Bucks County's Junk Removal Expert - Eric Blum - 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Second Chance Toys Of PA

2008-08-04T20:53:54Z

1-800-GOT-JUNK? cares about our community here in Bucks County and have assisted Second Chance Toys of PA to donate usable toys to several local schools. Craig Scott and his wonderful kids have collected and cleaned hundreds of toys. They have put in so much hard work and their efforts have brought smiles to many kids in the area. We are looking forward to future donations and working with Craig and his kids to make more kids happy!!

Check Second Chance Toys at:

http://secondchancetoys.org/

Check out a video they put together for Earth Week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShGkc_NTW8c

See our website at:

http://www.1800gotjunk.com/philadelphia

Eric

Founder and CEO Brian Scudamore in CNBC Donny Deutsch

2008-07-23T21:20:09Z

Need more info? Check out www.1800gotjunk.com/philadelphia

Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? was on the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch again! Being a great leader, Donny had Brian on again to discuss how important leadership is to your team. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has been ranked as one of the best places to work many times, and Brian is the reason.

Check out some of the segments from the show:

What makes a best boss: http://www.cnbc.com/id/25803746

Brian's first visit to the show: http://www.cnbc.com/id/25806151

Be the best boss video: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=800845571&play=1

Enjoy!

Dumpster Rental Bucks County

2008-05-14T21:45:33Z

We have created a new section of our website so you can learn about the local franchises of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? in Bucks County, Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey: www.1800gotjunk.com/philadelphia

On this page you can learn about our culture, meet our franchise owners, read some customer testimonials and learn about the charities and organizations we support. We believe that giving back to the community is just as important as servicing our clients.

Removing junk in Bucks County is not just a business; we have created a culture where young, smart and hard working employees deliver the highest level of customer service. Our goal is for our team members to learn skills they can use in life, college and their future careers.

Check out our local page and let us know if we can help you or your clients remove their junk. Keep in mind our service includes all of the loading, clean-up and proper disposal. We remove items like sheds, hot tubs, swing sets and many other items.

-Eric

Bucks County Junk Removal

2008-04-28T21:33:03Z

We have created a new section of our website so you can learn about the local franchises of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? in Bucks County, Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey: www.1800gotjunk.com/philadelphia

-Eric

Why Danny Seo made me green...

2008-02-22T21:18:21Z

I recently had the opportunity to work with Danny Seo (See-Oh), an Environmental Lifestyle Expert and editor of Country Living magazine, helping him recycle and dispose of the waste from his latest project. Danny is renovating a house in Bucks County, PA using eco-friendly materials and methods. The home has a very interesting architecture and is in need of some TLC. I am very excited to see the finished project!!

We arrived on a cold, rainy day and were welcomed by a large pile of debris. We brought two trucks to ensure we got everything in one shot. Dave and Dan, two of my team members, jumped out of the truck eager to get started. Danny was immediately impressed with my guys. They are articulate and bright. I only hire clean-cut, honest, hardworking college students. It's the biggest challenge of my business but it's what makes 1-800-GOT-JUNK? so successful.

The trucks were loaded in a manner so that we could recycle as much as possible. We took the old appliances and metal bathroom fixtures to the scrap yard. Concrete was taken to a recycling center and some old firewood was also recycled. A tire that was lying around went to our tire shop for recycling. The rest of the materials were disposed of at an EPA certified site.

Our goal is to recycle as much material as possible for two reasons: it's socially responsible and keeps our costs down. One of the biggest expenses of our business is disposal. For my franchise it goes into 6 figures! So, the more we can recycle and donate, the better.

Check out these links about Danny and some great eco tips!

http://dannyseo.typepad.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-seo/the-green-house-effect-c_b_87874.html

Imagine the possibilities…

2007-12-03T19:43:54Z

We are frequently asked by Realtors about the different types of "junk" we can remove. Some people think we just do residential work (we also do a ton of commercial work; think malls, self storage companies, contractors, etc). Some think we just want items of value (we don't, we are a junk removal service and don't look for items of value because we donate, recycle or dispose of the junk). Often people think we are a free service (sorry, the employees got tired of being paid with pats on the back). We even get the question of how long do you leave the dumpster? (We don't rent out dumpsters, we send out a clean shiny truck, two uniformed and trained employees that do all of the loading and cleanup no matter where the junk is located including basements, attics, crawl spaces, storage units, etc).

