Professional Pooper Scooper Answers YOUR Questions

Question: How do you take distance into account with your business? Do you operate in a certain city or radius?

Thanks for the question! I do try to limit myself on how far I’ll actually go for some of my scooping appointments. When I first started out I had a really big radius and I was willing to serve anyone so at times I would drive 30 to 45 minutes one way just to service a customer’s yard.

Once you start growing and landing more and more customers, route density is one of the best things you can focus on as a pet waste removal business. The more customers that you can have within the same radius, the more customers you can service at a faster amount of time!

When you start growing you have to keep in mind how long it takes to drive to your customers houses and how much gas you’ll be spending on your drives. If a brand new client is reaching out to you and they’re a little bit farther than you typically care for, it’s okay to charge them a little extra and that’ll give you more leeway to travel farther than what you’re comfortable with.

Eventually you’ll start growing and you’ll be able to focus on having customers in a specific town on a specific day. For example, on Tuesdays I have 10 clients that are within a two mile radius so I’m able to go through those appointments in about two to three hours. When you start growing your weekly clients, you’ll want to start putting all the customers that are near each other on the same day so you can complete multiple appointments on the same routes and save on gas in time.

Question: How do you keep your clients?

Honestly, the best thing you can do is focus on the customer experience.

I talk about the customer experience a lot of my blogs and it really does make a difference when it comes to your business. The moment a customer interacts with your website or your Facebook page or they text you or they call you randomly, that’s when the customer experience starts.

And it’s a lot more than just being nice!

Stuff like calling them by their first name, saying please and thank yous, be being proactive with your communication, and at the end of the day doing a really good scooping appointment.

All of these interactions a customer has with you they add up and you build rapport with them and it’ll increase the chance that that customer will hire you again in the future and better yet recommend you to their friends and family. Even if they’re asking you for a one-time clean, the customer experience will always matter.

I met a lot of new clients this year during the Spring Rush season and some of them they just wanted one time cleans and a lot of them were really impressed with what a poop scooping business can actually do for them. Or they reached out to me a couple months later and they had me clean up again whenever they needed to.

At the end of the day, you’re scooping dog poop.

It doesn’t sound hard but it’s a hard job and that’s why people want to hire you. So might as well do with a smile! Give your customers such a positive experience so they’ll always come to you whenever they need your help!

Question: Have you been making steady growth for the past few months or are you just happy and coasting with your route at this point?

That’s a great question!

I still work my full-time salary job, I do that during the day and then I do my scooping routes during the afternoon. It’s been pretty hard with daylight savings because now I have less time during the day to service all the customers that I have.

I currently have around 40 customers that I service on a weekly basis along with my apartment complex. So I’m not coasting! I have no plans to Coast! I love my day job and I love scooping and I love YouTube and my Blog just as much.

So who knows what’s going to happen but this business has been growing a lot for me this year and it’s pretty crazy to think how far it can actually get if I put more effort into it. Every single month I try to do some Facebook or Google ads so I can try to bring in new leads but I’ve gotten a lot of recommendations and referrals for my current customers telling me about their neighbors or a family member that needs help and that’s allowed me to grow my business.

Who knows what’s going to happen in 2023? all I know is I’m just going to keep scooping and we’ll see how far I’ll go!

Question: How do you get business? Facebook ads, door-to-door, walking into businesses? I’m currently running Facebook ads but wanting to drive more business.

Facebook and Google ads is probably the easiest way to get leads for your pet waste removal business but it’s also the most expensive. I’d recommend creating an Instagram account to start making social media posts on that platform, start using Facebook more and post on community groups that allows you to promote your business.

Another important thing you’ll want to do is create a Google listing for your business!

Just go on Google and type in “Google my business” and you’ll find a bunch of instructions on how you can actually get Google to list your business on their platform. But it’ll be one of the best ways you’ll land new customers because people will find you by typing into Google “dog poop pickup near me” and your business will pop up if you happen to be near them!

This is when it’s important to have some sort of intake form so customers can find your business and they just have to fill out some information so they can get a quote from you.

Because I use Jobber as my CRM, their intake form has helped me gather leads while I’ve been sleeping or while I’ve been out on the field scooping!

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.

Question: Do you give them copies of quotes or make them sign an agreement?

That’s a great question!

