Today we’d like to introduce you to Helen Lee.
Hi Helen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Believe it or not, my journey started with the urge to reduce clutter by listing several items I no longer wore, including one old pair of Miss Sixty jeans I didn’t expect to sell on Poshmark. When it sold after only a week, I was in total shock but felt motivated to start selling even more items that had been sitting in my closet collecting dust. As another three items sold, I had an idea to take the $50 I had earned to purchase and resell jewelry on Poshmark to help fund the remainder of my master’s in healthcare administration I was pursuing while working full time. Every day, I poured time into finding the best products, growing my online business to nearly 7-figures across various platforms blessing me with the opportunity to leave my beloved job in 2018. After 7+ years, in 2023, an offer to purchase my reselling business came up, and I decided it was time for a change.
Now with more free time, my husband and I began volunteering and donating to help people in need we would find through friends and social media. My focus on being a positive force in the community eventually led to an opportunity to help a fellow Houstonian in need of hands for a property cleanout. Unfortunately, the family was unable to afford the cost of junk removal and needed to list the property for rent to continue to pay for the care their father needed. We thought it was no big deal, but when we opened that door, we realized it was just like the TV show Hoarders. Though the stench was overwhelming, and I am extremely terrified of bugs, we made light of the situation and started to embrace the instant gratification! It felt just like being in a rage room where we just chunk stuff in large trash bags and keep going without worrying about damaging anything because EVERYTHING had to go.
After showering, I guess God or the universe must’ve had a plan for me – junk removal videos and articles started showing up on my social media feeds. Digging deeper into those articles, I realized junk removal is a $10 billion industry, and a job like the one we volunteered for that morning would cost the family at least $5,800! I decided then that I could help so many people by offering quality junk removal service at a fair price with the peace of mind that each of my customers will be contributing indirectly to helping those in need. I took some of the money from selling my business and invested in a truck, eventually stumbled upon my two very amazing team members – Justin and Cristian, and the rest is history!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been so fortunate in life, gifted with so many blessings, love, and luck; however, that does not mean there aren’t struggles. I personally define struggle as an opportunity to improve myself, my service, and the world. My team members understand every struggle is an opportunity for us to rise above and deliver even more value to the community and our customers. My biggest struggle is delegating tasks and assuming everyone has the same work ethics as my star team and myself. Because of that, I end up treating everyone like my best friend the moment they join the company and overwhelm myself with unnecessary things. That sometimes sets the precedent wrong and creates unnecessary headaches down the road. However, I aim to be better than I was yesterday, so I take this struggle as part of my journey.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Toss Da Junk is a fully insured, woman-owned, full-service junk removal company that specializes in transforming peoples’ space physically and mentally by making all their unwanted items disappear! We believe junk removal isn’t only about making the unwanted items disappear; it also helps one gain mental clarity and reduces their stress level, especially during a move. This is why we partner with many property managers, storage managers, and realtors to be part of theirs or their clients’ move-in or move-out package during moves, selling a property, or whatever the situation might be.
Being a woman-owned junk removal business in a male-dominated industry is unique, but I believe what sets us apart even more is being philanthropy-focused. Many junk removal business owners have resale stores to sell all the items they picked up for even more profit. While that is an amazing stream of income, we take pride in donating nice condition items we picked up to people we find who are in dire need on social media like Nextdoor. For the people who need other types of donations, we donate groceries to random people anonymously once a month and set our goal to increase this type of donation to once a week as we grow. Aside from donating to random people, we are committed to being one of the sponsors for the Texas Empty Shelter Project events on top of volunteering at every event. In the months where there isn’t an Empty Shelter Project event, we would volunteer for a local charity. Starting winter of 2024, we will donate 5% of our profit to a local animal rescue of choice and another 5% of our profit to Hope Impact in hopes of solving the homeless situation for humans and pets.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Always stay grateful and throw kindness around like confetti! This may not seem cool, but it is my team’s superpower!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TossDaJunk.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tossdajunk
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/toss-da-junk/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/toss-da-junk-houston
Image Credits
Jennifer P Ayala De La Rosa Cristian Velasquez Justin Scales Kim L.
