Meet the Franchisor: Scoop Soldiers

Scoop Soldiers, the 35-unit pet waste removal franchise that takes the dirty work out of pet ownership, is increasingly being recognized as a “best in show” franchise opportunity within a burgeoning category. With a robust suite of support, a unique enhanced territory model and impressive unit level economics, Scoop Soldiers has become a premier player in the growing “pooper scooper” services segment. 

In a recent webinar, 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills interviewed Scoop Soldiers CEO Josh Cahill to learn what qualities the year-round service brand is looking for in its future franchisees, how the brand directly supports its business owners and why now is the time to invest.

State of the Brand

When Scoop Soldiers was first founded in 2011, Cahill says only about half of all consumers really understood the type of services that the brand offered. “Now, more people are learning about the emerging pet waste removal industry and are looking for these kinds of services,” he said. “We are super excited about where we’ve come and where we are going.” 

During the first few years of operation, the Scoop Soldiers team quickly realized they would need to bring on other passionate owner-operators in order to fulfill their growth goals. So, in 2019, Scoop Soldiers started franchising and sold its first few territories.

“When COVID came around a year later, it gave us a chance to focus on those franchisees and become more of a support organization,” said Cahill. “We also started to build our development team in 2021 to help find the right candidates.” 

In 2021, Scoop Soldiers added 16 territories and, followed by 22 territories in 2022. “More so than the growth, it is the people we are really excited about,” said Cahill. “Creative, supportive and hardworking people that are helping us push the vision forward.”

Corporate Support Model 

There are plenty of franchisors that claim that they offer a world-class support infrastructure for franchisees, but Scoop Soldiers aims to take that to the next level. 

“As we look forward, we wanna continue to develop support, but we are really proud of what we already do,” said Cahill. “We have a Command Center, for example, which handles every call for any territory we operate in. Our customer care advocates believe that most things should be one and done. Whether customers are calling in for a concern, a compliment or just to update a credit card information, there is no need to draw in a franchisee who is busy working with their team and growing the business. Invoicing, billing, collections — we are doing all of that on behalf of owners.”

Additionally, Scoop Soldiers connects franchisees with a sales team that handles each of those leads, schedules them and notifies the franchisee when everything is ready to go. “Marketing, lead generation, sales, phone calls and email — everything is handled,” said Cahill. “But what really makes us different is that we can customize and tailor that model depending on how involved the franchisee wants to be.”

Many franchisees worry that the royalty fee won’t be worth the investment of the business, but with so much support, Cahill says Scoop Soldiers aims to make sure none of its owners ever even think to ask that question.

Navigating A Pandemic

Like everyone in 2020, Cahill says he was initially concerned about the long-term impacts of the pandemic on business. “We wanted to focus on retention, support and being there for franchisees,” he said. “A lot of people thought we would be considered a luxury service that gets cut off with a downturn in the economy. That did not turn out to be the case, but it was a fear.”

Over the past few years, Cahill says the team took the time to dial back growth and prioritize the concerns of both customers and franchisees. “We saw about 1% of clients leave right at the start of the pandemic, but after that there was no decrease,” he said. 

Plus, with a service handled completely outdoors, Scoop Soldiers has been uniquely positioned to continue operating despite the new normal. 

Can I Make Money With Scoop Soldiers?

Many prospects may chuckle at the pooper scooper opportunity, Cahill says, but when they look at the Item 19, they start to get serious.

“This is a legitimate business, you can make money in this industry, the only costs of goods sold are labor, supplies and managing your team,” said Cahill. “Everything is based on people, trucks and minimal supplies.”

As a home-based business that can be run from anywhere, the brand’s initial investment range of $61,300 to $111,300 is significantly lower than many competitors.

“It's simple, but it's not easy to do it the right way,” said Cahill. “The opportunity is there, especially because of our support services, you have the ability to go out and really focus on growth. A lot of times, you are tied up with day-to-day operations, and our technology provides so many solutions to free you up to grow even bigger and faster.” 

What Are Potential Franchisees Missing?

For entrepreneurs who think they can go out there and do it on their own, Cahill says they could, but it will result in slower growth and a lot of unnecessary trial-and-error.

“I like to tell the story of the time we tried direct mail in some of our markets,” said Cahill. “We went out and did a massive campaign, but we would have been better off driving along the highway and throwing out hundred dollar bills. We’ve already made the mistakes. We love to go out there and test the market. The expertise and what we are able to bring to the table allows you to accelerate growth and stops you from making mistakes. Targeting and finding the right clients is something we’ve become experts at.”

Another reason prospects may miss out on the opportunity comes with the ego of not wanting to “scoop poop” for a living. “You have to have a sense of humor and be able to chuckle,” Cahill said. “I love it personally — I can’t go one Thanksgiving without the topic of poop coming up.” 

Previous Brand Ownership Experience in the Home Service Sector

The Scoop Soldiers team isn’t just full of pet clean-up experts. The team has a wide variety of experience satisfying all homeowners’ needs. Cahill first entered the booming home services industry through a lawn care company he started with his business partner, E.J. McCoy, for example. 

“We soon expanded into pest control, weed control, window washing — a myriad of home services,” said Cahill. “Between our companies, we are serving between 20 to 30 thousand customers a week. We understand what clients are looking for because of our experience in not only Scoop Soldiers, but all home services. But Scoop Soldiers is uniquely fun, everything that has to do with pets is amazing. That is a big part of why people love our concept. ”

Territory Availability

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Scoop Soldiers hopes to keep the momentum strong with 30% growth in revenue across the board. 

“We are getting a lot of inquiries, taking people through the pipeline and getting them familiar with the process of being awarded a Scoop Soldiers franchise,” said Cahill. “The demand has been great, and I am confident it is only going to get stronger. 

Enhanced Territories

Another key driver of growth is Scoop Soldiers’ unique enhanced territory offering. “These are established territories that we’ve already been running — for years in some cases — that incoming franchisees can convert into a franchise,” said Cahill. “They take over the territory, acquire clients right away and from day one, they have revenue, team members and trucks. These enhanced territories take out even more of the risk associated with business ownership, offering franchisees the opportunity to invest in a truly turn-key model.”

To keep up with the franchisee interest, Cahill says the team is continuing to focus on corporate expansion and is seeding markets across the country to offer up as enhanced territories. Some of these markets include Charlotte, Raleigh, Seattle, Washington D.C., Chicago and Kansas City. 

But that doesn’t mean Scoop Soldiers is unwilling to expand into untapped markets as well. “Last year was the first year we went into markets we weren’t already operating in,” said Cahill. “Those franchisees are already thriving and growing. Though we offer those enhanced territories, we are also having franchisees start in areas where we haven’t been operating.”

So, overall, why should franchisees join Scoop Soldiers right now?

“We work tirelessly to support franchisees, we are growing rapidly and territories are quickly selling out,” said Cahill. “Now, while the market is still fragmented, there has never been a better time to invest in a Scoop Soldiers franchise and join an authority in the burgeoning pet waste removal industry.”

For more information on franchising with Scoop Soldiers, visit: https://scoopsoldiersfranchise.com/