24 SEP 2026 · Chad Harrison likes to say Doody Calls is number one in the number two business. The pun gets a laugh, but the model behind it is serious: recurring service, a wide labor pool, and no special licensing requirements.
In this episode of the Franchise Sisters Business Radio Show, Pam Currie and Shari Currie Skjoldager talk with Chad Harrison, franchise developer for Doody Calls, the pet waste management brand within Authority Brands. Doody Calls started around 2000 and began franchising around 2004. It serves residential homeowners and commercial properties, including HOAs, apartment complexes, condos, and gated communities.
Chad explains how franchisees can run this pet waste removal franchise as owner-operators or as semi-absentee owners from day one. He describes how weekly and biweekly recurring service creates predictable cash flow, and how a call center with AI after-hours coverage handles customer calls. He also walks through territory structure, marketing, virtual training, the estimated startup investment, and the Item 19 figures in the brand's FDD.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
- How Doody Calls balances residential and commercial customers, and why commercial accounts can generate more revenue over time
- The difference between owner-operator and semi-absentee ownership in a pet waste management franchise
- Why needing no special licensing, plus virtual training, can mean getting up and running in about 30 days
- How call center support, AI after-hours coverage, and route optimization software make a simple service efficient
- What the estimated investment covers, including working capital and a typically financed truck
- Chad's advice for entrepreneurs evaluating any franchise opportunity
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a corporate professional exploring lower-investment franchise options, this episode offers a practical look at a business built on simplicity. Considering franchise ownership? Request a free Franchise Sisters discovery call and investigate before you invest.