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 THE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES

Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board Archives

Messages archived from the Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board, going back to May of 1998. The discussion board board is an online forum about the business of pet-waste removal. Browse the messages, CLICK HERE TO SEARCH by keyword, or click here to participate in current discussions.

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Page Ninety-Five

PET PICKUP
CELEBRATING OUR 10th SEASON
Sat Jan 12 15:51:50 2002


We are now officially into our tenth season of service. I look back at the road that we and myself have traveled and I just find it amazing that a business like this could turn out so good. I think the key factor for success in this business is perseverance and patience. Has anyone else hit the double digit mark or more?

Sincerely,

Kevin
PET PICKUP
MICHIGAN'S PREMIER DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICE PROVIDER
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Paul
Web Site
Sun Jan 13 00:54:31 2002


Can't get into your web site. Does it work anymore?
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PET PICKUP
WWW.PETPICKUP.COM
Sun Jan 13 02:26:23 2002


Paul,

Our website has not even been launched yet. We are still working on it as time alots us. I will let you as well as everyone else when it is up and running. We are working on alot of the website's functionality and legalities. It's coming soon.

Sincerely,

Kevin
PET PICKUP
MICHIGAN'S PREMIER DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICE PROVIDER
EST. 1993
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Pete
Re: CELEBRATING OUR 10th SEASON
Sat Jan 12 21:29:49 2002


Way to go. That's a BIG achievement!

Pete
PET BUTLER Dog Waste Removal Service
Serving Your Neighbors Since 1988
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MEL
CONRATS
Sat Jan 12 17:51:51 2002


All the best to you in your tenth year.HIPHIP HOORAY HAPPY SCOOPING MEL
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timdog
customer count
Sat Jan 12 20:51:27 2002


for those of you who have 100 + clients to clean every week, can you share how long it took you to sign that many? I am a very outgoing optomistic person (that can't spell without spell check). For someone who takes the things he learns and hits the pavement is 6-12 months an obtainable goal?

Tim doggie dog
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marco polo
probobly not
Mon Jan 14 01:14:12 2002


i'd like to say yes but i can not see the type of luck or bankroll that type of success would neccessitate being an option to humans. maybe somone else has experience to disprov my theory marco polo
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Dirty Joe
I raise my scooper to you! eom
Sun Jan 13 02:20:21 2002

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Neil/DoodyDude.com
SoCal Scoopers
Sun Jan 13 17:07:29 2002


Is there anyone in the San Dimas area?
I was contacted by a potential client.
40 unit apartment complex (7 dogs.)
If anyone is interested please contact
me at (310) 373-5453 or
doodydude@ix.netcom.com

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Dirty Joe
I can do San Dimas.
Mon Jan 14 21:26:49 2002


Hey Neil,
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Tim
more So Cal scooper info
Sun Jan 13 21:01:44 2002


San Dimas is a bit too far for me. (so far) Anyway, I just sent a bunch of Gift Certificates to the SPCALA Pet Telethon to be held next weekend on channel 9 in Los Angeles. If anyone calls outside my service area can I count on some other scoopers to honor the certificates? Might be able to obtain some permanent customers. I'll let you know.

Tim
Scoop Masters
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CA Mike
Re: more So Cal scooper info
Tue Jan 15 20:11:12 2002


Tim - As always, I'm ready to handle your Orange County leads. See you in Las Vegas this weekend.
Mike
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floyd P.E.T.S.
gift certs.
Tue Jan 15 19:21:24 2002


can you give me some more info on the gift certs. duration serv. days that kind of thing thanks and it sounds like a good idea floyd seres 949-637-0182
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Dirty Joe / Poo Nanny
I'm in too!
Mon Jan 14 21:25:43 2002
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pets floyd
so cal scoopers
Mon Jan 14 11:49:09 2002


what area are you in and what area will you not go ? thanks for thinking of us floyd
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neil
I'm in...EOM
Sun Jan 13 21:06:16 2002
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Stefani - Alameda Scoopers
good news and bad news article
Tue Jan 15 12:42:11 2002


Well, the wonderful feature article on my scooping biz appeared today in the local free paper, delivered to every house in my town. Great article, great picture of me and my dog and my scooping paraphenalia. (sp?)

