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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.

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 06-Jul-98 12:22:59

DooAway is rolling! ... We're rolling! We're DooAway, in Salt Lake City, Utah--the first and only in Utah!
Just for fun, I'd like to tell you all how we've gone about starting our business. Many, if not all, these ideas came from Matt and the rest of you out there:

On June 29 we put 3-line ads in several local papers, mailed 32 press releases to anything printed locally--even a bowling newsletter, and petitioned the county to get a mailing list of all licensed dog owners, dog's names included.

We've started talking to pet store workers, local vets, the folks down at the humane society, and the Parks Service. We leave a stack of flyers whereever we go, and many places post the flyers for us.

We just sent a proposal to the Parks Service to clean one local park (3 hours of work) for $100 per week--which we think is a bargain for them. (We're waiting to see if they think so, too.) If they bite, then we'll propose other parks. By the way, we proposed cleaning only six feet to either side of the main paths, where most of the mess is.

On July 4, we took on our first customer. Our goal is to grow our business by 20 customers per month from now to January. Then we'll pause to decide our next steps--grow more or stay small.

We charge $7 per week for one dog and $3 for each additional dog, with 20% seniors and assistant dog discount. We offer one free regular cleaning with sign up, and one free with each referral.

Our business costs to date have been approximately $85--about $32 for Matt's book (worth every penny and much more!), $28 for two scoopers, $15 for flyers, and $10 for a box of plastic bags. Of course, I haven't gotten the bills yet for the ads--they'll cost about $205 for the first month in 4 local papers. Then we'll see which papers do the most good and concentrate on those in the future.

After our tenth customer signs on, we'll get a separate phone line, get our business license (a little backwards and risky, but we want to be sure we're going to succeed before putting out another $70), and business cards. Right now, I make our flyers at work, where I'm charged $.02 per copy, so I'm not stressed about not having business cards yet. We drew a logo (which I'll attach once I get it scanned) for our business cards, flyers, and truck signs, which we'll have made after the 20th customer signs on.

Our spiel to new customers will run something like this:
After the phone greeting, we ask "Where did you hear about us?"
Then we say, "Let me tell you a little about our service."
"We clean your yard weekly of all dog waste, bag it and take it away with us, saving you from ever having to think of it again. Our service eliminates smelly, unsightly, and unsanitary waste build-up, and we'll even keep an eye out for unsusual stool that might indicate a health risk in your dog. We bill monthly, and we guarantee the quality of our service." (Simple, huh?)
From there, it'll just be a matter of getting the rest of the information from them.

I hope this information contained a new idea for someone out there. Cheers!

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 07-Jul-98 11:02:43

Re: DooAway is rolling! ... Wow, Linda; sounds like you're really getting started off right! I hope you'll keep us posted as your business grows.
If you'll email me with your DooAway's contact information I'd love to add your business to the International Directory so that people in your area can find out about you on the internet.
And thanks for your great post. You sure shared a lot of information that will be helpful to many others.

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 07-Jul-98 15:38:04

Re: Re: DooAway is rolling! ... Thanks, Matt.

Here's our address, etc.

DooAway Yard and Kennel Waste Removal
625 S. Salt Lake City, UT 84102
(801) 582-2725
dooaway@hotmail.com

Owners:
Linda Schneider
Lori Hooker

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 20:11:48

Re: DooAway is rolling! ... Hi there -

Congratulations on your new venture. With respect to your writing, "we'll get a separate phone line, get our business license (a little backwards and risky, but we want to be sure we're going to succeed before putting out another $70":

I understand that school of thinking, and did the same thing myself on the business I opened prior to my scooping business (which we'll be announcing shortly). If you haven't already done so, you may want to call and get the exact information about the penalties you could face if you do not have a business license first. What I didn't know in my other business was that by getting the business license, I was properly registering with all the city, county, and state taxing authorities. It varies of course, but when the city of Atlanta and Uncle Sam found out somehow, and I ended up paying over $2,000 in penalties (not just tax-related penalties, either). And I was lucky versus what I might have paid (I also got them to waive the interest). So you see that my attempt to save $75 didn't work out so well. Things were much tighter financially when I had to come up with two-grand than when I had to come up with $75!

So this time around, I got my licenses, registered the business name locally and nationally, etc. etc. Live and learn, as they say :)

Good luck,
Erin

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 07-Jul-98 18:26:11

Pricing ... Can someone give me some suggestions for pricing. I think my prices are too high. My company is based in Southern California. Also, any suggestions for building my client base?? Thanks!

