We were lucky to catch up with Cody Bishop recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cody, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

JDog Junk Removal & Hauling is the nation’s largest veteran-owned franchise network. All locations are owned by veterans or direct family members of veterans. The overall mission of JDog is to reduce national veteran unemployment to under 1%. We believe in giving veterans an opportunity for for employment while maintaining the sense of camaraderie that we all enjoyed while in service.

Like so many veterans, transitioning from military service to civilian employment was a challenge for me. I felt that I had lost my sense of purpose and that I was no longer a part of something larger than myself. JDog has enabled me to pursue entrepreneurship and given me the opportunity to hire and support the veteran community.

Additionally, we are an eco friendly company. We have a goal that 60% or more of the items that we pick up do not make it to a landfill. We donate, recycle, and repurpose as much as possible. We partner with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, and local food banks.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have been married for 12 years and have 4 beautiful, crazy daughters. My wife and I got married in San Antonio, TX, the day that I graduated Air Force Basic Training. I served in the United States Air Force as a Security Forces Team Leader (military police officer) from 2011-2017. My time as a police officer was unique. I spent the majority of my career providing security and safe transport for nuclear weapons. We spent time at Malmstrom AFB, MT and received orders to Hill AFB, UT in 2014. It was great to come back to Utah to finish my service.

When I got back to Utah I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Utah State University. After my service I worked at a few companies around the Salt Lake City area, typically leading warehouse teams. In 2021, I was hired to launch a new location for a large company that was expanding to the western US. They had a plan to open 60 locations in 6 months. About 4 months into my employment the company decided to pull back the expansion and I was left unemployed.

I was then hired to launch a new market for a contractor based out of Oregon. I spent just over a year there and the company chose to close the 2 new markets that they had opened the year prior. I was once again left unemployed. These two “failure to launch” situations showed me that attempting to grow too rapidly without the correct support and processes in place can be catastrophic for your business.

I had always had a interest in entrepreneurship but never the guts to go for it. I also didn’t have a passion that I felt I could turn into a business. I felt that a franchise could be a good fit because the model was established, and I knew that I could implement the model.

After researching dozens of franchises, JDog stuck out. I immediately identified with their brand and mission. I visited JDog HQ in Berwyn, PA in October of 2022. After meeting the founders and the team at HQ I knew that this is where I belonged. I returned to Pennsylvania in January of 2023 to do my initial training. At the end of my training I picked up my truck and trailer and made the 32 hour drive back to Salt Lake City.

Since opening my business I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, give back to my local community, support veterans, and have the work/life balance that my family needs. The lessons that I learned from my military service as well as managing businesses as an employee are what guide my adventure of being a business owner.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I process for acquiring new customers is a bit old school. After spending thousands on digital ads and social media targeting residential customers, I shifted my focus to commercial accounts. My target market is property managers, apartments complexes, and real estate agents. Typically, they have the need for my service more often than the general public. I have generated the bulk of my business from networking and in person cold calls.

I am happy to serve residential customers as well and we still acquire them organically. Whether residential or commercial, I don’t want to be a single use service provider for my clients. We aim to provide superior customer service and competitive pricing to leave a lasting impression on our customers.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I love this topic. I have led teams both large and small the answer is the same. Make your team feel valued!

Genuinely care about your team, both at work and at home. Learn about what matters to them, what motivates them, how they learn, what struggles they have, and be creative in problem solving. We are all human. We learn differently, we have different values, we are motivated differently. You can not have a blanket approach to leadership.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jdogjunkremoval.com/locations/utah/salt-lake-city-junk-removal/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdog_slc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdogjunkremovalsaltlakecity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-bishop-68032a11b/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jdog-junk-removal-and-hauling-salt-lake-city