Bad news? No contact information, although she did point out that my cards and flyers are available at coffeehouses and pet stores in the area.

Win some, lose some, I guess.

I called to put a classified ad in today, hoping to catch some of the momentum. The person taking the ads got a real bang out of it; she giggled throughout the process. I guess she's seen some sign, card, or flyer. Or maybe she read today's paper.

Stefani
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Yucko Debbie
so whats the big problem
Tue Jan 15 18:04:52 2002


so whats the problem.
do you have a business phone where new potential clients can call information or look in the phone book for your number
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Pooch Pal
Re: good news and bad news article
Tue Jan 15 16:01:27 2002


That's great Stefani! And don't fret about the lack of contact info. That's often the way it goes because they want it to be news, not advertising. But it will surely get you some business and make people have a connection to the article when they see your advertising. And even if it doesn't bring calls right away, it still will have an impact. Most people need to see something 7 or 8 times before they act on it, so keep your name out there.

Judy
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Stefani, alameda scoopers
So what's the big deal?
Thu Jan 17 13:27:35 2002


I'm not in a phone book -- I use my cell phone. So that's why they can't just call directory information and get me from the article.

But I did just place an ad in the same paper, and it is a great article.

Thanks, Judy, for your words of encouragement. I think it's invaluable exposure, if nothing else. Oh, and the article apparently didn't make the paper's website, either. Whatever.

Stefani
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Catherine
cell phone listing
Thu Jan 17 15:49:18 2002


Can you get a directory listing for your cell phone in your area? Where I live, there is a form you get from your cell service company that goes to your telephone company. It's not widely known about, so I had to speak with several people before I got the scoop. There is a $3.00 p/mo fee .. but it would get your biz listed. Check it out.
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Pooch Pal
Percentages
Tue Jan 15 17:49:33 2002


Would any of you who have client bases over fifty be willing to share what percentages the following make up, of your gross?

fixed administrative overhead

labor costs (and what you include beside wages/taxes if anything

advertising

variable costs (supplies etc.)

taxes

profit

vehicle maintainance/gas or if you pay mileage to employees

If you are, thanks very much, appreciate the input.

Judy
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Catherine
Pics from Vegas
Tue Jan 15 20:46:20 2002


Hey all you scoopers getting together this weekend in Vegas, remember to get a group pic and post it here for the rest of us. Have fun!
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minesweepers
cleanup pricing(chart?)
Tue Jan 15 21:39:05 2002


does anyone have a chart they use to help price clean ups.i have quoted a few on the phone and felt they should be more after i'm there.estimates are ok but when i'm busy it's hard to go once ,then come back again to actually do the job.plus if i don't get it i wasted a trip and 1/2 hour and gas.i could charge by the bag,but i don't think people would take a job without a definate price or at least a cap.So i wanted to make a chart or come up with a formula that would give the price uniformly and correctly each time.(ie; 3 dogs x 8 months = move out and forget about it) or something like that.what i need to know is what kind of scale do others use.

o.k red lets hear it

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Red
Re: cleanup pricing(chart?)
Wed Jan 16 00:28:35 2002


No cap ever, period.
Time it and charge per minute. Be professional and explain how fast and thorough you are. They'll sign every time.
It's simple.
-Red
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CA Mike
Congratulations to Erin - Dirty Work
Tue Jan 15 22:01:15 2002


Erin -
A customer of mine just showed me the article on you in the November issue of Entrepreneur magazine. Congratulations! It was a good write up. Hope it brings some new business to you.
Mike
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Anonymous
looked for an arkive of artical..........
Tue Jan 15 22:20:02 2002


the article on you in the November issue of Entrepreneur magazine but it was not listed, how long was it, can any can anyone post a link to it or scan it to a word document and paste it on the board for all to read
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Erin, Dirty Work
Re: looked for an arkive of artical..........
Wed Jan 16 06:56:53 2002


Everybody's Little Helper
You don't have to make things to make money. Just help people get things done and rake in the bucks!
By Nichole L. Torres
Entrepreneur magazine - November 2001

It is often said that it's better to give than to receive. Some of today's entrepreneurs might also say it's better to serve than to be served. Keep that principle in mind as you prepare to start a business, and you may discover that service-themed businesses are not only profitable, but also often overlooked.

