A Day in the Life of the Austin, Texas Scoop Soldiers Franchisees

Andrew Entwistle and Heather Harrington are siblings and business partners. The pair are the owners and operators of the Austin, Texas-based pet waste removal franchise, Scoop Soldiers, where they serve clients in territories like North and South Austin, Georgetown, Liberty Hill and New Braunfels.

When the pair opened their Scoop Soldiers franchise in July of 2021, they were both already very familiar with the brand, as they had worked for the corporate team for a few years. Through their experience with the franchise behind the scenes, they became well-versed in the brand’s business model and how it operates as a franchising network. After doing their due diligence, Andrew decided he wanted to make a go for it and open his own Scoop Soldiers franchise, but he knew he didn’t want to do it on his own. That’s when he got his sister involved.

“I was ready to take on a franchise, but I knew the only way it was going to work was to convince Heather to do it with me,” Andrew said.

But what does a day in the life of these Scoop Soldiers franchisees look like?

Heather, who had previous experience running a small business, manages the franchise’s budgeting and finances, revenue reports, HR and administrative tasks, as well as employee training. Andrew, on the other hand, handles the franchise’s operations, which include the day-to-day scheduling, management and route plans.

The siblings recently hired an operations manager to help take over some of their daily tasks, allowing them more time to focus on expanding the business. And that’s something they’ve already seen success with. In the two years since opening, their Scoop Soldiers franchise has already doubled in size. With the addition of new staff, the pair is now able to focus on fine-tuning their system and supporting their staff as best as they can before they expand their franchise operations into new territories.

“We don’t want to grow at a pace that won’t allow us to continue to reward our great team. We want to make sure our people have everything they need, and we want to make sure they’re always being taken care of,” Andrew said.

For Heather, the best part about being a business owner is the responsibility and freedom it has allowed for her to make her own choices. She loves that every day she’s able to run the business the way she wants.

“Andrew was right. It was such an amazing decision, and it has had such a significant impact on our quality of life and how we get to impact the community. I’m so glad we did it,” said Heather.

For anyone considering becoming a franchise owner for the very first time, like Andrew, he suggests finding someone trustworthy to help run the business.

“Opening a business on your own is exciting, but there’s nothing better than having allies on your side who you can share your success with. There’s nobody in this world I trust more than Heather. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her,” he said.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/scoopsoldiers/info.