Clean Up Crew Business Playbook

1. Business Description

Clean Up Crew Junk Removal is a locally owned junk removal company serving Madison, Wisconsin and surrounding Dane County communities. Founded by Soren Uselman, Yanni Potamousis, Cam Beier, Griffin See, Charlie Supple, and Clayton Yapp, we run two trucks and two trailers to haul away almost anything that can legally and safely be removed — from a single couch to a full estate cleanout.

We compete on price, speed, and service: upfront volume-based pricing 10–25% below national franchises, Saturday and Sunday availability, on-time arrival texts, and a broom-swept finish. We donate and recycle whenever possible.

2. Slogan & Brand Identity

• Primary slogan: “You point. We haul. It's gone.”
• Alternate: “Hard work. Fair prices. Clean spaces.”
• Alternate: “Madison's hardest-working crew.”

• Colors: Forest green (trust, local, eco) + Safety orange (energy, visibility) + Cream background
• Fonts: Archivo Black (headlines), Hind (body)
• Logo: ‘CU’ monogram in a green square; wordmark ‘CLEAN UP CREW’
• Uniform: Orange t-shirts / hoodies with green logo, gloves, clean boots
• Truck: Magnetic door signs ($60–$120) with logo + phone + ‘Free Quotes’
• Voice: Friendly, straight-talking, local. No jargon. Always say what it costs.

3. Business Plan Summary

• Mission: Be Dane County's most trusted, affordable junk removal crew.
• Market: ~560,000 Dane County residents; heavy rental turnover (UW–Madison August move-out), aging housing stock.
• Competitors: 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Junk King, College Hunks, LoadUp, local one-truck haulers. Franchises charge ~$150–$200 minimum and $600–$750+ per full truck.
• Advantage: Lower overhead (no franchise fees), 6 owners = flexible labor, two rigs to finish big jobs in one weekend.
• Structure: Register a Wisconsin LLC ($130 online), get an EIN (free), open a business bank account, buy general liability + commercial auto insurance.
• Legal: Check City of Madison / Dane County hauling rules, keep dump receipts, never take hazardous waste.
• Year-1 goal: 400 jobs, $100K+ revenue, 4.9★ with 100+ Google reviews.

High-school crew notes: Because the founders are under 18, a parent/guardian should co-own or sign the LLC, insurance and any vehicle/trailer titles. Wisconsin teens 16+ need no work permit; keep drivers on their own licensed, insured vehicles and follow probationary-license passenger rules. Jobs are weekends only (Sat–Sun) because of school and sports; use summer for big cleanouts and August UW move-out. Being a student crew is a selling point — lean into it (‘Support local students!’).

Owner roles: Soren Uselman – operations & scheduling · Yanni Potamousis – sales & quotes · Cam Beier – marketing & social · Griffin See – fleet & maintenance · Charlie Supple – finance & bookkeeping · Clayton Yapp – customer service & reviews. Everyone hauls.

4. Pricing Strategy (Madison market)

Franchise benchmarks in Madison: single item $100–$175, half truck $350–$450, full truck $600–$800. We price ~15% below, based on a 14 cu yd trailer.

• Single item: $75 · each additional: $35
• 1/8 trailer: $129 · 1/4: $199 · 1/2: $329 · 3/4: $449 · Full: $549
• Cleanouts: $549 per trailer load; typical $599–$1,800; free onsite estimate for 2+ loads
• Surcharges: mattress $25, TV $35, Freon appliance $40, tire $15, piano/gun safe $150
• Stairs beyond 1st flight $25 · Priority booking $40
• Discounts: 10% seniors/military/students/repeat; landlord partner rate 15%
• Minimum charge: $75

Policies: Price confirmed onsite before loading. Payment due at completion (card, Venmo, cash, Zelle). Cancel free with 24h notice; $40 fee for no-shows / cancels under 24h. We may refuse unsafe or hazardous items. Damage claims within 48 hours.

5. Customer Quoting System

• Step 1 – Customer uses the Quote page or texts photos.
• Step 2 – Reply within 24 hours with a price range (use the calculator).
• Step 3 – Onsite: walk the job, confirm a firm price, get a verbal or text ‘yes’.
• Step 4 – Load, sweep, take a ‘before/after’ photo.
• Step 5 – Collect payment, send receipt, ask for a Google review.

Text template: “Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out to Clean Up Crew! Based on your photos, this looks like about a [1/4 trailer], which runs $[X]–$[Y] including labor and dump fees. We have [day/time] open — want us to lock it in?”

