DeepSummary
Nick Loper interviews Erika Kruipen, owner of the pet waste removal company Kroopin's Poopin Scoopin. Erika started the business as a side hustle in 2020 and has since grown it to serve nearly 200 weekly residential customers at an average price of $99 per month. She discusses how she raised prices over time, the strategies she used for marketing and acquiring new customers, and the tech tools like Jobber that helped her manage operations.
A key point was Erika's move into securing commercial contracts with homeowners associations and affluent communities to service dog waste stations. She landed her first $1,625 per month commercial contract servicing a 17-station HOA community. Erika has rebranded with new vehicle wraps, uniforms, and logo to present a more professional image for targeting these higher-paying commercial clients.
Erika shares the challenges she faced like hiring and managing employees, firing an underperforming worker, and finding a work-life balance. She is now coaching other pet waste removal business owners through an online course. While undecided on her ultimate vision for the size of her business, Erika is focused on continued growth and making enough to support her parents in the future.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Consistently brand and market your business to stand out in your local service area
- Raise prices strategically over time as you build reputation and add value
- Diversify revenue streams by pursuing higher-paying commercial clients
- Leverage technology to efficiently manage scheduling, dispatch, invoicing etc.
- Establish clear processes and expectations when hiring and managing employees
- Be willing to pay for expertise instead of trying to do everything yourself
- Find a community of fellow entrepreneurs to connect with for support
- Consider creating educational content and coaching as additional revenue streams
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If there is something that you can't figure out, if there's something you're stuck on, try to find somebody that knows how to do it to speed up your process because I spent a lot of time just researching stuff that I shouldn't have.“ by Erika Kruipen
- “Residential pays the bills, commercial puts money in the bank account.“ by Erika Kruipen
- “I don't even like the color pink, really, but now I'm just all pinked out. And in that way, it's like brand association.“ by Erika Kruipen
- “I spent a lot of time just researching stuff that I shouldn't have. If I would have just paid somebody $50, $100, they could have gave me the answer so quick and I would have saved myself a lot of stress.“ by Erika Kruipen
- “Being an entrepreneur, it's lonely. And so my goal is to meet some new like minded people that I can hang out with and talk business with.“ by Erika Kruipen
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Episode Information
The Side Hustle Show
Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation
6/20/24
It's not every day you spot one of your podcast guests' yard signs while driving, but that's exactly what happened to me.
As we cruised the neighborhood, a bright pink "Kroopin's Poopin Scoopin" sign caught my eye.
We first heard from this guest in 2020.
She was earning around a thousand bucks a week from her part-time pooper scooper/pet waste removal business.
And since then, it has grown to serve almost 200 weekly residential customers at an average ticket price of $99/month.
In this 'Where Are They Now?' episode, I have once again Erica Krupin from Kroopin's Poopin Scoopin to talk about what this former side hustle looks like at scale.
Full Show Notes: Scaling a Local Service Business: Multi 6-Figures in Pet Waste Removal
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