Joseph Lambert, the Proprietor of Joseph’s Junk Removing, isn’t your typical entrepreneur. The truth is, he isn’t even sufficiently old to purchase alcohol! But, he has taken his small enterprise to new heights over the previous few years. As of filming this interview, Joseph’s Junk Removing generates over 1.5 million {dollars} of annual income, owns eight vehicles, and employs 30 individuals in Atlanta. Right now on The Atlanta Small Enterprise Present, Lambert shares his entrepreneurial journey and his targets for the long run.
Transcription:
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Joseph, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us on the present.
Joseph Lambert:
Completely, thanks for having me. Pleasure to be right here.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Your success is simply superb, in order quickly as we heard about it, we needed to have you ever into the present to speak about it. It’s humorous, within the opener we stated you possibly can’t purchase a can of beer proper now, however but you’re managing an organization of 30 individuals. That’s fairly cool.
Joseph Lambert:
It’s superior. It’s a pleasure.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah. Inform us about your entrepreneurial journey, so long as it’s been on the market, perhaps simply a few years. However inform us, how did you get began and why within the junk enterprise?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, completely. It’s actually been a lifelong pursuit. It’s not one thing that occurred actually lately, so-
Jim Fitzpatrick:
To be an entrepreneur or to be within the junk enterprise?
Joseph Lambert:
To be an entrepreneur, the junk enterprise is pretty current. The entrepreneurial shouldn’t be. Began companies ever since I used to be a bit child. My mother and father obtained divorced after I was 12, so after that ended up actually taking it severely and began mowing lawns and doing different issues to attempt to simply assist usher in cash for the household. That took lots of completely different varieties, mowing lawns, stress washing, working in development. Actually something anyone would pay me to do. That came about over the subsequent couple years.
Joseph Lambert:
Once I was 15, I really was in my enterprise legislation class and I used to be sitting subsequent to my buddy, Sam, who was a bit bit older than me and we had a undertaking the place we needed to begin a enterprise on paper. Sam and I had each already been operating our personal small landscaping companies in our neighborhood and we realized after beginning this enterprise, that it could make a lot sense simply to convey this factor to life. As a result of Sam was older than me, he may really drive. I used to be a bit bit youthful, I used to be 15. I couldn’t drive.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
I obtained it.
Joseph Lambert:
However I used to be nice at speaking to individuals. So we partnered up and we began this little landscaping firm referred to as Southern Normal Residential, which Sam really nonetheless runs to today in Marietta.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
No kidding? Wow, cool.
Joseph Lambert:
That was my begin getting out of the neighborhood. Then after that did numerous completely different endeavors all through highschool. Then in highschool, my senior yr, I really slipped into the junk enterprise as a result of I had a landscaping shopper who was clearing out her home and shifting as much as North Georgia. Ended up doing a job for her that made extra money than I actually thought was doable. It actually caught my consideration how easy and scalable the method was for the entire job. That’s what I actually didn’t like concerning the landscaping enterprise and different issues. Actually began pursuing that tough after that one job.
Joseph Lambert:
Within the meantime, senior yr of highschool and I actually put college within the again burner, I might not advise doing this to anyone, however ended up really failing a category my senior yr, that I wanted to graduate. Ended up having to remain an additional semester and take that class. However what it meant was whereas all people else went off to school I used to be taking that class and dealing full time. And that semester-
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Within the junk enterprise, that-
Joseph Lambert:
Within the junk enterprise, that’s proper.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
This girl that was a shopper of yours, actually put you within the enterprise within the sense that you simply discovered wow, there’s a enterprise right here.
Joseph Lambert:
Precisely.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Simply in junk removing.
Joseph Lambert:
Precisely and enterprise actually blew up that semester. As soon as I obtained my diploma, I had the choice to go to school. I noticed this was a a lot better alternative. I wasn’t opposed to school, however I actually needed to pursue my best choice, which this was. Then we rolled into COVID, was the subsequent semester actually and the enterprise completely exploded.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Actually? What was the correlation between COVID and the enterprise taking off? Individuals simply needed to clear their home out? Or what was the deal?
Joseph Lambert:
Nicely, I imply, you consider it, all people went house. So all of the stuff that they need to have gotten rid of 10 years in the past, now they’re having to take a look at it 24 hours a day. Then on high of that extra cash is pouring in from completely different sources, they’re not having to spend as a lot so there was extra money for simply house tasks.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Now they wish to clear the basement out so as to refinish the basement.
Joseph Lambert:
Precisely, precisely. So our telephone was blowing off the hook from January to July of that yr. However July was actually pivotal second in our enterprise as a result of as an 18-year-old, we had scaled from about $15,000 in income in January and we have been doing $60,000 plus in July. However I noticed we weren’t doing it correctly.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
I don’t imply to sluggish you down right here as a result of I can see that you simply obtained large enthusiasm, however let’s again up a minute. You must purchase extra vehicles or one thing within the interim or hire them or how do you do this? How do you develop that rapidly to go from $15,000 to 60,000? Like they are saying, we’re going to wish a much bigger truck, proper?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, phenomenal query. For these six months we have been simply renting U-Haul field vehicles. Massive 26 foot shifting vehicles you see, that’s what we’re renting.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Proper, as a result of the shopper doesn’t care what you pull up in. They only need the junk eliminated, proper?