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 12:15:44

Re: Pricing ... I charge $6.00 for 1 dog and $4.00 for each additional dog.

i hope this helps

don

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 21:41:51

Re: Pricing ... I tell everyone that I have the lowest prices in the State, or for that matter the USA.
Perhaps I am too low.

$5.50 for the first dog...$1.00 for each additional dog. With discounts for those over 60. and the disabled.

I wish we can have every one post their prices.

i.e. Dr. Doo Litter (Johnson County, Kansas)
(1) First dog $5.50, $1.00 each additional.

this way we can get an idea of the prices via whom and state.

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 11:51:19

Re: Pricing ... I've seen very successful services with prices ranging from $15/month to $15 per visit for one dog. I think one of the biggest hurdles for new business-people to get over is the fear of charging an adequate price.
Pricing is an interesting subject, often hard to understand, even somewhat mysterious. :) Sometimes a higher price can produce a greater number of sales, for instance.
When I first priced my service, I tried to figure out as closely as I could how long the work would take, then I figured out what was the very least amount of money that would make it worthwhile to me to do the work, and I made that my lowest discounted price. It turned out to be a pretty good deal for me and my customers liked it, too. When costs increased over time, my prices increased some, too.
Price is part of your company's identity, or image -- otherwise known as "position" in marketing language. In my business, I didn't want to be the lowest priced service (well, as long as I was the only one, I guess I was the lowest ). I had one competitor who priced his service a little less than mine; if he would have raised his prices too close to mine, I'd have raised mine just to keep a position of "premium service."
So, there's no such thing as one best price, in my opinion. Price is part of your total strategy, position, image in the market.
Of course, you need to charge enough to cover your expenses, and there are many expenses that you don't immediately think of. You need to be prepared for vehicle breakdowns; you might have to rent a truck for a week, for instance. And you'll want to make enough profit so that you'll still be motivated to work when things are not going well and the weather is terrible. You don't want to go to all this work and expense just to make a few dollars an hour, after all.
On the other hand, too high a price could make your service unaffordable for a lot of people who otherwise could be profitable customers.
It's kind of a balancing act. Ideally, the best way to set prices is to test various prices. (But that can be expensive, and maybe a little awkward if some customers find that others are getting a lower price.)

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 11-Jul-98 00:17:03

Re: Pricing ... Depending on the number of dogs I go as follows:
once weekly for 1 dog is $7.70, twice weekly is $11.55, every other week is $12.95

For 2 dogs its: once weekly $11.20, twice weekly is $16.80, Every other week is $18.20

For 3 Dogs its: once weekly $14.70, twice weekly $20.30, every other week $23.45.

For 4 dogs and up it just depends on how I feel at the time!!!!!!!

That my seem high to some, low to others but the wife figured this out. See if everyone else can.


Frank

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 25-Jul-98 17:34:06

Re: Pricing ... I'm based in Southern California, and my charges are not necc based on the number of dogs. Size of yards/pain-in-the-butt factor of yard (I have one that's fenced & goes up the side of an incredible hill, costs more) combined with quantity of dogs, sometimes, but generally a flat fee is charged for all yards.

$5.00 per visit is the starting point, 10% discount for senior/disabled/etc (some of my favorite clients are people who use guide dogs).

The prices work up from there, based more on how long it takes for the yard. As an aside, the easiest yard I have is a woman who - for whatever reason - doesn't like her cat litter in her trash. She puts it to the side of her trash bins once a week, I drive up and throw it into the truck and drive off...

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 18:55:49

Feeling Discouraged ... We have been in business since March. We have about 46 or 47 customers. We seem to have slowed down. We have been on the front page of 2 papers, on the radio and TV. We pass out flyers to vets, pet stores etc. We are doing direct mailings. My husband's truck has been lettered. Am I expecting to much to soon? How long did it take anybody out there to build up a client list? Any ideas??? HELP!
Please reply.

Thanks,

Barbara

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 19:43:11

Re: Feeling Discouraged ... I guess discouragement and success are relative -- Starting brand new in March and having 46 customers already seems pretty good to me. It took me longer than that to reach that many customers.
(I've also been corresponding with another new startup who's been discouraged. I think she would be jumping for joy if she had that many customers.)
In my experience things do slow down a bit in the summer. Then there's another period of picking up new customers in the fall, and then it stays fairly steady again in the winter. For me, the biggest time for new customer sign-ups begins in late February and runs through May.
I have tried increasing my spending on marketing in the summer, but the best thing was to serve the existing customers as well as possible and hang in there, taking advantage of the fall and spring busy seasons to build up the customer list.

