How to Stop Losing Money in Your Poop Scooping Business (Video Breakdown)

Running a pet waste removal business can be incredibly profitable, but if you don’t have solid policies in place, you could be losing money without even realizing it. In the YouTube video “STOP Losing Money in Your Poop Scooping Business” (watch here), Erica Kin shares her billing policies, terms of service, and procedures that help her run a more predictable and profitable scooping business.

In this blog post, I’ll summarize the key takeaways from her video and add my own insights as someone who’s also in the pet waste removal industry. Whether you’re new to the business or looking to improve your systems, these strategies will help you protect your income and avoid common financial pitfalls.

1. Set Clear Billing Policies

One of the biggest mistakes poop scooping businesses make is not having a structured billing process. If you’re invoicing after services are completed, chasing down late payments, or allowing customers to skip payments, you’re setting yourself up for unnecessary stress and revenue loss.

Erica uses a prepaid subscription model where customers are billed automatically on the first of each month for the entire month of service. This ensures that her business gets paid upfront and doesn’t have to worry about non-payments or late collections.

✅ My Take: Prepaid billing is 100% the way to go. Customers prepay for Netflix and other services, so why should pet waste removal be any different? I use a similar approach in my business—if a customer doesn’t pay by the deadline, their service is paused until payment is received. No exceptions.

2. Enforce Payment Failures and Late Fees

Even with automated billing, some payments will inevitably fail. When this happens, Erica’s process is to immediately pause service and notify the customer via email, text, and phone call. If payment isn’t made within 30 days, the customer’s account is removed from the schedule, and they’re required to pay a one-time cleanup fee before rejoining.

✅ My Take: This is a non-negotiable policy. If a customer hasn’t paid, why should you continue providing service? Too many businesses allow customers to get away with skipping payments or delaying invoices. If you want a stable income, you have to be firm with payment rules.

3. Have a Clear Weather Policy

Poop scooping is an outdoor service, which means weather conditions will affect your schedule. Instead of refunding or crediting customers for missed services, Erica follows a double-duty policy, meaning that any skipped week due to severe weather is made up during the next visit.

Her team does not work in extreme conditions, including:

  • Heavy rain or thunderstorms
  • High winds (risk of falling trees/debris)
  • Extreme cold or heat
  • Heavy snow that buries waste
  • Flooded yards

✅ My Take: This is exactly how I handle weather-related skips. Customers need to understand that you are running a business, not a charity.

Key point: If a customer complains about skipped services due to weather, stand your ground. You’re still doing the work—it’s just delayed, not canceled.

4. No Refunds for Missed Services

Erica makes it clear in her terms of service that no refunds are given for missed services due to weather. Instead, accumulated waste is scooped during the next visit.

✅ My Take: This is essential. Do not offer refunds unless you want to lose money fast. If a customer doesn’t like it, they can find another provider who offers refunds (and then regret it when that provider inevitably goes out of business).

5. Enforce Skip Policies (Customers Can’t Just “Pause” Service)

Some customers think they can skip a week here and there because they picked up their yard themselves or they’re out of town. However, when they skip, it messes up your schedule and takes away a spot you could’ve filled with another paying customer.

Erica’s approach is to remove them from recurring service if they want to skip frequently. They can rejoin later, but only if there’s availability.

✅ My Take: If you let customers randomly skip weeks, you’re going to have an inconsistent income and a headache trying to manage your routes. I use the same approach—if someone wants to skip, they’re removed from the schedule entirely.

6. Collections Policy

Erica mentions that any unpaid accounts over 30 days past due will be sent to collections. While she admits she hasn’t had to do this yet, she keeps the policy in place to deter non-payment.

✅ My Take: If someone refuses to pay, send them to collections. It’s not personal—it’s business. If they don’t take their bill seriously, you shouldn’t be afraid to escalate it.

7. Why Having Strong Policies Matters

Many poop scooping business owners operate on a handshake agreement—and that’s why they struggle financially. When you have clear, written policies in place, you:

  • Protect your revenue
  • Prevent customers from taking advantage of you
  • Avoid unnecessary stress

Customers need to respect your time and business, just like any other professional service.

✅ My Take: Your business policies should be set in stone. If customers don’t like them, they’re not your ideal clients. The right customers will respect your business and pay on time.

Want to Grow Your Pooper Scooper Business Faster?

If you’re serious about scaling your pet waste removal business, you need to have solid policies, pricing, and marketing in place. That’s exactly why I recommend Poop Scoop Millionaire (PSM)—a training program designed for poop scooping business owners who want to hit six figures and beyond.

🔥 Join Poop Scoop Millionaire Today & Learn How to Scale Your Business the Right Way!
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Final Thoughts

If you’re losing money in your poop scooping business, it’s time to get serious about your policies. Implementing prepaid billing, strict payment enforcement, a clear weather policy, and a no-refund rule will help protect your income and keep your business running smoothly.

Watch the full video “STOP Losing Money in Your Poop Scooping Business” for more details and insights from Erica Kin.
🎥 Watch it here

What are your thoughts on these policies? Do you already have them in place, or will you be adding them to your business? Let me know! 🚀

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