Joseph Lambert:
They do to some extent, however these have been undoubtedly not the very best. It was what we had on the time. As a result of the financial institution doesn’t mortgage $70,000 truck loans to 18 yr olds, so at that time it wasn’t an choice. However the large second in July was I noticed this enterprise, the income’s right here, however we haven’t set it up the proper manner. Actually needed to tear down the enterprise and construct it up the proper manner. To your level, one of many issues we really determined was we’re going to mannequin ourselves after the large gamers within the trade and one of many issues we have to do is purchase model new, effectively branded vehicles that do the job the proper manner. What I needed to do to make up for that was I needed to go discover some guys in my life who had seen what I’d been doing, trusted me, gave them a bit sliver of fairness so as to cosign on truck loans. That was how I used to be in a position to purchase my first couple model new dump vehicles.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Wow, that’s unbelievable. Now rapidly you begin to develop the employees as a result of so as to drive the vehicles, you want the employees and also you want the individuals to load the vehicles and empty the vehicles.
Joseph Lambert:
Completely.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Now you’re an employer of individuals. What’s that like?
Joseph Lambert:
It’s a pleasure and it’s a problem on the identical time. My coronary heart is I like main individuals. The {dollars} I feel is only a measurement of how the enterprise is doing. Each individual is completely different, there’s not one technique to handle all people on the identical time. I like that problem, however greater than something, I actually love seeing younger guys come into our enterprise and actually develop as younger males as they work all through our enterprise.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Are you hiring highschool college students now that can assist you? Or is it just about people who at the moment are off and operating and searching for careers?
Joseph Lambert:
It began out as lots of highschool and faculty guys. At this level it’s largely simply guys of their 20s and 30s, however we actually have a mixture of each.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Okay. That’s fairly cool. Are you simply in Atlanta? What number of places do you might have? Who can use your companies?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, we’re simply in Atlanta proper now primarily based out of Smyrna, however we service just about your entire North Metro space.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
You do, okay. What number of vehicles do you might have at the moment? I feel I stated it within the opener, you might have eight vehicles?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, we even have seven vehicles and now we have an enormous skid steer, which is principally a truck. However yeah, that’s what we’re rolling with proper now.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Constructing the enterprise to date, any conditions the place you thought to your self, “Uh-oh, I don’t know if we’re going to have the ability to make this subsequent hurdle proper right here,” as a result of opening up a enterprise, as , could have some hurdles alongside the best way. Whether or not they be monetary or getting the proper individuals or getting the proper vehicles, as you simply identified. Have been there any that soar out at you that say that was a pivotal second, we didn’t know if we have been going to have the ability to proceed?
Joseph Lambert:
There have been undoubtedly pivotal moments, however I don’t assume it was ever a query of if we have been going to proceed as a result of I had lots of confidence within the enterprise. Seeing a participant like 1-800-GOT-JUNK, who does effectively north of $500 million a yr, provides me confidence that there’s a market. It’s simply our job to determine how one can play it in our favor. For that, I by no means nervous concerning the enterprise. It was nearly us doing the exhausting work to make it run proper.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Have been there any issues getting enterprise insurance coverage and issues like that at such a younger age?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, completely. We have now to pay much more in enterprise insurance coverage than your common enterprise does. However I imply, we make it work.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
You overcame that impediment. What’s subsequent for the corporate? Do you see your self franchising someday, a lot the best way Bought Junk does?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah. I imply, I feel we wish to develop, we actually would like to be a nationwide model. However at this level, high quality is extra necessary than amount. We’re not going to develop until now we have the proper individuals and the proper leaders in place to maintain that development. However with that being stated, I imply, our objective is to be within the 15 largest cities within the Southeast within the subsequent 10 years. So development is unquestionably on our horizon.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, for certain. Within the junk enterprise, what do you do with all of the junk when you’ve obtained it on the truck? Is it simply straight to the dump with it, or are there alternatives that you simply say, “Nicely, wait a minute, this is likely to be their junk, however that is nonetheless actually great things right here.”
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, most of it does go to the landfill, sadly, as a result of it’s simply junk. However we’re in a position to recycle lots of the steel that we get after which we’re additionally in a position to donate and repurpose a few of the great things that we get. It’s been cool, really. Loads of our guys have taken stuff house and furnished their properties and flats.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
I guess, yeah.
