William Milliken and Levi Swartz founded Swoop Scoop in late 2020 in Spokane Valley, Washington, after recognising that picking up dog waste was an overlooked service (Image Credit: Swoop Scoop)
What started as a small Washington business built around one of the least glamorous chores of dog ownership has grown into a multi-market operation generating more than $200,000 a month. William Milliken and Levi Swartz founded Swoop Scoop in late 2020 in Spokane Valley, Washington, after recognising that picking up dog waste was an overlooked service that many pet owners would gladly outsource. Featuring Swoop Scoop president Milliken, the entrepreneurs started the business with about $1,000 and grew it from roughly 20 customers to more than 300 within just a few months, according to the episode of Millionaire University. In the episode, Milliken says the company now generates more than $200,000 a month and has expanded into multiple markets. The company was founded in late 2020 in Spokane Valley with the goal of eliminating what it describes as one of the most dreaded chores for dog owners, according to Swoop Scoop. Milliken told Millionaire University that he and Swartz started Swoop Scoop with about $1,000. The business then grew rapidly, with the podcast reporting that its customer base expanded from roughly 20 customers to more than 300 in a matter of months. Two entrepreneurs began with about $1,000 and a service built around a chore many people would rather avoid. Six years later, their company says it has grown into a multi-market operation generating more than $200,000 a month, turning an ordinary household nuisance into the foundation of a sizeable business.
Swoop Scoop’s own website describes the company as a dog-waste removal service created to make life easier for pet owners and says it now serves customers across multiple markets. The company says its founders recognised that professional pooper-scooping was an overlooked service across the United States. The podcast describes this as part of the appeal of so-called “boring” businesses, where a simple service can create a dependable customer relationship without requiring a large initial investment.
Rather than creating a new product, the founders focused on providing a service. Customers could pay someone else to regularly remove dog waste from their yards, turning an unpleasant household task into a recurring business relationship. That basic idea became the foundation for a business that could grow one customer and one neighbourhood at a time. The company’s beginnings were modest. The founders used relatively straightforward marketing methods to attract customers. Milliken discusses Facebook advertising in the podcast, along with the importance of recurring subscription revenue to the company’s model. That recurring element is particularly important for a service such as dog-waste removal. A customer who signs up for regular cleaning can generate repeated revenue rather than providing the company with only a single transaction. The Swoop Scoop story illustrates how a business does not necessarily need an elaborate product or a huge starting investment to find a market.