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 21:35:18

Re: Feeling Discouraged ... 47 customers since March.....I think that is good!! Set an objective such as two new customers a week. I have a question....What method worked best for you? Like out of the 47, which method worked best for you? Ads? Flyers?

Keep the good work up Dr Doo Litter

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 23:42:06

Re: Feeling Discouraged ... I started in late February/early March of this year also. I have four (4) customers so far (that is not a typo). I wish I had your problems!

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 00:41:21

Re: Feeling Discouraged?!!! ... Barb,

FEELING DISCOURAGED? ...and with 46 only?
Then let me just say this:
You are an inspiration that this works!! Thank you! Be encouraged!

Wil ( Scooperman)

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 20:29:35

Competition ... I was recently asked about competition. I do belive that it's a great advantage to be the very first service in your area, especially if you remain the only service of its kind for several years and can build up a "top of mind" awareness in the region.
However, there are some cities that are now supporting as many as four or more such services (and of course, there's always room for someone who's going to do things better).
Here's the answer I sent to the person who asked me the question:
I used to get a little worried about other people starting up scooping services, but eventually I learned not to be too concerned about it. Most of the time, they didn't last very long. Another illustration of the importance of persistence. :)
A couple of the other services did stick around, but you know what? Instead of "taking business away" from me, I discovered that these guys actually increase the total market for all of us. That is, their advertising and marketing contribute to the general acceptance of the whole idea by the public. More people hear about the idea, and they hear about it more frequently and in more places. So it promotes the concept in general.
Think of it this way... if you see just one person offering something you've never heard of, you may think it's a cute idea, but kind of eccentric. But if you see two or three different companies in different parts of town, and see their ads more often over a period of time, you start to think, "Oh, yeah... I've seen those services around for quite a while now."
This is especially the case, I believe, in a brand new concept, where it's going to take many years before everybody even knows about the existence of such services.
You may even get some customers who previously tried the other guys and had an unsatisfactory experience with them.
Competition is not a bad thing. :)

Matthew

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 20:59:45

Re: Competition ... Hi Matthew,
I received your information about the competition
and can't help but agree that it can be a good thing.
The competition I was referring to was very low
key as I had never heard of them until viewing a
classified ad section of a website for our area.
No one else has mentioned them and if I think about
it I can use that as an incentive to let others
know that I know of another person in the area
doing it so it is'nt all that strange or unheard of.
Anyway, your expertise is appreciated and many thanks
again for your encouragement to everyone!!

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 21:07:06

Scooping question ... We've just recently learned that our city bi-laws
require we purchase a $300 waste removal license.
Not good! We've decided to leave the waste at
the customers home in their garbage of course.
(when we get customers that is) Anyway, has any-
one else ran into this problem and if so, how
do you handle the waste? Do customers have a
problem if after cleaning it up you dispose of it
in their garbage? It would definitely alleviate
that license fee. We just hope it won't ruin
our business not taking it off the premises. HELP!!
thanks for suggestions all!!

Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 09-Jul-98 13:18:35

Re: Scooping question ... Get Matthew's book for the answer to this and much, much more (Matthew did not request that I say this, I have not and never will be paid for saying this.) The book is really inexpensive and very valuable. Time and time again it is obvious that people posting questions here want free hand outs. Make a sound business investment -- invest in Matthew's book! It will really help you more than you will expect.

Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 19-Jul-98 01:22:23

Re: Re: Scooping question ... "Take it or Leave it?" is a section on pages 79-80 of Matthew's book.

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 00:35:16

Re: Scooping question ... Have not had the same problem here. Only had to register for a city liscense to run a business, and then they said we could dispose of it in the trash dumpsters in the back lanes like everyone else does when they clean their yards.

Yes, it would be tough to use the angle "Pet waste REMOVAL" which also means to take the doo-doo out of their yard and out of their life - as well.
I think that this really convinces folks that they need the service.
I wish I had some advice. I don't know how I could start up at those costs!!
I share your burden...

