Exploring Life & Business with Megan Visciglia of Waste Wranglers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Visciglia.

Megan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I didn’t start Waste Wranglers because I had to. I started it because life has a way of showing you exactly who you are when everything is on the line — and mine showed me that I was done waiting to build something of my own.

My husband Mike and I were living in Durant, Oklahoma and working on a job site in Atoka. We kept chickens on the property, and on Sundays Leroy and Kinchasa — our two senior dogs — would roam the land freely. Leroy was a 130-pound Mastidor, powerful and loyal, but dog-aggressive. So when he spotted a stray mama dog on the property one Sunday, everything happened fast. Leroy went after her. Mike jumped in the truck to get to Leroy while I scanned the property — and that’s when I saw him. A tiny golden puppy, shaking inside a raccoon trap near the chicken coop. I got him out and noticed immediately that his leg had a preexisting injury. That was Bruce.

Mike was able to get Leroy secured and approach Mama dog safely. And then, just as things were settling down, we heard it — a tiny, defiant bark coming from across the yard. A small black puppy standing on a mound of dirt, barking at the world like he owned it. That was Tony.

We couldn’t leave them. We brought Mama, Bruce, and Tony home to Durant — and one of the first things Mike and I did was raise the money to have Bruce’s injured leg amputated. That dog never once acted like anything was missing.

Bringing three new dogs home to Leroy meant careful management. We rotated yard time so Leroy and the new dogs were never out together. They slept in different rooms. When everyone needed sun at the same time, the boys had a large pen where they could soak it up safely. For seven months, Bruce used every opportunity to inch closer to Leroy — patient, persistent, completely undeterred. And then one day, something shifted. Leroy let him in. In his final year, Leroy and Bruce became inseparable — the most unlikely friendship I’ve ever witnessed.

When a career opportunity brought Mike to Ventura, CA, we packed up and made the move — all five dogs in tow. It felt like a fresh start, and in many ways it was. It was around that time that my life changed in another way. A CT scan revealed a mass in my right parotid gland that required monitoring was growing, and needed surgery to remove. When the results came back benign I felt the grace of God in a way I will never forget. I was still here. I was healthy. And I was not going to waste a single day of this life working for someone else. This was my life — and I was going to live it on my own terms, with hard work, perseverance, the freedom I’d always craved, and a deep love of God and family.

My dogs are my kids. Picking up after them every day has never felt like a chore — it keeps the yard safe for them and for my family, and that’s all the motivation I need. So I built a business around it. Waste Wranglers is a residential dog waste removal service based in Ventura, CA, and it is every bit mine.

Within the past year we said goodbye to Kinchasa and Leroy, six months apart. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss them. But their legacy lives on in everything we do. They are the original Waste Wranglers — their faces are in our logo and their spirit is in every yard we clean. Bruce taught me that persistence and love can break through anything. My health scare taught me that time is precious and not a single day should be wasted. And Leroy and Kinchasa taught me that the ones we love leave paw prints that never fade.

This one’s for them.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? Not exactly. The hardest part of launching Waste Wranglers has been the space between starting and gaining traction. I invested in professional marketing materials, built out my social media presence, created my website, and hit the ground running — and then came the humbling reality that every new business owner faces: getting that first customer is harder than anyone tells you.

Putting myself out there has been a challenge I didn’t fully anticipate. I’m not someone who finds it easy to approach strangers or sell myself. I’m much more comfortable behind the work than in front of the pitch. But I’ve learned that building a business means showing up even when it’s uncomfortable — knocking on doors, sending DMs, posting consistently, following up again and again. The fortune really is in the follow up.

Starting a business in a city where you have never lived before adds another layer entirely. I didn’t have an established network, I didn’t know the neighborhoods, and I didn’t have the kind of local roots that make word of mouth happen naturally. I was building trust in a community I was still getting to know myself. That takes time and patience I had to learn to give myself.
And underneath all of it is my health. Going through a tumor diagnosis and surgery has a way of putting everything into sharp focus. Every day I don’t make a move toward my dream feels like a day I can’t afford to waste. My health scare didn’t break me — it lit a fire under me that hasn’t gone out since.

I’m still in that early chapter. But I’ve survived a health scare, started over in a brand new city, and built something from nothing with nothing but belief and a deep love for what I do. If I could get through all of that, I can get through the awkward part of asking strangers if they want someone to clean up after their dog.

The breakthrough is coming. I can feel it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Waste Wranglers is a professional dog waste removal service based in Ventura, CA. We come to your yard, clean it up, bag everything, and place it in your trash — so you never have to think about it again. We also offer deodorizing treatments as an add-on service to keep your outdoor space fresh and safe for your family and pets.

What sets us apart is simple — this business was built by a dog lover, for dog lovers. My dogs are my family, and I treat every yard I service like it belongs to one of my own. That means showing up consistently, doing the job right, and caring about the people and pets behind every gate I open.

We specialize in building recurring routes in Ventura, which means our clients get reliable, scheduled service they can count on week after week. Whether you have one dog or four, we have a service plan that fits your life and your budget.

Our branding carries a western cowboy spirit — bold, hardworking, and a little bit fun — because that’s exactly who we are. And our logo features Leroy and Kinchasa, the two senior dogs who inspired this whole thing. They are the original Waste Wranglers, and their legacy rides with us on every job.

What am I most proud of? Building something completely my own — from the ground up, in a brand new city, with nothing but hard work, heart, and a deep love of dogs and family.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Building a business is not a straight line. There are days when nothing works, when the leads go quiet, when you wonder if you made the right decision. The quality that keeps you moving through all of that is the refusal to quit.

I learned this from an unlikely teacher — a three-legged dog named Bruce who spent seven months breaking out of his pen just to sit next to a dog who didn’t want anything to do with him. He never stopped showing up. And eventually Leroy let him in.
That is the quality I bring to Waste Wranglers every single day. Show up. Follow up. Keep believing. The breakthrough always comes to the person who refuses to walk away.

Most important, Faith. Knowing that God has a plan and that the hard seasons are preparing you for something bigger — that has carried me through more than I can say.

Pricing:

• Weekly service — $25/visit (billed at $100/month)
• Bi-weekly service — $37.50/visit (billed at $75/month)
• Monthly service — $56.25/month
• 2x weekly service — $45/visit (billed at $180/month)
• Deodorizing treatment available as an add-on

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wastewranglersca.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wastewranglersca/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Waste-Wranglers/61575314594662/

Image Credits
Megan Visciglia