From 0 to $2.5M Scooping Dog 💩

Issue #111

October 22nd, 2024

Quick Hits:

🎶 If dog breeds had theme songs

🪳 Will our pets be the key to bringing bugs as food to the Western market?

👅 Why do dogs lick feet?

👻 The best dog costume goes to…

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Who knew poop could be so profitable, specifically, dog poop? Well, William Milliken & Levi Swartz sure did. In late 2020, the two founded Swoop Scoop. The company taps into a huge (and often overlooked) market. Pet ownership keeps growing, and services like this become more essential as people’s lives get busier. From residential clients to commercial properties, Swoop Scoop has established a loyal customer base that keeps returning. We spoke with William Milliken to learn more about their operation.

Can you tell us more about Swoop Scoop and how you initially got started with this business?

Swoop Scoop was founded in late 2020 by me and my business partner, Levi Swartz. I was already running a successful home service business when Levi approached me with the idea of starting another venture together. Around the same time, my wife had hired a pooper scooper service while she was pregnant, but the service we received was disappointing. That experience sparked the idea that we could do it better, and that’s how Swoop Scoop came to life.

Is it true that $174 a month is all you need to get the business off the ground?

Yes, you can start the business for as little as $174. That amount covers the basic equipment, like scooping tools and kennel-grade disinfectant, and you can start finding customers by posting in free buy/sell/trade groups.

However, if you want to invest in a business license, marketing, or if you need transportation, the initial costs will be higher.

How many of your backend processes have you automated, and how seamless is the customer experience? What tools or technologies have you implemented to streamline operations, from client management to waste tracking and everything else?

We’ve automated as much of our backend processes as possible to create a seamless customer experience. Our billing, routing, customer onboarding, and remarketing campaigns are fully automated, and we're also exploring automating payroll hours and performance pay in the future.

The main tool we rely on is a CRM called Sweep&Go, which helps us manage client data and operations efficiently. We integrate additional tools like EZ Texting, Mailchimp, and Paylocity to streamline communication, marketing, and payroll.

Would you be willing to share some key metrics of your business, such as profit margins, monthly recurring revenue (MRR), number of employees, average subscription cost, and overhead?

Our average customer pays around $105/month for services. 

MRR varies based on the time of year. Last year we peaked at over $200,000/month in revenue. And we expect to grow way past that this year.

Employee counts also vary depending on the time of year, over the last 12 months we fluctuate between 15-30 employees depending on seasonality. 

How did you acquire your first customers, and what strategies worked best in getting your business off the ground?

We got our first 15-20 customers by posting in free buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook. Once we got money to invest into marketing we ran Google ads, Facebook ads, and eventually got full truck wraps.  

• FB Ads is our #1 Channel 

• Google is #2

• Truck Wraps is #3

Recently we have implemented sms & email remarketing campaigns that have been highly effective. 

How do you identify and assess potential new markets for expansion?

We look at population size, percentage of dog ownership, proximity to our current locations, demographic information, housing pricing, household income, and the average yard size. 

How did you determine your pricing model, and what factors went into setting your rates?

We originally based our pricing off what local competitors are charging. We would never do this again, and base pricing off our expenses and how much profit we want to make for providing the service. We are now significantly more expensive than the majority of our competitors and are typically much larger as we have more resources dedicated to marketing, hiring employees, building better systems, etc…

All our pricing is a flat rate and pre-billed on the first of each month.

Best advice for an entrepreneur who wants to start a similar business?

Take advantage of all the educational resources out there for pooper scoopers.

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Finally, what did the dog say to his shy friend?

"You never stand up for yourself! You just roll over!"

See you Friday!