( .....over to you, Matt ! )

Wil

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 11:06:36

Re: Scooping question ... I know that a $300 fee would certainly have hindered my own startup, so I can certainly empathise with you on this point!
I know that some services do quite well without taking the waste away from the premises, so that's certainly an option you can consider. It would also make things a lot easier for you. As you know, I personally favor the "total service" approach, if you can possibly do it.
You should probably talk to whoever is in charge of enforcing the requirements of the waste removal license, and get a copy of the regulations so that you can be sure of the details. When I started, there were no regulations about it in my area. Then they passed some licensing and other regulations and we had to comply with those-- until we used another waste hauler to take our waste to the landfill for us. When we weren't actually going to the landfill ourselves, we were no longer covered by the waste-hauler regulations. So you might be able to get a trash service to haul the stuff for you, or make other arrangements. $300 a year isn't very much once you have even several customers, so maybe you could start without taking away the waste, and then add the service later. Of course, that would be a good occassion to send out a news release, too. :)

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 01:44:34

Mattew's book is my Bible! ... Howdy from "Big D"! Soon to be much cleaner! This is my first e-mail ever. I just bought this computer to help me get this awesome opportunity off the ground here in Dallas. After spending a couple hours reading this message board, I still have a some questions: 1. Ever tried a 10% or 15% discount for 6 or 12 month prepaid services? 2. How about leaving the invoice at the customer's house after a cleaning rather than spending the time and money to mail it? 3. Bonding - Is it even a factor to people? 4. Commercial accounts! It seems to me and my buddies that apartment communities are were the money's at. Matthew justifies the cost very well in his book which by the way is worth 20 times what he's charging for it. Has anyone really gone after this area? 5. There has been a pooper scooper co. in Dallas for 10 years now. Know anything about them? I'm planning on leaving a very nicely paid and prestigious job to persue our calling. - keep me in your prayers! - Red

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 10:21:37

Re: Mattew's book is my Bible! ... Hey red sounds like your on the right track there. I offer a 12 week cleaning for the price of 10, seems to be going well. I am reaching out to the Apartment complexes here and have not gotten alot of bites yet but i feel this may be a way to go. Leaving the invoice sounds good instead on mailing. I have not even been asked if i was bonded, Yet. Have a great day and keep a scoopin! Don

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 10-Jul-98 10:49:02

Re: Mattew's book is my Bible! ... Thank you for your kind words about the manual. :) Best of luck in your new business, too!
I'll try to give my view on some of the questions you ask -- and I look forward to the answers from other scoopers, too.
<<1. Ever tried a 10% or 15% discount for 6 or 12 month prepaid services?>> I've used discounts for prepaid services several times, with good results. You get a little less money, but the cash up front can really be a lifesaver when cashflow is a problem. You do have to remember that you won't have that money coming in in the months following the payment, though. And you have to keep track of any days you might miss because of weather or other interruption, and add those days on to the end of the paid period. I got good response rates when I used a coupon that looked like a fancy certificate on parchment paper and emphasized the total dollar amounts the customer would save.
<<2. How about leaving the invoice at the customer's house after a cleaning rather than spending the time and money to mail it?>> The fastest way to invoice people, in my experience, is to send a bill in the mail once a month. If you are billing after each service, it might be better to leave the bill at the door, but I preferred to send the bill monthly. Leaving the invoice on the door also has other problems associated with it: the bill might blow away or get lost; it also acts like a flag to let anybody driving by that nobody is home. Filling out the invoice for each visit takes a little extra time, which adds up. If you have 30 customers and take an extra 2 minutes to make out the invoice, that's an extra hour for the day. If you knock at the door and wait for people to answer, that could be another five minutes at each job.
<<3. Bonding - Is it even a factor to people?>> Especially considering the fact that you don't go inside houses, bonding probably isn't a factor to a lot of people. It will be a factor to some, though. Bonding is really a form of insurance, though, so many people will feel good when you tell them you have business insurance... if you have it. Another confidence-building technique is to join the Better Business Bureau when you are eligible. The whole issue of bonding is really a matter of confidence, so things like a neat appearance, clean trucks, reliablility all contribute to putting the customer at ease. Having said all that, you might go ahead and check with your insurance agent about bonding... it could be a cheap way to help build your credibility.
<<4. 4. Commercial accounts! It seems to me and my buddies that apartment communities are were the money's at.>> There are different ways to look at it. I don't think there's much likelyhood that you'll make the same hourly revenues on commercial jobs as you will doing residential work. But commercial jobs can contribute a lot of hours. That is, you might get $400 a month for a job that takes 18 hours a month; those same hours could generate $600 or more if you were doing regular houses. But if you don't have all the residential jobs that you could handle, the commercial work certainly brings in extra work and money. Commercial work certainly presents some interesting challenges, and I think it's a definite need waiting to be filled. My own experience in the area gives me mixed feelings, as you can tell. :)
<<5. There has been a pooper scooper co. in Dallas for 10 years now. Know anything about them?>> The oldest one I know if in Dallas is Pooper-Scoopers of Dallas, Inc. I talked to Greg Grinnan about a year after he started it, which was 1986 or 87, I believe. Greg told me he spend about $10,000 starting up, and had about 300 customers after a year. He sold Pooper-Scoopers a few years ago. The last couple of times I tried to contact the company I couldn't manage to get in touch with anybody, so I'm not quite sure of their present status.

