Jeff owns and operates a bin rental and junk removal company called Dump This. He services clients all over the Peel Region and significantly grown his reach over the past 3 years. He is a tenured client of ClientFlo and together we have executed digital marketing strategies to continually grew his business.
We love meeting and chatting with our clients, not just to discuss digital marketing but to get some insight on how the rest of their business is operating.
Below is a quick Q & A between Jay Vasantharajah from ClientFlo and Jeff Mulrooney from Dump This on running the business, growth (and pains), and future goals for Dump This.
Jay: Briefly describe your business & how you got into it?
Jeff: Previously I ran a dairy delivery business. I would distribute dairy products from Nielson (before they were bought out by Saputo) and sell to smaller businesses within the GTA. It was a tough, cut throat business and it wasn’t long before I realized this isn’t where I wanted to be.
When I first started Dump This, the competition was low in this business…I felt like I would really enjoy this business; so I decided to give it a good go. I started with a roll off trailer, which was impractical and slowly moved the business up. After a little while, I really enjoyed this business because of there was less variables, faster jobs, less inventory….overall less headache.
Jay: What would you say the competition is like in your local area?
Jeff: In a 30KM of Brampton, there is not that many businesses. A few main businesses (Halton Containers, Been There Dump That, Wastebins). Very few bin rental franchises can sustain longevity because they try to get into Junk removal which is a different industry. There is far more competition in the junk removal, because it’s easier to start.
Bin rentals however, are much easier because you are renting out equipment, and the customer is doing the work themselves (removing junk), where as junk removal is the bin & a remover. Not to mention the different clientele from junk removal and bin rentals.
Jay: What are the greatest challenges you face in your business?
Jeff: My company does not offer a flat rate vs some newer businesses who do offer a flat rate. Smaller businesses tend to do flat rates, which can be a gamble because their dumping fee (which is based on weight), may be more than what the client pays. We charge rental fee + weight. There is a competitor called “Dump It”, they use to scam customers by taking credit cards of clients over the phone….and never show up. This potentially could have hurt my business, because of the similarity in the names (Dump This).
Jay: What have you done to grow Dump This? (Other than using ClientFlo)
Jeff: When I started this business, a friend of mine told me that I had to use print. I knew the area I lived in (Caledon) was a much older demographic, and therefore I assumed most people must be reading the newspapers….
….Biggest waste of money ever. After that, I used Kijiji for a period, it helped get 20-30 bins a month, but was very time consuming, and also the quality of clients were not the greatest.
I chose to try Outrank by Rogers, they had a compelling sales pitch, and I wanted to get deeper into online marketing. It was a complete disaster. I just did not see the results they promised. Rogers only focused on one area which was Caledon. Rogers used the wrong pictures (wrong trucks, they used commercial), their calls were slow, the SEO didn’t work, the site was different.
Jay: What do you expect from an online marketing company?
Jeff: Well, after Rogers I had pretty low expectations. I felt like I had been burned. The original sales rep I spoke to no longer worked for the company, nobody there cared about my account. I did not want to experience anything like that again.
I just think that, at the very minimum if you are going to market my business, you should take time to understand what I do, who the clients I am trying to target are and which areas I want to grow in.
Jay: Has ClientFlo lived up to your expectations?
Jeff: Far exceeded my expectations. The amount of time and care you guys took in understanding my business was impressive. But what really hit it home, and rightfully so, were the results you guys delivered. To this date ClientFlo and your Adwords program has far exceeded any other source of new clients, including referrals and accounts for over 65% of my business now.
Jay: In terms of growth and your business in general….what is next?
Jeff: On average the business has gone up roughly 20-30% year after year. It really started to accelerate after I started working with you guys. Saw massive growth in the spring with new customers. Every single month since signing up with ClientFlo has been better than the last.
From here I guess I have a few options. Franchising (which is the least of my favourite because of the immense upfront costs). Sell the business, I think I have grown it to a point where it’s fairly stable and another owner could easily operate it. Or continue to grow and expand into more cities across Southern Ontario. Not sure what my next move is, but we will see I guess.
Jay: Would you recommend ClientFlo?
Jeff: Yes, 100% without a doubt. Which, believe me, is weird to say because I literally NEVER recommend anyone, but as you know, I have already referred you guys to 3-4 of my colleagues. You guys really lived up to everything you said you would. Working with the ClientFlo team really has been a pleasure.