DoodyCalls

They run a pooper scooper business. Let’s be real clear about this: Their company sends employees out into yards across communities to pick up dog poop.

“When we first started, ‘disbelief’ would be the way to put it,” says Jacob, “disbelief bordering on pity.” When he told his employer he was quitting his job to run his pooper scooper business full time, she told him, “If you need to come back, just let me know.” Susan’s mother was at first in denial that her daughter was planning on marrying a man whose future lay in dog poop.

The D’Aniellos have been so successful, they now have seven employees and five franchises. Their franchise fee is $20,000, and in case you’re wondering what you get for that, DoodyCalls provides computer software and call-center services as well as marketing and PR help, and everything else you’d expect to get with a franchise. Besides actually finding five people to sign on as franchisees, what’s odder still is, they aren’t alone. Poop scooping is a growing business trend, from Pet Butler and its 42 U.S. franchises to a teenager in the Seattle area who runs a part-time service called TurdsbytheYard.com.