With unemployment rates on the rise in Toronto and the job market tougher than ever to crack, many people are getting very creative to make ends meet. Add in the pressures of student life, and a gig once might have been considered a “side hustle” can now easily turn into a full-time career.
Gerard Quasay, a 24-year-old civil engineering student turned entrepreneur and the proud founder of pet waste removal business ScoopyPoo, is a perfect example of overcoming adversity to find success in unexpected places.
“I originally started ScoopyPoo because my siblings and I were struggling to find part-time jobs, and wanted to help pay for school supplies and tuition,” Quasay tells blogTO.
Quasay’s story of students struggling to find work is just part of a broader issue in the city, with the unemployment rate steady at 8.9 per cent in Toronto, according to the latest figures from StatCan.
“We all know how expensive tuition is, and with me nearing my graduation and knowing that I’d have to financially help my brother, I knew I had to do something to make a little extra cash to assist in covering his school fees as well,” said Quasay of his 18-year-old industrial engineering student sibling, Christian.
ScoopyPoo would eventually help pay for school supplies and fees for his sister, too, who’s still in high school.
The idea for the business came to life earlier this year, in March, as Quasay recalls, “the dreaded spring melt came around and all the brown nuggets our newest puppy had left throughout the winter in the backyard revealed themselves.” That moment sparked an idea.
“I thought to myself, what if other dog owners are going through the same thing right now? A huge mess that no one wants to clean?” he says. Quasay did some research, picked up the right tools — dust bins, garden rakes, kitchen bags, disinfectants, and sanitation products — and, with his siblings, specifically his sister at the helm of their social media, began promoting their new business online through local neighbourhood groups.
Still, launching something new came with its share of nerves. “Initially, I procrastinated for days because I was so hesitant about the possible backlash and judgment we might get for starting something so niche and silly-sounding, but I sucked it up and posted,” he admits. The response? Well, let’s just say it was nothing short of overwhelming.
The community quickly rallied behind the siblings, praising their initiative and drive to pay their way through school. “Our community had no idea that a service like this existed, and we quickly garnered a packed schedule of poop-distressed dog owners who needed the assistance of ScoopyPoo,” he laughs.
Though business is booming now, it wasn’t always easy. Quasay says the community’s encouragement was what kept them going through the tougher moments.
“The support kept us motivated through my inner doubt, hate comments on some of our posts, and when the work at some moments felt too draining, scooping kilograms and kilograms of dog poop in the cold winter night, needing flashlights.”
So, what’s changed since they first opened their business back in March? A couple of notable things. The once side hustle has now completely taken over their schedules, becoming a full-fledged business that the siblings juggle with their personal lives. They also boast regular clients, with a customer loyalty they did not anticipate when they first started out.
“I initially thought of only doing one-off cleanups for some extra side hustle money to stash away for our schooling, but then one of our customers asked if we could come on a more regular basis to clean up their yard weekly. They were married, working full-time, and had kids to drive to events/and extracurricular activities, so it was a big headache to clean the yard every week, and not to mention gross!”
And now that ScoopyPoo has taken off, the siblings are thinking ahead.
The team plans to hire more “ScoopyPoo-fessionals,” expand into commercial properties and local businesses, and take on larger projects, with one ambitious goal in mind. “We want to grow big enough to work with the city and get rid of Toronto’s poop-problem we see everywhere in our public spaces.”