The Scoop with Erica Krupin
Ep 190: Why I Ditched Tiered Pricing for Flat Rates
Release Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Erica Krupin

Overview

In this vibrant, hands-on episode, Erica Krupin offers listeners an honest and highly practical reflection on her decision to abandon tiered pricing and return to flat-rate charges in her booming pooper scooper business. Against the backdrop of the frantic spring rush, Erica shares business lessons, transparent trials and errors, and personal anecdotes about pricing strategy, operational simplicity, customer psychology, and work-life balance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of Pricing Strategy

• Origins: Simple Flat Rates

  • When Erica started her business, she kept pricing flat and simple: $50 for a clean, $55/month for recurring service, regardless of yard size or dog count.
  • “It was just easy to crank that stuff out. And as time has gone on, I love making things more complicated. It's like a special power of mine, you know.” (03:00)

• Complicating with Tiered Pricing

  • Attempted a more customized, tiered pricing method (different rates for more dogs, bigger yards, etc.).
  • Once ad spend and lead volume spiked, the system became unwieldy, slow, and difficult for her team to quote accurately and efficiently.
  • “When you have so much volume coming in, having those complex systems, things break. It’s taking too long to respond back to people...” (04:50)

• Spring Rush and the Need to Simplify

  • Spring is their highest-volume time, amplifying any inefficiencies. Erica realized she needed to revert to simplicity to keep up.
  • Re-introduced a single flat rate ($150 per clean) to speed up quoting and bookings.
  • Noted an initial 38% approval rate but noticed it rapidly declined, prompting further adjustments.
  • “I was like, well, let's do 150 bucks flat rate, because that would be cool. I would love to make $150 per clean. So that was cool. That was moving and grooving.” (07:15)

Real-Time Price Testing & Market Feedback

• Monitored approval rates closely and wasn’t afraid to adjust pricing in the moment.
• When the $150 stopped converting, she experimentally dropped the price by $30—which led to a surge in approvals.
• Emphasized trial and error: “If they stop approving them, guess what I’ll do again, I’ll adjust the rate. I’m not giving cleans away for free.” (09:30)
• Encourages listeners to try different price points and act on real market response.

Pricing Philosophy: Valuing Time and Labor

• Solo vs. Staffed Operator Mindset:
  • Solo operators: Doing cleans at low (or free) rates is often not worth it due to the drain on personal time and resources.
  • Employing staff: Willing to accept slightly lower rates to keep team busy, since owner’s time can be spent on higher-value tasks.
  • “You as a business owner, you have a different skill set... When I’m out there scooping and I offer a discount for 79 bucks or 50 bucks, now my hourly rate... has dropped down to $50 per hour, and I know that I can produce much more than that with other skill sets.” (14:35)
• On Free Cleans:
  • Recognizes the temptation for new businesses to offer freebies for exposure and reviews, but advises caution and understanding one’s true costs.

Operations: Quotes, Automation, and Speed

• Shoutout to Jobber (her CRM and workflow tool) for handling high quote volumes and providing templates, automation, and communication tools.
• Uses saved templates to speed up quoting and ensure uniformity and clarity in pricing and communication.
• Real-time customer engagement: Sends quick touchpoint messages when a new quote comes in, buying time to craft the final offer.
  • "When a request comes in, I'm immediately just sending them a text message through Jobber saying, hey, Blank, I seen you submitted a request..." (21:35)

Personal Growth & Handling Setbacks

• Shared a story about a negative 2-star review due to a misunderstanding over deposit vs. total service charges.
  • Erica followed up repeatedly with the reviewer—no answer, but she’s learned not to take poor reviews as personally as before.
  • “Before those two star reviews would wreck me, I would be devastated. Now I’m like, okay, how can we fix this? This is a problem. Let's solve it.” (23:10)
• Touches on mental resilience, the ability to pivot, and her tendency to experiment—even if it means risking criticism for being "flaky."
• Reflections on balancing business and personal life, making time for her husband and family, and overcoming the chaos of the busy season.
  • “Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in your business and in your life.” (17:45)

Relationship Real Talk

• Offers candid, humorous insights about her marriage and family life, and how business stresses can spill over into personal relationships.
  • “I make him breakfast now. I get to serve him the plate that I want him to use. Problem solved. Glorious. He's happy. I'm happy.” (20:30)
• Stresses the importance of quality time and understanding in long-term partnerships.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I love making things more complicated. It's like a special power of mine, you know. I like to complicate, spice things up...” (03:10)
• “Sometimes I just have to make sacrifices, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices in your business and in your life.” (17:45)
• “I commit to the things that are working. I try stuff. If it doesn’t work, I stop doing it and I try something else. It's just my personality type. I can't help it... Until it makes things complicated and then I have to course correct." (16:30)
• “...if you have not bought your ScoopCon for ScoopCon 2025 yet, what are you waiting for? ...I want to hang out. I want to have fun with you. I want to connect. I want to, like, shake hands, hug. I want to cry together. If you're a crier. I'm a crier sometimes.” (24:30)
• On handling poor reviews: “Before those two star reviews would wreck me, I would be devastated. Now I’m like, okay, how can we fix this? This is a problem. Let's solve it.” (23:10)
• Relationship fun: “My husband, I have something like, there's some issue with noises where when people scrape plates… I want to freak out… So I’ve been trying to give him a plastic plate and a plastic bowl so I don’t hear that screeching..." (19:30)

Important Timestamps

• 01:26 – Erica introduces the theme and recalls her early simple pricing approach
• 04:50 – Problems with tiered systems at high volume
• 07:15 – Spring rush, resetting to flat rates, initial results
• 09:30 – Real-time pricing adjustments, market response
• 14:35 – Owner vs. staff time valuation, pricing philosophies
• 16:30 – Trying new things and course correction in business
• 17:45 – Making sacrifices and focusing on what matters most
• 19:30 – Personal anecdotes: balancing marriage and business
• 21:35 – Real-time quoting and using Jobber for efficiency
• 23:10 – Two-star review experience and emotional resilience
• 24:30 – ScoopCon event pitch and closing thoughts

Summary

This episode is an essential listen for small business owners navigating seasonal rushes, pricing dilemmas, and growth pains. Erica delivers her signature transparency, humor, and actionable advice, encouraging fellow entrepreneurs to embrace flexibility, keep experiments rooted in real numbers, and never be afraid to revert to simplicity when complexity slows growth. Her anecdotal style and openness about both business and life challenges make this episode engaging, relatable, and valuable for anyone in the home services space—or considering starting something a little "crappy" of their own.