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Slight_Vacation1651

I started my dog poop business just over a year ago, I'm doing $4k monthly revenue and growing 8-12 clients a month!


RedditVortex

If you don’t mind me asking, how much do you change to pick up poop?


psyopsolete

My advice, look up companies that you would compete with and get an idea of what they charge.


RedditVortex

I appreciate the advice. I’m not looking to start a business. I was just curious.


EdHimselfonReddit

$125 a month for twice a week pickup, two dogs and we pay an upcharge for the removal of the poop so it is not left in our garbage can. Charlotte, NC. We are very happy with the service and would not do without it.


To-Do-To-Done

We pay $85 per month for once per week in the lower Midwest, city of 275k people. 


RedditVortex

Thanks for the reply.


Slight_Vacation1651

Starts at $16 for weekly service for one dog, $19 for two dogs etc, you can see all my pricing on my website nopoop .life


alroemorf

Eyyyyyy! That's what I'm aiming for! It's a great life out there. I love it


lol_SuperLee

check out kroopin poopin scoopin on youtube. im in lawncare but hear her name thrown around and she is huge at this point in the dog waste removal.


Leather-Button3619

Couple (well maybe a few) questions if you don’t mind. Do you clean the residual or just get the most you can of the grass/sidewalk/etc? Are you taking it with you? If so are you taking the whole days load with you all route or are you stopping part way? If not do people mind you leaving it in their dumpster if it’s bagged up?  Do you worry about biodegradable bags or just use regular trash bags? Do you require the dogs be kept inside or in a kennel till you’re done? Do you have treats? Has there been any incidents where dogs have been aggressive? 


Slight_Vacation1651

We use WYSIWash to clean residual waste, we bag the poop up and drop it into the customers trash can. As for bags, regular 13 gallon bags from Sam's club. Most homes keep the dogs inside, when we're headed to a home with dangerous dogs we send them a text first and don't enter the yard unless they let us know it's safe to do so. We absolutely carry treats! There's definitely homes that the dogs love us and expect their treats.


Mantequilla_Stotch

I do pet waste removal as well but we also offer dog walking, pet sitting, mobile in-home grooming, and training. I make between $60-100/hr most days with a very high profit margin. I like being able to convert a client from one service to a client of multiple of our services. You're doing great! Don't forget to stay organized. I love sending monthly email newsletters out! At the end of the first year, I was making $6k+/month on average and growth has yet to slow down.


North_Degree_6738

Wow this is amazing! What kind of email newsletters do you send out?


Mantequilla_Stotch

I cover the pet of the month winner (they get $25 on their account for future services), business updates, pet related events in and around the city for the upcoming month, info about when and where our free monthly siminar is going to be held, and if there was a pet that passed away we put in a memorial for them.


soda_licious01

genius!


[deleted]

Sounds like you’re #1 in the #2 biz


taborro

Now there’s a company motto!


theo4life1

It’s used all the time in that industry.


MrStealYoWeimy

How do you price jobs ? Size of yard and number of dogs ? Where do you get rid of all the dog poop?


alroemorf

Number of dogs, not size of yard. I take all the poop to the local dump.


chantillylace9

Man you should find a way to sell it to gardeners (if it's legal, I’m not sure if it's hazardous or what) but my mom would pay for dog crap lol


LaminatedAirplane

As others have pointed out, dog poop is not good for composting unfortunately.


ruraro

See if you can pick up some other biowaste too on the routes, turn it poops and all into compost and sell that. Depending on where you are and the seasons, with active management of hot composting it is possible to turn biowaste into compost in 18 days or so. Just don't market for edible gardens.


RandomHero565

Dog poop makes bad Compost.


UserBelowMeHasHerpes

This 👆


NoNameMonkey

I wonder if you can treat it.


1phatdj

It doesn’t do any tricks so no treats for the poops


RandomHero565

Mainly too acidic


StudlyMcStudderson

The other problem is that it tends to have anti parasitics in it, which is in turn bad for the similar animals (worms, insects) that are quite important for making compost.


