How a young Charlotte couple became portable toilet entrepreneurs
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Andrea and Patrick Kiessling live in a Myers Park condo with their 7-month-old son Jack.
And when they went to open a new business, they chose an industry that’s a bit off the beaten path: portable toilets and construction dumpsters.
They’ll admit that the business seems incongruous for a couple of 29-year-olds with no family ties to the industry. But their excitement is palpable.
“We’re putting a spin on an old business,” Andrea says.
Here’s what went into their decision and what they’ve learned along the way.
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Their company is called Redbox+ and the concept is pretty simple.
At construction sites, you’ll see dumpsters and you’ll see portable toilets. That’s two different vendors. Redbox+ simply combines the two into one unit.
For smaller jobs, like a home renovation, this allows a company to have a toilet on site when they’d otherwise have to ask the homeowner. The price of the Redbox+ unit is comparable to that of a dumpster alone.
Andrea and Patrick had 12 boxes delivered two weeks ago to a lot right over the border in South Carolina, with another eight on the way.
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Their company is a franchise of a Minnesota firm that has a patent on combining portable toilets and construction dumpsters. And no, it’s not affiliated with the movie rental company at all. They get asked that a lot.
Why portable toilets and construction dumpsters?
Andrea and Patrick are entrepreneurs and knew they wanted to launch a business that matched up with current trends in Charlotte.
Patrick came across this company on a fishing trip to Minnesota and was immediately drawn to it. Here’s a few reasons they gave for why it fit.
1) They wanted a simple business model and a chance at a family business. “We want to be able to raise our son to grow up and see business,” Andrea said.
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2) They’re not completely foreign to the industry. The two previously owned a painting and home renovation company, which they sold in 2014.
3) They were encouraged by the growth in Charlotte. There’s a lot of cranes around town, meaning a big need for construction dumpsters.
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Total start-up costs: $350,000
Andrea and Patrick were able to secure a small-business loan — backed by the SBA — from a bank in Ballantyne after being turned down quite a bit.
The big investment is the truck — a brand-new 2016 model. They also bought the boxes themselves.
It hasn’t been as simple as it sounds.
There’s a web of regulations and permits you need to run a business like this — and it took a year for Andrea and Patrick to get all set up.
At one point they almost got tripped up because Mecklenburg County wasn’t accepting any more septage haulers until the fall when they’d run classes on how to do it. That’s an issue when you need to start paying your loan back right away.
Luckily, the county’s wastewater services department was willing to host a mini septic bootcamp for them and get them permitted.
They’re now hitting the pavement hard.
Patrick plans to drive the truck and make deliveries, while Andrea solicits business and does the marketing. They’ve started calling around to potential clients and making their pitch.