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DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
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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:
Sunday, 26-Jul-98 11:55:02

Getting rid of it? ... I'm taking an Entrepreneurship course in college, and I have to develop a business plan, so I decided to do one on the "Pooper Scooper" business. My research is going so good that I am actually considering to start this business. I just have a few questions to help me get over a few sketchy questions. My partner and I were thinking of leasing a truck, pick up the waste, put it into plastic buckets, then bring it to the sewage treatment plant to get processed. Now if we decide to send it to the plant, it has to be in a semi-solid form, and it would cost 4 1/2 cents per gallon to dump it. Is there a better way of doing this, especially since it is highly recommended to use bags (I'm not going to start emptying littly bags!!!)

Also, I was wondering if there is any way of processing the waste into a form of fertilizer? Then, we would like to sell it (or will I have to do more research on this subject?).

Thanks for your help!

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Aug-98 09:37:15

Locations ... Hello,

I have not started the pooper scooper business yet, but ordered Matthews book and am looking forward to getting started. I did have a question about keeping flyers just to one local. Say if you get one customer in one area and another 40 miles east or west of that area, do you price accordingly to your time spent traveling .Or do you have any ideas. Appreicate any input.

Thanks,

Glo

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Aug-98 13:14:57

Re: Locations ... My own opinion on this question is that it's better to define your service area and charge uniformly within that area. I would divide the total area into different zones and service those zones on certain days of the week in order to avoid driving all over the county on one day, though.
I try to make it as simple as possible for the customer to decide to buy from me, so I would publish the prices schedule in my ads; then they know what the service is going to cost them and they can pretty much make their decision to buy even before they call me. I try to see the service from the customer's point of view. As far as the customer is concerned, it's irrelevant how far you have to travel. They just want to know how the service works and what it will cost.
By the same thinking, I also wouldn't alter my prices according to how many people in an area are current clients. That is, suppose you have to drive a long way, but you have 5 customers in the same neighborhood once you get there. As opposed to driving a shorter distance but having just one client in that neighborhood. It's another variable in your costs, but the customer doesn't care about that... and it will be changing all the time. Similarly I wouldn't vary charges by size of yard, size of dog, type of surface the poop is removed from, etc., etc..
Of course, it's your own business; and part of the joy of owning your own business is that you can make your own decisions about things like this. :-) I know that some service owners have a different point-of-view on this question, and I hope they'll contribute that to this interesting topic, too.

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 14-Aug-98 14:50:41

Re: Locations ... I'm interested in entering this business in Illinois. You mentionede a book by a "Matthew",
where can I get it?
Also I haven't seen anything in any advertisement concerning how far the poop is removed. Do you take it with you or bag it and leave it in their carbage??
Stu
skaufman@inil.com

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 15-Aug-98 10:28:59

Re: Re: Locations ... Hi Stu, I'm Matthew Osborn; happy to meet you. :)
More than 10 years ago I started with very little money, working between two jobs, and began to build a dog waste removal service in Columbus, Ohio. Everybody told me it was a crazy idea.
But I hung in there, and little-by-little kept growing the company. Through using an old Honda Civic, to junky pickup trucks, then to a fleet of 6 nice Toyota trucks driven by 7 employees (including a full-time manager). We were serving more than 650 customers each week as of the first of this year, when I transferred the business to my employee-manager. It's still growing, in fact.
As people began to learn about this unusual business, I was receiving many requests for information. People wanted to know how they could start a business like it for themselves. So I compiled my 10 years of successful growth into a complete and detailed startup guide, called "The Professional Pooper-Scooper: How to start your own low-cost, high-profit dog waste removal service."
The book is not available in stores, but you can buy it directly from me. There is a ton of information about the book, and more general information about the business, at the Professional Pooper-Scooper Service Information website: http://www.pooper-scooper.com.
I can also send information by mail; just send me your name and address, or leave the information for me on the phone at 614-231-4101.
The book costs $31.95, which includes postage in the USA.
As for how far the waste is removed: in my service I would always take the waste away with me. Many others do it this way, too. But some services bag the waste and leave it in the customer's trash cans, and they do well and have satisfied customers.
So it's something you can decide what works best for you and your clients. Maybe you could even offer it both ways, with a small extra charge for hauling it away.

