254. The $200K/Month Business Nobody Wants to Touch

0:00Kim Hatch:For seven years, Kim worked as a police officer in a domestic violence unit, seeing people at their absolute worst day after day. It wore on her slowly, in ways she didn't fully notice until it was too late. A brutal divorce came next, and then she lost her job on the force. She was lost, and she had to reinvent herself from scratch. But during COVID, she met a guy online, now her husband, a full-time real estate agent, and he saw something she never would have guessed. a massive untapped opportunity in septic tanks. Companies in their corner of New Hampshire were unreliable, slow, and overpriced.

0:36Kim Hatch:Kim didn't know the first thing about septic systems. By her own admission, she didn't know where poop went, but she got licensed, got behind the wheel, and went all in on a blue-collar life nobody expected of her. And four years later, she's running a company doing 20 % year-over-year growth, hitting millions of gallons pumped a year, and just won a lifetime achievement award in her industry, all while operating trucks through a 30 below winters and becoming a mental health advocate for her crew along the way. I'm Ryan Atkinson and you're listening to Help the Podcast, where we interview entrepreneurs to hear their advice on how you can start a business too.

1:07Kim Hatch:So excited to welcome Kim to the podcast today to talk about all things septics and how you guys can start a similar business. So Kim, thank you so, so much for being here. Thank you. I'm excited. I'm excited for you as well. And I alluded to the intro about what you do, but tell us more about your company and what exactly you do. Let's hear it in Kim's words. Yeah, so I am Turner Septic, something I never, ever thought. And I say that to myself every day because this little business that was just supposed to be me, one septic truck, some septic inspections has turned into a crew of five now, seven trucks.

1:38I'm teaching nationally. I'm recognized in the community. I really push septic education. Last year, I got the WET, which is one of our major conferences, the National Women in Wastewater Award. It's grown into this thing that I never imagined. And I'm so blessed.

1:52Kim Hatch:It's so crazy. And what are you guys doing in like monthly revenue as well? Let's paint the picture. I mean, you guys got five team members. What are you guys doing in like monthly revenue or yearly revenue? So that's one of the biggest things I get asked because every month is so different from us. So we could range from$200 ,000 to 30. Oh, yeah. It depends on our month. It depends on our weather conditions. And that's where I'm right now is to figure out how the months that we only do 30, how we grow. but that's also January through March when it's 30 below blizzards. But in our summer months, we are balls to the walls and I'm learning every year.

2:27I mean, last year I could have said that maybe one of my highest revenue months was maybe a hundred thousand. It really varies. And I'm growing every day to figure out how to do more. Wow.

2:35Kim Hatch:That is incredible. We're talking about how you've gotten to there and how you've built it to this point, but let's go back to the origin story. Take us to like day zero about the first time this was like floated. Take us to that day in particular about, oh, maybe this is a business. You know, again, I met my now husband on Tinder. He's a full time real estate agent. He deals with all, you know, the industry leaders or service providers in our area. I had been fired for my job as a police officer and that was, you know, my divorce. There's a lot of things in my life happening. I met him and he saw my work ethic while we were dating.

3:06And he's like, I think you need to start a septic business. What? I did not know where poo went. I had no clue. And I looked right at him like, sure, You need to help me finance this because I don't have those kind of funds. And if something happens, now you're in charge of this woman and my son. So there we have it. And then when he finally proposed, he said that it was about time my names were on my septic trucks because it was my business. But he helped me get started because I life was crazy and I was just getting started again.

3:36Kim Hatch:That's crazy. So when this idea floated through your mind, I mean, were you like, why would I like do that? Or like, I'm just so curious because like this is so like out of left field. I feel like, especially coming from like a police officer, like, yeah, what was that like for you mentally? I did. I just I looked at him and I'm like, really, septic? I don't even know how to drive a big truck. Like I took defensive driving as a cop. I know how to shoot a gun. Like how? I don't even know how. I don't know anything about it. So it then became how do we get trucks? Who's going to help us? How do you finance this?

