Adam Ask’s new business is for the dogs — or for picking up the dogs’ business.
“AJ’s Pooper Scoopers” charges dog owners weekly for cleaning up after canines in their yards.
Working from a family member’s suggestion earlier this year, Ask jumped at the chance to start his own business.
“It’s just something most people don’t want to do,” he said.
As a responsible dog owner himself, he said he doesn’t mind picking up after animals.
Ask’s fees are based on the customer’s yard size: $10 for large and $5 for small.
Armed with a metal grabber and a bucket lined with a plastic bag, Ask scoops up poop and places it into the bucket and disposes the bag for his customers.
There’s no doggy doo-doo left behind to step in or to run over with mowers. Bald spots are also less likely to form from repeated doggie dumps.
So far, Ask has four customers, including his parents, Les and Rachel Ask. “They have all been happy with my work,” he said.
The Ask family pet, Luna, has taught him to always look everywhere and check the lawn twice.
The incoming freshman at Luverne High School said he likes the hourly flexibility of owning his own business.
He will work with an investor to understand how to grow his earnings, and he eventually wants to start an online business and be an entrepreneur after high school.
Meanwhile, he’s focused on his current business with future plans already in place.
“Next summer I hope to expand,” he said.