The key to a successful service business is to offer something that's desperately needed—and often that's something you'd never think could be a business. Jayne Anne Harris and her sisters, Eloise and Mary Lou, discovered just how necessary the coat-check business is. As aspiring actors and singers, the Harris sisters worked the coat room at the famed Studio 54 in New York City. The company that provided the club's security also worked other events, and it soon asked the Harrises to run coat-check rooms at other soirees. "At first, it was a side job to pay our rent," says Jayne Anne, 46. "We tried a few, and it accidentally turned into a full-fledged business."

The trio officially started Coat Check Inc. in 1993. "There was a demand for it," says Mary Lou, 40. "There was a lot of work out there." These days, the sisters are busy year-round running coat checks at glamorous events—from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Ball to galas hosted by The New Yorker and Vogue—and annual sales are fast approaching $230,000. And while training their staffers to properly handle thousands of coats in one evening is no easy task, the mavens of Coat Check know it's all part of providing good service. "We keep it hospital corners all the way around," says Eloise, 42.

That kind of devotion to customers is integral to any good service business—whether it's caring for socialites' coats or something a bit more, shall we say, down-to-earth. Cara Brown, 28, and Erin Erman, 29, combined a desire to provide excellent service with a passion for dogs when they launched Dirty Work, a pooper-scooper service, in 1998.

The pair publicized their Atlanta business through fliers and ads in the local paper.
Getting the word out to people was the biggest challenge, says Erman. "[In our area], people had never heard that you could hire someone to scoop your yard," she says. Because Dirty Work is dependable and inexpensive, customers quickly grew to love their service. Erman and Brown recouped their $1,500 start-up costs in about six months, and sales have continued to grow.

Be it hobnobbing with the rich and famous or keeping pet owners' yards clean and fresh, serving can be the best way to receive—a profit, that is.

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Red
Congrats! Very Cool - Thanks for sharing Erin! - eom
Fri Jan 18 12:21:46 2002
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Pat - Tidy Pets Unlimited
RE: Erin
Thu Jan 17 17:33:31 2002


Hi Erin,
Way to go! Nice article and well written. This is the very first article I've ever read about a pooper-scooper business that didn't make a joke out of the business.
Best of luck and hope you get a lot more business.
Pat
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Erin, Dirty Work
Re: RE: Erin
Fri Jan 18 12:19:07 2002


Thanks Pat! Unfortunately, the article was out a couple of months ago and it didn't raise a bit of interest. HOWEVER, an old high school friend that I'd lost touch with saw it, and we've had a lot of fun catching up on the last 10 years.
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Red
I asked the same thing in Nov - no one answered - eom
Wed Jan 16 00:26:30 2002
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MINESWEEPERS
CHART (WHAT DO YOU THINK )
Tue Jan 15 22:30:35 2002


Last cleaning 1 dogs 2 dogs 3 dogs 4 dogs 5 dogs
1 month 35.00 40.00 40.00 45.00 50.00
2 months 35.00 40.00 40.00 45.00 50.00
3 months 35.00 40.00 40.00 45.00 50.00
4 months 40.00 45.00 45.00 50.00 55.00
5 months 40.00 45.00 45.00 50.00 55.00
6 months 45.00 50.00 50.00 55.00 60.00
7 months 45.00 50.00 50.00 55.00 60.00
8 months 50.00 55.00 55.00 60.00 65.00
9 months 50.00 55.00 55.00 60.00 65.00
10 months 55.00 60.00 60.00 65.00 70.00
11 months 55.00 60.00 60.00 65.00 70.00
12 months 60.00 65.00 65.00 70.00 75.00

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CA Mike
Re: CHART (WHAT DO YOU THINK )
Wed Jan 16 22:33:48 2002


MS - Interesting chart and interesting approach to the problem. I think it's overkill.

It seems that every new customer I get tells me that "I haven't cleaned up after the dog(s) for two or three weeks." Of course, I get to the house and discover it has been more like two or three months.

So, my first question is: how will you get them to give you an honest answer when you ask them how long it has been? They probably don't even know for sure.