4:08Because septic is a whole nother industry. You can't just get insurance and loans, even truck companies. If you don't know anything about septic, they won't call you back.

4:17Kim Hatch:Wow. And it is pretty crazy, as you said. I mean, you obviously it ranges, but you can do some months up to$200 ,000. And we're going to talk there, but let's get into it. So if someone's listening right now and they're like, okay, you know, this is an interesting idea. Like, I know it's poo, but like, I'll hear you out on this. Upfront capital, like, what are you looking at to like, actually like get started for someone of what you know now? You know, we started with a used truck and I think it was about a hundred thousand. Okay. A hundred thousand. Break that down for us. Yeah. So that was about$100 ,000 for that used truck.

4:46We had to hire a driver to go get it. We picked up the truck in Miami because we still didn't have our CDL licenses yet. And then the rest of it was, you know, equipping that truck. So that was probably another like$50 ,000. But we went lowest cost because I had no idea even if I was going to be able to do this or like it. So we really went bare bones. I did find a software that I really liked called TankTrack that helped me get things started and keep things record keeping because that was one of my big things. All the other companies didn't keep records digitally. They didn't take photos. So my first year was really rough.

5:17I literally, when someone says they went to the school of hard knocks, I went to the school of hard knocks. A job that would take us 45 minutes today took me four hours by myself.

5:25Kim Hatch:Wow. I had no idea. I would call my now husband in tears. I'm like, I don't know why I'm doing this. This is exhausting. I don't know what I'm doing. But I went home at night. I read. I watched YouTube videos. I, you know, followed people on Facebook. And I just learned. Yeah, that's incredible. I feel like that's like talks like the mindset of being an entrepreneur, just like taking something on and like really like running with it. Obviously, you have the valleys with it. But I love that story. How did you land like your first customer that obviously, I mean, if you don't have any like previous experience, how did you like land your first customer?

5:53Kim Hatch:What advice would you give to people for landing that first? I'm very blessed that my husband's in real estate because he would just say, hey, try us, try us. My first was a campground. That was the biggest learning of three or four days ever because I just learned. I just did it as I went. We had a gentleman who I call the septic whisperer up here who kind of mentored me a little. He made me do the hard work, but he kind of gave me some hints. And then our local newspaper. So initially they wouldn't do my ads. What? They said it wasn't for their audience. And now I work with them weekly on ads and funny ads to keep people engaged and educate them.

6:27And now I do social media. I'm up to like almost 41 ,000 followers on TikTok.

6:31Kim Hatch:Crazy. Because I make fun stuff. So it's been a very big learning curve that is very scary. I work very hard. But if you want, you can get it. Yeah, no, I love it. That is like truly the entrepreneurship mindset right there. Who are you going after for this? I heard campgrounds are like, who are some other like audiences that like a listener like could go after here? So, I mean, obviously residential because everybody has a septic system. Everybody uses their bathroom unless you're on like a city sewer. But up here in northern New Hampshire, we're not. We're, I mean, I bet you we're 80 % in my county, private sewer.

7:02Kim Hatch:Wow. So anything residential, obviously second homeowners because those septics get beat incredibly. Residential campgrounds, really anybody. And I don't tailor it to a specific person. I'm very educational and this is how it works and this is why you should do it. Are you working a nine to five but dream of entrepreneurial freedom? Look no further than the Uflip Academy, the number one entrepreneurial platform with 20 plus step-by-step courses taught by active business owners, live workshops, hands-on skill training, a business idea database, and a thriving entrepreneur community to keep you accountable.

7:40Kim Hatch:Click the link in the description below to join the Uflip Academy today and make this the year you stopped dreaming and started building your business without guesswork. If someone is starting off here, obviously we just get like a few there. Is there like a best place to start out because of like ticket size or like they're easier to deal with or it's easier to get the job done. What would be like the easiest for someone to actually do for their first one? A residential that has a lid that you don't have to dig up. They know where it is. There's plans at the state level. That's the easiest one.

