Unit Option

Single, Multiple

Background

FDD Franchised Units: 111

Corporate Owned Units: 0

Projected New Units: 30

Year Established: 2000

First Year Franchised: 2004

Type of Business: Franchise

Hours of Operation: Regular Business Hours

Number of Employees: Small (1-5)

History:

How It All Started

Commuting home from work one evening in late 1999,  Jacob D’Aniello was listening to a popular radio talk show when on came an interview with a man singing praises about his wonderful career scooping dog poop.

Jacob almost changes the channel, but then it clicked. He realized that this guy loves his job, earned a good living (claimed, in fact, to be making more than D’Aniello was earning at the time), worked his own hours, and said his clients loved him and didn’t have to commute anymore. Granted, it wasn’t rocket science or brain surgery, but it got him thinking.

His future wife, Susan, thought he was crazy..until he gave her the pitch – then she too jumped on board. The following week the young entrepreneurial couple started placing classified ads in local papers for DoodyCalls. Shortly after, the phone started ringing.

It all started with a housewarming gift. Their first client responded to an ad and wanted to buy the service for six months for a friend who had just purchased a new home and, as one can imagine, needed that special gift. His pet, it seemed, had left far too many “presents” in the yard for him to get off to a good start.

Jacob and Susan were soon leading double lives, scooping in the mornings before going to work and changing clothes in their cars in the parking lot. But calls started coming in during business hours from people wanting to sign up. Success, they discovered, has its own timeline and does not always follow a steady growth curve.

In 2004, Jacob and Susan left their jobs to focus on DoodyCalls full-time. The company established headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia and began franchising nationwide. Since then, DoodyCalls has grown to over 60 territories in 23 states and has been the subject of news stories in hundreds of publications, including two recognitions as the number one pet waste removal franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Franchise 500 list.

Put plainly – DoodyCalls is cleaning up.

Availability

Territories: United States

Financials

Liquidity: $20,000

*Investment Range: $76,450 - $93,850

**Average Investment: $76,450 - $93,850
Provided by the Franchisor

Minimum Net Worth: $100,000 or less

6 Month Cash: $10,001

Franchise Fee: $39900

Royalty: 7.5%

Royalty Description: The greater of 7.5% of gross revenues weekly, or minimum royalty fee

Advertising: Local: $1,000 per month, they can utilize and additional $1,500

National Advertising: 1.5% of gross revenue.

Ramp-Up: 1 to 3 months

Passive Ownership: Semi- passive at onset (they can hire a manager to run business)
Passive Ownership means the owner is working 15 hours or less per week in the business.

Available Discounts

• Veterans
• Minorities
• Women
• First Responders

Discount Description: 30% discount on initial franchise fee for Veterans and $5,000 discount for Diversity and (minorities and women)

Training, Support and Assistance

Co-Operative Advertising: N/A

Site Selection Assistance: N/A

Lease Negotiation Assistance: N/A

Length of Training: 1 weeks

Training Description:

Training is held every month. The length of the training is 1 week.

• 1 week remote
• The Ongoing training never stops

Operational and Marketing Tools:

Nationwide Call Center – Provides customer service for all franchise owners and helps with signing up new clients. The call center fields leads and schedules services for customers.

“Service Minder” Technology Platform – Fantastic software that runs the business for Franchisees; it also manages their employees and vehicles. Service Minder allows customers to “signup” for services all on their own and manages their Account with DoodyCalls.

Financing Assistance: N/A