We recently connected with Mike Casten and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In order to run a successful business I think you must first and foremost believe in the product or service you are selling. If you truly see the value in your offerings, so will potential customers, and you will not undervalue yourself and get burnt out. When I offer my services to a customer, I want to know that I am adding value to their life and not just swindling them out of their hard-earned money!

Additionally, I think it is imperative to be able to connect with people. In order to successfully do business, you must be able to connect with your customers so that you can understand their needs and find solutions that work for them. Likewise, you must be able to connect with your employees so that you can put them in a position to succeed. Without customers and employees, you won’t have a business at all.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Mike Casten and I am the owner of Poodini Pet Waste Removal. Some people might balk at the idea of paying for a “pooper scooper” service, but we provide a service that is very much in demand. We offer weekly service, 2x per week service, one time clean ups, sanitizing, and disinfecting treatments.

Dogs bring so much value into people’s lives but not everyone has the means to take care of them. Some people are physically incapable of cleaning up after their pets while others may be too busy with work, family, and other commitments to stay on top of it. And some people would rather pay us to take care of their least favorite chore so that they can spend their time focusing on the more important things in life. We provide a service in a niche market out of both necessity and convenience. After all, who am I to tell them how to spend their money?

I initially got into this industry as somewhat of a joke. After years of working in traditional retail and corporate type positions, I one day said, “I would rather pick up dog sh*t than spend another day at this job!” Well, after a few more years of working for other people at jobs that gave me little to no satisfaction, I decided to give it a try. I started Poodini as a side business on the weekends for a little extra spending money, not thinking it would ever be much more than that. Boy was I wrong! Sure, things started off a little slow as it took some time to build up clientele in the beginning. After my first year in business, I only had about 20 regular customers. By the end of my second year, I had reached over 100 customers, hired my first employee, and went part-time at my “regular” job so I could focus more on this business. Currently, we have a team of 10 employees, nearly 400 regular customers, and are still growing at a rapid pace!

Being able to provide for my family and provide for my employees is a very humbling experience. Essentially, I started this business so that I could be my own boss, and ended up being THE boss to a team of people who look to me to make sure their future is just as bright as mine has become. As such, I try to be the best boss that I can be, setting my team up for success and helping them work through any issues they might be having. I consider all of my employees a part of my family, as they are the ones who help me put food on the table for my wife, kid, and our crazy pack of Pit Bulls!

Any advice for managing a team?

In my opinion, this comes down to the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” In order to do this, I had to really think back about all of the bosses I’ve had over the years. What was it that I hated about working for this one? Why was this boss one of my favorites? In doing so, I tried to live up to the highest standards of what I considered to be a “good boss” and eliminate any negative aspects of what I considered to be a “bad boss” from my own management style.

At the end of the day, I have found that most people want to be respected, appreciated, and treated as a human being rather than just a number. I make sure to thank my team as often as possible. I listen when they have suggestions for how to make their job or the business better. I help them work through issues, rather they be personal or related to the business. I offer my support and try to promote a culture in which everyone feels valued and rewarded for their efforts. In addition to paying the team well, we provide bonuses and incentives for achieving simple goals like showing up for all of your shifts, passing quality control checks, and getting selfies with their favorite dogs!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a strong reputation for Poodini Pet Waste Removal has been a long process. Initially, we had to overcome the hurdle of the vast majority of people not even knowing that this type of business existed. Many were skeptical or thought it was a job for neighborhood kids so they didn’t take it seriously. So I made it my mission to always go above and beyond to provide a great experience for the customer at an affordable price and make customer service a top priority.

After impressing the limited number of customers we had in the beginning, word began to spread as they told their friends/neighbors, posted on social media, and left 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp. As we continued to grow, we never deviated from the formula that started our reputation and continue to operate with those same core values in mind. It is amazing how much of an impact having an army of satisfied customers can make on your marketing strategy!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://poodini.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/poodiniaz
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/poodiniaz
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/25007886
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/poodiniaz
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/poodini-pet-waste-removal-gilbert

Image Credits
Cover photo by Good Vibes Dogtography