William Milliken and Levi Swartz launched Swoop Scoop in Spokane Valley, Washington, in late 2020 with a pocketful of cash—just $1,000—and a singular focus: picking up dog poop. It’s a job most people ignore. Yet within months, the pair turned that unglamorous chore into a subscription-based service that now pulls in more than $200,000 every month.
The growth has been meteoric. According to an interview with the Millionaire University podcast, Milliken said the customer base exploded from roughly 20 subscribers to over 300 quickly. That early traction allowed them to hire staff and optimize routes. By 2023, operating under the name Scoop Troop, they acquired Dooky’s Pet Waste Removal for $54,000. At that point, the company already had 1,500 customers and about a dozen employees, having pushed into Seattle.
The model relies on recurring revenue. Instead of one-off cleanups, Swoop Scoop charges customers for regular, scheduled visits. This predictable cash flow eliminated the need for massive inventory or complex manufacturing. All the company needs is labor, vehicles, and a reliable route plan. It’s a textbook example of a “boring” business that scales because the demand is constant and the service is simple.
Today, Swoop Scoop serves Spokane, Seattle, Everett, and North Idaho. The company’s expansion earned it a spot on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list at No. 653, citing 638% revenue growth between 2021 and 2024. Milliken credits Facebook advertising for the initial customer surge. Now, with a stable base and a brand recognized across the region, the focus shifts to maintaining service quality as the team grows. The next step is clear: keep the trucks moving and the subscriptions renewing.