These MISTAKES will CRUSH your Pet Waste Removal Business

This industry was brand new to me, and I really had no context of how much I should charge for my scooping services. I tried doing research of companies in my area offering pet waste removal, and decided to set my weekly rates at prices I was comfortable with.

 

One mistake that held me back was the fact that I kept under charging myself for one time and initial clean ups. I would ask how long it’s been since the last cleaning, and quickly found out that people really suck at estimating how much poop is actually in their yard.

 

Since I gave them a flat rate when signing up, by the time I got to their yard and started scooping, I felt like it was too late for me to change the final price of the visit because I was too afraid about getting a negative review and didn’t want to upset my customers. Your word is your bond in business, and if you agree to a specific set of terms, it’s your obligation to keep your word as a business owner.

 

However, this really began to affect my bottom line because I would spend hours scooping a really dirty yard and not make enough money to justify my time and energy.

 

I overcame this mistake once I changed to charging by the bag for initial and one time appointments and setting my base price to at least $35-45 for the first bag. I guaranteed myself enough money to justify scooping their yard in the first place, filtered out the customers who weren’t willing to spend money on my services, and the more poop I scooped up, the more money I would make.

 

Bottom line, whether you want to charge by the bag, charge by the minute or have a flat rate, you decide what your time is worth and don’t under charge for your services. The worst they can say is no, and you won’t feel like someone is taking advantage of you.

 

And I was taken advantage a lot when I started. There are things you just don’t know until it’s already happening to you. I didn’t have a set of policies that my customers had to agree to before I scooped, and not having a terms of service written down was another mistake that really held me back.

 

There were many times that a customer’s yard was not maintained and I had to explore a jungle to look for piles. Or I’d have to wait up to 30 minutes because the gate was locked and the dogs were outside and I couldn’t safely service the property. Without having structure and a set of expectations my customers were required to follow, it affected my ability to provide consistent quality service to everyone on my route. I’d have to reschedule appointments because one yard is taking longer than expected and I wouldn’t be able to finish my route on time.

 

Think about the last time you ordered off a website and you expected the package to be delivered the next day and it arrived two weeks late. Or when the plumber didn’t show up to your house and you couldn’t use the sink for a few more days.

 

I bet that left a negative experience in your mind and you’re less likely to recommend that company to one of your friends. These kinds of experiences really add up over time, and just like word of mouth can have a positive effect on your business, it can also be the invisible weight holding your business down if your customer’s aren’t happy with your services and telling others not to work with you.

 

My Terms of service outlines exactly what my customers should expect with their scooping appointment, how I require payments to be made, the requirements that the yard should be maintained and their dogs secured safely inside otherwise I wouldn’t be able to properly service the yard. If there’s any disagreement or complaint I need to deal with, I have the terms of service to lean back on since they must sign and agree to them before I do any work.

 

The one mistake that really made me write up a terms of service was not paying attention to my surroundings and checking if it’s safe to go inside the yard.

 

One day I forgot to text a client that I was on my way because the yard before took longer than anticipated and I was in a rush. Halfway into my scoops, their dog found out I was outside and no one locked the doggy door so he came out charging and had me trapped in a corner.

 

I was hoping that someone would bring the dog inside, but after 5 minutes of getting barked and snarled at, I slowly backed myself out of the yard, and got out safely. Fortunately I did not get bit, but this is one of the risks you’ll have in this line of work. I got very lucky, but there are other scoopers who have the physical and emotional scars from getting hurt on the job.

 

Not paying attention and being safe is a costly mistake that WILL impact you. And if you are safe, accidents can happen and a dog could be let out because the client doesn’t know you’re in the yard. You could end up in the hospital for stitches or an infection and even nerve damage. That doesn’t include any follow up treatments and therapy you might have to do for anxiety and PTSD. Or the legal fees you’ll need to pay up front if you decide to take the client to court.

 

Since that incident, I do things a little differently.

 

I always make sure I communicate with my clients when I’m on my way, and if I haven’t met their dogs or I don’t feel safe in their yard, I require confirmation that the dogs are locked inside the house and I’m safe to service their property.

 

I don’t like scooping with headphones on because I want to pay attention to everything around me, but you can keep one ear plugged in so you have more awareness of your surroundings and can react as fast as possible if anything happens. It’ll also hold them liable since I have written confirmation that I can go inside.

 

Another mistake that held me back was not investing in technology once I had enough income through my business. For my first year as a professional pooper scooper, I managed all of my appointments through my Facebook business page and received payments via Venmo and cash. Even though this worked perfectly fine when I had around 20 weekly clients, I knew investing in systems to automate my workflows would let me scale my business and minimize doing the manual work that’s taking too much of my time.

 

After I finished my first year of scooping, I paid for Jobber which really helped kick start my business in the beginning of the year. The intake form was invaluable during the spring rush season as any potential customer could submit a request to me while I was out on the field, and I was able to quickly reply with a quote and request a deposit before I scooped them up. It also helped me once I started charging by the bag since it’s only a line item I needed to change depending on how many bags they used. Jobber also gave me the ability to save their cards on file and charge them once the visit was complete.

 

I also paid for a subscription to Nicejob to make one of the more awkward parts of the business easier for me to manage. I’m a huge introvert and asking someone to review my business was always very difficult for me. I always felt like I was begging, even when I did a kick ass job.

 

Using Nicejob, I now have a system that helps me gather reviews without thinking about it. I went from 14 to currently 63 5 star reviews, which is quadruple from what I started with. On average, customers read ten reviews before buying anything– and that’s why it’s more important than ever to grow your online reviews. So check out Nicejob if you’re ready to Level Up your business!

 

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.

 

The biggest mistake I’m still having with my Pet Waste Removal Business is the fact that I rely mostly on paid ads to gather new leads. Using Facebook and Google Ads is one option you have to bring awareness to your services, but I want to continue growing other funnels that can potentially bring more people.

 

Since paid advertising is getting more expensive with time, I’m participating in events conducted through my apartment association so I can get in front of more commercial businesses and property managers. It’s was super fun building out my booth and I’m going to keep sharing my experiences about these events so make sure you hit the subscribe to read those blogs as soon as I release them.

 

It also took me an entire year to get my business cards made, I still don’t have any shirts with my logo and I  don’t even have decals on my car yet.  Part of me is still not ready to bring that kind of awareness to my services.

 

Imposter syndrome is real, but I want to believe if I can overcome this then I can really start gaining even more customers. I also plan on promoting my loyalty program to my weekly clients, and reward them with free services for customers I get through their referrals.

 

Word of mouth is the cheapest and most effective way to gather new leads. I can spend the same amount of money on paid ads and not get a new sign up, or I can offer such an amazing service that my customers can’t help but tell their friends and family about me. And those people will tell their circle of influence, and the potential reach I can have grows exponentially.

 

And what’s the best way you can offer an amazing service? By clicking the next blog now to learn exactly what to expect with your scooping appointments.

 

And I’ll see you on the next scoop!