The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Deep Dives with Chris Koerner How 15 & 17 Year Old Teens Built a $1M/Year Business⏐Ep. #263
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Jan 6, 2026 
Kirk McKinney, founder of Junk Teens, started his junk removal company at just 15, growing it to nearly $1M/year alongside his brother. They journeyed from picking up discarded speakers to purchasing a $75K dump truck with cash. Kirk shares how they balanced high school with a booming business and the importance of social media in their marketing. He emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes, hiring the right people, and reinvesting profits for growth. An inspiring tale of teenage entrepreneurship and relentless hustle!
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From Dump Picks To Side Hustle
- Kirk found valuable speakers at a local dump as a teen and rode them home on his bike until his room was full of speakers.
- He sold items on Facebook Marketplace, quit his grocery job, and turned his hobby into a side hustle that led to junk removal.
First Truck And On-The-Job Training
- Kirk and his brother pooled savings to buy a $4,000 F-150 so they could haul and sell more items and try junk removal gigs.
- Dump workers mentored them, paid them to help, and that exposure taught them how to run junk removal jobs on their own.
Leverage Local Networks First
- Use local community platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook groups to gain early customers and goodwill.
- Follow up after jobs to request reviews and referrals and turn customers into your best marketers.