2 brothers started a junk-removal side hustle as teens with a $4,000 truck. Last year, they brought in about $3 million.
Kirk and Jacob McKinney turned a childhood habit of scavenging dumpsters into a multi-million dollar business. It started in their Massachusetts hometown when Kirk began reselling speakers he found in the trash. That first $50 sale on Facebook Marketplace sparked an interest in entrepreneurship that led the brothers to identify a gap in the local service market. They noticed professional junk haulers were making reliable money and decided to enter the field themselves.
The brothers started with a $4,000 Ford F-150 in 2021. Their initial jobs involved small tasks like moving couches, which they secured through local community boards and word-of-mouth referrals. The early work was demanding and forced them to learn logistics through trial and error. They treated the process of loading and sorting items like a game of Tetris to maximize space and efficiency. This hands-on approach allowed them to refine their pricing and service models while building a reputation for speed.
A significant shift occurred in 2022 when the duo reinvested their earnings into an $80,000 dump truck. This upgrade increased their capacity eightfold and allowed them to take on larger contracts. By 2023, they moved operations from their parents' driveway to a dedicated warehouse, a move that helped them reach seven-figure revenue. Today, Junk Teens employs 25 people and operates across multiple markets in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The brand identity leans into the brothers' history of being young, hardworking entrepreneurs.
The brothers emphasize that their success stems from simple, consistent action rather than complex planning. They advise aspiring business owners to focus on one goal at a time and prioritize communication with clients. By maintaining a sharp focus on same-day service and clear logistics, they have turned a basic labor service into a scaling operation. Their current goal is to bring the Junk Teens model to a national scale as they continue to build their team of young workers.