8:10But that's the wild thing about septic. This is not easy. You can do it. This is not easy. And, you know, my guys will say, oh, this is so hard. It's such a hard day today, Kim. And I'm like, the notes are all in there for you. Yeah, you had to dig it. But I get to kind of mentor a lot of women now.

8:25Kim Hatch:That's awesome. About starting their businesses. And I have my software that I use, TankTrack, National Truck Center. They took a chance on us and they are my go-to truck vendor. They build custom trucks for me now. Wow. What I want, four-wheel drive, tank size, power. They build what I want because I'm educated and I know what I want here. My cameras. I've cultivated so many things that make it so much easier now. I wish someone had showed me that, but I think I'm also better off because I did the hard work. And I am out there doing the hard work every day with my crew. So let's go back to like the early days.

8:58Kim Hatch:Obviously, you know what it takes now physically to do this. But tell us like what surprised you the most about like the physical like labor of it in like those first few months. It's exhausting. My first year, my goal was 12 a week. That was my goal. We do 18 a day now. What? Yeah. That's nuts. We do 18 a day now. But, you know, two drivers, two trucks, an operations manager helping those guys. But yeah, it was so exhausting. even at 12 a week, I would be dead on the weekend because you're digging three foot holes by hand. You're lugging up 200 feet of hose. Then you're driving a big truck. And I flipped my first truck.

9:35I totaled it.

9:36Kim Hatch:Oh, no. I wasn't sure if I was coming back from it. It was the long, exhausting days, massive concussion. So it's labor intensive. It's hard when I can give my guys a day off or an extra half a day. It's exhausting. Yeah. That's what I love about this business, though, is like that's like kind of naturally like the moat of it is like it's so hard where like 26 year old living in their Austin, Texas apartment. That's how old I am. I'm actually 27 in my office. Like I'm like, I just can't do that. Like I could do it. But like, it's just so physically hard. I feel like that's like the moat there.

10:05Kim Hatch:But it sounds like how you guys have also one is like digitizing like a lot of the like labor like that or not labor, but digitizing the back end. Tell us more about that. Well, so when I started, I didn't know where things were. I didn't really understand septic plans. I can read a septic plan now, the software I use. So we have really bad cell service here. We're in Northern New Hampshire. All my trucks are equipped with Starlink satellites now. So cool. So my guys are rolling Wi-Fi. They have iPads, phones, and they go to a job site. They bring it up. They can see the past photos, where it is, if we haven't pumped it, some idea from the customer where it is or the plans from the state.

10:39So we utilize every piece of technology to make it easier every single day.

10:44Kim Hatch:That's great. So the 18 that you guys do like a day now, which is like mind blowing to like think about like, what is like the average like price that you get for that then? Absolutely. You know, I have a blue collar group that I absolutely love and I just found them this year. They really helped me grow and keep track of numbers. You know, our average pumping ticket for just like a septic tank ranges anywhere between four and 600. Wow. And it's going to range because of the difference in size and if we have to dig it and that kind of stuff. But that price is so wild and so different everywhere in the country.

11:14Depends on disposal fees, insurance. You know, you go down to Southern Florida and I'm seeing four to six hundred. They're telling you nine to eleven hundred. Wow. It varies all over the country. Same job. It just depends on fees for us when we have. And people forget that we have to dispose of it and pay for it.

11:33Kim Hatch:So I hear the four hundred and six hundred. So are these people and just helping kind of like wrap my mind around this and the audience minds. So is this something where like they like you're doing this for this person like once every month, once every other month? Like what is that? No, two to three years. Three years. OK, OK. I wanted to wrap my mind around that. So it sounds like you guys are always having to like get new clients in the door that. We're always growing our client list, but we also do a thing with technology. We call service due notices. So in two years, I send my customer an email and say, hey, it's been two years because it's in the ground.

12:05You forget about it if it's working, but it still needs to be serviced. It's just like your car and the oil. If you use it, the oil needs to be changed. Septic tank's the same way.

