Junk Luggers
My favorite current business is Junk Luggers.
I love Junk Luggers.
They cruise around town in their bright green trucks and get rid of all the big, unwieldy junk that doesn’t fit in your garbage can and you can’t (or don’t want to take the time to) sell.
Here are all the reasons I love them and you should aspire to be like them:
They Solve a Hard, Obvious Problem
Every entrepreneur should aspire to solve as obvious a problem as Junk Luggers.
You’ve got a big, heavy thing you don't want. You've got no possible way of moving it.
Then, Junk Luggers takes it. End of story.
I might start referring to this as the “Junk Luggers Question." Be ready for it: What’s the big, heavy, highly visible, constantly annoying, unsolvable thing that you completely remove from your customer’s plate?
The Success Before and After is: 🤌
After JL removes the giant coffee table your parents gave you 15 years ago, it’s…gone. The problem is solved.
Just like for #1, entrepreneurs should aspire to have a “success state” as clear and obvious as Junk Luggers. There's zero ambiguity.
Urgency
I’ve spoken with a few people who have used Junk Luggers, and in nearly every case they had urgency. One friend was getting a new bed and didn’t feel like figuring out how to sell his old one. Another friend was replacing old, beaten-to-crap patio furniture.
In each case, they needed that stuff gone before their new bed/furniture arrived.
Easy Word of Mouth
Junk Luggers grows through word of mouth because it’s easy to talk about because the value is so obvious.
When a friend of yours says they have a piano they want to get rid of, you'll recommend Junk Luggers just because you read this post.
It's unbelievably easy to remember and recommend because the use case is so clear.
The Receipt Growth Trigger
Piggybacking on WOM, there’s another trigger Junk Luggers uses: a donation receipt.
A huge blocker for getting rid of an old couch is that it's likely still usable. So, Junk Luggers tries to donate everything you give them. And if they're successful, they send you the donation receipt for tax purposes.
The tax break is nice, but the messaging is better — “Yeah, they took our old couch and donated it.” Junk Luggers makes their customers look philanthropic.
Last, and definitely not least:
The name
The goal with any business is “speed to clarity.” How fast can you help your customer understand your value. Junk Luggers is…perfect.
And that's why I love Junk Luggers.
The pain they solve is obvious. The success state is clear. There's a delta 4 step up in value for the customer over the alternative.
And, my favorite part, the word of mouth potential is massive. Now that you know about Junk Luggers, I bet you'll consider using them or recommend them to someone in the next month.
What a business.