Kyle Graham isn’t your typical 13-year old teenager, and he’s absolutely not afraid to get his hands dirty! Speaking of “dirty jobs” Kyle became a viral internet sensation with the help of Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame. Here’s the post that kicked his business into high gear once Mike shared it to his millions of followers:
Hello Mr. Rowe. I’m not sure if you’ll ever read this but I just wanted to share my own “dirty job” with you. Last year when I was 12, I started my own pooper scooper business called Call of Doodie. Your show was a big inspiration for my idea. I’ve earned enough money already to buy my own fishing boat.
I just wanted to thank you so much for the inspiration to get out there and get my hands dirty! It would mean the world to me to know you read this, so please, please say hello!
Here’s a link to my company’s website in case you were feeling really generous and wanted to pose for a picture with my website in the background:
www.callofdoodiejax.com
Kyle – You sir, are inspiration, and proof-positive that when it comes to #2, somebody’s gotta be #1.
Carry on,
Mike
That was just a few short months ago, and since that time Kyle’s business and life have gone into overdrive just like his story. We had to learn more once we saw his work ethic, creativity, AND the fact his first purchase was a fishing boat for about $3,000! In this exclusive interview, we found out more from Kyle about how his life has changed. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this impressive young man.
Where did the creativity of the name come from?
Well one day I was trying to figure out what the name for my business should be and I went to go play my favorite video game Call of Duty, and thought to myself how funny and cool it would be if that was my name.
How long has the business been in existence?
I started my business when I was in 6th grade in March of 2015, so by now it has been around for 1 and a half years.
What was the original goal?
The original goal was to make some extra money because I wanted to buy all of the new video games and equipment. But, after I started making money I realized how hard it is to spend money that you worked so hard to earn, so at the moment I’m saving most of it for a car. But of course I still buy new games sometimes.
How did Mike Rowe change the business, and change your life?
After Mike Rowe shared my post I had lots of attention. I felt like if I messed up everyone was going to see it. At the moment I realize how foolish that sounds, but at the time I was really nervous. I think without him sharing my post I would still be very shy and scared about speaking to people. I also wanted to use the attention he had given me to do something good, so I started a 22 pushup challenge to raise awareness for veteran suicide and money for K9s For Warriors.
So far we have raised over $1,300 through online donations and another $350 throu pledges from my dad’s work union and Christoff Jewelers in Oakleaf who are doing a raffle to raise funds. I think it’s awesome that just by doing some pushups on youtube and sharing on Facebook we raised over a thousand dollars so far!
How much press/social media did you get in the first 24 hours? First week? And, in the last month?
In the first 24 hours I think around 15,000 people visited my website and the Florida Times Union called to do an over the phone interview. In the next week things dialed down a little but I was called I think 2 or 3 times to do other interviews. In the first month, I was contacted by News 4 Jax, and they are coming to my house and work with me. I think the interview will be on River City Live. I also received new customers and a couple of one time cleanups which was really great.
How has business changed?
Business has changed because now I am starting to take a different direction. Don’t get me wrong I think I will be picking up dog doodie for a while but I am also going to start a youtube channel where I teach kids how to start their own businesses. Actually, I’m going to start that as soon as my 22 pushup challenge is over.
Changes for the family beyond just the business?
Nothing in the family has really changed. At first everyone was going crazy and the house was hectic for the first few weeks but nothing really changed after that.
What’s your favorite fish to catch?
I’ve fished for most of my life but I just pretty recently got into it big time (mostly because my dad never liked it until recently) but I just like to catch fish in general. If I had to pick my favorite it might be trout , they’re pretty fun to catch and it’s new because before I got my boat, I was just fishing in canals by the house for bass and crappie.
What kind of boat would you like to purchase with your money?
Right now I’m very happy with the boat I have which is a 17 foot 1988 Bass Tracker, but in the future I would love to have a bigger 26 foot deep sea fishing boat.
What fish would you love to catch one day?
I would love to catch a mahi-mahi because they are really big and put up great fights (so I heard) but I do know for a fact that they taste great.
Where’s your dream fishing trip?
My dream fishing trip would probably be in the Keys or Bahamas.
What else do you enjoy outdoors?
I basically like to do anything outdoors. I play on a Premier League soccer team but I also love to play football, airsoft, mountain biking, and exploring the woods.
What are your future goals?
As I mentioned earlier I would love to teach younger kids and their parents how to start their own business and make their own dreams a reality. When doing research for my youtube channel, I just learned about passive income and that is really interesting to me. I will probably try to learn as much as I can about that so I can start setting up websites, e-books, and other things which will continue paying me long after my work is done with them.
To contact Kyle, you can reach him via Call of Doodie, or directly at this link. Best of luck Kyle!