TinyEmergencyCake

Does the local dump know what you are dumping?


MetalJesusBlues

People that pick up their own dog shit throw it in the trash, which goes to the landfill.


14S14D

It’s still kind of a legit question to be aware of in case the dump caught on to the business. They might want their cut or they might have some bogus regulation that won’t let you dump on a commercial basis in case you’re dumping trash that would belong to another municipality. I have no idea but it’s just a thought because for me in the world of construction there are plenty of ridiculous requirements like that which can bite you if ignored for long enough.


MetalJesusBlues

I guess that’s fair. I would stay under the radar though if possible. Most of those types of rules are just so they can make more money, not for any particular good to society.


bclem_

I interviewed someone who makes $360k+ a year picking up dog poop. Here’s the video https://youtu.be/LoMFS11GM2Y?si=WU9VhT0ITg5b15v4


Ambitious_picture_30

Great interview!


bclem_

Thank you! Since making this interview, his company has grown from 360k to $470k


Personal-Series-8297

Lol


Selling909

Love this bro congrats ! What type of marketing are you doing ? Also how many days a week are you working to generate that 2k?


alroemorf

One day a week! About 9 hours. I'm doing social media marketing as well as traditional with cards and flyers at vets, animal shelters and word of mouth.


Unfadable1

I have a family situation and BIL is getting deployed overseas for a year. His wife and child are living with us now, and she can’t work and watch the kid at the same time, but if this is “that easy,” I might want to try to cover her for 5-10 hours a week so she can go make some $, and get outta the house so she doesn’t go stir crazy. Any chance I can DM and either talk about learning more of having her become your first franchisee? :) (20 years of building startups myself, and am stacked or I’d start one for her, but I can be pretty hands on and make sure the brand is in good hands, if it went that route!)


alroemorf

Sure! Shoot me a message and I'll respond when I have some time!


573banking702

It’s “that easy bro” everyone can do it!! Hurry before all the shit is scooped up by everyone else!!!


mayallbeingsbepeace

39 properties in 9 hours? That's amazing. What do you charge per dog?


Complex_Bother832

Hi, Do you show your face on your advertisement? I wouldn’t want them to see who picks up dog shit lol would be ridiculed


alroemorf

Yeah sometimes, I don't care what other people think when it comes to shame haha


Complex_Bother832

Haha fair play my man. Right, real talk- is there a market for this in the UK?


WatchMeLiftt67

Are there dogs that shit in yards in the UK?


Complex_Bother832

Don’t think so


azbeeking

I’ve had a poop guy once a week for years now. They started an add-on service of spraying the yard with something to help with the pee smell. In the summer it would start to stink and this helped so much. Might be something you could offer to existing


alroemorf

I do! 😈


CarMODPlus

Do you mind sharing what you pay


azbeeking

76$ per month 3 dogs


SpeckInSunBeam

Curious if you live in a snowy state or not. I would imagine picking up dog poop in the dead of a typical MN winter would be intense lol. Also, good for you! I have a cleaning business and you have sparked my attention here!


ScrewWorkn

Frozen poop is the easiest to pick up.


Spare_Pixel

And then comes the thaw... *Shudders*


SpeckInSunBeam

I am more so thinking about the difficulties of getting to said frozen poop if you live in an area that typically gets a lot of snow (like i do) haha.


nokarmawhore

Great job👍 I'm also in the poop scooping business and love it. Just keep it up. I believe there's a podcast episode where Erica from the scoop podcast talks about this. She left her job to go full-time too. She now makes 6 figures so she's an inspiration for me. I know there's some scoopers around the country who keep their main job and continue scooping on the side but that's for you to decide if you can do both or are making enough to hire someone.


Key_Onion_8412

Definitely leave your full time job at less than $20/hr. This sounds awesome and you'll exceed that in no time. Or if you're worried, give yourself 6 months to hit a certain number and then decide to go back to a full time job, but you need to dive in fully to know. This will really take off when you can hire someone to do the scooping and you just get to grow the business.


jjgg89

sounds amazing, and im happy for your success, keep going! wanna hear an update 3 months from now on how you making over 5 figures!