Joseph Lambert:
We’ve given stuff away to donation facilities. We attempt to hold issues out of the landfill as a lot as doable.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
My spouse and I simply moved and we downsized, as so many individuals my age are doing, the place they’ve an enormous, enormous home they usually wish to downsize to a a lot smaller house. We referred to as one among these firms, not yours, we weren’t aware of you on the time. However we referred to as one among these junk firms they usually got here and it was actually fairly great things. It was furnishings and all types of issues. We simply stated, “Look, we simply need it out of right here. We wish it out of our home. We wish it out of our basement. We’re beneath a time crunch as a result of we already bought the house.” We actually did, we puzzled what occurred to these items. Possibly we must always have donated it or tried to promote it or regardless of the case is likely to be. Is that a complete nother avenue of your small business to say, “Nicely, now we have all this furnishings. Possibly we are able to put it in a warehouse and promote it on to shoppers that wish to are available.”
Joseph Lambert:
We haven’t cracked the code on that fairly but. The effectivity to truly get that executed, balancing all the opposite junk jobs is a bit little bit of a problem. However undoubtedly one thing we’ve appeared into loads and wish to see sooner or later.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Certain, certain. Is it robust getting individuals proper now to go to be just right for you? I imply, proper now there appears to be a battle on expertise. Is it robust so that you can get individuals to return to be just right for you?
Joseph Lambert:
It hasn’t been these days. We went by lots of challenges within the fall, however we’ve constructed an incredible tradition to the purpose the place our workforce loves working for us and once we convey guys on, we’re very choosy about who we rent. We don’t make desperation hires. The truth is, the final stage of our interview course of is that they must work on our truck with our guys. Our guys principally must approve new workforce members earlier than they get employed by us. Actually it’s created a tradition the place we encourage loads, we stick up for one another. Then on the sensible aspect, we pay our guys a bit bit above market common, so we’ve created a system the place we recruit high expertise and in a position to retain them as effectively.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Wow, that’s nice. What do your mother and father consider all this? I imply, you’re a really younger man to have all of this occurring. I imply, they need to make for nice Sunday dinners.
Joseph Lambert:
It does.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
To speak about your organization and the way it’s doing.
Joseph Lambert:
It’s, however they’ve been there to assist me alongside the best way. My mother was the one loading up my lawnmower with me behind the van after I was 12 and 13, driving me to completely different homes and my dad did the identical factor. In order that they’ve been supporting me alongside the best way, very grateful for them.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s nice. That’s improbable. What recommendation would you might have for different younger entrepreneurs which are listening to you at the moment saying, “Wow, this man could be very inspirational. He’s constructed a heck of an organization, he’s going for it, needs to be in 15 markets within the Southeast within the subsequent 10 years.” Have little doubt that you simply’re going to realize that. What recommendation do you might have for them?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah. There’s lots of people with nice concepts. There’s not lots of people that flip nice concepts into actual companies. Any entrepreneur with an concept, I might problem him simply to go do it and do it earlier than you work the entire thing out. I can let you know, after I stepped within the junk enterprise, I didn’t have half of it found out. I simply noticed a chance that I assumed had potential after which I believed in myself sufficient to only go determine it out. That’s what a lot of enterprise is. You see an issue, you actually don’t know what the answer is and also you simply go determine it out.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s proper.
Joseph Lambert:
That’s what this world is brief on. It’s not wanting concepts, it’s quick of people that go get stuff executed.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s so true. And lots of people anticipate the proper time to ensure they’ve the proper cash. They’ve checked out all of the markets, they’ve executed all of this they usually by no means get began, they by no means depart their house.
Joseph Lambert:
The suitable time is now.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, it’s precisely proper. When it comes to beginning a enterprise right here, you’ve proven all people that in the course of COVID-19, you possibly can have a flourishing enterprise.
Joseph Lambert:
Completely. There’s lots of potential in COVID, consider it or not. I do know lots of companies suffered, however there’s a technique to parlay it to your favor.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s proper, that’s proper. What’s subsequent for the corporate? Simply to proceed rising and getting as a lot enterprise as you possibly can?
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, completely. I imply, we wish to develop our individuals, we wish to develop our enterprise and we additionally simply wish to develop the quantity of people that we’re in a position to serve and bless. I feel it’s all of that working collectively.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The place do you discover your purchasers? Clearly, you do some sort of selling. You do on-line advertising, issues like that?
Joseph Lambert:
Completely. If you happen to Google us, we pay some huge cash to pop up first more often than not. That’s most likely our largest advertising spend, however we additionally do issues like lots of yard indicators, we do some billboards. You most likely see our vehicles round city, if who we’re. It’s actually lots of it working collectively.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, that’s improbable. Joseph Lambert, proprietor and founding father of Joseph’s Junk Removing, I ought to say. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us on the present. This can be a very inspiring story. I do know that our viewers and subscribers will get loads out of your go to right here at the moment.
Joseph Lambert:
Superior.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Congratulations on all of your success. We might like to have you ever again to do a observe as much as see how issues are coming alongside.
Joseph Lambert:
Yeah, would like to. Thanks for having me.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Nice, thanks.
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