Getting your first 10 pooper scooper customers is usually the hardest part of starting the business.
Not because the service is complicated, but because most people in your area do not know you exist yet.
The good news is you do not need a huge marketing budget to get started. Your first customers will usually come from simple, low-cost marketing like personal outreach, local Facebook groups, Google Business Profile, referrals, and direct local outreach.
This guide focuses on practical ways to get your first customers without spending a lot of money on ads. If you want more advanced help with paid ads, websites, follow-up systems, pricing, and scaling, that is what we cover inside Poop Scoop Millionaire.
Quick Answer: How Do You Get Your First 10 Pooper Scooper Customers?
The best low-cost way to get your first 10 pooper scooper customers is to combine personal outreach, local Facebook posts, Google Business Profile, referrals, and simple neighborhood marketing.
Paid ads can work faster if you have the budget, but many new pooper scooper businesses can get their first few customers without spending thousands of dollars. Start by telling everyone in your local network that you are offering dog waste removal. Then post consistently in local Facebook groups, set up your Google Business Profile, ask early customers for reviews, and make it easy for people to sign up.
Your goal at this stage is not to build the perfect marketing machine. Your goal is to get real customers, collect feedback, build reviews, and prove people in your area are willing to pay for the service.
If you are still in the early research stage, start with our full guide on how to start a pooper scooper business.
Start With People Who Already Know You
The easiest place to start is your existing network.
Go through your phone contacts, Facebook friends, Instagram followers, neighbors, family members, past coworkers, and anyone else you know locally.
You do not need to be pushy. Just let people know you started a dog waste removal business and ask if they know anyone who might want help keeping their yard clean.
A simple message could be:
“Hey, I recently started a local dog waste removal service. If you know anyone with dogs who might want their yard cleaned weekly, I’d really appreciate you sending them my way.”
You can also offer a free first cleanup, discounted first month, or simple founding customer offer to get momentum.
For example:
“I’m offering a free first cleanup for a few local dog owners while I build my route. If you like the service, you can continue with weekly cleanings. If not, no pressure.”
Your first few customers are about more than revenue.
They can help you get reviews, before and after photos, referrals, feedback, route density, and confidence selling the service.
Do not underestimate the value of your first few customers. They are the foundation for everything else.
Post in Local Facebook Groups
Local Facebook groups can still work extremely well for getting early pooper scooper customers.
Many dog owners do not even know this service exists. A simple, funny, or helpful post can get attention because the service is easy to understand and solves an annoying problem.
Search Facebook for groups like:
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Buy, sell, and trade groups
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Community groups
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Neighborhood groups
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Local pet groups
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Dog owner groups
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Moms groups
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Small business groups
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Swap and shop groups
Before posting, read the group rules. Some groups allow business posts freely. Others only allow promotions on certain days. Some do not allow ads at all.
Your posts should feel local and human, not like corporate spam.
Instead of saying:
“Professional pet waste removal company now accepting customers. Call today.”
Try something more direct and relatable:
“Tired of playing landmine patrol in the backyard? I just started a local dog poop cleanup service and I’m taking on my first weekly customers in [city]. Message me if you want help keeping the yard clean.”
The goal is to make people stop scrolling.
Post consistently, but do not annoy the group. A few good posts per week across different relevant groups can be enough to land your first few customers.
You can also comment when people ask for recommendations. Warm recommendation threads can be even better than making your own post.
Set Up Your Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is one of the best free marketing tools for a local pooper scooper business.
When someone searches for “pooper scooper near me,” “dog poop pickup,” “dog waste removal,” or “pet waste removal service,” your Google profile can help you show up in the map results.
Even if you do not have a full website yet, your Google Business Profile gives potential customers a place to find your phone number, service area, photos, reviews, and business information.
When setting it up, make sure to:
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Fill out as much information as possible
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Add your service area
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Upload real photos
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Add your phone number and website
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Write a clear business description
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List your services
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Ask for reviews
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Respond to reviews
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Post updates when possible
Reviews are especially important.
When you are new, even a few good reviews can make a big difference. If someone is deciding between a brand-new company with no reviews and another company with several positive reviews, the reviews help create trust.
This is why your first few customers matter so much.
If you do a great job, ask for a Google review right away.
You can say:
“Thanks again for trying the service. Since we’re just getting started, a quick Google review would help us a ton if you were happy with the cleanup.”
If you want a broader breakdown of marketing channels beyond your first few customers, read our full Pooper Scooper Business Marketing Guide.
Make Signup Easy
A lot of new business owners lose customers because they make the signup process too hard.
Someone should not have to call three times, wait two days, answer a bunch of unnecessary questions, or chase you down just to start service.
When someone shows interest, respond quickly.
You should be ready to answer:
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What areas do you service?
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How much does it cost?
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How often do you come?
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Do I need to be home?
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Do my dogs need to be inside?
