Every junk removal and dumpster rental owner wants attention. The kind that turns into cleanout jobs, roll-off container rentals, recurring contractor work, and profitable weeks on the schedule.
But here’s the truth most hauling companies never confront:
Attention isn’t given. Attention is engineered.
And oddly enough, a desperate football owner in 1934 proved it.
His story has everything to do with growing a junk removal business, scaling a dumpster rental company, generating leads, and becoming the go-to debris removal brand in your town.
Let’s get into it 👇
Story
Most people assume Thanksgiving football has always been a sacred American tradition.
Nope.
Thanksgiving football exists because
one man needed attention — the same way a junk removal operator with two trucks and a slow phone week needs attention. The same way a dumpster rental company launching new roll-off sizes needs attention. The same way every hauling business owner needs calls, bookings, and visibility to survive.
Back in 1934, the Detroit Lions were invisible.
New to the city. Unproven. Struggling to sell tickets — the same way so many junk hauling companies struggle to get consistent cleanout jobs or steady roll-off container orders.
Detroit already had baseball. Detroit already had hockey. Another football team? Shrug.
But the owner, George A. Richards, wasn’t built to blend in.
He also had something powerful in his back pocket: He owned WJR, a massive radio station connected directly to the national NBC network.
Meaning?
He controlled a megaphone.
Richards realized the same thing every hauling company eventually learns:
The problem isn’t the service. The problem is the attention.
So he pitched something insane for the era — a nationally broadcast game on Thanksgiving featuring a team no one cared about yet, during the Great Depression, on a day when most teams didn’t even play.
And somehow, NBC said yes. Maybe it was the Bears. Maybe it was blind faith. Doesn’t matter.
What matters is what happened next:
- 26,000 seats sold out
- Millions listened across the country
- The Lions became a national fixture
- A 90-year “tradition” was born
All from one bold move. One decision to
put the brand directly in front of attention that already existed.
Lessons / Insights
Here’s the part junk removal and dumpster rental owners need to hear:
Richards didn’t create attention. He redirected it.
He didn’t invent Thanksgiving. He inserted his product into a moment when attention was already concentrated.
That’s the same formula used by fast-growing hauling companies, high-performing debris removal services, and the top roll-off rental operators across the country.
Below is the strategy — hauling edition.
Lesson #1 — Piggyback on Moments When Demand Naturally Spikes
Most junk hauling companies wait for the phone to ring. Smart haulers position themselves
right before the spike. Examples every hauling company should be ready for:
Spring Cleanouts (Major Spike)
The minute the first warm weekend hits, junk piles appear again.
Demand surges for:
- garage cleanouts
- basement junk removal
- yard debris removal
- shed tear-downs
- dumpster rentals for spring projects
Most haulers wait until May.
Smart haulers:
- run early Google Ads pushes
- send “spring cleanout reminder” emails
- post boosted spring videos
- launch a spring cleanout landing page
- schedule a seasonal promo a week BEFORE the warm weather
You don’t create demand — you step into it.
Just like Richards stepped into Thanksgiving.
Lesson #2 — Borrow Someone Else’s Megaphone
Richards had NBC.
You have:
- local Facebook groups
- realtors with massive SOIs
- property managers
- moving companies
- contractors
- roofing companies
- organizers
- senior transition specialists
- cleaning companies
- HOAs and town newsletters
Most haulers beg for referrals.
Smart haulers partner with people who already have influence.
You don’t need NBC — you need the one person in town whose voice carries weight.
Lesson #3 — Create Annual Anchor Moments for Your Hauling Brand
This is where hauling companies can dominate. If you attach your junk removal or dumpster rental brand to a recurring community moment, you stop chasing attention — you own a piece of the calendar.
Examples that work:
- “New Homeowner Junk Amnesty Week” every March
- “Contractor Dumpster Discount Month” every January
- “Fall Garage Cleanout Weekend” every October
- “Back-to-College Move-Out Event” every August
- “Spring Declutter Charity Drive”
Anchor moments create:
- predictable spikes in calls
- repeat customers
- annual media mentions
- built-in referral waves
- brand legitimacy
That’s exactly what Thanksgiving football became for the Lions.
Reflection / Takeaway
George Richards didn’t have:
- a strong fanbase
- decades of brand loyalty
- proven demand
He had one thing:
A willingness to make a bold move when the market wasn’t giving him attention.
Sound familiar? Every junk removal owner. Every roll-off container operator. Every debris removal company fighting for relevance faces that same crossroads.
The market will not give you attention.
You have to insert yourself into the moments where attention already flows.
That’s where the growth is. That’s where the brand builds. That’s how a hauling company becomes a fixture in the community — the same way the Lions did it in 1934.
If you want help identifying the exact attention points, demand spikes, keyword opportunities, and Google Ads windows in your market — the moments where junk removal and dumpster rental leads surge — that’s exactly what we break down inside
The Hauler’s Edge Newsletter and at
HaulingHubb.com.
Want deeper strategy? Want to build repeatable demand? Want to scale without guessing? You’re in the right place.
P.S.
After 10+ years running a junk removal and dumpster rental company — and helping haulers across the country through Adimize — I’ve learned that most of the growth edge comes from timing, positioning, and capturing attention at the perfect moment.
Not luck. Not hope. Not “waiting for referrals.”
You engineer attention by being present where the market already looks.
FAQ Section
Q1: How do I know when junk removal demand spikes in my area?
Look for seasonal cues — first warm weekend, post-holiday cleanouts, pre-winter prep, moving season, and contractor busy cycles. Your Google Ads data and CRM history will also reveal patterns.
Q2: What’s the fastest way to get more dumpster rental bookings?
Align with contractors, roofers, and builders who need roll-off containers weekly. One strong referral partner equals dozens of rentals a year.
Q3: Should I run Google Ads year-round?
Usually yes. But spend more aggressively during known peak periods like spring, fall cleanouts, and home improvement seasons.
Q4: What’s one “anchor moment” I can launch this month?
Create a simple
“Garage Cleanout Weekend” or
“Contractor Appreciation Dumpster Week” and promote it through Google Ads, Facebook groups, and email. Keep it annual.
