So you want to make a living off your junk removal business. Not just a meager living, either, but enough income to allow yourself the freedom you’ve always craved from life. Can you imagine it? Earning a hundred thousand dollars from your junk removal business every year… working part-time, putting in sixty hours a month… reaping the rewards of operating a successful company. Many have dreamt of it. Fewer have achieved it. However, if you’re committed, this goal is very much within reach. 

Now, then—how much is $100K a year, anyway? Let’s break it down:

  • $100,000 per year equals $8,333 of monthly profits.
  • A business in its third or fourth year has a 20% net profit.
  • So, that means you’ll need $500,000 of sales per year.
  • That divides out to 119 jobs per month at $350 per job.

Obviously, a first-year business likely won’t be able to conduct this much business. That’s the thing about achieving your goals—it requires commitment and determination. Your aspirations will take two or three years to realize, if not more. It’s hard work. It’ll be hands-on and very, very time-consuming, but think about where you could be in the future, and ask yourself: is it worth it?

If your answer is yes, then follow these steps to success below.

Steps to Junk Removal Success

In short, the key to growing your junk removal business is investing your time and money into it until it reaches a point where it can operate smoothly without your constant presence. Sounds easy, but it’s not as simple as it seems.

Fortunately, Lee Godbold, CEO of Junk Removal Authority, has learned how to build up a junk removal company the hard way. Without a guide, he founded Junk Doctors, made a team, and went from there. Nowadays, Junk Doctors earns well over $100K per year—and he’s willing to pass on the ingredients to his success to you so you don’t have to learn it the hard way.

Let’s learn how to make a successful junk removal business, from start to finish.

1) Save Up $20K

Some have started without this much money, but take our word for it: you’ll be better off in the long run when you have funds you can dedicate towards your budding new business.

2) Get a Reliable Dump Truck

Now, take some of that money you saved in the previous step and get yourself a nice, reliable dump truck. We recommend buying a new, gas-powered truck. You won’t have to worry about repairs as soon, and there’s not a chance your employees will use the wrong fuel and ruin your truck.

When your business is starting up, you don’t want to be held down by truck damages. Repairs are expensive and take time and money away from your company.

3) Initial Set Up Tasks

You’ll want to get some basic necessities now instead of later to save yourself some headache.

  • Website. A quality website is an important resource to drawing in business.
  • Insurance. If something goes wrong, you’re going to want to be covered.
  • Licenses. If you’re not licensed to work, how can you work?
  • DOT Numbers. You’ll need them for your commercial vehicles.

4) Hire Two Team Members

You can’t do all the work alone. Are you asking, “Why not just one team member?” Well, it’s because if your only team member packs up and leaves, you’ll be left all alone. Better stay prepared and opt for two instead. Besides, you’ll appreciate the extra hands on deck.

5) Marketing

You can’t make $100K a year without any business, so you need to work on your outreach. For your first year, you should actually focus on working for as many people as possible rather than for profit. We recommend the following:

  • Pay-per-click ads
  • SEO 
  • Yelp
  • HomeAdvisor
  • Craigslist
  • Facebook groups
  • Groupon

Additionally, you should consider using yard signs and door hangers, alongside your business’s social media pages. Don’t have any? Make them!

6) Do Good Work

This is crucial. If you don’t do an excellent job, then you won’t get any regular customers, and you certainly won’t get any positive word-of-mouth. So go above and beyond the call of duty, wow your clients, and make them want to tell their friends about you!

7) Ask For Reviews

After you’ve blown your customers away with your stellar service, be sure to ask them to leave a review for your business. If they do, you’ve already generated some positive buzz. Great reviews lead to more jobs. You’ve proven yourself—now enjoy the extra attention!

8) Train Your Team Members

Now that you’ve established yourself as a junk removal company that does the job right, you’ll have an easier time getting good, profitable jobs from your customers. But you don’t want to be on the front lines, hauling junk full-time, forever. That’s why it’s important to train your employees to carry out responsibilities that would otherwise fall upon you.

Consider hiring a manager and a supervisor. Use the JRA contact center services to save yourself the frustrating hassle of constantly picking up calls. You have the resources to build up your staff. Use those resources so you can work towards minimizing your constant presence.

9) Monitor Your Advertising

As your business grows, it’s time to assess your advertising plan, find out what’s working, and find out what’s not. Determine your ROI (return on investment) on your various forms of advertising. Whichever gives you the highest ROI, put more money into it, then get more outreach. You can do this for the advertising method that has the second-highest ROI, and the third-highest, too. 

Did you find advertising methods that turned out to just be money sinks? Then it might be time to cut back on those categories.

10) Get a Second Truck and a Second Crew

Eventually, you’ll reach a point where you’re getting too many job offers for one truck and one crew to keep up with. Don’t fret… it’s a sign that it might be time to expand. Consider hiring more employees and buying another truck to meet the increasing demand for your company’s services.

As you continue to grow and grow, you may even find yourself hunting down a third crew and a third truck… or beyond! At this point, it’s a safe bet you’ve made it to that magic number of $100K a year. It’s been a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, but pat yourself on the back!

You Can Do It with Junk Removal Authority

Building a business from the ground up isn’t always going to be predictable, but the steps listed above should help you guide your company towards the path to success. Of course, Junk Removal Authority can help, too. Our contact center services help you book jobs, and our website development team will create a site for you that gets naturally high search results. Your ambition combined with our experience is a safe bet, and we think you should take it!

You now know how to make $100K with your junk removal business. Ready to take the first step? Contact us today.