ODESSA, Texas — Jase from Odessa answers the call of duty, as an entrepreneur at heart.
During October, the 11-year-old boy officially launched 'Doody Dude' a business that offers pet waste removal services across the area.
The idea came to mind during a phone call with his grandfather, who paused their conversation to let the person cleaning up his pet's waste inside the home.
"My grandpa Dave said I would be a good businessman, so I wanted to start a business," said Jase.
The Odessa boy shared he realized some people may have difficulty bending over to pick up their pet's waste or other similar issues. Others may just be too busy.
What first started as a joke between the Managan family, soon turned into reality.
"At first, we laughed. We came up with the ideas, we shot him back and forth and it was like, OK, you're hesitant because he is a child, so we allowed him to do it," said Kylie Managan, the boy's mother.
"I mean, after you're so persistent for so many years, asking to mom, can I sell lemonade? Mom, can we make cookies? Mom, can we do this? Do you think I can be this? It was just an idea after an idea. And it's like finally something that he could relate to.... I thought sure, why not?"
The Managan family started making t-shirts with the slogan, "No doody too big for this dude." They also printed out business cards and set-up an official business page on social media.
The rates for Doody Dude pet-waste removal services depend on the number of dogs at a household and how often removals are done such as weekly, bi-weekly, or once a month.
"[Mom, dad and my grandpa] tell me, 'You can do this, I believe in you,' " said Jase.
Jase's parents help him set up the services and take him to the locations. Thereafter, Jase checks the perimeters of the properties along the fences, removes the pet waste, checks the areas twice and sanitizes after every removal.
When asked what she recommends to other parents of children who want to start their own businesses, Kylie shared, "Support them, even if it's the wildest job idea to own a business. Support them all you can do is give them that faith and hope that they can do it, and then it can transpire into something great...You have to give them that confidence that they can do anything because the sky is the limit. And I've always told them that and literally he's taking that and he's ran with it. And now I just, I can't believe how well he's doing."
Doody Dude can be contacted through their Facebook page, or by phone at (505) 716-3571.