Profile: 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

By Susan Regier

The garage is overflowing.
The basement is piled high.
Who are you gonna call?
1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Since 1997, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has grown exponentially across North America. Located in forty-six cities, London and Windsor were added to the mix in May 2003 when Andrew de Boer discovered the local franchise opportunity in Canadian Business Magazine.

“I was working for a family business in Toronto at the time – started out as a driver and left as the Director of Finance. I had grown up in London and was ready for a change. I figured this would be a good fit,” said de Boer.

So, de Boer paid the franchise fee and purchased the requisite billboard truck…and became a driver once again.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? hauls for a fee, items that businesses or homeowners no longer need. They take away anything non-hazardous that two people can lift, such as construction materials, renovation debris, yard waste, and old furniture. “So far this year, we’ve picked up 450 to 500 tons of junk – and that’s not including items salvaged or donated,” said de Boer. “Our truck arrives on time. We quote our prices up front including all labour, weight, and surcharges. And we do all the loading – you don’t even need to get it to the curb! Then, we leave your space looking better than we found it – every time!”

Sixty percent of all the junk collected is recycled. It is donated to various charities, including Goodwill and My Neighbour’s Closet. Try Recycling also receives a large portion of the “junk.” “We’ve picked up some amazing ‘junk,’” said de Boer. “Items like old steamer trunks, leather couches in good condition, and even an eighteenth century sewing machine…items too good to throw out – so we recycle or donate when we can.”

The local franchise has more than doubled their revenue since last summer. They now have two trucks operating in London and one in Windsor that services homes and businesses from Lake Erie to Lake Huron. And their Big Wig Philosophy, used by all franchises, ensures they get noticed. Forty percent of their business is a direct result of parking the mobile billboards at busy corners and waving at passers-by.

Since early summer, de Boer has been out of the truck and back in an office. The majority of his business is from residential junk removals but he’s hoping to break into the commercial arena in a big way – by going after local realtors to de-junk homes up for sale; property managers to help remove all the stuff that tenants are known to leave behind; and building contractors. With a steel box that is ten feet long, eight feet wide, and five feet high, contractors can now avoid having bins sitting in front of luxury homes.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? has taken a fragmented business, added clean shiny trucks, friendly uniformed drivers, on-time service, and up-front rates…and then blended in a culture that is young, fun, and completely focused on fast, profitable growth. The result is a brand in an industry that has never had a brand.

Visit 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to receive Ten JunkBucks for your next junk removal order.

Susan Regier is the publisher/editor of Networking Today and owner of Vantage One Writing, a professional writing service for businesses. (519) 471-8726 E-mail: regiers@vantageone.ca Web site: www.vantageone.ca Published in Networking Today, October 2004.