Call of Doody: Poo Squad

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

LIFE DUMPS AN OPPORTUNITY

Matt Young, co-owner of Poo Squad Topeka, admits his vision of entrepreneurship didn’t include owning a dog poop cleanup business, but when life dumps an opportunity on you, sometimes you need to just scoop it up.

Matt’s nephew, Jaime came up with the business concept a couple of years ago and started a dog poop cleanup service company in Manhattan, Kansas. As business began to pick up, Jaime started getting calls from people living in the Topeka area to see if he would come service their yards as well.

The time investment and cost of fuel to drive back and forth an hour each way, didn’t make financial sense, but Jaime knew he was onto something. He reached out to Matt to see if he would like to purchase the first official Poo Squad franchise.

“I talked to my wife about it and we decided it was great opportunity to get our two boys involved in a family business and teach them the importance of hard work,” Matt said.

POOP FOR PROFIT

Matt and Tiffany started the Topeka business in October 2018 and started working to turn poop into profit.

Matt owns his own landscaping and tree service business, so they had to work the poop scooping business into an already busy schedule. Fridays and Saturday mornings became the Poo Squad operating hours. Those working hours also made it possible for the company’s two youngest employees—their two boys ages 8 and 12—to help man the shovels.

You know what they say, “the family that scoops poop together...”

SMELLING LIKE A ROSE

Poo Squad Topeka started out slow at first but is starting to come out smelling like a rose as the number of weekly customers continues to grow. In fact, they just hired their first employee so they can service yards on more days during the week.

Part of their momentum came when spring melted the snow that covered months of built-up poop. The other part came from building brand recognition.

“We poke fun at ourselves on social media all the time,” Matt said. If you own a business that deals with poop, you kind of have to embrace that.”

Masterful Facebook marketing, accompanied by a growing word-of- mouth campaign, has built not only a loyal customer base but also high brand recognition.

However, it might not be the marketing that is driving business growth. It is more likely the reputation the company has for integrity, taking care of customers and caring for the community.

The Poo Squad participates in events that support Helping Hands Humane Society and the American Cancer Society. They also support other local dog shelters and organizations that help take care of pets in some capacity. They provide free poop clean-up services to people who foster dogs and sponsor a dog every quarter by paying for half of its adoption fees.

“We knew when we started this business that we wanted to find a way to give back to the community,” Matt said. “It is important for us to teach the boys what that means. This lets us show them.”

NOTHING TO SNIFF AT

Matt laughs about being known as “the poop guy” but the business potential is nothing to laugh at. More customers call every week. From young professionals who are just too busy to clean their yards to senior citizens who find the task too difficult, people appreciate a poop free yard.

“Some people pay to have their houses cleaned. Some pay to have their lawns mowed. Why not have someone clean up after your dog?” Matt said.

In fact, he sees it as providing a luxury service at an inexpensive price.

“People can brag that they pay to have someone else scoop their dog poop,” Matt said. “Now, doesn’t that sound like a luxury?”

“Some people pay to have their houses cleaned. Some pay to have their lawns mowed. Why not have someone clean up after your dog?”

Matt Young

Co-Owner | Poo Squad Topeka