Logan Sullivan

So nice to meet you! To start, could you please share your name and tell our readers a little about yourself, including where you’re originally from and where you’re based now?

My name is Logan Sullivan. I’m originally from Wisconsin, and I’m now based in the Tampa Bay area, where I’m building Junk Punks with my cofounder Ryder Radke and our team. My background is not some polished corporate founder story. We started from scratch. Before Junk Punks was a franchise company or a multi-market brand, it was an idea, a name I had started using back in Wisconsin, a lot of grit, and the belief that a blue-collar service business could be built with a much higher standard. I grew up around sports, competition, and hard work, and that shaped the way I look at business. I’ve always been drawn to the idea that if you’re willing to outwork people, learn quickly, and take ownership, you can build something from nothing.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

What I love about Tampa Bay is that it feels like a place where builders can build. There’s a lot of growth, a lot of movement, and a lot of people who are starting over, moving in, buying properties, renovating homes, and building businesses. For a company like ours, that energy matters. I also love that we brought a Wisconsin work ethic down here and were able to turn it into something real in Florida. Tampa Bay gave us the market, the customers, and the room to prove that Junk Punks could become much bigger than one truck and one trailer.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

Junk Punks is a junk removal company, but the bigger mission is to raise the standard for the entire industry. We help homeowners, renters, property managers, businesses, contractors, and real estate professionals remove unwanted items, clean out spaces, and move forward without the stress that usually comes with the job. The idea really clicked for me when I was working in property management. I saw the invoices coming in from junk removal companies and I saw the way the service was being delivered. The communication was poor, the experience was inconsistent, and I remember thinking, “This could be done so much better.” It wasn’t just about hauling junk. It was about answering the phone, showing up when you say you will, giving clear pricing, sending professional crews, cleaning up after the job, and making the customer feel like they picked the right company. We started with Ryder’s high-mileage Chevy Tahoe, a $2,500 trailer, and no real roadmap. We learned by doing, built systems from the ground up, and kept asking how a junk removal company would look if it operated more like a real modern brand.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

My advice is to stop romanticizing the idea of business and start solving a real problem for real customers. The opportunity for Junk Punks came from seeing a normal, everyday service being done poorly and realizing there was room to do it better. You don’t always need a brand-new invention. Sometimes you need to take an industry people overlook and bring better communication, better systems, better people, and better standards to it. Start scrappy, but don’t stay sloppy. Document what works. Track your numbers. Call customers back. Keep your promises. Do the unglamorous work. A lot of people want the title of founder, but the business is built in the boring details nobody posts about.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

The feedback that sticks with me most is when customers say we made something they were dreading feel easy. Junk removal can look simple from the outside, but a lot of our jobs happen during stressful moments: someone is moving, cleaning out a family member’s home, dealing with a rental turnover, renovating a property, or finally tackling something that has been sitting there for months. When a customer says, “You guys made this so much easier than I expected,” that means a lot. It proves our whole thesis: this industry did not need to stay rough around the edges. With communication, professionalism, and a team that actually cares, even a messy job can become a great customer experience.

Where do you see your company in the future?

I see Junk Punks becoming one of the most recognizable junk removal brands in the country. The goal has always been bigger than just adding trucks. We’re building the operating system behind the company: training, recruiting, call center support, marketing playbooks, technology, leadership development, and a culture that can scale without losing the edge that made us different in the first place. Franchising is a big part of that future because there are talented operators all over the country who are willing to work but need the right brand, systems, and support behind them. I want Junk Punks to be the company that gives those people a real vehicle to build something of their own.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that junk removal is just two guys, a truck, and some muscle. That might get you through a job, but it will not build a great company. At scale, junk removal is really a communication, logistics, recruiting, training, and customer experience business. You have to answer leads quickly, price confidently, route efficiently, train crews, protect property, manage disposal, keep trucks moving, and still make the customer feel taken care of. The companies that win are not just the ones that can lift the heaviest couch. They are the ones that can create a repeatable experience customers trust.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

One of the biggest struggles was turning what lived in our heads into systems other people could actually follow. In the beginning, we were doing everything ourselves: taking calls, running jobs, figuring out pricing, managing the schedule, fixing trucks, handling customers, and learning through mistakes in real time. That works when you’re small, but it breaks when you try to grow. We had to learn how to document, train, hire leaders, build a call center, create marketing playbooks, and make the business less dependent on one or two people carrying everything. That transition is hard because it forces you to become a real operator, not just a hard worker.

What was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

Growing up in Wisconsin, sports were a huge part of my life, especially basketball. My favorite athlete is Giannis Antetokounmpo. What I respect most about him is the fact that nothing was handed to him. He came from difficult circumstances, kept developing year after year, stayed loyal to Milwaukee, and eventually brought a championship to a city that had been waiting decades for one. That story means a lot to me because it proves that if you keep working, keep believing, and keep improving despite the odds, you can build something special where other people may not expect it. I’ve also always respected Kobe Bryant’s mindset — the obsession with preparation, discipline, and holding yourself to a higher standard. Music-wise, I’ve always liked Drake. I respect that he has stayed relevant for so long, keeps finding ways to win, and built himself into one of the biggest names in music by consistently showing up at the highest level.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

I want to shout out Ryder Radke, because Junk Punks would not be what it is without him. We started this thing with a Tahoe, a trailer, and a shared belief that we could build something bigger than ourselves. I also want to shout out the team members who have bought into the vision, taken pride in the work, and helped turn a gritty startup into a real company. And I want to shout out the customers and property managers who trusted us early. Those early jobs, early reviews, and early relationships gave us the confidence to keep building.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

Readers can learn more at junkpunks.com, and anyone interested in the franchise side can visit ownjunkpunks.com. I’m also active on LinkedIn, where I share more about building the company, leadership, franchising, and what we’re learning as we grow.