Most hauling businesses aren’t struggling because they lack effort — they’re struggling because too much effort is pouring into the wrong places.
You can grind 12-hour days, buy better equipment, answer every call, and still feel like you’re falling behind if the energy isn’t applied efficiently. That’s the hard truth most operators eventually run into.
Return on Effort (ROE) is how you break out of that cycle.
Story
Hauling Spotlight: Blue Bin Dumpsters — Salt Lake City, UT
Owner: Bailey Stewart
Founded: 2024
Services: Dumpster Rentals
Website: BlueBinDumpsters.co
Instagram: @bluebindumpsters.co
Bailey grew up in the construction world — dumpsters were normal. But it wasn’t until he started flipping houses that the numbers behind the dumpster business caught his attention. Low moving parts (or so he thought). Steady demand. A simple business model. And he loved heavy equipment.
He sat on the idea for a couple years, sold off the last of his projects, and finally took the plunge.
To soften the transition, he brought two of his real estate employees with him. That move created pressure — full-time payroll during slow early months is no joke. But it forced him to move fast, stay sharp, and build systems long before most operators ever do.
Looking back, he calls it a blessing.
Biggest Challenge: Equipment + Financing
Dumpster rentals require capital — real capital. Trucks. Trailers. Hooklifts. Rail sizes. Hold-down bar systems. Dumpster lengths. CDL rules.
Bailey learned firsthand that nothing about compatibility is straightforward. It took time, stress, trial, and error — but they built a cohesive system that fits their market.
Unique Selling Points
In a commodity industry, Blue Bin Dumpsters makes the service feel like a premium experience:
- Well-maintained dumpsters
- Eye-catching branding
- Relentless communication (texts, calls, emails)
- Their driver, Zach, who customers rave about
They hit
100+ five-star Google reviews within four months, and the momentum hasn’t slowed.
Social Media Strategy
Underutilized… but improving. For them, social media is about trust. Customers want to see a real brand, real effort, and real people. Bailey knows showing up online demonstrates stability — not fly-by-night energy.
Work-Life Balance
Bailey keeps it honest:
Work-life balance is overrated when you’re building something real. Success, especially in a startup, requires obsession.
He’s typing emails on Memorial Day and doing weekend deliveries himself. But he also knows the power of micro-balance: gym sessions, walks, small resets that sharpen effectiveness.
His philosophy is simple:
If everything is balanced, nothing moves.
Business Philosophy + Future Vision
Build a strong brand. Deliver incredible customer service. Pair quality product with efficient internet marketing. Over time, the brand compounds. Acquisition costs shrink. Value increases. The business outlasts the operator.
Lessons / Insights
What Return on Effort (ROE) Really Means for Hauling Businesses
ROE isn’t just financial. It measures the total value you get back for the time, money, stress, energy, and resources you invest.
Every decision in your business has a return. The trick is identifying which efforts produce the
highest returns — and doubling down.
Equipment Efficiency
Evaluation: Are your trucks, trailers, dumpsters, and machines giving you maximum output for the hours, maintenance, fuel, and repairs they demand?
Action: Sometimes the highest ROE move is upgrading equipment… and sometimes it’s simply tightening maintenance to reduce downtime.
Even small equipment improvements can compound into thousands saved.
Route Optimization
Evaluation: Is your daily routing efficient, or are you burning time and fuel zig-zagging around town?
Action:
Route optimization software.
Tighter scheduling windows.
Grouping customer zones.
Every mile saved improves your ROE.
Employee Productivity
Evaluation: Is your team’s effort generating proportional results? Are they working effectively or just working?
Action: Training. Clear expectations. Tools that boost efficiency. Better communication systems. When employees operate at a higher level, customer satisfaction rises — and so does your revenue.
Marketing Strategies
Evaluation: Which marketing channels bring in the most profitable leads? Where does your effort produce the biggest payoff?
Action:
Data-driven marketing. High-intent campaigns. More reviews. Stronger online presence.
When every marketing dollar works harder, the business grows faster.
Owner’s Focus: The Highest ROE Activity of All
As the owner, your job is simple:
Keep the business pointed toward the highest-return levers.
That means:
- Improving systems
- Streamlining operations
- Strengthening branding
- Enhancing customer experience
- Refining marketing
- Monitoring numbers
- Pivoting fast when something stops performing
Small optimizations — when done consistently — create massive separation in your market.
Reflection
Maximizing ROE isn’t hustle culture. It’s smart operator culture.
Every hour, every dollar, every decision should push the business forward. When you make decisions through the ROE lens, you eliminate wasted effort, increase profitability, and build a business that compounds year after year.
That’s how you stay competitive. That’s how you build something that lasts.
If you want deeper strategies on efficiency, profitability, and building a hauling company that can scale, check out
The Hauler’s Edge at HaulingHubb.com.
If you want help building marketing systems that deliver high-return results, visit
Adimize.com — real ads, real data, real results for real home service businesses.
P.S.
The more businesses I study — and the more operators I talk to — the clearer this becomes:
Effort is cheap. Efficient effort is rare. That’s where the advantage is.
FAQ Section
1. What is Return on Effort (ROE)?
ROE measures the value you get back for the effort you invest in equipment, employees, marketing, and operations.
2. How can haulers increase ROE?
By optimizing routes, improving equipment maintenance, strengthening branding, and focusing on high-impact marketing strategies.
3. Why is ROE important for dumpster rental businesses?
Dumpster rentals tend to be high overhead, so maximizing efficiency directly improves margins and long-term sustainability.
4. How do I know which tasks have the highest ROE?
Track outputs. Monitor results. Identify which actions consistently generate the most return and double down on them.
