Junk my Car Blog

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who get results. An excuse person will find any excuse for why a job was not done, and a results person will find any reason why it can be done. Be a creator, not a reactor."

The above quote by Alan Cohen, says a lot about the kind of people that the environment we work in at Junk my Car requires.

Prior to joining the Junk my Car team, I worked in your average “Corporate America” style call center for about 4 years. It did not take me so long to realize how rigid this call center environment was, as if a constant game of micro-managing and “babysitting” adults was the real job of managers and supervisors.

After proving to be able to contribute to the company as a whole, I found I was still being scrutinized for signing into my phone 20 seconds late, and threatened with being fired for being out sick because I did not pre-plan my “time off”. As absurd as this seemed, it very quickly became part of my normal life. I soon became accustomed to the constant whirlwind of work-related stresses, referring to them as the “norm” for all call center employees.

At that time, I remember talking to an employee of “Junk my Car” and being completely perplexed that this call center he worked for took into consideration the fact that he had children and a family, and was complete with bonuses, growth opportunities, and a bunch of co-workers who were actually EXCITED to come to work every day!

Still I kept drudging along, until somehow my resume crossed the path of the owner of this company. I came in for an interview, and was surprised that I sat, not with some supervisor who had never even met the CEO of the company,but with the owner himself. There was something different about this place…The break room had video games, popcorn machines, and actually looked inviting. Was this for real?

A year and a half later, I can tell you it IS real. I've been working at Junk my Car since March of 2008, and can tell you, I am STILL excited to come into work every day.

In February of 2009, The CEO rolled out this new and even more exciting reason to come to work – R.O.W.E.—the Results Only Work Environment. What did this mean? This meant that the era for micro-managing and baby sitting was GONE… I would actually be working for a company that treated adults like adults. No more rigid schedules or getting written up for being a minute late. ROWE meant that if I wanted to come in at 8am today, and at 11am tomorrow, I could do that! All that mattered was that my customers were serviced, my tasks were completed, and I did everything in my power to see to it that no one was falling off the “boat”. This was a dream come true.

Right now, the R.O.W.E. principles are starting to be used in companies like GAP, Best Buy, and each day more and more companies are turning to this new-world approach to work.

What I’ve learned since Junk my Car went “ROWE” is that it takes more than one motivated person to make R.O.W.E. possible. It takes a bunch of employees that believe 2 things: First, That they work in what is, hands down, THE best company there is to work in, and second, that what they do matters.

You see, Corporate America teaches people to make excuses—R.O.W.E. teaches people to GET RESULTS. I encourage every person reading this to adopt a R.O.W.E. attitude. Not just for work, but for life. Don’t focus on how you can explain why you didn't measure up, find a way to get where you need to be. If you want something from your life, go for it full force, and MAKE it happen. It’s not those who have good dreams that get us far in life, it’s those who are willing to do what it takes to turn those dreams into reality.

Be a creator, not a reactor.

It’s more than what it takes to be a R.O.W.E. employee, it’s what it takes to grab hold of your own destiny. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a results person!

Labels: Call Center, Corporate America, How to Junk my Car, Results, ROWE

As the summer comes to an end, I like to sit back and reflect on all the things I did. One of them was go to this year's Gathering of the Vibes. It may not be Woodstock but you sure do have the same fundamentals going on. Jiving music, ideals of love and peace, and or course green-thinking.

Old school hippies were the epitome of green-thinking from the beginning in the 60s. New school hippies are no exception. With the growth of technology and the expansion of not only the information highway but also our city highways, they have come a long way from the street corner pamphlets and home gardens.
As I chatted with a girl over a cup of coffee, I learned that she had brewed it using water from the very ocean I was looking at. I would have never known the difference if she hadn't told me. She was part of an organization called The Sky is Not The Limit. They are a non-profit that explores the use of sun batteries and desalination of ocean water using renewable resources.

