Starting a Pooper Scooper Business: The Inside Scoop

Starting a Pooper Scooper Business: The Inside Scoop
Workingwithpets.com

Today’s article is by guest author Tammie Peters.

A professional pooper scooper service involves cleaning up and removing dog waste from peoples's yards. This home-based business idea has grown in popularity over the past few years as a result of the relatively low start-up cost, the growing need for the service and the potential to make good money. These were some of the very reasons that I started my own pooper scooper business called The Scoop on Poop. The business was in full operation over a period of 3 years throughout which time, I learned a great deal. Most people hear of the success stories of others in the industry and feel that starting a pooper scooper business of their own will produce the same results. Although this can happen, based on my experience I know it is not as simple as it might seem. There is much to consider besides cleaning up dog poop if this is a business venture that you are currently exploring.

Research and Planning As with any business, it is important to complete all of your research and planning prior to investing any time and money into the venture. To start a pooper scooper business from home you will have to find out if any special zoning and/or permits are required. You will have to investigate your options and plan for waste disposal as well. This is one of the challenging aspects of a pooper scooper business: what do you do with hundreds of pounds of dog poop? How much will it cost your business to dispose of the waste?

Physical Demands Scooping poop is physically demanding, hard work, unsanitary and can be offensive at times. If you've ever cleaned up after your own dog(s), imagine doing this for 8 hours or more each day. It can produce an enormous physical strain on your back because of the constant bending over. Lifting heavy bags of dog poop all day (especially in the spring when the poop is wet) can be very tiring. You will want to be in good physical condition if you're going to scoop poop for a living.

Seasonal Challenges One of the benefits to this type of business is the outdoor work, but this can also be a downfall. Scooping in extremely hot, cold or rainy weather can be difficult and this is why it is essential to dress appropriately. The condition of the poop will change according to the weather and different tools, techniques and approaches are required to scoop the poop efficiently.

Service Pricing For regular service, most pooper scoopers charge approximately $8.00 to $15.00 per week to clean a customer's yard where only one dog is using the yard. Additional dogs will usually increase the price by $3.00-$5.00 per dog. Other frequencies offered are: bi-weekly, twice/week or monthly. One-time and first-time clean-ups will cost the customer considerably more as these jobs often take 2 workers 1 to 3 hours to complete, especially if a blanket of wet waste is covering the yard. Other things to keep in mind are: how large of an area you will offer your service in, whether you will operate it full-time or part-time, your customer payment policy, hiring employees and whether you;ll offer regular scooping or just one-time major clean-ups.Having said all of this, owning your own business can be very rewarding and with hard work, persistence and creativity there is potential to make a considerable amount of money with a professional pooper scooper service.

For further information and a detailed step-by-step guide on starting a pooper scooper service, please visit www.pooperscooperinfo.com.