That’s the catchy tag line of Ireland’s first official dog waste removal company. Entrepreneur, William O’Brien, is facing down the recession and officially launching his Scoopy Poo venture today.
"My fiancee says I’m mad in the head but I’ll make it work. I’ll work 14 hours a day if I have to," he said.
"I’m ready for the laughing and the joking too. But I’m ambitious and this is going to work. If it fails, it won’t be for the lack of trying."
William, 32, who lives in Ballyphehane, Cork, with his partner, Michelle, and their two boys, Cian, seven, and Aaron, four, worked as a plasterer at the height of the boom.
As the construction industry began to collapse, he said he had to find work to pay the mortgage and feed his family.
Inspired by the work ethic of his father, and grandfather before him, William bought a van, and branded himself "the handyman you’d recommend to a friend".
It was during visits to clients’ homes that William noticed dog waste in the gardens, and how dog owners felt it was a chore to pick it up.
Then, while hanging election posters during the last local election, he noticed the full extent of the dog fouling problem.
"Everyone steps in it at some stage and you don’t know what to do, where to look, where to wipe."
Where others turn their noses up, William spotted a business opportunity. He will find dog waste in gardens, yards, or kennels, scoop it, double-bag it in biodegradable bags and dispose of it.
The first site assessment is free. Prices range from €15 to €40, depending on the number of dogs.
* Mr Scoopy Poo can be contacted on 085-213 8557
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, March 15, 2010
