πΎ It started with two dogs and a disgusting yard
I owned two large dogs. And one day I just got tired of looking at my yard. It was gross, it smelled, and I had absolutely zero motivation to go out there and deal with it myself. So I did what any reasonable person does: I went on Google and searched for someone I could pay to clean it up for me.
Nothing. Not a single result. There was no pet waste removal service in Brooks, Alberta. Not one.
I was 20 years old at the time, and something clicked. If I needed this service and couldn't find it, how many other dog owners in this city felt exactly the same way? Probably a lot. And if nobody was offering it, that meant there was a real gap in the market that someone needed to fill.
I figured that someone might as well be me.
The idea in one sentence
Start the professional pet waste removal company in Brooks that nobody had built yet, because I personally needed it and couldn't find it anywhere.
π§€ Starting from scratch. Literally.
I didn't have equipment. I didn't have clients. I didn't have a brand. What I had was a rake, a dustbin, a bucket, gloves, boots, and some plastic bags. That was the entire startup kit for ScoobyDoody Waste Busters.
My parents' yard was my very first project. Not for money. Just to practice and to get before and after photos. I knew from the start that I needed to experience the service myself, from the customer's side, before I could ask anyone to pay for it. I had to walk the talk and actually understand what I was selling.
I also started offering free spring cleans to friends and friends of friends. Same reason. I wanted real results I could photograph, real feedback I could learn from, and real proof that I could actually deliver on the promise of a clean yard. Those early free jobs became the foundation of everything that followed.
π± The first paying clients
Word spread. Friends told other friends. A few of those early free cleans turned into paid recurring customers. Then referrals started happening organically, which is still one of the best feelings in a small city like Brooks.
One early example that stuck with me was a job in Duchess. A client referred me to her neighbour across the street who needed recurring yard maintenance while her property was listed for sale. That property sold. And the new owner, after doing renovations, became a loyal junk removal client of mine. One referral turned into a multi-year relationship with two different households. That's how real business grows in a small community.
Over time the service offering grew beyond pet waste. Yard cleanups because customers needed seasonal help. Lawn mowing because it was the natural next step. Junk removal because almost every cleanup job turned up things people wanted hauled away. Then snow removal in the winter. Then gutter cleaning. Each service came from a real need I kept seeing over and over again at customer properties.
The full list of services today
Pet Waste Removal, Lawn Mowing, Yard Cleanup, Junk Removal, Snow and Ice Removal, and Gutter Cleaning. Six services built one customer need at a time.
π§ The philosophy behind how I run this
I believe the marketplace pays you based on the value you provide. That's it. You don't force people to buy. You find the people who genuinely need what you offer, and you deliver so well that they stay, tell their neighbours, and come back every season.
I don't have competitors in the traditional sense. I compete with myself. I'm focused on being better than I was yesterday, not on what anyone else is doing. Progress over perfection.
I also don't give the corporate vibe. I'm just a regular guy in his 20s from Brooks who saw a problem, understood the pain because I lived it myself, and decided to become the solution. I don't use scripts or sales pressure. I only reach out to people who actually need the service. And because of that my conversion rate is high and my clients actually stick around.
The goal has always been convenience. The kind of convenience I wanted when I was standing in my yard dreading the cleanup. The kind where you just text someone, they show up, and the problem is gone. That's what I try to deliver on every single job.
π Where we are now
ScoobyDoody Waste Busters is based in Brooks and serves Brooks and surrounding communities including Duchess, Tilley, Rosemary, Patricia, Rainier, and Kinbrook Island, as well as Calgary for larger junk removal and yard service jobs. We run on Jobber for scheduling and billing, we use a prepaid model that keeps routes efficient and customers committed, and we're building toward something that could eventually grow well beyond Brooks.
But right now the focus is simple: serve this community well. Show up when I say I will. Do the job right. And leave every yard better than I found it.
That's all this ever was. A regular person deciding to do the work nobody else wanted to do, and doing it properly.
Want a clean yard without the work?
That's exactly what this business was built for. Get a free quote through our website and we'll get back to you within a few hours.