How I Started A $18K/Month Junk Removal Company Before Graduating From College

Hello! Who are you? What company did you create?

I am Sammy O. Evans. Aged 23 I’m recently graduated at Penn State Altoona. I am the creator the company the company You Call We Haul Junk Removal A junk removal service that takes away all kinds of items, from single objects to hoarder-friendly home cleanouts. We are situated at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and have been operating (part-time) from May 2016.

We assist anyone with unwanted possessions they want to eliminate. Some people are curious about what we consider to be junk. To us, junk means anything you don’t need or do not want.

Our primary clients are middle-aged and older adults, usually with more money who aren’t interested in or aren’t able to perform the job themselves. We have completed more than 75 jobs in a month and which generates around $20,000 of income per month, and earn approximately 65% per job.

What’s your story as well as how you came up with this idea?

As I was finishing my freshman year in university, I was sat in my dorm room when I received a contact from my sister. We had both been selling items on eBay since when we were 14, and we have always looked for ways to earn some cash. He informed me of the book “Effortless Entrepreneur” which was written by the creators college hunks hauling junk that is currently the second-largest franchise for junk removal.

I purchased the book on eBay for just $4. As when it arrived at my dorm, I began to read. After about 20 pages I contacted my Dad who is an auto dealer. I informed him that I was planning to establish an enterprise to take away junk and I required assistance in to find trucks. After almost a week of calling him, telling him every reason I could think of for why I wanted to establish this business I finally got him on board. He was able to find me an $1000 truck on Craigslist and also the 2001 Ford F-150.

I purchased the vehicle, printed some flyers in the library at my school, purchased several hundred business cards, and I was legally in operation.

I didn’t have any proof for the notion, other than the fact that large companies were making money by doing this, and I thought I could too because, after all there are plenty of other items that they’re eager to rid of? I tried to minimize the chance as much I could, since the truck I bought was worth higher than what I spent for it. I was aware the fact that in case I did fail to make it through, I could be able to sell the truck and earn cash. The idea of starting with a beater truck was my method of creating a minimum feasible product.

I was completely uninformed and I am learning every day that I am working on my business. The only prior business experience I had prior to this was flipping things on eBay and managing Facebook pages when at middle school and high school. When I was 14 , I developed, grew, and sold a number of Facebook pages with more than 5 million active users per day which were based on various teens’ jokes and concerns at the time. The most popular page had more than 3 million fans and was named I HATE IF My parents ask who I’m messaging If you were active on Facebook in 2010 and in high school I’m betting you liked the page. Go check it out and tell me about it. My situation financially at the moment was just a small amount of money that were in my banking accounts from previous companies. Being completely clueless could have been a plus. I failed numerous times during the initial few summers running the business , but I did learn more than I had ever learned in school. It requires time and effort and if you are willing to are willing to work hard, you’ll succeed over the long term in any business you choose to establish.

We’ll walk you to walk you through creating prototypes, manufacturing, and assembling your very first item.

There was no process for designing when I began. I created the simplest design I had the ability to. The truck was inexpensive, however, it did not have any rust, so it did have a little aesthetic appeal if you like vintage Ford trucks. The flyers that I used and the free Craigslist posts were what really prompted me to I decided to start a businesses.

In my community, the fact that you’re an Penn State student or graduate is a big deal and people will always be there for one another Penn Stater. In these flyers and on the posts, I really focused on the reality that I am a current PSU student who was home for the summer vacation and trying to find an opportunity to earn additional money. The first flyer contained an image of a roommate standing on a couch which we found in a field near campus.

I didn’t legalize anything for nearly two years after I started the business, because I only ran it in the summer when I was home from school and during breaks, when I was able to get some work. My first summer as a business in the year 2016 the company made just $3000 in sales. After I got the business to legal prior to my senior year in college, I was able to pay $1200 in cost for legal and insurance to make it a viable business. When I graduated and began the business on full-time basis the cost of insurance increased with the addition of employees, and a bigger truck.

Define the steps involved in starting the business.

When we first began, we didn’t have an online presence, a Facebook page or Instagram account. We disseminated the news by tying flyers on mailboxes, posting free Craigslist postings, as well as posting images of our flyers on local Facebook groups that were the main source of clients.

It took us around one week to find our first customers, and we had a profit at the close of the month, where we made around $2000 in revenue. Beginning with humble beginnings in a beaten-up old Ford truck and with no budget for advertising, I’ve learned that starting small and getting started is the most essential step. When you think of service companies which have a successful model, I consider the quote taken from Field of Dreams, “If you build it they will come.” It doesn’t matter if it’s junk removal, landscaping or garage door repair or any other home-based service, tested models that are similar to those work.

I also discovered that having a tiny website, such as the Wix website or Facebook page can be a huge help. The ability to show people what you are doing instead of telling them is the key to making any business successful.

Since the launch, what’s been the most effective strategy to draw and keep customers?

Since its launch, the sole paid advertising we’ve ever conducted was Facebook ads. We’re beginning to introduce Google ads later this month, however Facebook has been a blessing to our company so far. If I was to start over the process, I wouldn’t have the same amount of faith in Facebook advertisements like I did since the cost has nearly tripled over the last year. We now talking with a Phoenix SEO Agency to help us with SEO Needs.

We spend less than $600 each month on advertising, but we must increase our amount of advertising to achieve our current objectives. We are involved in a lot of local marketing. Signs, stickers, signage in the yards of customers and door hangers, handing out t-shirtsand so on.

Our most successful organic marketing has come from the midnight bandit drop of signs. The ability to go out at the early hours of the night allows us to set up 50-60 signs in high traffic areas in less than three hours. We plan the locations of these signs according to the incomes of diverse zip codes within the local. The incomes of zip codes are available through the USPS Every Door Direct Mail tool. We’ve also been using the Nextdoor app, which is great in home service. If you’re recommended on the app, people will treat it as the bible. They’ll hire you without hesitation and accept whatever price you set.

We also share our content on social media 2-4 times daily, each and every day. It’s a great way to attract customers naturally and gain a lot of publicity for your business. Videos are great for home-based services since, as I’ve mentioned previously, people want to know the people they’re hiring to come into their homes, specifically women who are hiring men. They want to trust a brand , and social media is an excellent option to earn trust, and it’s free.

Next Steps

If you’re thinking about starting your own successful junk removal company, follow the advice of Happy Junk Removal, the best Junk Removal in Mesa. Follow them on Google Maps Listings. This company is absolutely rocking it and last i heard, the owner was mentoring new startups. He teaches everything he has done to build almost a million dollars per year junk removal business. 

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=16128593996574383392