"Made 12 Billion Won Cleaning Up Other People's Dog Poop With Just a Rake"... 'Poop Scoop Millionaire' Is All the Rage in the U.S.

Payments Surge 8,000-Fold in Six Years
Weekly Pickup Visits Start at Around KRW 20,000; Training Programs Emerge

A service that picks up dog waste on behalf of pet owners, known as “pet waste removal,” is attracting attention in the United States as a new type of household service. The market appears to be growing rapidly as a consumer culture that prioritizes saving time spreads and more households outsource chores.

Scoop Daddy, which operates a pet waste removal service in Florida, U.S. An employee cleans up pet waste. Photo from the Scoop Daddy website.

According to CNBC on Wednesday, Oct. 21, companies specializing in dog waste removal operate across the United States. They typically visit customers’ yards regularly to collect dog waste and disinfect the equipment they use.

From 9.14 Million Won to 74.4 Billion Won: “Dog Poop Pickup” Payments Surge in Six Years

Kendra Witkowski, who handles business development at Scoop Soldiers, a Dallas-based nationwide franchise, has worked in the industry for about 26 years. “I’ve always enjoyed cleaning up waste,” she said. “After building up years of experience, people usually prefer office work to fieldwork, but I still really love this job.”

Employees of Scoop Soldiers, a pet waste removal company operating around a dozen locations across the United States. Source: Scoop Soldiers website.

The market has grown in part because many American households that let their dogs roam freely in their yards have difficulty cleaning up after them, whether because of limited mobility or a lack of time. More recently, as households increasingly outsource chores such as grocery delivery, laundry and house cleaning, more are paying for services to handle pet waste as well.

The market’s growth is also reflected in the volume of related payments. According to Sweep & Go, which operates a customer management platform for pet waste removal companies, card payments processed through the platform totaled just about $6,900 (about 9.14 million won) in 2019, its first year of service.

But the figure surged to $56.2 million (about 74.4897 billion won) last year. The company expects payments to reach $100 million (about 132.45 billion won) this year. Sweep & Go founder Ogi Nikolic recalled, “In 2020, when COVID-19 was spreading, I worried that the business might disappear.” He had expected people to clean their own yards as they spent more time at home. Instead, the market continued to grow steadily.

“We Turned a Chore for a 10-Year-Old Into a Business”

Pet waste removal is also notable for its low startup costs. William Milliken, who operates Swoop Scoop in Idaho, started the business with a friend in late 2020.

The idea came after his wife, who was pregnant at the time, hired a professional service to clean up after their dog at home. “I thought this had to be one of the easiest businesses to start,” Milliken said, and went into business.

Swoop Scoop, a customer management platform for pet waste cleaning companies. Screenshot of the Swoop Scoop website.

At first, he found customers by visiting homes himself and posting in local Facebook groups. After he began spending money on online advertising, the customer base grew from about 20 to more than 300 in just three months. Swoop Scoop now operates seven locations in the northwestern United States.

According to figures reviewed by CNBC, the company recorded cumulative revenue of $9 million (about 12 billion won) from October 2020 through August 2026. It expects to generate about $3 million (about 3.9 billion won) in revenue this year alone.

As the business has grown, training programs for aspiring entrepreneurs have also emerged. About 600 people have joined Poop Scoop Millionaire, an online community run by Milliken and his colleagues. Members pay $69 (about 90,000 won) a month to learn how to start, market and operate a pet waste removal business.

Starting at Around 20,000 Won a Week... “It’s Also Difficult for AI to Replace”

Prices vary depending on the size of the yard, the number of dogs and the frequency of visits. Scoop Soldiers offers weekly visits starting at $19.99 (about 26,000 won) for households with up to four dogs. One-time cleanups start at $79.99 (about 106,000 won).

A worker for a dog waste removal service cleans up waste in a yard. CNBC

The equipment needed for the work is also relatively simple. It typically includes a rake, a dustpan, plastic bags and a spray bottle for disinfecting equipment between jobs. The work requires no special certification or expensive equipment, and because someone has to visit each site in person, it is considered difficult to automate even in the age of AI.

However, industry insiders agree that actually growing a business is not simple. Timothy Stone, who has run a waste removal company in Los Angeles since 1988, said, “We turned a household chore that a 10-year-old might do into a business. The work itself isn’t difficult, but running it as a business takes a lot more.”

That is because, in addition to cleaning up at job sites, the work involves customer service, advertising, route planning, employee management and handling unpaid bills. Witkowski also said, “An employee might hit a mailbox, call in sick or get bitten by a dog, and some customers don’t pay on time. Like any other business, pet waste removal takes time and trial and error to scale up.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.