How Scoop Pawtrol Went From Zero to Nearly 150 Poop Scooping Clients in Under a Year

Why did a corporate retiree start a poop scooping business?

Ken started Scoop Pawtrol because he is, in his words, “a dog person” who had been scooping for five dogs every week anyway. Sixteen years ago his wife wanted a puppy, and that turned into breeding goldendoodles. “I tell everybody I’m a certified scooper,” he said.

He spent 25 years in the corporate world. About five years before he retired, he saw a woman scooping a yard and asked what she was doing. She told him it was her business, and that she made her own hours. He filed the idea away. When he retired, his kids told him to go for it.

Scoop Pawtrol went live on April 3, 2025, serving Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio.

How did Scoop Pawtrol get customers with Facebook?

Ken taught himself to advertise. Selling puppies had never required it, since a photo of a puppy sells itself. A service many people do not know exists was different, so he watched YouTube videos, researched on Google and joined a community of pet waste business owners.

His path on Facebook:

1. Organic posts to the followers of his breeding page. The catch was that those followers were spread across the country, and he needed people in Ohio.
2. Boosted posts. They worked, but slowly.
3. Facebook ads, once he learned to aim them at local people only. “That was where it was at,” he said.

Two habits made the ads pay:

• Fast follow-up. Leads came to his email, and he called or texted back within about 30 seconds, asking which the person preferred. “I just felt like if you wait, you’re going to lose it.”
• Real photos. He set up props in his backyard and shot his own pictures. He had been told real photos get about 60% more response than AI-generated ones, which people scroll past.

When he was not scooping he was posting, including footage from his drone.

How fast did Scoop Pawtrol grow?

Slower than Ken wanted at first, and faster than most. He signed 7 customers in what was left of April, 14 in May and 10 in June. He thought he was failing. The owners in his community told him those were good numbers, because he had launched just after the spring rush, a season he had not known existed.

His goal was 100 clients by the end of 2025, and he beat it. Less than a year in, he was at almost 150 weekly clients. For 2026 he wants 250, one more dependable tech and one more truck, and then to hold there and make sure everything runs smoothly.

What do branding and service look like at Scoop Pawtrol?

Ken went all in on the brand. After he retired, his wife bought him a new Corvette. When the business needed a truck, he sold the car, over the objections of his wife and son. “You got to sacrifice in life to get ahead,” he said. He skipped the door magnet and had the full-size truck wrapped. A second wrapped truck followed, along with uniforms, hoodies for the cold and even branded pens.

On service, his answer was one word: communication. On the morning of the interview it had snowed four inches overnight, and he had already emailed and texted every customer that service was postponed. Customers get a message when a tech is on the way so they can bring the dog inside. The feedback he hears most is that nobody ever has to guess whether Scoop Pawtrol is coming.

Being reachable also brings odd requests. He has cleaned up after a hairless cat in a basement and crawled through a low attic in a mask and gloves to clear out raccoon droppings. He charged more for the attic.

What has been the hardest part?

Hiring. Ken took on his first tech at 75 recurring customers, when he was scooping all day and had no time left for advertising or paperwork. Job ads drew plenty of replies, but people did not show up.

He tells candidates up front that he is a micromanager. In 25 years at his corporate job he called off twice, and he expects the same dependability, plus five-star service at every stop, because he follows up with customers to ask how they were treated. He now has two good people, and his only tip for owners in the same spot is not to give up.

What would Ken tell an owner who is struggling to grow?

Do not quit in the slow months. Seven customers in a first month felt like going nowhere, and he kept asking what he was doing wrong. He kept showing up anyway.

“One of my favorite quotes is you can’t stop what won’t quit,” he said. If your heart is in it, he added, treat it as more than a job and keep your nose to the grindstone.