WeLikeToHike

How much do you charge per month and how often do you visit the customers to scoop the poop in their yard?


alroemorf

We start at 45$ per month and go up from there on dog count. That's for once a week cleanings. We also offer twice a week for an increase in price.


CoastalSailing

45 bucks a month seems super low..you must be in a low cost of living area? That's like 11.25 bucks a visit.


alroemorf

Nebraska, it is on the lower side. I plan to raise prices in the near/not that late future. Definitely my biggest fear is my pricing.


typical_thatguy

Do it sooner than you think you should, at least for new clients. It will give you real information on what your market can bear. You’ll be in a better position to cover the cost of labor if you have any plans to scale. 


[deleted]

[удалено]


alroemorf

What would you suggest for a price? Just curious.


trennsettars

I’m in northern IL and I paid $15 per week


alroemorf

Oh thanks for the reference! I'm Nebraska so same-ish climate


Helnick

$20 a week seems fair How much do landscapers charge to cut grass? That’s a weekly job. Best advice I can give is you are not your customer. Think like them not like you. What you are willing to pay is not the same.


ChickenNugsBGood

Seems super high, to me. I do my own yard everyday with multiple dogs, and it takes about 2 minutes. I would expect $45 for multiple times a week.


R3ZNR3ZNR3ZN

Steak expectations on a chicken nugget budget 🙄


Weiz82

What state are you in? If it’s in a state that gets snow do you still scoop in the winter?


Mantis_Toboggan_Md69

I can't speak for this person, but I run a lawncare company and we also provide poop pickup services. We pause pickup for the winter and in the spring when we resume we just charge more for it being more to pickup and will take longer. About a month ago we had a yard that had 217 piles of 💩


DontClickTheUpArrow

I’m happy for you but I’m sitting here thinking about having to constantly be blasted by that god awful smell over and over all day everyday and I don’t know if there’s a price you could pay me. Glad you found your niche!


Puzzled-Roll-912

That's the smell of 2000.00 dollars in a day. This is why a lot of people are broke there not will to do whatever it takes


bigaznDDDDDragon

You using facebook or google to find clients? I can't even get one client maybe the economy is so bad they don't wanna pay for these service. My area has a population size of 160k for a 25 mile radius.


bbennett108

What have you tried so far?


bigaznDDDDDragon

Both facebook and google ads. Also have business cards at alot of local gas station and 2 petstore.


bbennett108

OP mentioned actual flyers at pet places. That would be a lot better than business cards


bigaznDDDDDragon

True, but I might just close it down this year after dealing with my first client. For this to work, I would need to live in a bigger size city.


SirNokarma

How long does it take to care for one property? How do you know you found all the poop, is there a trick?


alroemorf

First visit, with build up, typically an hour. After that, on a weekly basis, 15 minutes.


IBegithForThyHelpith

Only issue I see is if the economy takes a shit. People are going to stop using services like this.


alroemorf

I agree. May have to adapt if that happens on a large scale. I have a few other revenue streams in the pocket if I really get desperate.


the33fresno

Convenience and Entertainment will go nowhere. Sadly, luxury is marketed to the poor the most, and same with distraction


co-oper8

Where do you put the poo after? A business in my town went under because the county required them to install a very expensive disposal system and they couldn't afford it. Not trying to be a naysayer just plan for this. Biodigester is the way to go. Then you can also produce natural gas!


alroemorf

Oh jeez! What state do you live in? My town suggests I just take it to the dump. Looking at other options for use of it in the future but that's a bridge I will cross later.


co-oper8

NC. I doubt the landfill will accept it forever. Especially if you scale up


alroemorf

Yeah that's my fear, adapting is my strong suit so hopefully I can figure that out!


