How Poo Bears Signed 75 Recurring Poop Scooping Customers in 7 Months

Why did a junk removal owner start a poop scooping company?

Rob Paradis had a spare truck and spare time. He owns Junk Bear, a junk removal company he said he has grown to seven figures over six years in home services, with more than 800 Google reviews and a five-star rating. Much of its day-to-day is taken care of, and an old Tundra was sitting in his gravel lot. In January he put the truck to work and started Poo Bears. “It’s waste, and I know how to get rid of waste,” he said.

He found the idea on YouTube, where he looks for business ideas. It seemed flexible, something he could start slowly on evenings and weekends, which he said is the same reason he got into junk removal.

The two businesses turned out to be less alike than you might think. Junk removal swings between a ton of work with big cleanouts and stretches of minimal work, which is hard to plan around. Scooping recurs every week.

How fast did Poo Bears grow?

Seven months in, Poo Bears had 75 recurring scooping clients. Rob said the growth did not come in a bunch right away. It was “a little bit of a slow burn.”

In May he added all-natural mosquito and tick spraying to give his scooping clients more value, and 14 clients had signed up for it. Customers can add it when they sign up online, and it is part of his pitch and marketing materials. It is seasonal, where scooping runs all year.

His first-year goal is 100 clients, and he is looking forward to a fall rush he has heard about. After 100 he would like to bring on his first scooper. For now family members help him out. He prefers to do a job himself first, then hire once there is an established route and the income to pay for it.

How does Poo Bears get customers?

Facebook ads first, backed by a brand people remember. Rob’s reasoning is that most people do not know the industry exists. “You need interruption marketing,” he said. You have to interrupt their day and let them know you are out there.

What he does:

• Facebook ads at about $50 a day, kept on and running. He delegates them to Hunter of the PSM group, and they look at the results every month.
• A memorable brand, used consistently. The same color patterns on uniforms, business cards, yard signs and photos.
• A wrapped truck right away. Rob said the wrap has brought in at least 15% of his clients by itself. He learned from Junk Bear that a wrapped vehicle is a moving billboard and looks professional.

“You have to pay to play,” he said.

Behind the marketing he keeps the business simple: the right CRM with every client’s information in it, linked to QuickBooks, and a bookkeeper keeping tabs on the P&L.

What is harder about poop scooping than it looks?

It is a grind, and the recurring model adds pressure. People assume the work is light duty. Rob pointed out that the client has already paid for the month, so whether you are sick or it is raining or snowing, you still have to get out there or you feel like you are cheating them. At 20 scoops a day you also have to stay efficient and vigilant.

Missed piles are a common complaint in the industry. His method:

• Walk the yard in a grid pattern.
• Keep your scan to about three to four feet and stay within it.
• Take extra time with smaller dogs, leaves and long grass, where waste is harder to see.

“You’re not going to be perfect. You’re going to miss them,” he said. What matters is being very responsive, and going back that day if the client wants it. Often they do not need you to come back. They are just letting you know.

How did a brand-new company get Google reviews?

At first by hand. Rob texted customers a link to his Google Business Profile, which he found cumbersome. He then handed the job to Review Harvest, in the same spirit as paying a pro to run his ads, and went from about 15 reviews to more than 50.

What would he tell someone starting a home service business?

Be consistent with the little things that get mundane. “Anyone can scoop poop. Anyone in my case can haul junk, but can you do it professionally?” he said. Show up when you say you will, and communicate well with clients and with your team.

He also reminds owners that everything is sales and marketing. How you walk in public, what you wear and how you talk all reflect on the business, because “perception is reality.”

His own approach is three Ps: pray about it, plan, then pursue it. And one note on pricing: “Keep your prices up and don’t be the undercutter. Don’t ruin the industry. You deserve more.”