The biggest hurdle is to get our potential customers to think about the "unique" items we can haul away. Here are some visuals to help you and your clients think about cleaning up that property to help sell it faster!

Hot Tubs - When it cracks, gets old or just is not your thing anymore, we can take it away. Most times we can do it without cutting it up into pieces. But we can demolish it if it can't be lifted.

Sheds - Does your shed remind you of the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Do you have all of the neighborhood animals living in or under your shed? We will tear it down and clean up the ground afterwards.

Swing Sets - Are the kids in college and you still have that rusted or splintered swing-set out back? We will take it down, load it up and haul it away.

Dirt/Concrete/Stone- Doing some DIY work? Old pavers, broken up concrete or stone from a project? Using shovels, wheelbarrows and other tools, we can make it disappear.

Appliances/Refrigerators/Air Conditioners - Everyone has these old appliances lurking around in their home or business. Refrigerators, A/C units and dehumidifiers all contain Freon, so we will dispose of them properly. Taking our large and heavy appliances from basements and garages are our specialty. Our team will make history of it.

Above-ground Pools - Pool rusted out? Becoming an eyesore? Get rid of it! We can disassemble it for you too.

Construction Debris - Old kitchens, bathrooms, drywall, carpet, tile, 2x4's, etc. We can handle it. You rip it down; we come in and take it away. We will sweep up when we are done!

Computers/Electronic Waste -There is a ton of bad stuff in old electronics including lead, mercury and other toxins. Don't put it at the curb; we can get these recycled properly. Yes, that is me on top of a heap of computers...

Yard Waste - Have a pile of old branches, leaves, grass or other yard debris? Clean up that yard and make it that oasis you dreamed of!

So, as you can see, there are a lot of ways we can help remove many different types of items from your or your client's home!

Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) - Students Helping Kids With Cancer

2007-10-26T21:06:33Z

If you start to see Penn State students on corners, in the middle of busy roads and outside stores in your town, please stop and give them any change you might have. The IFC/Panhellenic Penn State Dance Marathon, or THON, is the largest student run philanthropy in the world! Over the last 35 years, Penn State students have raised $46 MILLION dollars to help fight pediatric cancer. Just last year alone they raised $5.2 million.

If you have never attended the event, it's a sight to see. Over 800 dancers stand on their feet for 48 hours straight. No sitting, no sleeping. Tens of thousands of people come to cheer the dancers on all hours of the day and night. Bands play. Joe Paterno comes and gets the crowd going. Families and the children with cancer spend time with the dancers to keep their spirits high. If you have some time, you need to take a drive to Happy Valley and check it out. I am getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

THON supports The Four Diamond's Fund at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, PA. Over 2,000 families have been helped so far.

This year THON starts on February 22^nd and ends February 24^th. Please check out the official site at http://www.thon.org/ and donate if you can.

GO STATE!

(All pictures courtesy of the Penn State Department of Public Information)

Holy Storage!

2007-10-25T12:54:08Z

I still don't get it. We see it all of the time. People all over the country are paying put their junk in storage that they will never use or need! They think they are making a good decision "Let's put all of our junk in a storage unit so that we do not have to stare at it every time we go into the basement, garage or attic". Or "We will eventually need this stuff one day". So, they rent a van, borrow one from the storage center or just use their SUV and lug this stuff across town. Sounds great...until the bills come. It's not cheap! A 5'x'5 unit (not much stuff) costs around $60/month. A 10'x10' unit, not that big too, is well over $100 per month. So, your spending $720 a year for a small unit, $1200 for a larger unit. That's a lot of cash for stuff you probably will never need or use!

