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How Joseph Lambert Built a Multimillion Junk Removal Business Before 20.
Joseph Lambert went from a Sandy Springs teen doing lawns and construction to building a premium junk-removal company by learning fast from failures, studying proven models, and executing better—scaling from rented trucks to ~$2.8–2.9M revenue with 8 trucks and 30–35 staff. He sold the business in early 2024 with a team-first deal that gave employees life-changing bonuses, later left his VP role in Oct 2024, and now invests in manufactured housing while exploring waste-industry opportunities—his mantra: take imperfect action and keep moving.

Bharath Lokanadhan
Dec 10, 2025
Last updated Jul 31, 2026

About the Guest
Joseph Lambert
Owner
Joseph Lambert is the founder of Joseph's Junk Removal, one of the fastest-growing junk removal companies in the Southeast. After starting to mow lawns at age 12 in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and working construction with mentor Chris Milan, Joseph discovered the junk removal business at 17 through a landscaping customer. He modeled his approach after 1-800-GOT-JUNK's proven framework and scaled from rented trucks to $2.8-2.9 million in annual revenue with 8 trucks and 30-35 employees. After selling to Allied Junk Partners in early 2024-uniquely sharing four and five-figure bonuses with his entire team-Joseph served as VP before departing in October 2024. Now he focuses on family, manufactured housing investments in East Tennessee, and exploring new opportunities in the waste industry.
Connect
Company: Joseph's Junk Removal (now operated under Allied Junk Partners/Fire Dawgs)
Location: Atlanta metro area and Southeast region
Company Overview
Joseph's Junk Removal (now operated under Allied Junk Partners/Fire Dawgs)
Services
- Residential junk removal and hauling (90-95% of business)
- Furniture removal and disposal
- Appliance removal
- Estate cleanouts and downsizing assistance
- Small commercial cleanout projects (5-10% of business)
- Foreclosure and property cleanouts
- General debris removal
Core Mission
Providing premium residential junk removal through exceptional customer service, delivering clean-cut, professional college students to customers' doorsteps instead of typical day laborers-creating a differentiated experience that justified premium pricing.
Business Model
High-volume residential operation focused on consistency and predictability through systems and standardized processes. Recruited almost exclusively from college campuses (Kennesaw State University and University of Georgia) to build a team that stayed 4 years and provided superior customer experiences. Used Workiz software from day one and never switched platforms, building deep operational expertise instead of chasing new tools.
Episode Summary
Joseph Lambert went from a Sandy Springs teen doing lawns and construction to building a premium junk-removal company by learning fast from failures, studying proven models, and executing better—scaling from rented trucks to ~$2.8–2.9M revenue with 8 trucks and 30–35 staff. He sold the business in early 2024 with a team-first deal that gave employees life-changing bonuses, later left his VP role in Oct 2024, and now invests in manufactured housing while exploring waste-industry opportunities—his mantra: take imperfect action and keep moving.
"I realized early on that when you work for yourself, the ceiling is limitless. And I wasn't the smartest guy in the room, but I knew I could outwork anyone."
"The lesson of charging $1,000 for a job that ended up costing you $3,000 at like 16 was a great lesson. That was how I learned."
"I was like wait a second, this junk business is so simple. I think we could replicate this over and over and scale it. I also realized like look, there's 1-800-GOT-JUNK, which is like a $700-800 million a year company. I don't need to reinvent the wheel. I'm not as smart as Elon Musk. I can't go create industries, but I can look at somebody that's already figured it out and probably do it a little bit better."
"You know that line 'top line is for vanity, bottom line is for sanity'? I was like the reverse of that. I was like topline over all else. We'll figure out how to be profitable later, which you know, I wouldn't do it that way now, but I learned a lot trying to do it that way before."
"We don't just want this to be a win for people that have ownership in the business. We want to make this a team win. So if you guys can help us all row in the same direction and push this thing through, you know, we're going to have four and five figure payouts for everybody if this business ends up selling."
"If your wife is the one having us out, that really matters. If he's got six felonies and smells like marijuana, that's going to be a problem. We recruited mostly almost exclusively college kids. We were going to send a much more clean-cut, more personable person to your front doorstep than any other company. And it wasn't even going to be close."
"I'm an incredibly competitive person. Business is like playing football 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, which I love that. Sometimes you get smashed in the face and get knocked down and got to get up the next day."
