Meliss Jakubovic of Clean Paws Scooping and Manuja Ranasinghe of 50 Acres on Building Family Businesses from Personal Experience (Family Business Radio, Episode 75)
On this episode of Family Business Radio, host Anthony Chen welcomes two founders whose businesses grew out of personal experience, practical need, and the willingness to build something different.
Meliss Jakubovic, owner of Clean Paws Scooping, shares how a difficult season in her life led her to create a pet waste removal business serving busy families, seniors, injured and disabled pet owners, veterans, and property managers across North Metro Atlanta. She explains why professional poop scooping is more valuable than many homeowners realize, how safety and sanitation factor into the service, and what it takes to build a reliable local business in a category many people underestimate.
Manuja Ranasinghe, founder of 50 Acres, discusses how his family’s roots in Sri Lankan tea growing inspired him to launch a premium Ceylon tea company in the United States. He talks about leaving corporate life, refining his blends over several years, and building a brand centered on wellness, quality, and heritage.
At the end of the episode, Anthony ties both conversations together with a financial takeaway: do not limit yourself to someone else’s plan. He emphasizes that entrepreneurship is not only about starting a business but also about having the courage to step off the common path, let your values guide you, and build a life and financial future that fit who you are.
Family Business Radio is underwritten and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. The show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton affiliate of Business RadioX®.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- Meliss Jakubovic built Clean Paws Scooping out of a personal challenge and turned it into a practical service business for busy households, seniors, veterans, injured and disabled pet owners, and property managers.
- Clean Paws Scooping stands out by treating pet waste removal as a professional, systematized service focused on convenience, sanitation, and trust.
- Manuja Ranasinghe launched 50 Acres by drawing on his family’s tea-growing roots in Sri Lanka and translating that heritage into a premium tea brand for the U.S. market.
- 50 Acres differentiates itself through single-origin Ceylon tea, careful sourcing, and a strong emphasis on wellness, quality, and taste.
- Both guests show how family businesses can grow from ordinary life experience when founders recognize an overlooked need and build with intention.
- Anthony Chen’s closing commentary reinforces that entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business. It is also about resisting default paths, trusting your values, and creating a future that fits who you are.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:24 Anthony Chen introduces the show and Meliss Jakubovic
00:52 Meliss shares how her accident helped inspire Clean Paws Scooping
01:57 Her background as a serial entrepreneur and why this business was different
04:16 Who hires a pet waste removal service, and why
05:24 How Clean Paws Scooping works, from scheduling to sanitation
10:35 The research and planning behind the launch
12:26 Meliss’s long-term vision for growth and franchising
17:10 Anthony introduces Manuja Ranasinghe of 50 Acres
17:29 Manuja shares his journey from Sri Lanka to corporate life to tea entrepreneurship
20:58 The family story behind the name 50 Acres
22:32 What makes 50 Acres tea different from ordinary tea
27:32 How Manuja developed and refined his tea blends
31:16 Early customer feedback that confirmed he had something special
42:09 Advice for listeners who want to start a business
52:26 Anthony’s closing commentary on entrepreneurship, values, and choosing your own path
Meliss Jakubovic, Owner, Clean Paws Scooping
Meliss Jakubovic owns Clean Paws Scooping, a pet waste removal and dog poop scooping company serving North Metro Atlanta. She specializes in building and scaling service-based businesses through strong marketing, clear positioning, and operational systems that drive consistent growth.
Under her leadership, Clean Paws Scooping has become a recognized provider of residential and commercial pet waste management services, working with homeowners, HOAs, and property managers across the region. The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce awarded the company the 2025 Business to Watch Award.
Meliss is known for turning everyday services into scalable, high-visibility brands by combining strategic marketing with efficient execution.
Clean Paws Scooping
Clean Paws Scooping is a locally owned, woman-owned pet waste removal and dog poop scooping service serving North Metro Atlanta. The company provides residential and commercial pet waste management, including recurring yard cleanings, one-time services, and ongoing service for HOAs, apartment communities, and dog parks.
Clean Paws Scooping serves East Cobb; Sandy Springs and Dunwoody; Roswell; Alpharetta, Milton, and Cumming; Johns Creek; Peachtree Corners; and Duluth and Lawrenceville. Built from the ground up and not a franchise, the company focuses on delivering consistent, reliable service backed by strong systems and attention to detail.