12:14Kim Hatch:So there's also something called here the mini septic truck strategy. Walk me through like what that is. So this was what my first custom build. It is a Ford 600 four-wheel drive, custom pump, custom everything. Ford helped build it. It's got a 1 ,400 gallon tank. And we have some very treacherous camps and roads that you can't get down with a big truck. And most people think that even our big trucks, you know, they say, oh, the propane tank truck can get down here. Not our big trucks. So this little truck is made to go to camps, up a mountainside that we have our ski mountain, Cranroar Mountain here that we take it up because that's the only truck that can get up there.

12:49So we custom built this truck for our area specifically.

12:53Kim Hatch:That's so cool. So obviously that's a little bit more custom and you'd obviously probably pull some strings here to like get this done. But would you recommend someone to start out with a vehicle like that? Can be like a big truck or like how would you advise someone just starting off to do this? So we have that one 1 ,400-gallon truck, our mini truck, and then we have two 5 ,000-gallon triaxles, huge trucks. Honestly, the first truck I started with, it was a CDL truck, so I had my CDL, but it was 2 ,000 gallons. And some truck companies now can actually make those under CDL. So if you want to start a driver, our little truck is how we start all our drivers to see if they're going to like it.

13:27Really? Yep. And then we put them through CDL school. So do the job, see if you like it, get dirty, If you like it, we'll bump you up to a big truck and get your CDL. Going in the middle, a 2 ,000 gallon, it's a good starting point. It's not too big. It's not too small. And every place in the nation is different. You know, so that kind of gives you a range to go everywhere.

13:51Kim Hatch:Yeah, that's amazing. I want to talk more about some operating challenges as well. Obviously, you're in New Hampshire. The summers there are beautiful. The falls there are beautiful. I've lived in Boston. I know how beautiful it is there during the fall, the trees. But winter's there. The ground is frozen. in solid. So how do you guys like operate like during like the winter? I'm sure obviously that's the lower months, but like how do you guys like operate? So I keep all my guys on salary and every year we have grown more and more. The first winter we didn't do anything. We might have worked one or two days a week.

14:18This past winter we stayed pretty consistent every day, at least half a day.

14:21Kim Hatch:Wow. The little truck, because it's four wheel drive. We also just bought a mini excavator, which can dig holes. We have heating mats now that when you can't find a septic or you can't get to it because it's frozen, we thaw the ground with these heating mats so we can get into the tank. That's crazy. And with our cameras and all that stuff, you know, I think a defroster might be in or a steamer might be in our future and some jetting equipment might be in our future. But with our three January through March are our roughest months and we keep finding ways to do more. Our best month will pump 400 ,000 gallons in a month.

14:58Kim Hatch:Wow. I think our best month in a winter has been 50 ,000. Wow, that's nuts. So it cuts down to nothing really and goes to service work. But we've morphed into that as we've grown. I'm sure like so much has changed. What I love from your perspective is like you started at zero, like it's not like you worked in septic for 20 years and started your own business. You really started from zero. So I'm curious, like, have you seen yourself like grow over the past whatever four or five years, like just starting this like it has to be so crazy look back on it's crazy it is an everyday thing and I am a very big person to say mental health especially if you're a business owner because there's a lot of alone time when you're trying to think of what you want to do your next steps how you grow it yeah I pinch myself daily five years in how did I do this whoa and I'm very grateful for what I have in my employees and the equipment I have because I do go very big.

15:57I don't go small. Even though my little truck is small, it was a custom build. My mini excavator, a lot of people don't have those, but it's like been one of the best tools. I'm very honored. Last year, our valley, like one of the best, I got the best septic company. I was blown away that my community thought that much of me.

16:12Kim Hatch:So crazy. I'm sure just like professionally as well here, it's just like, Like it's one of those things you look back on. It's like you truly like knew nothing. And now there's just like so much to that you do know and probably would change. What is like one of the biggest things you would change if you were telling year zero Kim to like watch out for? Wow. I don't think I would have changed a thing really because I learned so much by doing it myself. And I know what my guys have to go through. So when it comes to scheduling, I know what a hard day is going to be. And I'm out there with them on those hard days.