So, here is advice to save you some money:

Call a charity and see if they can use any of the items in the storage unit
Ask friends or family to take some of the items off your hands
Use the Internet to find people that might want your stuff. Usually, I am not an advocate of having strangers from CraigsList or FreeCycle come to your home, but since its a storage unit, go for it!
Call a junk removal service to come clean out your unit.

Next time you are considering what to do with that junk, think about the long term cost of storage vs. other alternatives.

www.1800gotjunk.com

-Eric

Protect yourself and your clients: Certificate of Insurance

2007-10-22T20:01:39Z

As a Realtor, you probably have a pool of contractors that you refer to your clients. Good plumbers, electricians and other trades people are tough to find. They might show up on time, do a great job, be great at handling customers, but are they insured?? I am sure they will say YES, but how do you know?

Ask your contractors for a Certificate of Insurance with your name as the certificate holder. All they have to do is call their insurance company and they can produce it very quickly. All of my brokers have produced them within hours. They should send you a standardized document listing their insurance coverages including General Liability, Workers Compensation, Auto, etc. It will give coverage types and limits.

As a listed certificate holder, you will be notified if there is a change in insurance or a cancellation. That way you know the contractors you are dealing with continually have insurance and your clients and friends are protected.

See an example of a standard Acord 25 Certificate of Insurance form: http://www.lcpud.org/images/Insurance%20Form%20Example.pdf

Hiring tips!

2007-03-13T22:34:43Z

Hiring employees is a fact of life for all business owners. Good employees are hard to find and harder to retain. At 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, we want to WOW our customers with our service. Our front line employees in our trucks are the ones that deliver the WOW service, so we just can't send out anyone. I have owned my franchise for 3 years and have learned some good tips and lessons when it comes to employees and HR practices:

Background screening- A must if you are allowing your employee to handle money, sensitive information or sending them into someones home or business. We use ADP to perform employment checks, criminal investigations, reference validation and other screens. Well worth the investment knowing that the person has a clean history. You would be surprised what I have found while checking into peoples backgrounds. Make sure to call former employers to review previous responsibilities and other facts stated by the applicant. Embellishments on salary or roles could be a sign of dishonesty. If your gut tells you something seems wrong, it probably is. Spend time on this stage; it will yield better employees.
Referral Bonuses- We offer my employees anywhere from $100-$300 for bringing someone onboard and they last past 3 months. We have found that they will be selective on who they bring as it will reflect on them poorly if something goes wrong. And they won't want to work with a slacker...another advantage of referrals.
Group interviews - Time is precious so try to schedule several people to interview at the same time. Cream rises to the top and it will show in the interview process. We need guys that are not afraid to talk to customers and potential customers, so if they don't hold their own during the interview, chances are they might not be the right fit. It will also allow you to compare candidates easily.
Recruitment cards - We pass out recruitment cards to prospective employees so they have our contact info and some facts like pay and job responsibilities. They might not be ready to jump ship today, but I am sure they will remember to look you up in the future.
Set expectations up front- Tell them the good and the bad of the position. We tell everyone that there are going to be some long, hard, sweaty days in addition to some easy ones. Don't sure coat the job just to fill the spot with a warm body. All of the hours and money invested on recruiting will be wasted.

A last note - have a clearly defined recruitment, hiring, retention and exit process. It will ensure that you hire consistently and consistently hire.

Consistancy in our hiring practices keeps us ahead of the curve. Our customers in Bucks County expect this!

Good luck!

Simple Time Management Tips!

2007-03-04T16:23:04Z

As busy professionals, we are always challenged for time and there is always too many things to! If we could clone ourselves, we would be able to accomplish more tasks every day. So, I wanted to start a list of simple time management techniques that are fast, simple and easy to integrate into your current daily routine. Here is my first:

Microsoft Outlook - Create three folders labeled "HIGH" "MEDIUM" and "LOW". As emails come into your Inbox, prioritize them and put them into one of the three new boxes. This way you can spend more time looking at the highs and save the mediums and lows for later. Then, set a schedule to review your HIGH box (once or twice daily), MEDIUM (once a day or every couple of days) and LOW (once a week).

Please add your own simple time management techniques for everyone to try!