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 11-Jul-98 07:53:47

Re: Mattew's book is my Bible! ... Hey Red- We at Have Doggie, We'll Doo do give a 10% discount to a year in advance. The reason for only 10% is that our prices are not that high.As
for leaving invoices at the clients home, we have done that when it is requested. We on the other hand feel that for the proffessional image we prefer to send them. Yes it can get costly but we do have that included in our budget. The same goes for x-mas cards, get well to the doggie cards, newsletters, and any other information we want the client to have. When your doing mass
mailings there are discounts.
BONDING?? What are you talking about? Bonding with the dog or client. If it is with the client we have found that the best way to keep in touch with our clients as we have grown and do not always personally talk with each and every client monthly as when we were small is through a newsletter. We keep them up on policy changes, billing changes, new workers( with pictures), Our newsletter is very well recieved and not only is used for clients, past clients but is also modified every other month to be placed at vets, groomers, pet stores, etc. It does bring us new clients and keeps our relationships with the other business owners ongoing. If it is bonding with the dog then we keep our relationships with the dogs by knowing each dogs name, sex, and sending b"day cards, holiday cards and treats.
We not only give treats but products for our clients to try.
We only use NON-TOXIC, EARTH FRIENDLY products and that includes any treats, biscuits or cookies that are sent. Our treats and food are made with PESTICIDE free grains.
Our web-site will be up and running next week at
www.petneeds.net
We will also be starting a National Proffessional Pet Waste Remover Association shortly with. It is taking some time to get all forms, price list, etc. toghether.
But we will have products, Marketing pieces, treats, newsletters and a great deal more as time goes on.
Yes we also do commercial accounts and the cost to the client is much greater. We have found that when dealing with property managers and associations that you need to have an extremely tight program and proffessional marketing pieces
put together. We hired an Advertising agency and you will be able to see our international award winning marketing pieces. Sorry though at this time NO ONE may use them as we paid a high price and they are copyrighted, servicemarked.
We will in the future be selling to other canine waste removers marketing pieces that are four color. They will just take them to there local printer and have there name printed on.
I have gotten off track though. We now service 35 commercial accounts a week and have never missed a day in 7 years.
I have heard from a few places in the dalls-Ft.worth area. You may also call at 1-888-5-4PICKUP
GoodLuck in your endeaver.
BELEIVE in your self!!

Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 12-Jul-98 23:05:01

Talking About Other Companies... ... Today I had a new customer call, seems there is a new company in St. Louis call Happy Tails.
They told the customer we were over price...
Does not sound like good business, it to bad we could of work together....... and they lost a new customer

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 13-Jul-98 01:26:04

Re: Talk: Professional Courtesy/Competition ... Ouch -- a sometimes touchy subject, but important for all of us.
In many cities there are two or more dog waste removal services; some areas even have several services. Ours is such a new concept in services that our markets are all still growing. There is room for more than one company.
It's always better to promote one's own abilities and benefits on their own merits, rather than making disparaging remarks about about others. It will be only natural that the different companies will have certain differences: prices, days of service, details of operations, uniforms, refund policies, contracts, etc., etc.. None of these differences is necessarily good or bad in itself. It is for customers to decide what total package of features and benefits they most desire.
Of course, one should emphasize the good points of his or her own offer. And you might even answer certain very general questions about the other services, even provide the prospect with the other guy's phone number if they want to compare. But mostly, let the other person speak for his or her own services, any you talk about yours.
It's good to know how the other business operates, and to use that knowledge to improve one's own business. But judgement calls like whether the other guy is "overpriced," for instance, or "inexperienced," or "unproven," should be left up to the prospects and customers to decide for themselves.
I'm generally uncomfortable with conflict, myself, and I'd hate to see enmity between fellow pooper-scoopers. I've communicated with many people in the business, both old hands and newcomers (including both of the businesses in this instance) and I truly believe that different people with different approaches and policies can all do business and satisfy their respective customers, without hard feelings or negativity.
As Yucko's points out, unprofessional conduct, or even simple carelessness in talking about others, usually loses more customers than it gains.

