We thought this would be temporary.

Poo Force started because we needed work. We're brothers, we had a rake and a bucket, and we figured people probably wouldn't mind paying us to clean up their yards. The plan was to make some money until something better came along.

Turns out, we were already building it.

A lot of that is the dogs. You don't last eight years in this job unless you genuinely like them, and we do. We've been greeted by thousands of them by now. The ones that lose their minds the second the gate opens. The shy one who watches from the deck until she decides you're alright. The old guy who follows you around the whole visit just to supervise.

We kept going because we realized this is one of those jobs where the little things matter. Show up when you say you will. Clean the whole yard. Close the gate behind you. Be good to the dogs. And if something goes wrong, answer the phone and make it right.

None of that is complicated. You just have to care.

It's also why we use pet-safe products and never harsh chemicals. It's their grass more than it's yours. And if your dog wants to say hello while we're working, that's the best part of the day, not an interruption.

Eight years and more than 35,000 cleaned yards later, Poo Force is still locally owned and operated right here in Minnesota. We still run routes ourselves, still talk to our customers, and still know plenty of them by the dogs waiting for us at the gate. Ryan joined the crew along the way.

What started as a way to make a few bucks turned into something we're pretty damn proud of.