This TikToker found a viral side hustle: cleaning up other people’s dog poop for $80 a month

When she’s not making forecasts and projections as a financial analyst, Katelyn Kruse has an unusual side job that her neighbors are very grateful for.

As she works from home with regular 9-to-5 shifts, Katelyn had the idea of making some extra income locally. And while taking a break outside to clear up the poop her two golden retrievers left on her lawn, it dawned on her that she could do the same for her dog-owning neighbors, who are either too busy to clean up after their pet pooches, or see it as an unpleasant job they would rather not have to do.

During a scooping session, she has a great idea: “I was like, ‘Wait a second. I think I could make something out of this. I spend my time doing it and most people hate it,’ ” she told PEOPLE.

Clean machine

So have drawing up a business plan, in June, the 27-year-old launched 'The Golden Scoop’, a professional pet waste removal service. Katelyn offers two packages: Gold (twice-weekly pickups costing $80 a month) and Silver (once-weekly pickups for $52 a month). The gold service is handy for those who have several dogs but for customers with just one dog, the silver package works fine.

Customers are asked to fill out a form, specifying their preferred pickup days and other key details such as their dog’s name. That way, Katelyn explains, it won’t feel as though it’s just some random person coming along armed with a pooper scooper.

Under the catchy slogan ‘Scoopin’ the doo, so you don’t have to’ Katelyn has already built up a core of regular clients. And her side hustle really took off after she posted a few video clips of herself at work, pink uniform on, bucket and scooper in hand on TikTok. She’s attracted almost 5,000 followers and her pinned video has been viewed almost 1.5 million times.

Bringing the community closer

As well as keeping the neighborhood spic and span, the job has also brought Katelyn closer to members of her local community that she didn’t know so well previously.

“I did a lot of door-knocking and word-of-mouth, and I’ve gotten to meet veterans and older people who are not physically able to clean their yards. That’s been a lot of fun too, because I get to meet them, learn about their families, and obviously meet their dogs.”

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