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How do I pay?
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When can you start?
Simple pricing helps a lot here.
If every quote requires a custom inspection, you may create too much friction for a basic residential service. Many pooper scooper companies charge based on number of dogs and service frequency, then adjust for unusually large or difficult yards.
If you are not sure what to charge, read our guide on setting pooper scooper prices.
Ask for Referrals Early
Your first customers can help you get your next customers.
After someone signs up and is happy with the service, ask if they know anyone else with dogs who may want help.
You can keep it simple:
“Glad you’re happy with the service. If you know any other dog owners nearby who could use help with their yard, feel free to send them our way.”
You can also offer a small referral credit.
For example:
“Refer a neighbor who signs up and we’ll give you $20 off your next month.”
Referrals are powerful because trust is already built in. A customer referred by a friend or neighbor may close faster and stay longer than a cold lead.
Referrals can also help build route density.
If you clean one yard in a neighborhood and then get two more customers on the same street, your route becomes more profitable. Less drive time means more yards cleaned per hour.
That is how a small pooper scooper business starts becoming a real route-based service company.
Use Neighborhood Visibility
Your first 10 customers may also come from simple local visibility.
This can include:
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Yard signs
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Door hangers
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Vehicle magnets
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Local flyers
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Business cards
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Local pet events
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Vet offices
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Groomers
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Dog trainers
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Pet stores
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Apartment communities
You do not need to do all of these at once.
Pick a few that make sense for your area.
For example, if you already have one customer in a neighborhood, you could place door hangers on nearby homes with dogs. If your vehicle is clean and professional, a magnet or wrap can help people notice the service while you are out cleaning yards.
You can also build relationships with other pet-related businesses.
A groomer, dog trainer, dog walker, or pet store may be willing to refer customers if the relationship makes sense.
The key is to stay local.
Pooper scooper service is not complicated. People just need to know you exist and trust you enough to try it.
Follow Up Fast
The fortune is in the follow-up.
This matters even when you are getting customers for free.
If someone comments on a Facebook post, message them quickly. If someone fills out a form, respond quickly. If someone calls and you miss it, call back as soon as possible.
A lot of people are interested in dog waste removal in the moment, but that interest fades if you wait too long.
Speed matters.
You do not need a fancy sales process at the beginning. You just need to make it easy for someone to say yes.
A simple follow-up could be:
“Thanks for reaching out. We offer weekly dog waste removal in [city]. Pricing starts at $X/month for one dog, and we can usually start this week. What part of town are you in?”
The more friction you remove, the easier it is to get your first customers.
Do Great Work and Collect Proof
Once you start getting customers, do not just clean the yard and move on.
Use those early jobs to build proof.
Take before and after photos when appropriate. Ask for reviews. Save customer testimonials. Track common questions. Pay attention to what helped people say yes.
You are learning your local market.
You may find that customers care most about convenience. Or price. Or reliability. Or the fact that they do not need to be home. Or that you communicate before and after service.
The more you learn from your first 10 customers, the easier it becomes to get the next 10.
Swoop Scoop® started as a real local dog waste removal business and grew by learning these lessons in the field. You can check out the customer-facing service side here: Swoop Scoop.
When Should You Start Paid Ads?
Paid ads can be one of the fastest ways to get customers if you have the budget, the right offer, and a good follow-up system.
If your only goal is speed, dropping money into Meta or Google Ads can work faster than slowly posting in local groups or waiting for SEO to build.
But that does not mean every new pooper scooper business should start by spending thousands of dollars on ads.
Before spending heavily, make sure you understand:
Your service area
Your pricing
Your offer
Your close rate
Your ability to follow up quickly
Your route capacity
Your cash flow
Your customer acquisition cost
Paid ads can grow a pooper scooper business quickly, but they can also burn cash if the backend is not ready.
That is why many new operators should start with free or low-cost methods first. Get a few customers. Test your pricing. Learn what people ask. Figure out your signup process. Get reviews. Build some confidence.
Once you know people are willing to buy, paid ads can help you scale faster.
Before spending heavily, read our guide on pooper scooper customer acquisition costs so you understand CAC, lifetime value, and when paid marketing makes sense.
If you want help running ads for your pooper scooper business, you can also book a call with PSM Services.
Final Thoughts
Getting your first 10 pooper scooper customers is about taking action.
You do not need a perfect website, huge ad budget, or complicated marketing plan to start.
Tell people what you do. Post in local groups. Set up your Google Business Profile. Ask for reviews. Follow up quickly. Make signup easy. Do a great job and ask for referrals.
Once you get your first customers, you will start building confidence, proof, and route density.
That is when the business starts to feel real.
If you want step-by-step help starting and growing your pooper scooper business, join Poop Scoop Millionaire. Inside the community, we cover pricing, marketing, ads, SEO, websites, hiring, operations, and the systems needed to build a real dog waste removal business.