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 13-Jul-98 08:35:46

directory info needed ... I just started my business (PooP b Gone) which is located in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. I would like to add PooP b Gone to the list of Pooper Scoopers Services in the U.S. directory. How do I go about that? Please advise.

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 14-Jul-98 10:13:03

Re: How to submit directory listing ... To submit a listing for the International Directory of Dog Waste Removal Services, send your service's business name and contact information to Matthew Osborn either by email (send email to MatthewR3@aol.com), regular letter mail (Matthew Osborn, P.O. Box 132308, Columbus OH 43213), or telephone voice mail (614-231-4101).
Be sure to include at least the city and state where your business operates, the name of your business (or your own name, if that's the name you're using for your service) and the telephone number for prospective customers to call for information or to arrange for service.
Other information you may include are: your business address, FAX number, email address, URL of a website, name of the owner of the business, a slogan, prices, how long you've been in business, the geographic area your business serves.

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 13-Jul-98 11:35:32

Introduction, suggestion, question ... Hello everyone-

#1) We are pleased to announce our new pooper-scooper business in Atlanta, DirtyWork™ Dog Waste Removal Service. We request to be added to the directory. Our particulars are:

2221 Peachtree Rd. NE
Suite D-632
Atlanta GA 30309
Phone: (404) 876-9333
Fax: (404) 876-0808
email (temporary) dirtywork@eudoramail.com
Web: (up later this week) www.dirtywork.net

#2) With respect to saving $$ on advertising and start-up fees, I might suggest joining up with your local Sam's Club/Price Club, etc. If you go to the "special order" section near the check-out, most Price Costco companies also sell magnetic car signs (only $45 for a pair! I bought two pair, so I could throw one on the back of my van, and keep the 4th one as a 'spare') with unlimited color text, 4 lines, choice of fonts, et cetera. Also, they sell customized banners, t-shirts and so forth. The membership fee (usually around $30) is very 'do-able' if you split the membership with a friend, neighbor or peer. My neighbor and I split the fee, I have the card, and she comes shopping with me once or twice a month. Not a bad deal! Also, you can get the requisite 'pooper-scooper' supplies (paper towels, trash bags) cheaply.

#3) Viking Office Products sells business cards very cheaply, and do a good job. Their # is 1-800-421-1222. For about another monrth, you can get 2 color, good stock paper (white or ivory) for $32 for 1,000 cards. The same for 500 cards is $27 (it obviously makes sense to go for the 1,000 cards...)

#4) The 1-800 number listed previously for Pacific Northwest Beauty Supply (disinfectant) does not seem to be correct. I got some individual's answering machine. Does anyone have a more recent number, or area code so I can try information?

Regards,
Erin Erman

Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 19-Jul-98 01:29:29

Re: Introduction, suggestion, question ... Thanks for the tips! As to #4 -- the 800 # for Pacific Northwest Beauty Supply is on page 36 of Matthew's book. -Rob

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 21-Jul-98 10:56:57

Re: Introduction, suggestion, question ... I went to Sam's club and checked out the special order section for the magnetic signs you spoke about. I looked for the company's name; I believed you called it Price Costco. I can't find anything like that at the Sam's where I live. Do you have there phone number or address? I really need to get a pair of magnetic signs ASAP and they are the cheapest so far. If anyone else knows about this company or where I can get some pretty cheap signs (but still look good), please respond. thanks!

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 22-Jul-98 09:51:34

Re: Re: Introduction, suggestion, question ... Hi there-

Here is all the infor I have on the magnetic signs at Sam's Club:

Phone: 800-304-2266
Fax: 800-878-6247
Email: reliant@gte.net

3-5 business days for delivery.

Hope that helps!
Erin

Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 23-Jul-98 08:46:37

Pacfic Beauty Supply # Enclosed ... 1 800-944-0008. This is the latest number I have for them I hope it helps