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Aug-98 19:44:43

Truckin' ... Well, one step closer to making this a professional looking venture from the outset. Made a deal for a 1980 Ford Courier truck. Traded a one carat diamond ring for it, actually. Just a ring I bought a couple of years ago on a whim, so it had no real sentimental value attached to it. Anyway, it got me a truck, so now I won't have to try and stuff bags of dog poop into the trunk of my much nicer Plymouth. Now to get my magnetic signs ordered. Just goes to show you what can be accomplished with a little ingenuity and determination.

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 05-Aug-98 22:25:14

Sorry about Wednesday nites, folks... ... To all those that have been eagerly waiting to chat at Delphi on Wednesday nites -- sorry about my hosting problems. It appears that my system did not set up the chat room properly. I have invited all of the scoopers from the message board and more! I hope to get this thing right in Marty's absence...try for next Wednesday?

Wil

Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 06-Aug-98 18:47:13

Bark In The Park ... Hey Everyone!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a couple of things going on in my part of the world. Anybody ever hear of PETA? The people for the ethical treatment of animals. Well the headquarters is based here in Norfolk,Va. They are having a Yard Sale for Animals. They will let me know tomorrow if they will let me pass out flyers. We'll see. Also The Chesapeake Humane Society is holding there second annual "Bark in the Park". I'm sure you can guess what is about. It is from 12:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. They are expecting around 3000 people give or take 1000. It will only cost me $40.00 to rent a booth. I'm thinking about giving away one free pickup and maybe a one month free pickup with a 6-month commitment. Maybe a free one week pickup with a payed referral. If anybody can give me some feedback I would really appreciate it. I still have my one customer. I called her today to confirm tomorrow and she told me she was thinking about me cuz she stepped in it (wearing her leg cast from breaking her leg awhile back). Well, I'll talk to you guys later. Hopefully (Wil) we will talk Wednesday. Oh almost forgot Neighborhood mag did an article on me. They did not put my phone number in it and said that I place flyers in mailboxes. I can't do that it's illegal. See Ya!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frank Wiley

Poopy Scoopy Canine Waste Removal Service

"You'll Never Have To Worry About Shoveling Again"

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Aug-98 03:21:10

Re: Bark In The Park ... Sounds like it should be a good experience, Frank. Best of luck with it, and be sure to tell us how it goes.
Personally, I never managed to get many new customers directly from these kinds of events, but did find that they were excellent ways to promote awareness of the existence of the business and to clarify what it's all about. People would ask questions, and they can find out that you're for real , serious about serving the dog-owner, and sincerely interested in doing good work.
Events like this are wonderful ways to promote word-of-mouth. They can also result in more publicity because tv crews usually cover them and are almost certain to include pictures of your booth; they may even interview you.
And of course, it sure seems like it ought to be a good opportunity to sign up some new customers... so that could happen, too.
I would recommend having a large, attractive banner or sign for your booth. Also have plenty of flyers or other material for people to take home, and encourage folks to take a few flyers each so they can give them to their dog-owning friends. If you have a coupon that people can use later, they may call you several days after the event even if they don't sign up on the spot.
I like your suggestion for a special deal of a free week with the first full month of service. I have had good results with that offer, myself.

Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 06-Aug-98 23:02:59

using same names ... has anyone ran into the legals on fictitous names and what are the laws on this if you do duplicate a companies name? Besides there are on so many was to name a poop scooping business right. Any info would be very helpful

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Aug-98 03:09:18

Re: using same names ... Hi Rick,
The exact particulars of the law depend on what state you're in, and whether you're talking about the state level or national level. But in general you really do not want to use a name that's being used by someone else -- *most especially* if the use of the name by the other person is in the same type of business you are.
It's not under patent law, it's under tradenames, trademarks, service marks, or fictious name; a business name is called different things in different states. But the names published in the paper are certainly not names you would want to use; the very reason they are registered with the state and published in the paper is so that others will NOT use them. Adding "... of such-and-such county" will not differentiate the name enough to make it permissible to use it. This is my understanding, but remember I'm not an attorney and I don't give legal advice (living in the age of disclaimers, eh? )
It is possible that businesses in fields so different from each other that it would not be likely for a customer to confuse the two could have similar or even the same names... like Acme Pluming and Acme Pizza, for instance. Also, businesses can register a tradename just in their own state, which wouldn't cover them in other states. Hence, you could find two similar businesses with the same name, but in different states. These are generalities, and as I said, you should check with your own state's Secretary of State office or other agency responsible for registration of business names for the particulars in your area.
Registration of trademarks nationwide has its own rules, which you might find more about from the U.S. Office of Patents and Trademarks. They have a website at http://www.uspto.gov
There are an infinite number of names for a dog waste removal service, including the use of your own name for business. Some are undoubtedly more obvious than others, but it's to everyone's advantage not to use the same name that someone else is already using for your type of business. With a little creative thought it should be possible for everyone to have a business name that is unique, meaningful, and in line with the goals and mission of the business.

