During the next several articles I'll share several tips to help you get your recycling and junk removal business up and running.
I started in this business 15 years ago while I was in between jobs.
I had three young sons and had to provide for their welfare.
Unemployment was simply not enough for me to take care of all of the household expenses.
However, I was determined to find a way to be a good father and husband.
I'll never forget my first junk removal gig.
At the time I didn't realize it was the first day of being in business for myself...
but it was.
Driving around in my truck that day I felt a sense of independence and possibility for myself and my family that I hadn't felt in a long time.
Imagine having no boss looking over your shoulder.
You can organize your day exactly the way you want it, on your own terms.
Then you collect your cash and checks at the end of each day.
You never have to wait 2 weeks for payday.
That's exactly what it's like, each day, in the recycling and junk removal business.
Getting rid of the scrap metal and junk from that house that first day while helping my Realtor friend I realized there were many other people out there just like him, desperate to get rid of junk, but no time to do it themselves.
Whether it's a Realtor with a house in foreclosure.
An elderly couple preparing to move out of their home and have several decades of junk in the basement that needs to be hauled out of there.
A contractor who renovates homes for a living and needs someone to reliably and safely haul away the junk from their work site.
College students who need their cheap bunk beds and other garbage hauled away when their lease is up.
The number of potential customers is endless.
No matter where you live, there is more scrap metal and junk that needs hauling than there is businesses to haul it away.
When you're self-employed you have a lot more flexibility and can provide a much more personal touch than a scrap yard or junk removal chain can and can offer lower rates.
So there's more than enough business out there waiting for you.
You can get started even if you don't have a truck and can't afford one.
More about that in my next article.
Stay tuned!