How To Start Your Pet Waste Removal Business in 2025

How do you say? Obviously with a Dog Poop Removal Business!

My name is Tony and this is Poop Scoops For Noobs!

Where i share my successes and experiences on owning a Pet Waste Removal Business.

In this Blog I’m going to share step by step everything that i did when i first started my poop scooping business.

The beauty of having a pet waste removal service is that literally anyone can do it.

Whether you’re a poor college student that needs extra money for the weekend or a single parent that has a crap ton of student loans or someone who’s retired who wants to do something extra on the side, starting a pet waste removal service is a cost effective and relatively easy business that you can start on your own.

The first step to this process i’m going to call it Step Zero and that is to commit.

Think about what you’re getting yourself into. It’s a poop scooping business it’s nothing glamorous.

However the most important part that you need to remember is what are your True Norths? What are the reasons WHY you want to start your own business?

• Are you trying to save up extra money to buy a house or to pay down your student loans?
• Are you just trying to do this on the side because you have a lot of free time?

The why is so important especially once you start telling people that you’re doing a poop scooping business because you’re going to get a lot of funny looks maybe some judgment and that’s okay!

People will always judge and hate especially when you are reminding them of all of their unfulfilled potential.

So commit with eyes wide open and start your business now!

Step One is to form a legal entity.

I had no idea how to start my own business. So what did i do? i just went to google and i typed in how to start a business in Utah. Make sure you review all the resources your state has regarding starting a business.

Pretty much the process was I had to fill out a couple of forms with some identifying information.

Part of forming a legal entity is coming up with a name.

I recommend going on google and typing in poop scooping businesses in your state and looking at the different types of businesses and their naming conventions.

You’ll want to make sure that any name you come up with has the word “scoop or waste removal” in it so it’s easier for your customers to identify what kind of services you provide.

My naming convention is something simple – just your first or last name and the word scoops!

I was also able to use a virtual notary to make sure all the paperwork was legalized.

The most important part of this process is making sure that you use a separate address for your business address. A lot of people make the mistake of using their home address for their business and that is not a good idea.

If you think you receive a lot of junk mail right now imagine once your address is in public domain.  Everyone with marketing material and other businesses that want to do businesses with you will start reaching out to you.

The way I got through this requirement is going back on google and looking for virtual address services.

A virtual address is an address you get to register located in whatever location that provider has.

You’re able to receive post mail and packages to that location. They’ll save all of your mail for you and will contact you whenever you receive something.

For example I use a service called iPostal1.

I have a virtual address that’s located at a staples nearby my town. They also have a pretty cool portal that I can access and see whatever mail I have currently stored there.

When I was going through the paperwork, I made sure to submit my business as a “DBA or doing business as”. When you register as a DBA, the state you’re doing business in will recognize your business as your sole proprietorship. That means you can legally conduct businesses in that state but you will also be responsible for all of the debt and obligations that your business might incur.

I did not create an LLC and I do not recommend you do so but you will need to consult with a professional for that opinion.

Step two is to go to your local credit union or bank and open a business account with them.

This will be extremely important as it will allow you to separate your personal expenses from your business expenses.

You’ll need to use your virtual address to open up your business account.

Having separate expenses will be really important once tax season comes around!

Once you open your business account, deposit some money get yourself a business debit card and start buying your equipment.

All you’ll need is a bucket, a poop scooping shovel and a couple of plastic bags.

Every time you buy equipment for your poop scooping business, make sure you save the receipts so you can claim them as business expenses next year on your taxes!

Once you have your business account set up, step three is to go online and look for any payment providers.

A lot of my customers that I’ve worked with have paid me through either Venmo or Cash App or Zelle. You can also consider using square to automate your payments with your customers but that’ll require a monthly fee.

At this time I would recommend creating a Gmail account for your business so you can register your business email with all of these payment providers.

Step four is to do research in your state and your local municipality and see if there are any special permits that you’ll need to handle waste removal.

Every state is different so make sure you cross your t’s and dot your i’s so you don’t incur any unnecessary fines.

Step five is an optional step but i think it’s one of the most important and it’s investing in business insurance.

Do you really need business insurance for your poop scooping business when you first start?

Probably not but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What would you do if one of your clients dogs accidentally escaped the yard or accidentally attacked you or if you had an accident and you tripped over some of their lawn ornaments and broke a piece of their property?

Without having business insurance you would be responsible for all of those expenses plus any potential legal fees! So even though this step is optional it’s best to do it sooner rather than later so you can protect all of your assets and your business.

Step six in creating your own poop scooping business is to use that business email that you created and create a Facebook business page.

This is what I did when I first started my business as it was a low cost of entry for me to get out to as many people as possible without having to build my own website.

I also recommend getting yourself a google number so you have a business phone number so people can get in contact with you. That way you’ll be able to send text messages speak with your customers without giving them your personal phone number!

Having a Facebook business page for my poop scooping business was really helpful for me in the beginning.

I was able to share my posts to all my friends as well as post to local dog groups in my state. Just make sure that you follow the rules for each group so you don’t get kicked out for unnecessary spam or self promotion.

Step seven would be to create your own logo for your business and make your own post on your Facebook business page.

There are many free tools online that will allow you to create your own business logo or you can use something like photoshop.

If you are not the creative type I would recommend using a website like PlaceIt (link). They have a pretty user-friendly interface that allows you to create a bunch of different logos and designs using their platform!

Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links where I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

When making your first post you’ll want to make sure that you’re showing off the types of services that you’re providing.

I happen to find a gif of this dog who is scooping up his own dog poop and I thought that was really funny and I decided to use that as my first post.

You can also consider staging a scene where you work with one of your friends who has a dog and then you record yourself scooping up their dog poop.

Don’t overthink this step, just post something!

Try to be creative and see where it’ll take you. Be clear and concise on your post describing the types of service that you are providing and make sure there is a call to action to message you for more information.

The final step of starting your own poop scooping business is to advertise.

Like I mentioned in the previous step, you can start posting on your Facebook and advertising to your friends and family and having them share your services across their friends.

You can also consider creating flyers or posters and going to your local pet stores talking to them about leaving some of your business information for their customers.

This will definitely cut into your expenses but the worst that they can say is no and you’ll be back at the same step you were at already.

What I personally did was leverage the Facebook platform and use their Facebook ad functionality.

This allowed me to target all of my Facebook posts to people on the Facebook platform that had similar interests. I tried to target specifically dog owners or people that like dog related Facebook pages.

The next blog in this series I’m going to talk about all of the equipment and cleaning supplies needed so you can have a successful poop scooping business!

And I’ll see you on the next scoop!

And as always, Acknowledge The Now! Bye!