My approach is to give a "soft" quote over the phone and hedge it by saying that I will give them a firm quote when I can see the problem. I have never had resistance when taking that approach. Then, if it looks like they are going to be a good cusotmer, I go light on the initial fee, knowing that I will make it up in the long run. And, of course, that is what I'm interested in.

I guess, then, I wouldn't try to use such a chart (even though I know that you put a lot of work into it). Hope that helps.

MIke
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Red
No Quotes - per minute with a minimum is my way - eom
Wed Jan 16 23:43:57 2002

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roxy music
noooooooooooooo!!
Wed Jan 16 09:56:46 2002


Please tell me you are NOT suggesting a charge of $75 for a years worth of product from FOUR mastifs.please. I always put my money on Red, if you know what I mean. Try $60 per hour and never sell yourself short. Obviously I try and put some spin on my pricing and give vague estimates unless client is persistent on getting over the phone, sight unseen quotes.
with love- bryan
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Anonymous
please explain chart
Wed Jan 16 01:47:54 2002
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Red
I'm sorry MS but what is that? eom
Wed Jan 16 00:25:12 2002

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MINESWEEPERS
NOTHING EVER WORKS OUT ,BUT YOU GET THE IDEA
Tue Jan 15 22:31:20 2002
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Anonymous
Re: NOTHING EVER WORKS OUT ,BUT YOU GET THE IDEA
Wed Jan 16 10:45:16 2002


noooooo i dont get it
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minesweepers
new chart(this may read easier)
Wed Jan 16 19:30:46 2002


Last cleaning 1 dogs 2 dogs 3 dogs 4 dogs 5 dogs
1 month 25.00 30.00 35.00 45.00 50.00
2 months 30.00 35.00 40.00 50.00 55.00
3 months 35.00 40.00 45.00 55.00 60.00
4 months 40.00 45.00 50.00 60.00 65.00
5 months 45.00 50.00 55.00 65.00 70.00
6 months 50.00 55.00 60.00 70.00 75.00
7 months 60.00 65.00 70.00 80.00 85.00
8 months 65.00 70.00 75.00 90.00 95.00
9 months 70.00 75.00 80.00 95.00 105.00
10 months 75.00 80.00 85.00 100.00 110.00
11 months 80.00 85.00 90.00 110.00 120.00
12 months 85.00 90.00 95.00 120.00 130.00

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the bomb squad
Re: new chart(this may read easier)
Thu Jan 17 12:15:28 2002


MS,
For those callers who want a price, I tell them my minimim charge and add that the price depends on their landscaping, how long it's been, that kind of thing and I can't give a firm price until I see their yard. The typical response is "if it's less than $60 just do it". But being an honest business person, I don't charge $60 if the job doesn't warrant it.

When I go to quote a yard I add on to the minimum charge for the following factors, which means extra time:

*size of yard--large yards start at double my minimum charge even if there's only 2 weeks worth cause it takes that long to walk the grid and check the whole yard.
*density--is it ground in to the grass?
*landscaping--poop in gravel/rocks/bushes? excessive pine needles/leaves?
*condition--is it old and powdery?

So I come up with a price and then add $20 because there's always more than I think there is!

Also, if it's a ex-client calling that dropped service to save money and now their yard is a disaster, double the price! If you don't they'll figure out that it's cheaper to call you every other month than pay for regular service. (I've learned this the hard way!)

Hope this helps!
~Melinda
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CA Mike
Re: new chart(this may read easier)
Wed Jan 16 22:36:20 2002


MS - see my response below EOM
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Red
ditto, bro! how about a one line explanation. eom
Wed Jan 16 23:41:59 2002
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Mel
chart
Wed Jan 16 21:44:45 2002


When new clients call I tell them that it start at $50.00 . AMEN HAPPY SCOOPING MEL
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Yucko Debbie
I think I know what your trying to do
Wed Jan 16 20:14:56 2002


Looks like you are trying to make a chart so when a potential client calls you have figure out what to charge since they haven't clean up in a while.

you getting a handle on it but forgetting certain variables.
One like the different season how they effect our business.

Summer time - grass cutting- some yards, not all do get effected so the charge should't be so much if you get my drift.
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ms
space it out to read
Wed Jan 16 19:31:22 2002
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