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 16:22:00

Re: using same names ... True.....many of the names do include "pooper" or "scooper" in them. One could have a name without, with a sub-name which includes.

Such as....Jim's yard care Your pooper scooper.

Here in Johnson County, KS we have one pooper scooper named "Happy Tails"

One could call themselfs "Happy Dogs" or the Purple Pooper Scoopers. Ofcourse one should have a purple car, dress in purple. Back in my days, we had a song named "The purple People Eaters"

Broadsided ... Got hit from an unexpected angle in the last 2 to 3 months. Sat down and figured it out, about a 40% loss of clients resulting in 50-60% reduction in billing.

The real estate market. Home sales have gone through the roof here in Southern California, with over half of my clients turning over their properties. Many of these people moved out of the area, others into yards that they no longer want cleaned (smaller, whatever), and some even dumped their dogs. I expect a 10-13% move rate (the national average states approx 25% of all people will move in a given year, although the figure is lower for home owners), but this was more than a bit of a surprise.

Anyone else either dealing with (or dealt with) this particular problem?

John

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 16:12:27

Re: Broadsided ... This will be my second attempt to answer you.
Seems like alot of my messages sent in are not taking.

Yes, there are those who will quit you. In fact, as in my case, I had two move during the week and when I show up find them gone leaving a one or two months of work not paid for. I have no idea where they moved to. Therefore, it not only happens in the west but in the mid-west.

Therefore keep trying for new customers....do not slack off. Remember you could get three new ones for everyone that quits.

Dr. Doo Litter

Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 26-Aug-98 12:20:36

Re: Broadsided ... 40% is a BIG hit. Sorry to hear it.
Is this a one man operation? How many customers?
First year?

Some seasonal losses will occur, middle of summer ans middle of winter for me. I suggest a reminder card to anyone who moves but stays in your service area. Give 'em a month and remind them how nice it was when they didn't have to scoop poop.

If they are moving to Columbus Oh, tell 'em to call PET BUTLER 614-235-0104! Check Matthew's list for other cities.

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 29-Aug-98 15:56:50

Re: Re: Broadsided ... Sorry about the delay, lot of things happened recently. Yep, one man operation, had a little over 100 clients then 'bang'. Back slid a hair more to a hair over 50 stops at the moment, with a few more signing up in the last couple of weeks.

John

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 31-Aug-98 14:30:41

Re: Re: Re: Broadsided ... Ouch! That hurts!

Gotta find out why. Call 'em and ask. Ask what you could do to get them back (without sounding desperate)

Not much you can do if they're out of your service area. Drop a flyer where they USED to live on the chance that the new owners have a dog.

Smaller yard? Twice a week!

What does a poop scooper call 2 large dogs in one small yard? Job security!

Seriously, Identify the problem and find a way to overcome. Good luck.

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 01-Sep-98 09:35:37

Re: Re: Re: Re: Broadsided ... Pete,
The reasons in general (in no particular order) came in as follows:
Smaller yard, needs daily cleaning due to kids
Smaller yard, got rid of dogs
Moved out of the area for affordable housing
New house was more expensive than expected, can't afford service now
Very large yard,"Whadd'ya mean it'll cost more?"
Etc.

To date I haven't lost anyone due to them being unhappy with the service, that I know of. I did stop a couple of clients (3) who were too slow or non-payers.

John
Scoopers Dog Waste Removal Service
"Your Dog's Business is Our Business"

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 04-Sep-98 08:46:56

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Broadsided ... These sound VERY familiar!

The reasons in general (in no particular order) came in as follows:

Smaller yard, needs daily cleaning due to kids
School started, have you contacted these for reactivation?

got rid of dogs
Most people think there's nothing to do about this, but if the new owner is in your service area, ask the old owner for a recommendation.

