📪 HH #105: Will Service Expansion Outside of Junk Removal Sink You?

Justin Hubbard
Sep 26
6 min read

TL;DR

The junk removal industry is getting more competitive, and doing the basics—ads, reviews, customer service—is no longer enough. The new advantage is expansion of services. As a junk removal company, you already serve homeowners, which makes you perfectly positioned to cross-sell other home services like gutter cleaning, power washing, handyman work, demo, and more.

In the early stages, service expansion keeps cash flowing, brings in new customers faster, and increases profit margins because you only pay to acquire the customer once. Over time, you can refine and focus on the most profitable services.

With AI changing how customers search and hire service providers, now is the time to test, pivot, and adapt. The companies that expand smartly and communicate their services everywhere will be the ones that survive and grow.

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Looking Beyond Junk Removal

I was talking with a client the other day about what’s coming in our industry. Competition is surely going to increase, making it even harder to land jobs. He runs a junk and demo business and asked me straight:

“What more could I possibly do? I’m already doing everything I can in my local area.”

And he’s not wrong. He runs digital ads with us. He does standalone marketing initiatives to drum up business. He’s getting reviews, building relationships, increasing his reputation. He’s doing all the things we tell service pros to do.

But when competition inevitably increases, what is he really left to do?

That’s where our conversation turned toward expansion of services.

Why You Should Expand Services

Most of your customers are homeowners. As a junk removal company, you’re already a home services provider. That means you’re in a perfect position to offer additional household services that play nicely together and can all be sold to the same customer.

I did this with my gutter cleaning business, and it worked extremely well. You can think along these lines, too.

Low-Barrier Service Ideas

The key is to look for low-barrier-to-entry services — things that don’t require a special license or years of apprenticeship. If you’re already good at demo, you should seriously consider:

Interior demolition (like tearing out drywall or removing a non-structural wall)
Exterior demo of standalone objects (sheds, decks, fences, etc.)

If you’re handy, consider handyman services. There are a million little things homeowners need done inside and outside the house. Beyond that, think about:

Painting touch-ups
Dryer vent and air-duct cleaning
Gutter cleaning
Power washing / roof washing / house washing
Pest control
Dog waste cleanup
Landscaping (light work like mulch or hedge trimming)
Tree pruning (with a pole saw, not climbing)
Stump grinding
and like a million other ideas

These services can bolt onto your junk removal company and be marketed to the same exact customer base.

My Gutter Cleaning Story

Here’s how I stumbled into gutter cleaning: Customers we helped with junk removal started asking if we did other services. A couple even asked if we did gutter cleaning. At first, I thought it was odd. But I didn’t write it off. Instead, I did some research.

I called around to gutter cleaning companies in the area and found out the market was huge — and underserved. It took weeks just to get an estimate booked, and even longer to get on the schedule. Demand was there. Supply was weak.

We had picked up two extension ladders from a junk job a few days prior too! So I hit the ground running, like I do with most of my ideas.

I’ve always believe: A good entrepreneur jumps off the cliff and builds the plane on the way down. That’s the mentality you need.

Make decisions quickly ➝ Test them ➝ Collect data ➝ Analyze ➝ Pivot ➝ Move forward ➝ Repeat

How We Differentiated

All the other local companies were full-service gutter companies: installations, repairs, pitch adjustments, and cleaning. Without a contractor’s license, I couldn’t do anything except cleaning. So I leaned into that.

I focused everything on making the customer experience super easy.

Guaranteed flat-rate pricing for homes up to 4,000 sq. ft. and two stories.
One-story = $127, two-story = $167.
Customers filled out a form on our website.
I used Google Maps to confirm the house size.
Price was locked in, and their cleaning date was scheduled immediately.

It worked. Customers loved the simplicity. We became a force to be reckoned with.

We stuck with gutter cleaning for three years, and eventually we were acquired by a national franchise looking to break into our area — a six-figure deal.

That’s the power of:

Being open to new ideas.
Researching the market.
Not being afraid of failure.

Not Every Experiment Works (And That’s Okay)

I’ve also had my share of failed add-ons:

A “light landscaping” service (leaf cleanup, edging, lawn cutting) — shut it down after one season.
A moving division — shut it down after a few years.
A curbside leaf vacuum service (we bought a $10k machine and ran it for two fall seasons) — shut it down as well.
and others I think my memory is purposely blocking out lol

But here’s the takeaway: I freaking tried! And each attempt gave me more data and more clarity about where the opportunities really were.

Expansion Works Early, Focus Wins Later

And before anyone pulls up an old newsletter of me saying not to do this, let me explain. There’s a difference. I still have the same thought process: expansion of services is not something I’d recommend for larger companies that are already at scale.

But for small companies pivoting, needing cash, and fighting for market share—expansion of services is perfectly fine. When you hit hyper-growth, that’s when you need to look at your company with a fine-tooth comb and focus only on where the money and profits are actually coming from.

For example, my business started as junk removal. Then we moved into moving, light landscaping, leaf cleanup, dumpsters, dumpster bags—you name it. Things were spread all over the place. As the business grew, those extra services ate up too much time, caused too many headaches, and didn’t generate nearly the same profit as our core business, which became dumpster rentals.

We had to cut the distractions and double down on the money-making side—dumpster rentals, dumpster bags, and junk removal. Eliminating everything else allowed us to streamline and increase margins.

In the early stages, those extra services did help. They kept the guys busy, kept cash flow coming in, generated profits, and allowed us to gain more customers faster while cross-selling into our core service line.

But here’s the big thing—you also have to keep in mind that the AI shift wasn’t even around until literally right now.

Business has always been about pivoting, changing, and taking new information to make better decisions. The worst thing you can do is get stuck in old ways of thinking. That plays a big role in how you approach expansion today.

The Opportunity Right Now

With new players entering the industry, AI changing how people find services, and competition heating up, now might be the perfect time for you to look cross-industry and think about what else you can offer your customers.

Most of you already have a database of past junk removal clients. You can contact them again and let them know you’re offering other services. A customer who trusted you once is far more likely to trust you again.

And here’s the kicker:

You only have to pay to acquire that customer once.
Cross-selling to them afterward is essentially free.
That means every extra service you add on boosts profit margins.

Communicate Your Services Everywhere

The last piece of this puzzle is communication. If customers don’t know you offer something, how could they ever buy from you?

In my company right now, we offer:

Junk removal
Dumpster rentals
Grizzly Bags
General labor

These services are listed everywhere:

On every booking confirmation email
On every receipt
On every quote
At the bottom of every email signature

That way, the customer is reminded again and again of everything we can help them with.

No Slowdown in Sight

The junk removal industry isn’t slowing down, but competition IS growing. The companies that will survive and profit are the ones who adapt, expand, and cross-sell.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel — you just need to listen to your customers, find gaps in the market, and have the courage to test new services.

Jump off the cliff. Build the plane on the way down.

That's the Haulers' Edge ✌️