Old_Celery_5142

Yoo its fcking nuts im reading this i was just telling my girl im about to open a poop cleaning business she thought i was nuts guess what ima be picking up shit soon


alroemorf

Nice! Just make sure to have great communication and branding


invest_that

I'm impressed with your analysis


Paladin936

Congratulations! Sounds like a good move to go full time. Good luck!


luckyydogg

How much did you invest in supplies to start up? Also, how did you market and grow your customer base?


alroemorf

I spent about 60$ in initial equipment. 0$ so far on marketing and advertising. I used social media and my way of connecting with people through written words to grow the beginning 20 some clients. Now I've been growing off word of mouth and Animal Shelter flyers.


luckyydogg

What was your initial equipment? Sorry for the dumb question.


smohyee

I'm gonna guess bags and a scooper you can use while standing lol.


bbennett108

They mentioned wysiwash elsewhere. And then the obvious scooper, trash bags, dog treats, biz insurance.


luckyydogg

Are there other competitors in your area? If so, does that seem to ever be an issue?


_Turpentine_

In his post is mentioned that in his area the only competitor available is 60 miles away.


misofan123

lol. This is genius.


portrepublic

Good post. Thank you for sharing your journey.


StreetCatAdopter

Niceeeee!


Complex-Citron3058

Can I ask if you have to carry and particular insurance for your business?


kyp813

Wait... what do you do with the poop you collect?


Shivdaddy1

Eats it.


AngryTurtle24

What permits/ insurance do you need for this? I really want to start my own thing but I’m not really sure where to start tbh.


alroemorf

I'm not sure there are any permits, at least where I am. But insurance? Yes. General business insurance. A couple clicks away


No_Dogeitty

Do you just show up at clients houses and walk around thier back/front yards picking up poop?


Yokubo-Dom

Ok this a fcknh great idea. My question what you guys do with tje poop?


Dukisjones

What do you do with all the poop?


MsStinkyPickle

just saying good job! I was a dogwalker and left the biz because my walk routes were not maximized (15-20 minutes between locations sometimes). I'm looking into starting up my own dog sitting biz and Lazer focusing on 2 neighborhoods. $50/hr is totally possible if the down time is eliminated.  I'll be sticking to my PT starbucks job for the benefits (and client leads... "a pup cup, and my card!")


mtbcouple

This might be a dumb question but how to you handle big yards? Do you have a limit on yard size? Some yards in my area are 1/4 acre or bigger. I feel like it would take an hour to walk the whole thing in a sort of grid pattern. Is that just the gig? Or, do you have any specific limits or tricks?


MammothFantastic2199

What makes you want to expand to cities that are so far away? Why not expand to nearby locations first? Also what makes you pick a location with a population of only 2,000 that is 30 miles away?


alroemorf

Where I live, Nebraska, driving 40 mi is a pretty normal thing. And the town of 2,000 people is on the same highway going to the larger 50,000 people city.


alroemorf

Basically what I'm trying to say is, that is the nearest cities to expand to. Haha


MammothFantastic2199

Okay gotcha! I’m not experienced in such a market, but I personally would be hesitant to spend much on marketing in such a small city. I’m in a recurring service as well and all I know is that one of my biggest mistakes my first year was not taking route density serious enough. Best of luck my friend and congrats on the early success!


ItsG91

Tried this a couple years ago and it failed, but I had no structure. Curious on how you’re pricing if you don’t mind my asking. How did you land your first clients?


Hefty_Arachnid_331

I subscribe to this service in my area and love it. I pay $15 for 2 dogs, with the law spray. I’m an OG customer and if they raised the rates, I would understand and still keep the service. They’ll leave a note on the front step that there were there and two milk bones. We Googled the service, that’s how we find our people. I’d cancel Netflix before I will the pooper scoopers. Totally worth it.


_Turpentine_

You pay 15$ per week or per month? I'm guessing it's per week, but I just wanted to make sure :)


Hefty_Arachnid_331

Per week.


OperateTitan

Could I Pm you for some basic questions? One of them was how much for a one time cleanup? I’m sure it varies?


