Mattapoisett 11-Year-Olds Making Dough Out of Droppings

Creating a successful business is all about finding your niche and sticking to it. Two 11-year-old entrepreneurs from Mattapoisett are proving that there is always a way to make some money, even if it means a pooper scooper is involved.

Mila Boucher and Caroline Gallagher have been neighbors and friends their entire lives. They love to take their bikes down to the Seaport Slip in Mattapoisett, a.k.a. “The Slip," every summer, but their mothers were getting tired of funding their “Slip” habit. The girls wanted to make their own money, and in 2020, they began brainstorming. They both love dogs, so dog walking came to mind. Mila’s father, however, is a dog trainer and decided to chime in with a rather out-of-the-box idea.

“No one wants to deal with dog droppings, maybe you could go around the neighborhood and clean it up,” he suggested.

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Dad’s idea was met with a resounding “ewww,” but after mulling it over with their mothers, the girls realized that they would be able to corner that market. Everyone likes to walk dogs. No one likes to deal with poop.

The Village Pooper Scoopers company was born. With the help of their mothers, Mila and Caroline created a graphic with their names, created an email address for people to contact them, and began marketing to their neighbors in Mattapoisett Village.

Since last year, Mila and Caroline have managed to grow a small client base and are ready to ramp up their business now that school is over.

“We have revamped the logo and made new flyers,” said Mila’s mom, Kristen Boucher. “They love to see the dogs when they're doing the dirty deed and they have been receiving great feedback. Never in a million years I thought this would be a business for my child, but here we are.”

Boucher is so proud of the girls for applying business tactics at such a young age and making their own money.

“I watch my daughter answer emails, call back clients, and tell them pricing. It’s helping them get outside of their comfort zone," she said.

When I was 11, I was watching cartoons. I am so impressed by these little businesswomen.

Who knew that dog droppings could be so educational?

Since Mila and Caroline’s form of transportation is their bicycles, their business is confined to the center of Mattapoisett, but maybe in a few years, they will be able to expand across the SouthCoast, cleaning up front lawns one poop bag at a time.