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HH #43: Starting a Junk Business From Scratch: How I’d Do It All Over Again

Writer's picture: Justin HubbardJustin Hubbard

Welcome to The Hauler's Edge Newsletter! I recently received an offer on my house 🎉, and it looks like my plan to move my family down to the Sunshine ☀️ State 🌴 is finally coming together. In about a month, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be trading in Connecticut winters for Florida sunshine.

 

I 👏 can’t 👏 wait 👏.

 

My 7-figure hauling business in Connecticut will remain unaffected. Over the years, I’ve hired and replaced myself in major roles in the business. Slowly, over time, I’ve been able to continue stepping out of the main roles to focus on the bigger picture. I’m still in charge of overseeing the joint, making major decisions like the expansion we did in New Haven County, making sure the financials are sound, and handling marketing and lead generation. So, because I’m not actively involved in the day-to-day, I can move locations without a hiccup in the business. Everything will still go off without a hitch.

 

"As all entrepreneurs know, you live and die by your ability to prioritize. You must focus on the most important, mission-critical tasks each day and night, and then share, delegate, delay, or skip the rest." Jessica Jackley, entrepreneur and co-founder of Kiva

 

People have asked if I plan on making trips back to CT every so often to check up on things, and that answer is no. I don’t have any plans to do that whatsoever. I have people and checks and balances in place that I trust and can rely on, and if something does happen that requires my attention, I can handle it from wherever I am.

 

And so naturally, I’ve been thinking about what comes next.

 

Should I bring a truck down there with me and start a new location?

 

And if I did, how would I approach it?

 

I get asked all the time by guys in the game about how to get more customers, how to grow their business, how, how, how. All good questions, all important questions. Always happy to answer them. I’m a firm believer in sending the elevator back down if you know what I mean.

 

But it got me thinking: what if I did start over in a new area? How would I do it all over again, knowing what I know now? And so here’s a short list of exactly how I’d plan to build a hauling business from scratch again—step by step:

 

1. Build the Website

The first thing I’d do is get a website up and running. I’d choose a URL with a city or region in the name, like ClearwaterJunkPros.com or SarasotaJunkGuys.com. I’d also cross-check that all handles are available for the exact version of my company name and URL. I’d make an account on all the platforms I planned on using to reserve the name.

 

This strategy worked well for me when I started Stamford Junk Pros in Connecticut. It helped with search rankings and made it clear to customers that we were local. Later, as the business grew far outside of Stamford, I rebranded to Grizzly Junk Pros, but that city-specific name was a key part of my early success.

 

2. Choose a Truck

Regardless of how I wanted to build my business—whether it be just junk removal or dumpster rentals—I would choose to buy a dumpster rental truck. The reason is simple: having a dumpster rental truck gives you more options. And options are everything in business and life. The more options you have, the better off you'll be.

 

The difference in price between a new regular dump body and a hook lift truck setup, when it comes to financing, is rather negligible. My quick math says it might only be a few hundred dollars extra per month. But now, that hook lift truck can do so much more for my business. Even if I decided to start small, I could still purchase 3-5 roll-off dumpsters and rent them out in addition to doing full-service junk removal jobs. That right there could easily double my revenue for the year, likely triple to quadruple my customer list—which is the real long term benefit—and allow me to further increase the asset utilization rate of my truck.

 

New or Used? If you have the credit for it, ALWAYS BUY NEW. Here’s why: trucks are always prone to breaking down, and used trucks, no matter where they come from, will start to break down at a much higher rate after five years of use. I’ve personally experienced this with every truck I’ve purchased. I’ve bought eight trucks, and every single one started having major issues after about five years. It’s just the nature of the beast. You wind up putting yourself at risk much quicker.

 

Not only are the repair payments difficult—think multi-thousand-dollar bills when you’re starting up—but the downtime for your truck can be detrimental. One of my trucks was an older model, seven years old at this point, and it needed a new part. The manufacturer no longer produced that part for the new trucks, so they had to custom build it. That truck was laid up at the body shop for three months. If that happened to you with your new business, you’d be absolutely screwed.

 

Another major benefit of buying new is the bonus depreciation on federal taxes that you can take advantage of at the end of the year. If you’re a new business and buy a new truck worth $100,000, you can write off almost the entire cost of that truck. And say you have a net profit of around $100,000—which would be a really good year. That means your revenue should be around $350,000. Essentially, you would wipe out any federal tax liability. For someone in the 30% tax bracket, that could mean a $30,000 savings, which could be reinvested right back into your business for marketing, asset acquisition, or growth. I used this technique early on in my business, and didn't pay much in taxes for the first handful of years because of it.

