Ah, the classic teenage journey: from awkward bike rides to the dump, leading to self-discovery (or at least a successful side hustle). Welcome to the tale of Kirk McKinney, who traded in high school drama for the thrill of dumpster diving and e-commerce. One day, while rummaging through piles of discarded dreams—also known as junk—he discovered that speakers could be a gold mine rather than a landfill filler. Who knew? Trash can turn into cash, and no one even needed a reality show for this plot twist!
Thus was born Junk Teens in February 2021, a local junk removal and reselling empire, co-founded by Kirk and his slightly younger brother, Jacob. Fast forward to 2025, and they’re raking in a cool $3.04 million and a net profit of over $686,000. Meanwhile, in the background, everyone else is just trying to figure out how to monetize their TikTok dances!
From Junk To Gen-Z Goldmine
Let’s face it, this isn’t your typical story about a startup founder, complete with fancy pitch decks and investors who wear business casual just to show they mean business. Nope! This is two teenagers in the midst of a pandemic, desperately trying to make money. They sold junk on Facebook Marketplace while simultaneously realizing they could charge people to remove other people’s junk. Talk about a eureka moment! Using their own $4,000, they bought an ancient 2006 Ford F-150, likely more rust than truck.
Like true entrepreneurial wizards, they learned as they went along—mostly by Googling how to start a junk removal business, because who needs formal education when you have YouTube? Kirk openly admits they searched for “how to start a junk removal business” like it was a college course. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Also, their parents were in on the action, giving the boys sage advice on bookkeeping, which is basically financial yoga for children—and no one really signs up for that voluntarily.
When Side Hustles Become the Main Event
And here’s the ironic kicker for aspiring entrepreneurs out there: Junk Teens was just supposed to be a side gig. But guess what? This twosome cranked away after school and during weekends, showing that high school can be a handy cover for a burgeoning business empire. At one point, Jacob was so dedicated he carved out midday free time to haul junk because local dumps aren’t open at midnight, because, you know, vibes and all that. They’d park their rig in the school lot, hoping the teachers would overlook their tardiness as they gleefully drove off with someone else’s clutter.
Cut to today: Junk Teens boasts two Massachusetts locations, five dump trucks (yes, five!), and a crew largely made up of students who are likely reconsidering their own futures while lugging junk around. Kirk and Jacob are now studying entrepreneurship at Babson College, cleverly paying themselves six-figure salaries while still being students. Talk about a master class in multitasking!
So, what’s the takeaway here? Next time you think your old junk is just that—junk—take a cue from Kirk and Jacob. Get out your phone, snap a pic, and throw it on Facebook Marketplace. You never know when your old treadmill might become the foundation of your next million-dollar enterprise. And remember: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Just make sure to check the resale value first!