When I first started, I always used my Facebook business page and Venmo. I didn’t really have a terms of service that my customers had to agree to.

My first year of scooping, I had a lot of appointments where they would tell me it would be two to three months worth of dog poop and it was actually six months worth of dog poop. But because I gave them a flat rate, I didn’t have the courage or the balls to tell them:

Hey! you need to pay me more!

I lost out on a lot of money in my first year of scooping.

So now that I use Jobber, every time I send a brand new quote out I always request a deposit, typically 50% of what the quote is and I also send them a terms of service that’s attached to the quote so I’ve been able to save myself a couple of times whenever a customer comes back to me after I finish their appointment and ask me why I’m charging them more than I initially quoted them for.

I just show them the terms of service, all the costs that they agreed to and that’s worked so far! I haven’t had to send anyone to collections but fingers crossed!

Question: Are you planning to continue this in the future as a full-time source of Revenue?

Hell yeah I am!

Even though I worked my salary job, my scooping business has been growing a lot. If it gets to a point where I can’t manage both my salary job and scooping at the same time, like I really don’t know what I’m gonna do.

Whether that means hiring other people or quitting my job! I really haven’t even processed that decision yet because I’ve been so focused on paying down student loans, taking care of my mom, taking care of my daughter, taking care of my cats!

It’s been very hard for me to just let go, but yes one day I would like to take this full time and see what the future holds, you know?

Question: What if people have a front yard and backyard they want cleaned, would you charge double?

That’s also a great question!

It really depends on when was the last time their yard was scooped up and how many dogs they have. At the end of the day, walking through the yard is going to take time and if you have a lot of poop that needs to be picked up, that’s time and energy that you’re taking out of your day to service their property and you should be paid accordingly.

Because it’s your business, it’s up to you to decide how much your time is worth! I don’t know if you should charge double, a rule I typically follow is trying to charge at least a dollar a minute. All you can do is tell the customer it’s going to be extra for you to do the front and backyard and you have to decide that price, whatever is fair to you and to the customer.

And if they agree, great! And if they don’t, great!

Question: Do you typically invoice your customers monthly or weekly depending on service and what software do you use?

I use Jobber and I really like it because it allows me to set my customers up on automatic billing as long as I have a credit card on file. But to answer your question, this is something that I’m struggling with right now actually.

To me, I feel like it’s easier for customers to digest paying once a week instead of getting a really big bill that’s due at the beginning of the month.

However, transaction fees are real! I paid a lot of money this year on transaction fees and because I bill weekly I’m always getting dinged just a little bit on transaction fees, extrapolate that over hundreds and hundreds of scooping appointments, eventually you start paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars on transaction fees!

This is still something that I’m trying to decide what I want to do for the next year. In the long run, that’s something you should consider if you want to match maximize how much money you’re making and minimize how many fees you’re paying but I’m always going to lean on the customer experience. For some customers, it just might be easier for them to pay weekly instead of paying once a month and that’s a challenge I’m looking to overcome in 2023.

Question: Other than registering your business name do you really need an LLC or Commercial Insurance added to your business?

I 100% recommend getting yourself business insurance!

You never want to be in a situation where something happens and you’re liable because of either negligence or because of an accident. What would you do if a dog randomly escaped a yard while you were servicing them and they got hurt or killed?

That would really suck!

And if you’re not covered by Insurance, you might have to pay all of that out of pocket. What if you or one of your employees gets attacked by a dog and you have to go to urgent care and deal with prescriptions, shots, going to therapy for PTSD, and possibly getting a lawyer to review your options?

I know it might be hard when you’re starting your business but insurance really is one of the first things you should buy.

When it comes to creating an LLC, I didn’t do that. I created a DBA or doing business as and I’m sure there are some benefits to creating an LLC but at this time I’m still a DBA.

How long did it take to get your first customer?

I started my poop scooping business in December of 2020 by creating a Facebook business page. I found this GIF of a dog scooping his own dog poop and I used that post as a Facebook ad campaign. It took me about a week and a half after I started that ad campaign for me to land my first customer.

Question: Is this type of business worth it today due to Rising gas prices? Not hating, just curious because I noticed most jobs were 20 to 25 dollars meaning you’d have to do a lot of homes just to fill up your tank before making any profit. I have a bad lower back so I’m interested in this type of work since it’s lighter than masonry work?

