Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jaymie Tarshis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jaymie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
The business actually started in 2025 over Christmas break. While a lot of people were relaxing, watching Netflix, and enjoying the holidays, my partner and I were sitting around talking about business ideas.
For a few years, I had been intrigued by the idea of buying a “boring business” after following entrepreneurs like Codie Sanchez. I had looked at opportunities, but nothing ever felt quite right. Then during that holiday break, we asked ourselves a simple question: Why wait to buy a business when we could just start one?
After exploring several ideas, we landed on junk removal.
Instead of spending months planning, building a website, or trying to make everything perfect, we took action immediately. Within a day of deciding on the business, we posted on the Nextdoor app and landed our first customer. At that point, we didn’t even own a trailer. We rented one for the first few jobs and focused on getting customers first.
After completing those initial jobs, we took the money we earned and bought a used trailer from Facebook Marketplace. Within about a week, the trailer had already paid for itself.
From there, we began putting the foundation in place. We registered the business, secured insurance, set up a business phone number, created our branding, ordered work shirts, and established the systems needed to operate professionally. At the same time, we continued taking jobs and serving customers.
The entire process happened incredibly fast. What started as a conversation over Christmas break turned into a functioning business almost overnight. Looking back, the biggest lesson was that momentum came from action, not planning. We didn’t have every answer figured out before we started. We simply took the next step, then the next one after that, and built the business as we went.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
For the last decade, I’ve built my career as a digital marketing strategist, helping coaches, consultants, and service-based businesses generate leads and sales through Facebook and Instagram advertising. Over the years, I’ve managed millions of dollars in advertising spend, generated over $10 million in revenue for clients, and been featured in publications including Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, and Medium as one of the “10 Ad Experts to Watch.”
While marketing has been my primary business for more than 10 years, I’ve always been fascinated by entrepreneurship and the idea of building businesses from the ground up. After spending years helping other business owners grow, I became increasingly interested in applying those same marketing skills to a business of my own outside of the online marketing space. That curiosity led to the launch of our junk removal company.
What makes our story unique is that while most people think of junk removal as a hauling business, I view it as a marketing business first. My role isn’t driving the truck or hauling the junk. My role is building the brand, generating leads, creating systems, and finding ways to stand out in a crowded market. The same marketing principles that helped my clients grow online are the same principles we’ve used to rapidly grow our junk removal company.
Today, we help homeowners, real estate investors, property managers, and businesses clear unwanted items quickly and efficiently. From single-item pickups to estate cleanouts, hoarder properties, storage units, and large-scale property cleanups, we help people solve problems that often feel overwhelming. Many of our customers call us during stressful situations such as moving, managing an inherited property, preparing a home for sale, or cleaning up after tenants have left behind significant amounts of debris.
What sets us apart is our focus on customer experience and responsiveness. We understand that when someone reaches out for junk removal, they usually want the problem solved as quickly as possible. We prioritize fast communication, transparent pricing, professional service, and making the entire process easy from start to finish.
What I’m most proud of is how quickly we’ve been able to turn an idea into a thriving business. We started with a rented trailer, no customers, and a simple idea over Christmas break. Within five months, we have served over 100 customers and built a strong reputation in our community. It’s been a powerful reminder that success doesn’t always require a complicated plan. Sometimes it comes from taking action, solving a real problem, and being willing to learn as you go.
More than anything, I want people to know that our brand is built on hard work, integrity, and service. Whether it’s through marketing or junk removal, my passion has always been helping people solve problems and creating businesses that make life easier for the customers they serve.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Without question, the biggest driver of new customers for us has been Facebook and Instagram advertising.
That’s not surprising given my background. I’ve spent more than a decade helping businesses generate leads through digital advertising, so when we launched the junk removal company, I approached it differently than many local service businesses. Rather than relying solely on referrals or waiting for word-of-mouth to build over time, we focused on creating a predictable lead generation system from day one.
In fact, more than 80% of our customers have come directly from Meta ads. The ads have allowed us to generate leads quickly, build brand awareness in our local market, and keep a steady flow of opportunities coming in.
That said, referrals have become an increasingly important source of business as we’ve grown. Every successful job creates another opportunity for word-of-mouth marketing, online reviews, and repeat business. We’ve also generated customers through Yelp and Thumbtack and by attending networking events within our community.
The biggest lesson has been that marketing is often the difference between a business that struggles and a business that grows. Many companies provide a great service, but if people don’t know they exist, growth becomes much harder. By combining strong marketing with excellent customer service, we’ve been able to grow much faster than we anticipated in our first few months.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
Yes, one of the unexpected supplementary revenue streams we’ve developed is reselling items that we recover during cleanout jobs.
In the junk removal industry, not everything that gets removed is actually junk. Many times, customers simply want items gone quickly and conveniently, but among those items are furniture, tools, appliances, and other goods that still have plenty of life left in them.
From the beginning, we’ve been committed to providing eco-friendly junk removal whenever possible. We believe that hauling everything straight to the landfill should be the last resort, not the first option. That’s why we make an effort to sort through items and identify what can be donated, recycled, repurposed, or resold.
When we’re able to resell an item, it creates an additional revenue stream for the business. What’s interesting is that this wasn’t part of our original business plan. We started out simply focused on helping customers clear unwanted items from their homes and properties. As we completed more jobs, we realized there was often hidden value in what people were throwing away. Over time, we’ve become much better at recognizing opportunities to recover and rehome items that still have value.
For us, it’s a win-win. Customers get a fast and hassle-free solution, usable items get a second life, and we can operate a more sustainable business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.junkzero.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junkzeroco
- Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/junkzeroco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@junkzeroco
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/jj-junk-services-san-diego