The soon-to-be Grade 8 student Kian Chang has spent his summer co-founding and running a business.
Bin Bros is a garbage and compost bin cleaning business he started with his long-time friend, Nathan Cramer.
The idea came earlier this year when Kian鈥檚 father spotted a post on Facebook from someone offering a cleaning bin service. Kian, who lives near Williams Park and is homeschooled, had been wanting to start his own business for some time, inspired in part by his younger sister鈥檚 success selling handmade crafts or soaps.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want her to have more money than me,鈥� he said.
With his dad鈥檚 pressure washer and his mom driving him to appointments, Kian was ready to give it a try.
He invited Nathan, his friend since preschool who lives in Aldergrove, to join in. Together, the pair went door-to-door in their neighbourhood, building the confidence to pitch their service face-to-face.
鈥淚t was scary at first,鈥� Kian said. 鈥淏ut it helped me learn how to talk to people.鈥�
Bin Bros Washing offers pressure-washing services for $10 per bin. The job isn鈥檛 glamorous, but Kian takes pride in doing work most people would rather avoid.
鈥淭he washing is the fun part,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he hard part is scraping out the garbage at the bottom, especially if it鈥檚 rotting.鈥�
One particularly memorable job involved opening a compost bin to find 鈥�10,000 flies鈥� swarming out, along with rotting scraps and an inexplicable piece of bread.
鈥淢y first thought was I charged too low,鈥� Kian joked. 鈥淏ut it was a good life lesson. After that, every other bin felt easy.鈥�
Beyond the extra income, Kian sees the business as a way to gain skills many teens miss out on. He hopes to expand the business by hiring and training other teens looking for summer work. Eventually, he envisions a subscription model where customers can have their bins cleaned on a regular schedule.
His parents are fully supportive.
鈥淥ur goal is to raise young men, not just teenagers,鈥� said Kian's mom Lydia. 鈥淪weating and hard work are good, it鈥檚 training for adulthood. We want him to push through and learn perseverance.鈥�
For now, the business is mostly a summer project, but Kian said he鈥檚 open to continuing during the school year and even into the rainy winter months. Marketing efforts are focused on the Bin Bros Facebook and Instagram page, where Kian creates humorous bin-related memes. However, his mom posts them on his behalf, as he isn't allowed access to social media just yet.
When asked what advice he would give other teens struggling to find work, Kian was direct: If you can鈥檛 find a job, start one yourself. Go door-to-door. Talk to people. Just get started.
With determination, a pressure washer, and a willingness to tackle a job few others want, Bin Bros is proving that sometimes the messiest work can allow someone to clean up.