At the end of the day this is your business and you can set your rates to however much you want. Especially if you’re very aggressive with where you target your ads! It goes back to the route density I mentioned earlier in the blog, the more customers you have that are closer to each other, the more scooping appointments you’ll be able to do in the same amount of time while you’re also saving on gas!

And with your one time or initial cleaning, you really should be charging extra to make that time worth it for you! I have some days on my routes where I have eight to ten customers all in the same area and I’m able to do all those appointments in two to three hours. So I’m spending less money on gas, I’m spending less time servicing those customers because I don’t have to drive as far and the more customers I build on that route the more cost efficient it’ll be for me in the long run.

And just so you know, I have scoliosis and chronic back pain. I totally get having a shitty back!

But if you scoop with the proper technique, you really don’t feel that much back pain other than like having to stand around for long periods of time and sometimes when you have really heavy bags full of dog poop that you need to throw away.

Question: Do you meet the dogs before your first service? I’m starting my poop scooping business soon but I’m afraid of any aggressive dogs I may encounter. Actually I was going to make it part of my policy to not allow dogs in the yard when scooping. I feel it’s just too much of a risk to have the dogs in the yard you never know what could happen as much as I love dogs I don’t want to be attacked or have to defend myself against one if it’s avoidable.

It’s true right? This is just one of the risks that you’ll have being a pooper scooper. I don’t ask my customers to meet their dogs before I service them. Sometimes a client will ask if you want to meet them, I usually just say yes because I love dogs!

It’s really fun to see who your client is!

Every time I go to a customer’s house, I’m being very proactive with my communication. They get an email the day before their appointment and a text message 30 minutes before I arrive and I manually send them a message saying “hey customer I’m on my way!” and I also tell them “hey customer I’m outside!” If I’m going into a yard that I know has a really aggressive dog, I do not go in that yard unless I get a written confirmation from the customer that I’m good to go.

It’s crazy but there’s been times where someone didn’t know that I was in the yard. They would just let the dog out and their dog would find me and immediately start charging at me and barking at me and snarling.

It’s really scary just being stuck in a corner with a dog being super aggressive.

You can tell when a dog is really aggressive and when a dog is just excited or nervous and they’re just like barking at you. I can deal with a dog just barking at me, it’s it gets annoying but as long as they’re not in the way and they’re not really bothering you barking is fine.

When you know that it’s an aggressive dog and they’re actively trying to nip at you or lunge at you, that’s not okay!

You just have to do whatever it takes to protect yourself.

Keep your rake and your shovel in between you and the dog. Don’t turn your back to the dog or expose your neck and just slowly try to back your way out of the yard.

If you want to add it to your policy, I think that’s a great idea. It helps you stay safe, it sets an expectation with your customers that their dog should stay inside. If accidents do happen, you have yourself covered because it’s in your terms of service that they agreed to.

Question: What about when it’s snowing? Do you postpone until the yard is cleared of snow?

For me I scoop all year long. Are their dogs taking a break during the winter time?

Are they hibernating? I’m pretty sure they’re still pooping.

If they’re still pooping, I’m still scooping!

If it’s completely covered in fresh snow, I might postpone their visit for a week or two to let the snow melt a bit but as long as it’s safe for me to drive I’m going to scoop their yard, even if it’s just one or two piles that you pick up that’s one or two piles you’re preventing the dog from accidentally bringing back and just making a bigger mess.

Sometimes you’ll have customers complain that paying you the full amount for their scoop, even though you weren’t able to pick up all the poop. In these types of scenarios, I just tell the customer that as long as there’s visibility in the yard without any snow or leaves I’m going to scoop what I can find. Anything that I can’t find will just get scooped up in the following weeks while the snow melts.

Most of the time, a customer is going to really appreciate you for coming out and scooping in the snow anyways. But if a customer is complaining to you about you not doing a full job because of the snow, that’s not a customer you want to keep in the long run and you should probably get rid of them.

If you’re liking this new question format, make sure you hit the like on this blog and let me know down in the comments below!

Question: Really thinking hard about starting a business which I’m not new to. Have years of residential home service experience but I’m the type who has my eye out for aggressive dogs. When servicing, do you carry any repellent spray or other items just in case?Have you ever been bitten or encountered a situation?The dogs are just doing their job protecting the backyard but no one wants to get bit.

