A lawyer by training and former corporate financier for NM Rothschild, Jason quit the City to launch AnyJunk. He worked on the trucks for the first year. Today the business has sales of over £10m and undertakes up to 2,000 collections per week. Rather than operate their own fleet, AnyJunk uses clever technology to match junk removal jobs to local waste collection companies who connect with AnyJunk via an App. As well as supporting local business, this Uber-type approach reduces miles per collection and increases speed of response. The result? A much lower carbon footprint, cheaper rates and faster service.
‘From a usefulness point of view, what Anyjunk has done is a very complex logistical solution to a universal problem,’ said GWG judge Nick Lisher. ‘It’s the environmental impact (or green creds as they call it) that really caught our eye though. It’s the product that I personally think could have the most impact, and the execution is great.’
Winning the 2018 Good Web Guide Useful Category Award is exciting because... It’s the perfect award for what we want to be, namely useful. Although rubbish clearance isn’t exactly glamorous, hopefully by delivering the service in the way we do, we make it ‘useful’.
My favourite website… Amazon - Jeff Bezos might be a bit creepy, but his website and business are formidable.
My favourite app… Audible - It’s absolutely fantastic and has completely changed my runs and walking the dog. I typically listen to business books, although the other day I listened to my first horror audiobook, and remembered why I never bought them in hard copy.
My blog of choice… Err I’m afraid I don’t actually follow any blogs, although AnyJunk has one that’s thrillingly called the AnyJunk Blog.
My internet hero… I’ve never really had a hero online or offline. Having said that, I have recently been inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk, the Belarusian American entrepreneur, author, speaker and internet personality. His high energy and views on marketing and customer service are awesome.
My favourite podcasts... Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders by Stanford University (full of techies who want to change the world), Desert Island Discs and the Tim Ferriss Show.
My most recent buy online… Ordering some new T-shirts for AnyJunk employees. Appreciate it’s not what a CEO should probably be doing, but I wanted to choose the colours and check the designs were perfect.
Book just downloaded/ read… ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ by Arnor Towles - I found it really calm.
Favourite tweeter… Sorry, don’t follow twitter. It just takes so much time and I’d rather be speaking to people in real life.
Favourite Instagrammer… Ditto.
Social media allowed me to meet… Richard Branson. Only kidding, but one day it would be nice.
February 2019
Portrait photo, courtesty of Rankin