Photo credit: Carter Grandbois / InstagramThis image is improved using Gemini
Teen Entrepreneur Launches Junk Removal Business
Carter Grandbois, at just 16 years old, recognized a lucrative opportunity while working for a junk-removal operator in Johnstown, Colorado. Observing the cash flow from small jobs, he discussed the potential of starting his own business with his father. Within days, they acquired a trailer and secured their first job, earning $500 for approximately 30 minutes of work. This initial success highlights the growing market for junk removal services and the entrepreneurial spirit of young individuals entering the industry.
Now 18 and working full-time for himself, Grandbois says his business, Carter’s Junk Away, can bring in as much as $15,000 a month during peak season, a Fortune report noted. So every time they complete a job, I mean, we’re making anywhere from $50 to $200 without being on the truck. Grandbois said he typically earns between $125 and $1,000 per junk-removal job. Junk removal remains physical work, and Grandbois is building his company while he is 18. Unlike a traditional corporate job, the business does not provide employer-sponsored health insurance, a 401(k), or other employment benefits. He said he bought a lightly used Ford F-250 with about 10,000 miles and has started offering coaching to people interested in building junk-removal businesses. Grandbois estimated that junk coaching now accounts for about half of his business activity and said he has made roughly $40,000 from coaching this year. He said social media has also brought older prospective entrepreneurs to his content, including “a bunch of 40-year-old dads who are also interested in starting a business like this.
The business model is therefore changing from simply sending crews to collect unwanted items to selling the systems Grandbois developed while building the company.
He said he eventually improved its profitability by building a pricing calculator, tracking job data and creating systems for generating leads. “I’m really into vibe-coding and creating software,” he explained. Grandbois said his junk-removal business initially struggled to become profitable consistently. “After that, we were able to be profitable on every single job,” he said. He has two calculators: a universal version and a “private junk-removal calculator,” which he described as being designed for a “more experienced junk-removal business. Grandbois said he recognised that giving away the tools could potentially help competitors, but decided to share them anyway. He said, “I was like, ‘Hey, like everyone else could totally use this for their business.’” When asked about creating potential rivals by distributing his tools, he said: “That is one of the things with giving away stuff for free. Grandbois said, “It’s probably just like Instagram reels where you’re scrolling, and you’re like, ‘That guy has a Lamborghini. “We’ve started to do coaching to help other people who are interested in junk removal scale really quick,” he said.
The calculator helped his crews bid jobs more consistently, allowing Grandbois to oversee more of the business without being on the truck. The pricing calculator changed how his workers estimated jobs by giving them a system for calculating what to charge customers. “When our team is out… they’re bidding jobs spot-on every single time. His employees are high school friends, while he increasingly handles parts of the operation from home rather than working on the truck himself. The software has also become something Grandbois wants to share with other people entering the industry. You never know who’s watching the content. But at the end of the day, I know I’m doing something good for anyone else who’s trying to start. His approach has been influenced partly by social media, where young entrepreneurs can watch other people build businesses rather than relying only on traditional business stories. That dude has a McLaren. Why can’t I have one of those?’” His posts about his work on TikTok are under the account american.junkremoval. Grandbois has also expanded beyond removing junk. His pricing calculators, social-media content and coaching now sit alongside the original junk-removal operation. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.