who couldn’t attend daycare.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Kortney Paul: Being adaptable is very important, and as a service business, it always comes down to how well you adapt and respond. All business decisions are fluid processes, and as long as you learn a lesson, it isn’t a failure. Being willing to make adjustments as needed is very important.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Kortney Paul: I really like to hire athletes because they show resilience on the field, are willing to put in the hours, understand living to win another day, and being part of a team.
I see the success of Ideal Partners as a group effort, and I want every person I hire and work with to see it the same way. We all have our part to play, and we are all driving to be the best.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Kortney Paul: Start with the worst-case scenario and work backward to get comfortable with what if the absolute worst happens, and then my job is to find a process that is better than that. Knowing all the potential outcomes and not being afraid of them is the first step in real problem-solving.
And again, I go back to the concept of a team. I don’t work alone or in a vacuum. If you’ve surrounded yourself with the right people, you’ve got the resources you need to get through those challenging moments.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Kortney Paul: At the end of the day, it is about staying active and working hard. Taking time away and knowing when to take care of myself is important, but emptying the glass every day so you can start fresh the next is an absolute must. Whether it is a sauna, a walk, or a hard lifting session, it is important to finish every day fully.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Kortney Paul: In-person communication is very important to me; everyone is in the same room to discuss the problem. Surround yourself with the people who want to find the resolution and get rid of the noise and clutter. When it comes to managing a crisis, leave your personal feelings or agendas at the door.
I am very hands-on and like to get in there and solve things, and I don’t like to let things fester. Being in person whenever possible helps speed up communication so you can really get things done.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Kortney Paul: I am not big on generic advice and don’t feel I am in a spot to dole it out, but I feel like surrounding yourself with positive people is always a good thing. Positivity is infectious (as is negativity), and you don’t want to limit yourself with the attitudes of others.
An organization I am part of has a saying, “don’t should on me,” instead, share experiences that are relevant to the experiences that another CEO could be going through.
I find that sharing your experiences and talking about what you have gone through and how you approached it is what best helps others make their own advice.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Kortney Paul: Whether it is a crisis or future obstacles that are inevitable, if you run at a faster pace than most, prepare at a higher level, and be willing and ready to make decisions, that is what matters. And, with this attitude, more often than not, a true crisis never occurs because you’ve anticipated it early on and been able to effectively dodge it. And on the off chance a crisis does happen, you don’t realize what you just went through because you just handled it as it came.
It is all about putting in the work; what you do in tense moments is what you will do in tense moments. You are ready for whatever happens.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Kortney Paul: Be prepared and prepare everyone around you the same way. Remove the clutter and emotion of problems. The team’s single purpose should be to get the answer as right as possible and move on. If the whole team functions in the same way, the crisis gets very small. And know what the next best alternative is at all times so you can pivot when necessary.