Another interesting person I ran into was the "Solar Bus Guy” Gary Beckwith and his solar bus. Contrary to it's name this bus runs complete on bio-fuels. Examples would be bio-diesel, veggie oil, and waste veggie oil. The bus also had a bunch of solar cells on top that were linked to a large battery bank that generates clean energy. He was able to have some of the comforts of home like a fan in the middle of a camping ground. A girl was even able to plug in her hair dryer to his bus. He travels around the US promoting bio-fuel friendly autos and re-usable energy. When asked what I did and told him I worked for Junkmycar.com, he joked with me that we may see an influx in business once he gets his next idea on the road. He has been working on converting the cars that we use every day into bio-fuel friendly options and marketing to car companies to adopt these methods which is less expensive than making the hybrids they make now.

Hippism is more than flower power and eating vegan and I was happy to see that the old school has come into it's own with the new school. It also made me happy to respond back to what I do as a profession. As a JMCer, we strive to be as green as we can get. From our own recycling efforts in the office to being a paperless company, we are not just green-thinkers, but doers. So even though the Vibes is a once a year gig, it's nice to know in part, i'm working hippy all year round.

Labels: earth, gathering of the vibes, Green, Junk my Car, solar

Maybe it's because I grew up during the tech age, where improvements to technology happened so fast the computer you bought yesterday became obsolete today. Whenever I get an opportunity to learn about technological improvements I always jump in. This is true in every aspect of my life and even more so here at Junk my Car; where being on the cutting edge of technology is not only strongly encouraged, but necessary.

Recently I was introduced to the concept of "Cloud Computing". It's not that I had never used this technology before; I just hadn't understood the term. Growing out of research in grid computing, cloud computing transforms once expensive resources into a readily available, cheap, and in many cases, free alternative. The cloud is a term for networked computers that distribute processing power among many machines. Now instead of needing localized software, you can use web based software. Anywhere there is a computer with internet access, your information is readily available.

Of course, as with all things, there seems to be proponents on either side of the spectrum as to the benefits and downfalls of such technology. Some believe that Cloud Computing would force users to sacrifice their privacy and personal data to a third party. Others tend to speculate that this the wave of the future. While I understand the concerns of the former, entrusting your work and data to the a 3rd party is a commitment of trust to each service provider where private data will continue to be available forever, I still tend to lean towards the later. This type of technology is the beginning of a new generation of mobility and true virtual working.

The greatest part? The benefits of Cloud Computing are not just for "work". Products like Indaba (http://www.indabamusic.com/) allow musicians to create music with like minded artists from all over the world with online recording sessions. Because it resides on "the network", it makes it easy to share documents, collaboratively edit, and effectively manage new versions of data. Google Docs ring a bell? (https://www.google.com/docs) No longer are we confined to buy the latest software only to upgrade and patch it over and over, not even mentioning all the license fees and compatibility issues with the latest operating system. No longer do we have to concern ourselves that our files are on our office computer and we can't access it without physically being there. I can log in from anywhere and be able to be work effectively. The benefits don't end there though, a greener solution comes into play. Without boxes to ship, and software to store, users don't have to worry about all that cardboard and plastic being wasted.

Without question the buzz word of the day is Cloud Computing. Where we end up from here is beyond my understanding, but with companies like Google working on a new operating system dedicated to this type of powerful, cheap alternative, I know the sky is the limit.

Bob Marino

* Photo Created by Sam Johnston using OminGroup's OmniGraffle and Inkscape (includes Computer.svg by Sasa Stefanovic). Used under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License

Labels: Cloud Computing, Google, Indaba, Junk my Car

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in a doctor’s office waiting to be called in for my appointment. The receptionist asked me where I worked for insurance purposes and I told her that I worked for Junk my Car. She replied "I know that company. They removed a car for my dad about a year ago. He was so happy to get that old car out of his back yard." I replied, "I'm glad we were there to help him." After a short pause she said, "I remember when he finally was going to get rid of that old car after trying to restore it but just never had the time to put into it. He didn't know what else to do with it and it was just taking up space in the yard." I asked, "What made him finally get rid of it?" she said, "When he found you guys! He said Junk my Car was the only company willing to pick it up for free. He felt like no one would help him remove it without charging some crazy fee to do so.” As I went back to my seat I felt a feeling of satisfaction to not only meet a happy customer but to know that our service helped them.