"I used to get up at 4:00 a.m. and be at the office by 6:00 a.m., which meant I didn't see them till 6:00 or 7:00 at night. It's special some mornings now to actually get to wake up with them and hold my little daughter. I know those days won't last forever, but I'm thankful to have those for a brief moment of time."
"I distinctly remember sitting at his funeral and both of his sons talking about how present he was and wherever his feet stood, he was always there 100%. Something I've always looked back and I really admired that and said I hope somebody can say that at my funeral today."
"Just do it. There's a lot of beauty in imperfect action. I figured out so many things because I just went after it when I had it 50, 60, 70% figured out and figured out the rest along the way."
Embrace Imperfect Action Over Perfect Planning
- Don't wait for 100% certainty-start at 50-70% and figure out the rest along the way. Joseph discovered junk removal by accident through landscaping. Motion creates opportunities that planning cannot predict.
Study Proven Models Instead of Reinventing
- You don't need to be Elon Musk creating new industries. Find successful companies in your space (like 1-800-GOT-JUNK's $700-800M model) and execute their proven framework better locally.
Commit to One System and Master It
- Joseph used Workiz from day one and never switched platforms, avoiding the trap of constant system-hopping. Deep mastery beats shallow experimentation across multiple tools.
Differentiate Through People, Not Price
- In commoditized service businesses, your team IS your product. Joseph's college student recruitment strategy created defensible competitive advantage that premium pricing couldn't erode.
Share Wins With Your Team
- Announcing the sale six months early and promising bonuses aligned everyone's incentives. Four and five-figure payouts to $15-22/hour employees created loyalty money can't buy.
Keep Moving Even When Direction Isn't Clear
- Every action creates new possibilities. Standing still guarantees missed opportunities. Whether you're moving in the right or wrong direction, motion allows course correction that paralysis prevents.
Build Relationships With Mentors Early
- Chris Milan's impact on 12-year-old Joseph shaped his entire trajectory. Find people who will invest in your character and competence, not just teach you technical skills.
Be Comfortable With Risk and Uncertainty
- Joseph spent three years unprofitable and carried $100,000 in credit card debt. Risk is the price of potential-the question isn't whether to take risks, but which ones align with your vision.
Prioritize Presence With Family
- After years of 4 a.m. starts missing evenings with family, Joseph now values mornings with his daughter. Success means nothing if you're absent for the moments that matter most.
Mentorship as Foundation for Success
Chris Milan's impact on 12-year-old Joseph demonstrates how early mentorship shapes life trajectories. Beyond construction skills, Milan taught work ethic (12-hour days), integrity (do what's right, treat people well), and street smarts that no classroom provides. When young people find mentors who invest in character and competence, the compounding effects are immeasurable.
Modeling Success Instead of Reinventing
Joseph's humility freed him to study proven models rather than pioneer new categories. His insight that he didn't need to be "as smart as Elon Musk" to succeed-just smart enough to execute established frameworks better-unlocked rapid scaling. Innovation isn't always invention; sometimes it's exceptional execution of existing concepts in underserved markets.
Growth vs. Profitability Trade-offs
Three years of unprofitability while investing in marketing and expansion eventually created the scale that enabled Joseph's exit. The tension between sustainable operations and aggressive growth has no universal answer-only conscious trade-offs entrepreneurs must choose based on their goals, risk tolerance, and market dynamics.
Differentiation Through Culture and People
In commoditized junk removal, Joseph's college student recruitment strategy created unbeatable competitive advantage. While commercial clients chase lowest price, residential customers pay premiums for trust and professionalism. Building culture around this reality-treating every customer like family-transformed undifferentiated service into premium offering.
The Power of Presence
From his great uncle's funeral lesson about being "always there 100%" to holding his four-month-old daughter on mornings he used to spend commuting at 4 a.m., Joseph's evolution reflects the ultimate entrepreneurial maturity: recognizing that success without presence for meaningful moments is hollow achievement.
Taking Imperfect Action
Joseph's "just do it" philosophy pervades every major decision-from confidently saying yes to jobs he'd never done, to starting junk removal without perfect knowledge, to walking into $100,000 debt believing he'd figure it out. Beautiful imperfect action beats paralysis by analysis every time, because opportunities reveal themselves through motion, not meditation.
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