 

3. Create Marketing Materials

I’d create and print out a simple trifold brochure listing my services, a little bio about who I am, a picture of the truck and myself (or crew), and a non-expiring discount code. I'd do this for my door hanger creative as well. I’d also design professional business cards that match the branding with similar information.

 

Then I’d hit the pavement:

  • Introduce myself to local competitors. You never know when they might need extra help. I’m a firm believer in collaboration over competition.

     

  • Visit in person, contact online, and call: real estate offices, property managers, handymen, general contractors, construction companies, property flippers, storage unit managers, insurance adjusters, foreclosure attorneys, event planners, estate sale organizers, and professional organizers.

     

    These professionals are often dealing with situations that require junk removal, and building relationships with them can help drive consistent business. I’d drop off brochures, hand out business cards, and take down as many contacts as I could.

     

    Building relationships and following up is how you gain trust in this business, so taking down their info as well as handing out yours is crucial.

     

  • Put up door hangers whenever I was out doing jobs. My company does this with every truck on their routes. Before or after completing a job, we hang 5 door hangers to the left and 5 to the right. This is a great tactic because it doesn’t take up a tremendous amount of time, it’s easy to add to routes, and you’re hitting homes in the same neighborhoods as your jobs.

     

    Statistically, people in the same neighborhood who use your services are more likely to refer others. This is called the neighborhood effect—when one neighbor uses your service and loves it, others in the area are more likely to try it too. People tend to trust the recommendations of those nearby, and demographically, it makes sense because neighbors often share similar needs and lifestyles.

 

4. Leverage Local Networking

Networking events and community groups would be a priority this time around.

I didn’t do much networking in Connecticut (if any at all)—I relied heavily on Google Ads for new customer acquisition and built relationships off of that. But I understand how powerful it can be to meet people face-to-face and build those connections. Even though I’m not a fan of networking personally (in fact, I loathe it), I’d make it part of my strategy. There are many organizations, and I’d sign up for as many local ones as humanly possible, rubbing elbows so hard that I’d start a 🔥.

 

5. Launch Google Ads

Once I’ve laid the groundwork, I’d start a local Google Ads campaign with a small budget ($1,000-ish per month). I’d test and tweak until I found what works, then scale up aggressively once I saw success.

 

This method has been the backbone of my business growth—it works if you’re consistent and intentional about it. But don’t get me wrong—if you’re a novice, you’re going to lose money and get hurt. I learned the hard way early in my career and kept going until I learned enough. Now I actually offer Google Ads management as a service to other haulers. Full circle ⭕️

 

6. Focus on Reviews and Referrals

Every job would include these steps:

  • Ask for a Google review on the spot after the job is done. I’d use a QR code on the back of a business card to make it easy. Ask the customer to do it right in front of you so it actually happens.

     

  • Hand out referral cards. These would include a small discount for their next job and an incentive to share with family or friends. Keep this in mind, you don’t get more referrals by asking for them; you get them by being more referable. Focus on delivering an experience that wows, and the referrals will follow. A referral is just a byproduct of crushing it for the customer who booked you in the first place.

     

Then try to stay top of mind. Quarterly email blasts to past customers help keep your name in front of them when they need you again.

 

Tip: Don’t send emails with an ask. Remember, these people just had you take stuff away, and the likelihood of them having more to get rid of right away is low. So, don’t make a direct ask for business. Instead, send them informative content that’s relevant to your industry and might also appeal to them as residents in the same area. Think leaf removal schedules, bulk waste collection dates, document shredding days at the local school, hazardous waste disposal days, tips on recycling or donating, interesting facts about the junk removal industry—stuff like that.

 

At the bottom, offer a discreet discount or note like, ‘Feel free to share this email with someone you know who might need our help.’ This kind of email won’t come across like spam, but will keep your business top of mind when they do need you again.

 

7. Be Ready to Pivot

A plan is just a guess until you start taking action. Once you’re in motion, things rarely go as planned, if ever. You have to pivot based on what works, what doesn’t, and the feedback you get along the way.

 

8. And many many more

This starting a junk business list could obviously go on for so long that I’d have to write an entire book’s worth. Reply to this email with any questions or anything you think I may have missed, and let’s talk about it.

 

My closing thoughts: I’ve never believed in detailed business plans—they’re a waste of time. Instead, I come up with an idea, quickly strategize, focus on action, execution, data, and make constant adjustments along the way. In my humble opinion, that’s the key to real progress.

 

And don’t forget… MOVE FAST!

 

Don’t wait for business come to you. Go out and get it yourself!✌️

Justin Hubbard
justin hubbard

Justin Hubbard


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