Meet Mike Casten | Business Owner, Dog Lover, and P**p Magician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Casten and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I feel very fortunate that my business can have a positive impact in a number of ways.

First and foremost, we provide a valuable service for those who are incapable of properly cleaning up after their pets, including the disabled, elderly, or injured who physically cannot do this task for themselves. Additionally, we can ease the burden of busy families who work long hours, have extra-curricular activities to attend, and simply don’t have the time to get out and clean the yard as often as they’d like. And in some cases, we are able to take care of a chore that some people would simply would rather not do themselves and prefer to spend their time and efforts on other things. Lastly, by providing a clean and sanitized yard for our customers, we are helping to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our furry friends to enjoy!

Aside from benefitting our customers, the success of this business has allowed ut to provide jobs for a number of people. Though we do not have full-time positions available, we offer a well-compensated part-time position for people who are looking to make a decent income but don’t necessarily have the time to put in 40+ hours per week. We currently have a team of 13 people and we continue to grow!

Lastly, by having a network of so many dog-loving people, we are able to use our platform for philanthropic purposes. We are heavily involved in the rescue community and use our reach to gather donations, sponsor events, and support our local dog rescues and shelters in any way that we can. It is really an amazing feeling to be able to help in ways that I never would have thought possible before Poodini!

What should our readers know about your business?
If it wasn’t already obvious from the name, Poodini Pet Waste Removal is a professional “pooper scooper” service. We provide our customers with weekly or 2x per week service, as well as offering one-time cleanups, and sanitizing. We even include free belly rubs for our furry clients (this is actually our favorite part of the job!).

I honestly started the business as as a side gig on the weekends to get a little extra spending money and never had any intention of making a career of it. However, fate would have different plans for me. It didn’t take long for my business to start gaining traction and before I knew it, my weekends were booked solid and I was having to turn away new business. That’s when I decided that I needed to hire my first employee and continue to grow the business. After continuing to grow over the next year or so, it became clear that I needed to leave my full-time job and focus all of my efforts on Poodini. Since then, we have continued to grow despite a pandemic, a recession, and faced with a bunch of new competition (several new pet waste services popped up during the pandemic). Through it all, we have continued to thrive and provide our service to more and more customers each day!

Of course there have been a few hiccups along the way, but our mindset is to continue to provide the best possible service at an affordable price for our customers. In some ways, customer service feels like a lost art these days and that is where we try to go above and beyond, forming a personal relationship with our clients and making sure that they are happy with the service they are receiving. After all, our success hinges on the support and loyalty of our customers. We truly consider them to be a part of the family!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Obviously, any friends coming into town to spend time with me better be prepared for a healthy dose of dog-related activities! We would visit the county shelter so they can see why I am so involved with animal rescue. We’d have to stop by some of favorite local rescues (Pittie Me, One Love, Friends For Life, Lost Our Home, Follow Your Heart, Wildhorse Ranch, and others) to meet the amazing people whose passion for animals inspires me. And of course, we need to visit our favorite pet supply stores (Pet Planet, Bark Avenue, and Gordy’s Goodies) so they can learn about proper health and nutrition for their own pets. Last but not least, I’d take them to see Mak Pack’s new indoor dog park, as it is the first of it’s kind in Arizona (a much needed indoor place for dogs to play and exercise during the excessive summer heat!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Quite honestly, there are too many influences in my life to name them all. But I will give a shout out to my amazing wife, Kim, for always supporting me and dealing with everything that comes along with being married to the “p**p guy”. Haha! She has been my rock and assists the business in a multitude of ways despite having her own business (Good Vibes Dogtography) and volunteering at the county shelter. Her passion for dogs is contagious and has certainly helped to motivate me to do as much as I possibly can to have a positive impact on the rescue community.

Website: https://poodini.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/poodiniaz

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/25007886

Twitter: https://twitter.com/poodiniaz

Facebook: https://facebook.com/poodiniaz

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/poodini-pet-waste-removal-gilbert