Who would think of the business of poop? Who knew dogs responding to their biological calling in people’s homes may be a source of trouble for homeowners and a great source of income for a visionary entrepreneur?
But the unwritten rule of successful entrepreneurship or identifying business opportunities is seeing opportunities others can’t see. And above all investing your heart and resources in it consistently until it produces results.
That’s the story of Ryan O’Quinn and his pooper scooper and pet waste management services business. Friends and relatives thought he was crazy and out of his mind. Others told him he was a genius. Family members told him to go get a job at Apple. But the crazy, dirty idea no one wants to touch now brings Ryan an average gross monthly income of $30,000.
Sowing the Mustard Seed
Initially trying to work on a startup that was not bearing fruit, Ryan thought of the business of poop collection. This, he reasoned, was a virgin area still not identified by so many and which many feared indulging in. As with every business, he carried out his research on would this entail and without thinking too much, took the plunge.
In November 2016, Bombs Away was born. Ryan registered his company, bought a rake, commercial debris dust cans, and a couple of tools, and hit the ground running. It helped that he already owned a 2004 Toyota Tacoma pickup. This meant he was ready to scoop poop from day one.
Startup Costs
Ryan notes that one doesn’t need a lot of money to start this business. He started with less than 5000, helped by the fact that he already owned an old pickup. The business had a quick turnaround, and he was able to recoup his initial investment and be profitable between 3 to 6 months after servicing his first client.
He however advises that the cost could stretch up to $10,000 if adequate preparation is to be made before startup, particularly for one who doesn’t own a car.
Getting the name of the company out to the world.
After assembling all the basic tools at his disposal, the next big preoccupation was how to let the world, and his potential clients, know about his business. Ryan embarked on a cocktail of ideas to bring in the first customers.
- He talked to family and friends about the business who in turn shared with their networks.
- Opened a Yelp account
- Direct mail
- Went to dog parks and endlessly talked to dog owners about how he could ease their burden at home.
- Attended boot camps
- Talked about it everywhere and networked extensively.
- Went to vet offices and other dog related services.
- Facebook ads
- Google ads.
Of all these, Ryan says Google ads became the most effective medium for attracting customers and helped bring him a lot of clients. Another effective method was word of mouth, referrals, and networking
Early Challenges with the Business
Just as the business was picking up, tragedy struck. Ryan was diagnosed with testicular cancer which significantly slowed him and made him question why he needed to go on. The business had begun to bring small returns then cancer, a money guzzler popped up. But Ryan leaned on the shoulders of a dependable family. His father took up his pickup and continued with the collection of poop as he underwent 6 months of chemotherapy.
But even in his predicament, the budding entrepreneur never gave up. While his father went to the trenches to bring smiles to clients, Ryan continued the task of marketing from his hospital bed. He never stopped talking to people, getting his company’s name out there, and closing in on new clients. Their efforts paid off when several repeat clients started calling as new ones came in.
It was a bumper harvest amidst adversity.
Scaling the business and the first employees
As the clientele base kept growing and repeat clients made bookings, Ryan went to Indeed to recruit staff. The scope of work could no longer be handled by the two of them. In 2018, two years after the first customer booked their services, he recruited 6 employees to help scoop the poop.
Additionally, the business now has four trucks and grossed $36,000 in 2022. This growth has been phenomenal aided by concerted marketing efforts, good service, and referrals. Currently, the company attains a gross revenue of $30000 a month.
The company charges between $80 for bi-weekly poop scooping services and $100 for monthly services which entails six scoops. Most of the revenue comes from over 300 recurring clients and a lot of one-time clients who just keep coming.
Additional services
As the business has grown, it has given birth to new ideas. Customers who booked for pop-scooping services realized they needed other additional services. As they made requests to the company asking if they could perform the additional services, Ryan added them to his list of services. Eventually, other revenue streams were born that includes the following;
- Customers want a fresh feel after the poop is scooped.
- Sanitizing
- Pressure washing
And as Ryan says, “Anything that poop brings along’ we will do.
Plans for Bombs Away
Bombs Away now plans to sustain its growth potential by venturing into franchising and has got approval to operate franchises in California and 28 other states. The ultimate plan is to go national and cover all 50 States of the United States.
Bombs Away will offer training and business advice support to the franchisee to set up successfully. In return, the franchisee pays a $30k franchise fee, an 8% monthly royalty on gross sales, and a 2% royalty contribution to the national market fund.
Finally, the territory offered will cover a population of 250,000 to 500,000.
Lessons in Business from Ryan and the Pet Poop Business
Several entrepreneurial and lifelong lessons can be learned from Ryan and his dogged determination in the dog poop collection business.
- You can make an honest and profitable living in the most unconventional of ways.
- Find a niche people fear venturing into either because it is difficult or because it is dirty work that most people wouldn’t touch and make your money.
- Don’t give up
- Be patient with your patience. At one point, Ryan considered quitting and even floated his business for sale. But sense prevailed and he withdrew his offer. Had he sold then at the meagre prices he was being offered, he wouldn’t have seen his business scale this far.
Conclusion
This business idea and Ryan’s strength of purpose are a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit, strength of purpose and strategic thinking. He started with a very simple idea, with a necessary yet very rare service in a niche market with a very strong demand and minimal competition.
This is a success that has sprung from a deep understanding of the market, the target population’s needs, and the delivery of high-quality services to the satisfaction of his clients.
His focus on a basic yet overlooked need was key to his success, coupled with leveraging word of mouth and referrals to expand his client base.
This is truly an illustration of the ability to think outside the box and go full throttle to achieve phenomenal success. Truly living up to their mantra, “the dog poop must get cleaned up, but it doesn’t have to be you who does it!’
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