An 11-year-old Canadian boy cried after being rejected by a customer for the first time; weeks later, his $10 trash can cleaning business has as many as 40 customers and 100,000 followers
An 11-year-old Canadian boy cried after being rejected by a customer for the first time; weeks later, his $10 trash can cleaning business has as many as 40 customers and 100,000 followers.After school let out for the summer in May, Ashton Meyer started knocking on doors in East Gwillimbury, Canada, offering to clean residents’ wheelie bins for $10. Filming videos of his daily door-to-door visits on Instagram and TikTok, the young worker gained more than 111,000 followers on Instagram in two months and built a steady customer base.His success comes as teenagers face the toughest summer job market since 1948, Fortune reports. High inflation, rising living costs and slow business hiring have reduced usual entry-level jobs such as shop assistants, lifeguards and nannies, leaving young children looking for new ways to earn extra pocket money.
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Learn from rejection
The project began when Meyer wanted to make some money of his own during the summer. His father suggested taking out local residents’ trash cans and cleaning them on collection days, and Meyer decided to go door-to-door to reach people directly with the idea. His mother encouraged him to record his visit with a video camera.In his online video, Meyer offers a simple suggestion to local homeowners: “My name is Ashton, and I’m offering a service to clean out all of your dumpsters—your trash, your green bin, and your recycling.”Rejection is part of the daily grind, but Meyer learned to overcome early resistance.“I wanted to be an entrepreneur who owned my own business,” Meyer tells Fortune.When the potential client declined, Meyer left his phone number anyway. “Take it and call me if you need me,” he told a neighbor on camera. “I’ll be here all summer long.”In offering advice to other kids trying to find summer jobs, Meyer noted the need to keep working hard and keep prices low.“The first no is the hardest. Keep going,” Meyer said. “Try to find a need that no one is filling and see if you can do it. Ask your neighbors if they need any help — maybe emptying bins, pulling weeds, or watering plants.”He added: “When you’re a kid, offer a good price because you’re still learning.”
I have to continue working after the summer vacation
So far, Meyer has made $US700 (about $500) cleaning trash cans. While many teenagers struggle to find short-term work in a slow job market, Meyer plans to keep running his business when school starts in September.“I’ll definitely continue cleaning the bins, weather permitting,” he said. “My plan is to work after school and on Saturdays.”As the weather gets colder, he plans to change his services to continue making money. “I also want to rake leaves and clear snow during the colder months.”Meyer enjoys working outdoors and talking to people through his house calls.“I love everything about my job. Going door to door is fun because I get to meet new people,” Meyer said. “It might be weird, but I actually enjoy cleaning the litter boxes. It’s satisfying to see them completely clean.”
Inspire other young workers
Small local ideas can turn into big businesses. Fortune magazine notes that Chase Gallagher started mowing lawns in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 2013 when he was 12 years old, paying $35 per lawn. Ten years later, Gallagher’s Garden Care Company employed 10 people and had annual sales of more than $1.5 million.By building a local client list and a large social media following, Meyer established strong early steps for future work. His online videos have also inspired other kids around the world to start their own local services.“I’m shocked, it’s crazy, and I’m grateful,” Meyer said of his rapid development online. “We’ve had feedback from people all over the world. A lot of parents showed this video to their kids and it inspired them to start their own businesses, which is so cool.”
Daily setup and social media strategy
For his daily dumpster cleaning, Meyer lugs a custom-made contraption around his neighborhood. He pulled a heavy-duty truck equipped with a portable pressure washer, protective rubber boots, specialized cleaning brushes, non-toxic soap solution and a clean water tank.Each task takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes per household. Meyer thoroughly cleans the inside and outside of each waste container, wiping away dry dirt and wiping down handles, then returns the sanitized bins to residents’ garages or driveways.His mother is responsible for filming and managing the social media accounts, ensuring that all of the 11-year-old’s interactions on TikTok and Instagram are safe. The videos capture raw, unedited moments of neighbor interactions — from blunt rejections on the front porch to pleasant conversations with residents who praised his work ethic.East Gwillimbury, a rapidly growing town in York Region, Ontario, has proven to be an ideal location for the venture. The suburb is largely made up of single-family estates where homeowners have multiple large bins that can accumulate odor and dirt during the hot summer months.
