For Rob Thomas, the path to entrepreneurship — and eventually to building a family-run operation with his parents and wife — began with a desire for better balance and the chance to bring an overlooked service to his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. Today, just three years after opening, his DoodyCalls franchise is one of the area’s fastest-growing pet waste removal businesses, powered by a unified family mission.
Thomas grew up in Greensboro and still lives in the house he was raised in. His early exposure to franchising came through summer jobs working for a local Mosquito Squad location. “I got to know the franchise owner and by the fourth year, I had a good sense of what that business looks like and what home services entail,” he said.
But after earning a business degree, Rob’s career took a turn into the corporate world. “My career path led me to being an IT project manager, doing software implementations,” he said. “What got me into looking into the franchising route was having that better work-life balance to escape corporate life and the grind.”
Working remotely at the time, he began researching franchise opportunities that could be launched and managed alongside his career.
Thomas quickly zeroed in on DoodyCalls. “I instantly saw an opportunity to come into this market and bring a business and service into this area that really focused heavily on marketing — to really jump on something and bring awareness to a whole area of a service that is out there,” he said. “I still run into people who haven’t realized that we are a service that is available.”
The simple model, low barrier to entry and strong franchisor support, made the decision easier. “The best thing about this business model is that it is very lean and streamlined with getting started and building up from there,” Thomas said. “It’s so helpful to have the support of the franchisor and the company.”
Thomas opened in February 2022, and growth came quickly. “We have been growing exponentially year-over-year,” he said. “We are starting to break into multi-home and commercial spaces. We just hired a third truck to run full time.”
Thomas’ family didn’t just cheer him on; they became part of the operation.
“My parents, my wife and I went into this venture together,” he said. In the early days, he handled everything himself while working full time. But as the business expanded, more hands (and hearts) were needed.
About 18 months in, Thomas realized he couldn’t keep up with demand on his own. He brought in his mother to manage commercial accounts and help drive sales. “That was a huge asset,” he said.
In the past six months, his wife joined as well. “She is running scheduling routes, answering customer questions, operations, etc.,” he said. Meanwhile, his father serves as the investor and strategic guide, while Thomas handles finance and overall business direction.
The result is a rare family ecosystem where everyone contributes according to their strengths — and everyone wins.
“It’s great to have another thing that we can focus on together on a mission,” Thomas said. “If I’m stuck, I can have my family there that can help.”
But the biggest surprise has been the way the business strengthened his marriage.
“Since my wife has come on board, it’s taken our relationship and partnership to a whole new level,” he said. “I see the great job that she is doing, and then she and I can have additional interactions and support each other through something else. This isn’t just my venture anymore. It has truly become our venture.”
For more information, visit https://1851franchise.com/doodycalls.
DoodyCalls
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Driven by a search for work-life balance and a shared entrepreneurial vision, Rob Thomas leveraged his family's strengths to build a successful family-run home services franchise in just three years.
For Rob Thomas, the path to entrepreneurship — and eventually to building a family-run operation with his parents and wife — began with a desire for better balance and the chance to bring an overlooked service to his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. Today, just three years after opening, his DoodyCalls franchise is one of the area’s fastest-growing pet waste removal businesses, powered by a unified family mission.
Thomas grew up in Greensboro and still lives in the house he was raised in. His early exposure to franchising came through summer jobs working for a local Mosquito Squad location. “I got to know the franchise owner and by the fourth year, I had a good sense of what that business looks like and what home services entail,” he said.
But after earning a business degree, Rob’s career took a turn into the corporate world. “My career path led me to being an IT project manager, doing software implementations,” he said. “What got me into looking into the franchising route was having that better work-life balance to escape corporate life and the grind.”
Working remotely at the time, he began researching franchise opportunities that could be launched and managed alongside his career.
Thomas quickly zeroed in on DoodyCalls. “I instantly saw an opportunity to come into this market and bring a business and service into this area that really focused heavily on marketing — to really jump on something and bring awareness to a whole area of a service that is out there,” he said. “I still run into people who haven’t realized that we are a service that is available.”
The simple model, low barrier to entry and strong franchisor support, made the decision easier. “The best thing about this business model is that it is very lean and streamlined with getting started and building up from there,” Thomas said. “It’s so helpful to have the support of the franchisor and the company.”
Thomas opened in February 2022, and growth came quickly. “We have been growing exponentially year-over-year,” he said. “We are starting to break into multi-home and commercial spaces. We just hired a third truck to run full time.”
Thomas’ family didn’t just cheer him on; they became part of the operation.
“My parents, my wife and I went into this venture together,” he said. In the early days, he handled everything himself while working full time. But as the business expanded, more hands (and hearts) were needed.
About 18 months in, Thomas realized he couldn’t keep up with demand on his own. He brought in his mother to manage commercial accounts and help drive sales. “That was a huge asset,” he said.
In the past six months, his wife joined as well. “She is running scheduling routes, answering customer questions, operations, etc.,” he said. Meanwhile, his father serves as the investor and strategic guide, while Thomas handles finance and overall business direction.
The result is a rare family ecosystem where everyone contributes according to their strengths — and everyone wins.
“It’s great to have another thing that we can focus on together on a mission,” Thomas said. “If I’m stuck, I can have my family there that can help.”
But the biggest surprise has been the way the business strengthened his marriage.
“Since my wife has come on board, it’s taken our relationship and partnership to a whole new level,” he said. “I see the great job that she is doing, and then she and I can have additional interactions and support each other through something else. This isn’t just my venture anymore. It has truly become our venture.”
For more information, visit https://1851franchise.com/doodycalls.
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