One man's trash? Jocelyn Gold and Geoff Durling, both 30,
know all about it. Six days a week, the couple goes to homes and
businesses in Oakland, California, to remove a variety of trash and
leftovers for their 1-800-Got-Junk? customers, a franchise
they've owned for a year.
Most days involve three to six jobs, ranging from a complete
office clean-up to appliance pickup. On each job, the couple
removes trash, scraps and general junk left over from seasonal
cleanings, moving and renovations. They divide everything in their
truck, making piles for recycling, dumping and donating.
Gold and Durling charge based on volume-how much space the junk
takes up in the truck--ranging from $65 to $428. Customers can call
the 1-800-Got-Junk? corporate call center to schedule pickups and
let the operator know how much stuff they have and where it's
located. This information is then passed on to franchisees like
Gold and Durling by 1-800-Got-Junk?, which also handles scheduling
franchisees.
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Depending on the size of a job, Gold and Durling can make one or
several drop-offs each day at recycling centers, charities or the
dump. "We try to recycle anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of our
loads, so we do anything that's salvageable or
recyclable," Gold says. Furniture, appliances and other
reusable items in good condition are donated to organizations like
the Salvation Army.
While the couple has rock stars and famous writers on its client
list, one of their more memorable jobs was not exactly glamorous.
"We had to clean out a house for this lady who had 65 cats
that had the run of the house," Gold says. "Needless to
say, our masks were on the whole time."
When not picking up or dropping off other people's junk,
Gold and Durling, who both have marketing backgrounds, spend time
drumming up business. "Our biggest marketing tool is our
truck. It's like a moving billboard," Gold says.
"People seeing our trucks accounts for about 35 percent of the
jobs we've booked." Some evenings, Gold and Durling simply
drive their truck through busy streets to get their franchise's
name out there.
The couple does have another employee who comes along for large
jobs or rides along with Durling, giving Gold time to work on the
business. She handles the budget, marketing, and making and
returning phone calls. Though having only one employee leaves Gold
and Durling to handle most aspects of the business themselves, Gold
accepts it as part of being a franchisee. "If I am going to
work 12- to 14-hour days, I would rather be doing it for myself so
I can truly enjoy the rewards," she says.
Gold and Durling would like to have three trucks and six
employees by the end of their third year in business. Eventually,
Gold would like to move operations out of their home and work full
time in the office. "By next spring, I should be focusing
strictly on sales and marketing," she says.
Until then, it's days in the trucks and nights and off-hours
in the office. At the end of the day, sometimes it's hard to
shut the business off, but Gold is learning to make those life and
work distinctions.