As I walked out of my appointment the receptionist waved goodbye and said "I will be sure to tell my dad that I met one of the people that helped him with his car." Leaving the office, I knew that I was part of a team that helped a customer when he didn't think there was anywhere else to turn. Our team works hard to help those who need vehicles removed. Whether a car is taking up room in their yard or is just an eye sore, we do everything in our power to make sure that the removal process is quick and easy for our customers.


Melissa R.

Labels: Customers, Helping, Junk Car Removal, Junk my Car

Labels: Customers, Junk my Car

I believe that all employees at Junk my Car are very special. We’re motivated, hard working, dedicated, and all bring something very special to the table. We truly are a great team. Now, as a team, we’re doing an amazing out of work activity.

Junk my Car is currently undergoing a company weight loss competition. This is a weight loss event with bi-weekly measurements of success. A large percentage of our company has decided to participate in this event. I don’t really like calling it a competition though, because it’s really just all of us coming together as a team and keeping each other motivated to live a healthier lifestyle. Whether it be someone committing to being their friend’s gym buddy, groups of people going to yoga together, or someone helping with advice on how to eat healthier.

This contest officially started on June 29, 2009. Our first weigh in was July 13. We as a company lost a total of 81 pounds. Many of our employees have started to participate in Bikram Yoga on a regular basis. Others have gone the gym route. Some other people are into Pilates. Regardless of how, our employees are getting fit. So besides doing the best we can at our job, we’re living our life the best we can.

We have a great team and I’m very proud to be a part of this company and this weight loss event. It’s so much easier to do this with other people. Go Team!!!

Jason DeLorenzo

Labels: Gym, Healthy, Junk my Car, Weight Loss, Yoga

It’s one of my favorite key points in the interview process, and believe it or not it’s one of the most baffling ideas most interviewees encounter.

I understand the confusion, because it was only after working under a Results Only Work Environment (R.O.W.E.) myself that I was able to truly get it:

Allowing employees to work when they are most efficient in turn creates efficiency and happier employees.

It allows people to be treated like individuals instead of being forced into some standardized schedule, regardless of what type of person they may be.

Chaining people to their desk and requiring that they stay from 9-5, regardless of what they accomplish or if the “work” is done, does not necessarily promote productivity, and surely doesn’t guarantee eight hours worth of work. It is also an inflexible way of working, during a time in which flexibility is becoming increasingly important.

R.O.W.E. changes the entire way we handle our work here and the whole thing has the feeling of college. Where you know that you have classes to go to and that to get through you have to make the grade.

If you miss class or an assignment because sometimes life happens, well, you know that to get the grade, you have to get the information and make an impact the next day or maybe even the day prior.

Is it risky?

Sure, R.O.W.E. isn’t for everyone; it’s for adults, for the people with the where-with-all to understand how to schedule their lives to be 100% functional for them.

Most people have a hard time imagining an environment where it is entirely possible to catch an afternoon movie and still get the job done with a high level of customer satisfaction. But I’m here to tell you that it does exist.

It’s about understanding that work isn’t necessarily some place you go, it’s something that you do. And, it’s a concept with broader reaching impact if other companies could use it as well.

Imagine a day when rush hour traffic wouldn’t exist, or where pollution reaches an all time low because more and more people are working remotely.

Sound like a dream job? It is. But don’t take it from me; join us and you’ll have the opportunity to dream BIG too.

Labels: Job, Junk my Car, ROWE