Junk removal is, at its core, a simple business model with a relatively simple startup blueprint.
When Kirk McKinney decided to start his own junk-removal business as a teenager, he already had a feel for the industry. After discovering a dump near his Massachusetts home, he began collecting discarded speakers, electronics, weights, and other items and reselling them. The more time he spent there, the better he got to know the local junk removal workers. Eventually, he started helping them.
That’s when he saw the business opportunity.
“I was basically doing the whole job for them,” he told Business Insider. “The guy was paying me pretty well, and he was still walking away with money at the end of the job.”
To start his own version, he figured he needed two things: another person to help pick up and transport the junk, and a vehicle.
He enlisted his younger brother, Jacob, and the two pooled their savings to buy a $4,000 Ford F-150 in 2021. As of mid-July 2026, Kirk, 22, and Jacob, 21, have built Junk Teens into a seven-figure business on track to top $5 million in revenue this year, according to a P&L viewed by Business Insider. Since 2021, the company has expanded beyond its main location in Norwood to Cape Cod, the North Shore, and Rhode Island, and now has about 25 employees and seven dump trucks.
Starting Junk Teens with about $8,000
All in, the brothers estimate they spent about $8,000 to get the business up and running in year one. Half of that went toward the F-150. The rest went toward basic startup costs, including setting up the business and building walls on the side of the pickup truck so it could carry more junk.
They held off on buying tools such as a saw and drill for as long as possible. At first, they borrowed from their parents or used what they found on jobs.
“We were just very scrappy,” Jacob said.
Courtesy of Kirk and Jacob McKinney
One advantage of the business, they said, is that customers often pay junk-removal companies to haul away items that can still be useful. If the brothers removed office supplies, tools, or furniture from a job, they often kept them and used them in the business rather than buying new.
“I don’t think we’ve ever bought a trash barrel, a broom, or a shovel,” Jacob said. “We’ve always got them for free, so that definitely saved us a lot in the beginning.”
How to stand out in a competitive industry
Junk removal has a low barrier to entry, which makes it easier to start but harder to stand out.
“Almost anyone can do it — and it’s very competitive because of that,” Kirk said.
At the most basic level, a person needs a vehicle that can transport items, which could be a truck, minivan, or rented U-Haul. The brothers said three things helped them compete: speed, clear pricing, and branding.
1. Move quickly. Speed is one of the most important parts of the business, as customers often want junk removed immediately.
“Junk removal is a very quick service,” Kirk said. “People want it done the same or next day, most of the time.”
2. Learn how to price jobs. Pricing was one of the first things the brothers had to figure out. Early on, they called other junk-removal companies and asked for advice.
“I would just ask them, ‘Hey, I just started my business. I’m pretty young. I’m just really looking to learn. Do you have five minutes?'” Jacob said.
Over time, they learned to price jobs based on factors such as volume, weight, labor, odd items, and disposal fees. For example, a pile of junk in a garage may be easier to remove than the same amount of junk in a third-floor attic. Heavy materials, mattresses, box springs, or items with special disposal requirements can also affect the price.
Courtesy of Kirk and Jacob McKinney
Kirk said transparent pricing helps customers understand what they are paying for.
“I think a lot of people will get into it and have no idea how to price their jobs,” he said. “The customers, when they get the price, don’t understand why that number.”
3. Build a brand customers can trust. The company was initially called K&J Removal, but Kirk said he realized customers were hiring them because they were teenagers doing junk removal. That became the foundation for the Junk Teens brand.
“I just took the thing that made us stand out, our competitive advantage, and built a brand around that,” he said, adding that branding matters in a crowded industry because customers often compare companies online before booking.
“When they look, and they see good reviews, a good online presence, a solid logo, solid colors, and consistency, that’s going to feel like it’s more put together.”
He said one mistake beginners make is trying to compete only on price. Junk Teens wanted to build a business on delivering quality work and attracting customers willing to pay for it.
“The best customers are the ones that will just pay what the service is worth and aren’t price shopping,” Kirk said. “We want to do a great job, and we want customers that want to pay for a great job.”
