Meet Our Junk Hauling Heroes: Taylor Chastain, Owner

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What were you doing before you started Up Up and Away?

My wife and two kids mean the world to me. I’m very fortunate to have such a supportive wife who understands and respects my excitement for the business. Outside of that I love playing music, serving at church and smoking a good cigar.

Before Up Up and Away? I’d started a small landscaping business and very quickly realized I hated it – I was allergic to grass! Yes, really. During one of those jobs a client asked me if I could throw away some toilets for them. Watching them shatter as I tossed them at the dump was the spark that lit the flame for me.

2. What did you dream about as a kid? Did you ever envision yourself owning a business?

First thing I ever remember dreaming about was being a missionary… I wanted to help people improve their lives. The connection for me was entrepreneurship. Throughout middle and high school I stayed busy teaching guitar lessons, landscaping… I even made duct tape wallets in middle school and sold 50+ of them, which if you know me is pretty impressive. I had (have) the attention span of a gnat.

3. Tell us the story behind the name of Up Up and Away.

Honestly? I thought it was cute and thought clients would remember it. A shower thought worth its weight in gold!

4. If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice when you were starting out, what would it be?

Don’t go to college, read a ton of books.

5. What are the values of Up Up and Away and how do they reflect in your business practices?

At Up Up and Away our mission is to glorify God in all that we do and improve the lives of everyone with whom we come in contact. To know if we are living out our core values, we just need to ask ourselves if we are being a H.E.R.O. : hard work, encouragement, reliability and open-handedness.  

To us, the most important thing is that our clients can count on us to not only be good at what we do but to be the bright spot of their day while we do it. Anyone can haul junk, but not everyone can do it in such a way that you a) want to see those junk guys again and b) are looking forward to it.

6. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started Up Up and Away?

7. How has your business evolved over the past 10 years? What are some key milestones or achievements that you’re particularly proud of?

While we now have a lot more equipment and resources, that’s not the first thing that comes to mind. As the business has grown I’ve had opportunities to empower our team to do what they’re good at, creating more jobs for people that make them proud of what they do and how they serve our clients.

I’d say a key milestone for me was being able to have my first autonomous crew. Watching our crew grow over the years and watch them team members purchase cars, homes, and take vacations… that’s awesome.

I am incredibly proud of our reviews and how hard our team has worked for them. Having over 900 5-star reviews means we are doing something right for our clients.

8. How do you stay motivated and inspired, both personally and professionally?

Well, I don’t really believe in “motivation.” You just do the stinking thing. The most helpful tool that keeps me on track is having a list of priorities and using it as the formula for production. You have to create a list of the non-negotiables, the things that hold the most weight and take the highest priority. Everything else can be moved around as needed if it isn’t holding a top spot on that list. That and not giving myself any excuses is the driving force for my personal and professional focus.

9. Describe a typical day at work for you and your team.

We meet at the lot at 7:30am to tidy up the lot, inspect the trucks and review any pieces of information necessary for the jobs of that day. From there we will go our separate ways, heading to either the dump or our first job. The guys will knock out their assigned jobs one by one, eating lunch somewhere in there. I’ll leave and go to various networking meetings, admin/marketing meetings and one-on-ones with our team.I typically spend 5-10 hours per week making dump runs, performing equipment maintenance, and doing something to knock down barriers to allow the rest of the team to do their job.  

10. Can you share a story about a client or project that had a profound impact on you?

No question: my first hoarder home cleanout. Seeing the condition in which people live made me understand just how important our services are. We were cleaning the outside of a home that burned down with the owner inside – they were unable to get out because there was no exit path to the door or windows. The profound impact this made on all of us changed our perspective toward our clients that struggle with hoarding. If we’re called to give an estimate for junk removal and the client chooses not to use us for one reason or another, we will do everything we can to convince them to let us create several exit paths in their home, on us. 

11. What role does the community play in Up Up and Away’s success?

More than half of our business is repeat clients and referrals – people just like to talk about us. There are times I’ll scroll through Facebook or another social media platform and see someone’s request for junk removal referrals – before I can get to it, a previous client’s already tagged us in a comment. It’s the greatest compliment – our community’s support is a superpower! 

We do our best to return the favor by participating in business organizations, parades, recycling days, Touch-A-Truck events… anything to help the community stay clean and have a good time.

12. Who has been your biggest inspiration or mentor in your entrepreneurial journey?

Hands down, my dad. I grew up watching him be about as entrepreneurial as it gets. The only W2 he’s ever received have been the ones his own company makes for him. He is a business consultant now and is a constant resource of knowledge and business wisdom for me. 

13. What books, podcasts, or resources have had the most significant impact on you?

Books: “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber, “Rocket Fuel” by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. Podcast: The EntreLeadership Podcast.

14. Where do you see your business in the next 5-10 years?

I see Up Up and Away with multiple locations across Atlanta, serving 5,000+ people per year. Continuing my pursuit of creating a team of people who are proud of their job and who take pride in serving clients well – “providing white collar service in a blue collar industry.” 

15. What legacy do you hope to leave behind through your business and personal endeavors?

I want to prove that everyone can win in a business – not just the owner, not just the team member, not just the client. Everyone can win and enjoy what they do, taking ownership of their part.

The excitement I felt hauling off those toilets spread! Our team is excited to serve YOU!