Conversations with Robb and Melanie Wallace

Story originally appeared on VoyageATL. To read more of the article click here.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robb and Melanie Wallace.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Over the course of our careers, we’ve been involved in a number of different businesses and industries. For ten years, we owned a lighting showroom. After that, we became franchisees for a national pizza brand and owned several locations for about eight years. Working in the restaurant industry can take a toll on you, though, so eventually, we decided to sell our locations and exit the business.

Then one day, we hired a junk removal company that was located in Atlanta to help remove a few items from our home. We became instantly intrigued by the junk removal industry. After that, we began to look around at different leading brands within the junk removal industry. Junk King really stood out to us because of its focus on recycling, repurposing, and reusing items as well as the partnerships it prioritizes with local non-profits and organizations in the community to donate items to. It was apparent that there was also an abundance of opportunity for growth within the brand, which piqued our interest. We spoke with the corporate team and the sense of comfortability and support from them shone through. That’s really when we knew that this was the right move for our careers.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
When you own or operate any business, there are definitely struggles along the way. We like to think that each business endeavor has allowed us to learn and grow not only as entrepreneurs but as people as well.

Each of the businesses we owned before Junk King had their own unique challenges. However, when we think of struggle, our time in the restaurant industry comes to the forefront of our minds. While all business ventures require hard work outside of the hours of operation, the restaurant industry is all-encompassing. When you own a restaurant, you are always thinking, acting and working – no matter the time of day. It can become your whole life.

With Junk King, we can take a step back from work at the end of the day. We’ll never stop thinking about ways to make our business better, but with junk removal, there are more opportunities for us to spend time with our friends and family away from work as we have with our previous businesses.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Years ago, our family was also involved in the construction business in Atlanta. Construction, funny enough, follows the same format as the junk removal industry. When we worked in construction, we depended on a crew of people that helped us get the job done. It’s the same with junk removal. We get to work with an incredible support crew of people who work hard to make our community greener and clutter-free. It’s rewarding to know that we’re actively making a difference in our community every day and with every haul. Outside of work, we also enjoy a variety of hobbies such as music and jewelry design.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
To be successful business owners, we’ve picked up and practiced honing our operational management skills. We learned very early on in our business ventures that being organized and thoughtful in the way that you manage your employees and business is crucial to success.

We also think that patience is another quality that is essential to success. As an entrepreneur or business owner, it can take a lot of hard work to get a concept off the ground. Sometimes you might not see that staggering success right away, but if you continue to work hard and put the effort in, that success will follow. These skills have allowed us to build business relationships that are important in the industry.