Real-life experience shaped the business. During a period when the owner was in a wheelchair for over a year, even managing a dog required adapting, including wheeling to the front door and attaching multiple leashes together to give her dog enough distance to go outside. That experience highlighted the need for a service that removes the burden of yard maintenance, especially for those who physically cannot do it themselves.
Clean Paws Scooping supports busy families, seniors, pet owners, injured and disabled individuals, veterans, professionals, and commercial property managers who need dependable, ongoing service. Each visit includes thorough waste removal, text notifications before arrival, secured gate photos, equipment sanitation between homes, and optional deodorizing and disinfecting treatments to maintain a clean and safe outdoor space.
The company operates with a judgment-free approach. Its slogan, “Our Business is Picking Up Their Business,” reflects its commitment to making life easier for its clients.
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Manuja Ranasinghe, Founder, 50 Acres
Manuja Ranasinghe is the creator and founder of 50 Acres, a premium single-origin Ceylon tea e-commerce company based in Roswell, Georgia, that delivers an exceptional, wellness-focused tea experience directly to discerning customers across the United States.
Manuja comes from a proud family of tea growers with an 80-year legacy spanning three generations in Southern Sri Lanka. Manuja’s connection to tea runs deep. Family farming is not just his heritage; it is his greatest source of pride and inspiration.
After graduating high school in Sri Lanka, he moved to the United States for university, where he earned degrees in finance and economics. He built his corporate career in banking, investment banking, and the airline industry.
In 2020, he accepted a buyout package from the airline and chose to channel his time, resources, and passion into something far more meaningful: reviving and reimagining his family’s tea tradition for the modern American palate. Travel restrictions during the pandemic created a two-year gap that only deepened his focus. Manuja returned to Sri Lanka. What followed was a meticulous 2.5-year journey from farm to cup: crafting, refining, and perfecting a clean, smooth, Ceylon tea unlike anything else available in the U.S. market. Today, 50 Acres stands as one of the purest and healthiest premium teas offered in the US.
50 Acres is more than a tea company. It is a company with a conscience, built on five uncompromising principles: integrity, respect, perseverance, collaboration, and leadership. These are the rules of the road that guide every decision, every harvest, every partnership.
For Manuja, leadership means more than building a business. It means investing in communities, especially in children, because he believes that well-educated, well-informed young people are the true foundation of thriving communities and a strong, prosperous society.
50 Acres is where generational roots meet a modern vision.
50 Acres Tea
50 Acres is a premium Ceylon tea e-commerce company founded in 2024 by Manuja Ranasinghe as his true labor of love.
Every tea in 50 Acres’ exclusive Private Tea Collection is personally selected and meticulously crafted by Manuja using only the finest whole-leaf teas from a single pristine high-elevation region in Sri Lanka.
Never mass-produced, each cup delivers a rare, pure, and exceptional tea experience that stands apart from ordinary teas. Guided by the core principles of integrity, respect, perseverance, collaboration, and leadership, 50 Acres was built with deep purpose. For Manuja, true leadership means investing in children and communities, because he believes that well-educated young people are the foundation of thriving societies.
50 Acres teas contain only minimal caffeine. They are thoughtfully crafted to soothe the palate, support wellness, and create a peaceful moment of calm in your busy day. Offering unmatched flavor profiles and exceptional health benefits, every sip brings the very best of Sri Lanka’s finest tea estates directly to your cup. With pride, precision, and unwavering passion, 50 Acres invites you to discover the pure essence of premium Ceylon tea.
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Anthony Chen, Host of Family Business Radio
Family Business Radio is sponsored and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. Securities and advisory services are offered through OSAIC, member FINRA/SIPC. RAA is separately owned, and other entities and/or marketing names, products, or services referenced here are independent of OSAIC. The main office address is 575 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, NY 11747. You can reach Anthony at 631-465-9090, ext. 5075, or by email at anthonychen@lfnllc.com.
Anthony Chen started his career in financial services with MetLife in Buffalo, NY, in 2008. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, he considers himself a full-blooded New Yorker while now enjoying his Atlanta, GA, home. Specializing in family businesses and their owners, Anthony works to protect what is most important to them. From preserving to creating wealth, Anthony partners with CPAs and attorneys to help address all of the concerns and help clients achieve their goals. By using a combination of financial products ranging from life, disability, and long-term care insurance to many investment options through Royal Alliance, Anthony looks to be the eyes and ears for his client’s financial foundation. In his spare time, Anthony is an avid long-distance runner.
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