Tom Boyd, an 80-year-old serial entrepreneur with a knack for making money, has struck gold – or perhaps we should say, “struck poo” – in an unlikely place: dog poop. With 17 successful businesses under his belt, Boyd’s latest venture, PooPrints, is turning the unpleasant problem of unscooped pet waste into a lucrative enterprise projected to generate up to $7 million in revenue this year and a staggering $120 million within five years.
Boyd’s story proves that entrepreneurial vision can sniff out profit opportunities anywhere, even in the smelliest of situations. His journey began in the U.S. Army where, as a soldier earning a modest $100 a month in Germany, he supplemented his income by buying goods on base and reselling them to German stores at a substantial markup, earning an extra $1,000 monthly. This early experience ignited a lifelong entrepreneurial spirit driven by a simple motivation: “I think you become an entrepreneur simply because you want to make money,” Boyd states.
After selling his previous company and attempting retirement thirteen years ago, Boyd quickly found himself restless. “I made it a week, and I told my wife, ‘I can’t do this.'” Returning to Knoxville, Tennessee, he sought new business opportunities, declaring he was ready to “buy anything that walked and talked, if it was a business.” This led him to acquire a medical research company developing a blood test for early colon cancer detection.
However, Boyd, accustomed to businesses that generate profit, faced a new challenge. “In a research company, all you do is spend money,” he realized. Seeking to leverage the company’s assets, particularly its DNA testing lab, for revenue generation, he looked beyond human applications and towards the pet industry.
In 2008, Boyd launched Biopet, focusing on pet DNA services. Initially, the company offered dog parentage confirmation, which proved successful. However, efforts to determine dog breeds through DNA testing faced accuracy issues due to limitations in genetic markers analyzed.
The Genesis of PooPrints: Forensic Science Tackles Pet Waste
The pivotal moment for Boyd’s foray into pet waste management came from an unexpected source: Chesleigh Fields, Biopet’s chief scientist. Fields, a 35-year-old expert in forensic DNA and serology, recognized an opportunity to apply DNA technology to a pervasive public nuisance – dog poop. Drawing on her forensic background, she proposed using DNA to identify dogs and their owners responsible for leaving pet waste uncollected in public spaces. “You take an unknown, and you match it to a known,” Fields explained, highlighting the core principle of her innovative idea. She emphasized the health hazards associated with dog feces, including attracting pests like rats, envisioning a “CSI of dog doo” to address this issue.
Boyd was immediately intrigued by the potential of Fields’ concept. Market research revealed a significant problem: approximately 40 percent of dog owners fail to pick up after their pets. For property managers, this issue consistently ranks as a top concern. Boyd illustrated the scale of the problem, “If you live in a high rise in New York, you’ve got 200 dogs. Forty percent don’t pick up,” translating to a staggering amount of uncollected waste daily.
Considering the estimated 70 million dogs in the United States, Boyd recognized a substantial market opportunity. He decided to fully commit to this venture, naming the product PooPrints, a catchy moniker coined by a friend during a casual conversation. Boyd invested millions to launch PooPrints, targeting apartment and condominium complexes as initial clients. While first-year revenues in 2011 were modest at $160,000, Boyd’s strategic mandate to secure at least one account in 30 states demonstrated his long-term vision. The company exceeded expectations, securing deals in 48 states in its first year. Today, PooPrints is implemented in over 3,000 complexes, showcasing its widespread adoption and success.
How PooPrints Works: A DNA Registry for Responsible Pet Ownership
The PooPrints system operates on a straightforward yet effective model. In participating buildings, enrollment is typically mandatory, integrated into lease or condo agreements. Dog owners register their pets by swabbing the inside of their dog’s cheek and submitting the DNA sample to Biopet. For a $40 fee, the dog’s DNA profile is added to the company’s World Pet Registry.
When property managers encounter uncollected dog waste, they use a specialized kit to collect a sample, preserve it in a solution, and mail it to Biopet for testing against the registry. This analysis, costing $70, can be recovered through fines imposed on identified dog owners. Boyd emphasizes the global reach of the registry, “Once that dog goes in [the registry], he can be recognized anywhere in the world… if they pick up his dog waste, we can instantly tell you where the dog is.” This system ensures accountability and discourages irresponsible pet ownership.
Lab technician analyzing DNA samples for PooPrints
When questioned about alternative methods like security cameras, Boyd argues for the definitive nature of DNA evidence. “Prove it,” he challenges, highlighting the difficulty of visual identification in court compared to irrefutable DNA matching.
The implementation of PooPrints yields remarkable behavioral changes. Violations related to pet waste significantly decrease as residents become accountable. Fields reports, “We’ve had reports of a 95 percent drop,” in unscooped waste incidents. Despite initial concerns about privacy, the focus on promoting responsible pet ownership and creating cleaner, more pet-friendly environments has resonated with property owners and tenants alike. Fields notes, “They come to us now without us having to cold call and knock on doors,” indicating strong organic demand.
Overcoming Challenges and Scaling for a Poo-Free Future
Developing PooPrints was not without its hurdles. Early challenges involved refining sample collection and transportation methods. Fields recounts the unpleasant experience of receiving a moldy first sample, emphasizing the years of research required to develop proper preservation and shipping protocols. She also humorously recalls a messy experiment using a cappuccino frothier for sample processing, resulting in a “poo eruption” incident, highlighting the less glamorous aspects of innovation.
Despite these early setbacks, PooPrints has achieved significant scale. With over 300,000 dogs registered in the World Pet Registry, Biopet processes approximately 7,000 swab samples and 2,000 poop samples monthly. Boyd is now pursuing partnerships with cities like Chicago to integrate PooPrints into mandatory pet licensing programs, aiming to expand its reach into public spaces and further reduce pet waste. This expansion is integral to his ambitious revenue target of $120 million within five years. He is also actively pursuing international markets, particularly England, estimating a potential market value of $365 million based on the country’s 9 million dog population.
Tom Boyd envisions a future where every dog is part of the PooPrints system, creating cleaner and healthier communities globally. While the business of dog poop might seem unconventional, Boyd finds humor in his success, remarking, “I think it’s funny nobody came up with the idea before.” His story serves as an inspiring example of entrepreneurial ingenuity, demonstrating how identifying and addressing everyday problems, even the unpleasant ones, can lead to innovative and profitable solutions.
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