Everyone always says their dog is friendly and they don’t bite you until they actually bite you.

Aggressive dogs are probably the worst part of being a pooper scooper other than actually picking up the dog poop. I’ve had many instances because of customer neglect or my own neglect where a doggie door was left unlocked and I’ll show up in the yard and then I’ll have a really angry dog like they just started barking at me and it’s it’s really really scary but some things that you want to keep in mind so you can avoid this at all costs.

One is be be proactive with their communication. Text your customer when you’re on the way and text them when you show up. If they don’t reply to you call them or send them another message asking them if you’re good to go in the yard or actually knock on their door if you know they have a really aggressive dog.

Do not put yourself in a position where you can actually get hurt! Even if you are proactive, accidents can happen!

You will have a situation where a dog confronts you. Whatever you do, don’t turn your back to the dog! Don’t expose your neck, don’t expose your back! Keep your equipment in between you and the dog and slowly back your way towards the gate.

If you want to bring repellent if that would help you feel better I recommend you do so or you can try something less aggressive like having some doggie treats or some dog toys in your pocket that you can like throw in the yard and distract the dog for a couple of seconds to give you enough time to escape the yard.

Just a couple weeks ago I had a situation where I was servicing a customer’s yard. I texted her, she texted me saying “hey let me know when you’re outside so I can put the dogs in”.

I get to her house and I text her “Hey I’m outside” and I don’t hear a reply.

I start going to the yard and I see the dogs are in their kennel. This isn’t the first time I’ve serviced their yard while the dogs are in the kennel so I thought I was perfectly fine. And I’m scooping for about 10-15 minutes and then out of nowhere one of their dogs escaped the kennel and started running right towards me.

I faced the dog, she was super aggressive barking at me tried to lunge at me a couple times but I just kept my equipment in between the dog and me.

The dog goes away and I’m like “okay I guess this dog is fine now” so I turn around and I continue servicing the rest of the yard and then out of nowhere I feel this dog bite me right on my ass! Literally on my left ass cheek! And this dog also jumped up and like nipped me right in the arm!

That was super scary, that was the first time I’ve ever gotten bit by a dog and you just feel all sorts of emotions at that point. You’re scared, you’re angry, you’re pissed off, you’re nervous!

I feel the bite, I immediately turn around I keep my equipment between me and the dog and like I slowly leave the yard.

I text the customer what happened like “hey your dog escaped the kennel and bit me really hard in the ass and on my arm”. I asked the customer if her dogs are up to date on their vaccines, and I went to Urgent Care to get myself checked out.

Luckily the doctor said that the bite that I had was more of a scratch and not a puncture so they didn’t have to prescribe me any antibiotics and they didn’t have to give me any shots but I got really lucky! It could have been a lot worse than just getting bit on the ass.

So long story short, I dropped that client. I had to file a claim with my business insurance.

I hope that story doesn’t dissuade you!

Because it’s just a risk in this line of work but 99% of the time all the dogs are going to be super friendly but worst case scenario if a dog is attacking you, you have every right to protect yourself at all costs. Even though it’s just a dog doing their job, getting hurt on the job will affect your bottom line and livelihood.

And you don’t want to have the physical or mental scars that will stay with you for a really long time, so do whatever it takes to protect yourself!

Question: how do you scoop diarrhea? If it’s on the grass or any flat surface you’ll smear it and if it’s on the gravel you’ll end up with a handful of rocks. thanks for your help!

I mean it’s pretty simple actually, like in those instances you have two options.

You can either one glove up and just pick it up with your hand. It’s going to be really messy, it’s going to be gross. Sometimes you do have to glove up to pick up some poop or you can try to cover it up with some dirt and some grass and try to Clump it up and it’ll be easier for you to grab onto with your rake.

Once you’re done scooping the yard, you want to let the customer know that their dog has diarrhea so they can get them checked out. Your customer is really going to appreciate you and sometimes you’ll actually really save a dog because they might have an underlining illness that their owners didn’t know about.

I know there’s a lot of new pooper scoopers out there!

If you want to keep learning and growing your business or if you want to get in contact with me, make sure you check out my youtube!

And I’ll see you on the next scoop!

And As Always, Acknowledge The Now. Bye!