The Junk Boys Blog
April 1st, 2020
Tanner Beaty, The Junk Boys Co-Owner
How It Began
The Junk Boys is the result of countless brainstorm sessions between me and my business partner, James Baxter. We were both working jobs we didn’t enjoy, and frankly, we were fed up with the routines we had settled into. We didn’t know what else we could do, but we knew we wanted to make something big.
We are both twenty years old, having graduated two years ago. We love this town and went to work in it immediately. James (we call him Kurt), worked at the local sheriff’s office as a clerk in the fleet maintenance department. I was a construction worker, pumping concrete into residential lentils—long hours, low pay, demanding, and definitely not fun. We began looking for new things we could do.
The First Job
Out of the blue, a family member reached out to us, knowing the hard work we did regularly. She wanted to hire us to clean out her garage. Kurt and I hung out, went for a drive, picked up her junk, and took it to the recycling center. We had a fun, relaxed, productive day . . . and got paid. This was very interesting. Could we make this a business?
We thought of a name, The Junk Boys, and put out some feelers in the local marketplace. We got a couple of free home improvement apps and put some ads on Craigslist and in the local paper. The calls started trickling in, and on the weekends and off-hours, Kurt and I started hauling junk on the side. It was absolutely thrilling to have our first, real-life side hustle.
The First Trailers
At the time, we were bouncing around, borrowing trailers from my step-dad and Kurt’s granddad to do junk pickup jobs. The trailers were small and somewhat inadequate but served as temporary measures.
Kurt’s grandfather’s trailer was made out of a very small boat trailer, with walls around the perimeter. It was a good design but had a lot of room for improvement. We used it as our inspiration and started the renovation process on an old, large boat trailer that had been sitting in Kurt’s backyard.
Step One was to tear off everything boat-related. Step Two was to rip off the tires, wiring, and old taillights. Once everything was removed, we laid down heavy-duty 4x4 beams. This was our foundation. Next came the deck, walls, and gate, which was a simple plywood sheet strapped to the back. And with that set-up, we now had our own hauling trailer. It worked!
Set Up to Go
Today, more improvements later, our trailer gleams with a sweet double-door gate and signage all around. Not only is our trailer both lightweight and solid as a rock, but it is also made of 100% recycled wood. I think the most significant strain it’s been under is about 3,000 pounds, and it took it like a champ.
Now, Kurt and I haul junk full-time. It feels like we’ve finally found the right thing to do. Working for ourselves has been a dream, and from here we will only go up! As time goes on, we find ourselves learning more and more, and it feels great to be gaining information specifically valuable to us. Even on an off day, we can work all day and keep ourselves busy.
This is blog post #1. Come back here for updates on what we’re up to and what we’re thinking about. This is going to be a good ride.
