For years, Levy ran Yucko’s while managing her boutique and taking shifts as a bartender. Her customers were not shy about sharing their opinions of her side job.
“There were some jokes,” she said. “They’d say they didn’t want me to open their beer.”
Most professionals are good-humored about the nature of their work, giving their companies names like Paw of Doody or Mound Hounds. Marketing requires a light touch; the bright-eyed poop emoji is an advertising mainstay.
‘Barefoot confidence’
Jim Coniglione has been in the business two decades, and is something of a mentor for upstarts across the country.
“I call myself the King of Poop,” he said.
Coniglione, of Long Island, New York, was a tire-shop owner when he founded Scoopy Doo. Over time, the “entre-manure” expanded his customer base, hired employees and even workshopped a reality television show for Animal Planet.
The key to success, Coniglione said, is being serious about your work, but not about yourself. His fleet of vehicles are each emblazoned with Scoopy Doo’s motto: “We take a lotta crap from our customers.”
Jess and Les Pinion, the husband-and-wife team behind ScoopDawgz, sought advice from Coniglione before launching their Edwardsville company in April 2019.