6. Booking & Scheduling System

• Booking: Customers submit the Quote page; requests are saved in Lovable Cloud (Cloud → Database → booking_requests). Text each one back within 24 hours. Track in a shared Google Calendar (one calendar per rig: ‘Rig 1’, ‘Rig 2’).
• Arrival windows: 8–10, 10–12, 12–2, 2–4, 4–6. Max 4–5 jobs per rig per Saturday or Sunday (8–10 jobs per rig per weekend).
• Confirmation: text the day before + ‘on our way’ text 30 minutes out.
• Job tracker (Google Sheet columns): Date · Customer · Phone · Address · Load size · Quote · Final price · Paid? · Rig · Crew · Dump cost · Review asked?
• Upgrade later: Jobber or Housecall Pro (~$40–$70/mo) for online booking, invoicing, and reminders.

7. Managing Two Trucks & Two Trailers

• Rig 1 (West): Middleton, Verona, Fitchburg, West Madison, Waunakee.
• Rig 2 (East): Sun Prairie, Monona, McFarland, DeForest, Stoughton, East Madison.
• Crews of 2–3; rotate the six owners around school/work schedules.
• Route jobs by zone to minimize miles; schedule dump runs between jobs.
• Disposal: Dane County Rodefeld Landfill (Madison), City of Madison drop-off sites, Habitat ReStore & St. Vinnie's for donations, scrap yards for metal (scrap pays you!).
• Big cleanouts: send both rigs together and finish in half the time.
• Maintenance: weekly tire/light/hitch check, oil every 5K miles, trailer bearings every season, log every repair.
• Pre-trip checklist: straps, tarps, dolly, gloves, broom, shovel, contractor bags, first aid kit.

8. Facebook Marketplace & Social Media Strategy

• Facebook Marketplace: post a ‘Junk Removal – Madison’ service listing daily (refresh/re-list), with truck photo + price list. Rotate titles: ‘Couch Removal $75’, ‘Garage Cleanout Madison’, ‘Weekend Junk Pickup’.
• Facebook Groups: Madison neighborhood groups, ‘Dane County Buy/Sell’, Middleton/Sun Prairie community pages — share helpful before/afters (follow group rules).
• Marketplace hack: message people selling ‘free couch / must go’ and offer cheap removal.
• Nextdoor: claim a free business page; ask early customers to recommend you.
• Instagram & TikTok: 3–5 posts/week — before/after reels, ‘weirdest thing we hauled’, timelapse loading, meet-the-crew.
• Google Business Profile: #1 priority. Photos, service area, reviews. Reply to every review.
• Paid: $5–$10/day Facebook ads targeting Dane County homeowners 30–65 during spring cleaning & August move-out.
• Partnerships: leave flyers/business cards with property managers, apartment complexes, storage units, and estate sale companies.
• Referral program: $20 off for both the referrer and the new customer.

Sample post: “🚛 Junk gone THIS WEEKEND in Madison! Couches $75, garage cleanouts from $199. Six local high schoolers, two trucks, fair prices. Text (608) 588-4500 with a photo for a free quote!”

9. Expenses & Estimated Profits

• Startup (one-time): LLC $130 · Insurance down payment $500 · Truck signs $200 · Tools & gear $400 · Flyers/cards $150 · Website domain $20 → ~$1,400 (trucks & trailers already owned)
• Monthly fixed: General liability + commercial auto insurance $350–$600 · Phone/software $50 · Marketing $200 → ~$700–$850
• Per-job variable: Dump fees $25–$90 per trailer (Dane County ~$60/ton) · Fuel $15–$30 · Wear & tear $10

• Average job: ~$260 · Avg direct cost: ~$70 → ~$190 gross profit per job
• Slow month (30 jobs): $7,800 revenue − $2,100 job costs − $800 fixed = ~$4,900 profit
• Busy month (70 jobs): $18,200 − $4,900 − $800 = ~$12,500 profit
• Year 1 (400 jobs): ~$104K revenue, ~$66K profit before owner pay & taxes (~$11K per founder)
• Set aside 25–30% for taxes. Keep 1 month of expenses in reserve.

10. Ways to Grow

• Get 100 Google reviews fast — ask every customer on the spot.
• Commercial contracts with landlords & property managers (recurring work).
• Add services (no demolition — junk removal only): appliance hookup removal, moving help, dumpster-alternative ‘load-and-go’.
• Seasonal pushes: spring cleaning, UW move-out (May & August), fall yard debris.
• Resell & scrap: sell good items on Marketplace, scrap metal for extra profit.
• Buy a dump trailer (~$8–12K) once booked 80%+ — unloads 10× faster.
• Hire part-time helpers so owners can run sales and quotes.
• Expand to Janesville, Baraboo, Portage, Watertown.