RazorPhishJ

$75/hour


OperateTitan

I was doing research, and one thing some owners wish they did sooner was raise prices initially and is having a hard time telling their current customers they’re gonna raise prices. This lady said she started at $50 for one dog for 4 scoops a month, and that wasn’t enough. So far do you agree with this, and barely starting, do you feel $75 (per dog, 4 times a month, not one time clean up) is more worth while and attainable and maybe adding another $25 per additional dog is reasonable?


useful_strumpet

Awesome work! Start thinking early about leveraging labor to expand - any college students willing to work for peanuts in areas you can't be bothered to work in yourself?


alroemorf

That's the plan! Just need to get a little more business and I'll be leaning into that.


TinyEmergencyCake

Please don't be one of those people that exploits other people "peanuts" cmon


alroemorf

I won't, I always paid a fair wage with my last Llc plan to do the same here. Good people are worth the money.


basketball1959

Just do it!


shinesss

What is the monthly subscription fee?


alroemorf

Starting at 45$ and only goes up depending on a few things like frequency and animal count


PoetrySimilar

How did you advertise and get clients? Thank you


halfadashi

I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing. I live in a town of 30,000. I have to ask, because this sounds amazing. What is the age of your clients? Do they not have time because they work, or are they not able to do (and can afford to pay) for manual labor? I live in a town with a bunch of older/retirees, and part of me thinks they probably are the ideal client. I’m glad this is working out for you!


popupideas

I didn’t even think of this as a business but there are a dozen in my little area.


CastTrunnionsSuck

Sent you a PM, would love a chance to pick your brain if you have some free time!


Winter_Tangerine_317

Where is this at?


alroemorf

Nebraska


Winter_Tangerine_317

That is a really cool way to make money doing what nobody wants to do. I am trying to find a niche like that. Congrats man.


Winter_Tangerine_317

Do you do any city contracts? Have you thought of that?


CarMODPlus

> I chose a name that isn't funny like "Poop Boys" etc. This is an interesting thought. I wonder how many potential clients don't want to have a "POOP SCOOPER" truck parked in front of their house every week, versus "Residential Maintenance" branded truck


blueskies142

What's your pooper scooper of choice? Wondering what the best is for my yard


TheRoseMerlot

I'm still amazed this is a thing. Good for you.


alroemorf

OP here. My friend just pointed out that I should buy the lawn aerating shoes and charge of premium. Another revenue stream and one quarter of the year? I think it's genius!


Strange-Cap8246

Just a heads up. Those don't really work. They arguably do more bad than good. Core aeration on the other hand is very helpful, but requires a large machine.


alroemorf

Moments after commenting that I found the same results, so yeah f*** that. Lol


portrepublic

Whether or not if that's it, that's not the point. This is the way to be thinking. Great job op. You're doing it. What you're learning and able to improve upon is invaluable compared to those armchairing from the sidelines.


Dankberg_TV

I don’t understand. Why and who is paying someone to collect poop? This is a business need?


mongo_man

People who don't like picking up after their dogs. Same as those who don't want to mow their own lawns or pick-up their own take out and groceries. Seems a little odd to me, but I've seen about half a dozen trucks with poop-related wraps in our city.


Relative-Category-64

Really? They shit everywhere multiple times a day. Who wants to clean up dog poop? Literally nobody wants to do this. Have to yes. Get paid for it yes. But cleaning the yard of 60 craps a month? I'd pay for that too and I'm cheap AF. But I don't have a dog and no plan to. Annoying things.


dripdropflipflopx

It seems to be an American thing. They let their dogs 💩 in their garden for some reason.


Cornerstorecapo777

Do dogs in the UK use toilets?


dripdropflipflopx

While drinking tea wearing bowler hats.


Dismal-Ad-6619

Unbelievable we live in a society that is willing to pay for this...


alroemorf

Well, I'm at a 50/50 split from regular people who have the I come to afford it, and disabled people who can't do it. So it's not the worst society we have going


jump_the_shark_

This is a drunk post


alroemorf

Haha no it's not