Moved out of the area for affordable housing
Ya can't win 'em all

New house was more expensive than expected, can't afford service now
That's better than not paying. Wait a while before you ask them back

Very large yard,"Whadd'ya mean it'll cost more?"
You may want to reconsider this. Is it really costing you that much more to do? I reserve the right to limit the area we clean, and to charge more for very large yards, but I have not charged more, yet. I have limited the cleaning area, in co-operation with my customer. I like to give them a choice besides "NO!"

Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Aug-98 22:48:39

Names...... ... Looks like I can't use SCOOPERMAN...apparently someone has a service called Scooper's pet service and the Names Branch said that it was just too close to use. I was really bummed out.
I will have to choose another one and hope that it is free...it costs 15 dollars everytime they do a name search...then another 25 bucks to reserve it.
(only in Canada??)

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 08-Aug-98 22:21:51

Re: Names...... ... Sorry to hear that :( I'll try to think of something for you if you like.

Frank

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 19:25:46

Re: Names...... ... Hi ya,

Just a couple ideas you might like. How about Scoop-Pro? Or maybe Yard-Pro? Clean Sweep (Dog waste Removal Service) sounds good. Perhaps On Doody (Dog waste Removal Service) would be more to your liking. You could be The Doody Officer. *smile*

Hope one of these strikes your fancy.

David

Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 08-Aug-98 15:07:25

Success stories? ... Hi scoopers,
I'm getting ready to retire and looking for a part-time business to run. I've been looking to getting into the pooper-scooper biz and have already ordered Matthew's book. (Great resource, by the way.)

This is the question I'd like to pose:Is anybody really making a substantial income from doing this? Obviously substantial is a relative term but I'm thinking of say, $40,000.+ annually full-l time or $20/hr. part-time. It sure would be nice to hear some success stories as it sounds like a really great business.

Thanks for being there,

Katherine

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 15:50:45

Re: Success stories? ... I am retired......I use the income to add to my SS. Now SS only allows $9000, over that you return 50 cents on the dollar. To get $40,000...this will take some time and you will need alot of help. Also remember the time it will take to reach $40,000 you will be close to 70 years of age and no limit to your income. But, at that age, could you take it? But believe me you could do alot worse. Like working at some fast food dive.

Dr. Doo Litter

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Aug-98 14:55:20

Re: Success stories? ... Hey Katherine- I started my business eight years ago and have had great success. We have put quite a bit of time and money into our business, but this year we will bill over $125,000. Next year we will double our business. But like I said we have put quite a bit of money into our advertising and marketing peices and to this day we put into our budgeting plan each year a substantial amount for marketing and advertising cost. Remember that $125,000 is what we bill not what goes into our pockets.

Diane Rossi
petneeds.net
doggiedo@ix.netcom.com

Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Aug-98 23:55:22

Scooping more than just dog Poop? ... Hi All,
I was approached yesterday by a person who has horses. She wanted to know if my services incude all types of animals and their doo doo. Now I was just wondering if any of you do include this type of service. I told her I could do it but I'd have to get back to her with a price. She has 4 horses and a bunch of dogs. Do you think I should charge more for doing horse stalls??? I have never really thought about it and I need immediate info. Anyone have a sugestion? Thanks, Deborah

Southpaw Pet Care Services, Winchester, Va

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 01:28:03

Re: Scooping more than just dog Poop? ... Not long after I first started the pooper-scooper business I had a customer who groomed dogs but had broken her ankle and needed someone to clean up her yard where the dogs went outside.
After I'd worked for her for several days she asked me if I would consider cleaning up after other animals. I said sure. Then she said "Well, I've got these monkeys upstairs..."
Well, I ended up cleaning two large monkey cages for a couple of weeks until the lady's ankle got better. I even vaccuumed the monkeys' back for them... they loved it.
I recommend either figuring out how much time the extra work will take, or charging by the hour for the work. Horses make a LOT more poop than any dog, and cleaning up will certainly take much longer.

Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Aug-98 15:41:04

Re: Scooping more than just dog Poop? ... You did not state how you will rid of the poop.
Nor did you say where these horses were kept.
Being an old farm boy myself, we on the farm dumped the waste out in the fields...or where crops will grow. If this is the case with you...then go for it. Your customer no doubt will have such an area. If not....any farms around?? They would love to have it. To charge? I would go for the hourly rate.

Dr. Doo Litter