Diving into the dirty work
Sixteen-year-old Ally Kelly is proud of the business she has built cleaning out trash cans, work that others oftentimes avoid.
It is often said that a good business idea is one that meets a need or want, or simply being willing to do a job that no one else wants to do. Ally Kelly is banking on all of the above. The Forest Park 16-year-old has a creative spirit and a work ethic that comes with not minding if her hands or clothes get dirty.
“I was in a spot of needing money, so I was job searching,” said Ally. “My mom asked my little brother to clean our trash cans because they were smelling up our garage, but he didn’t want to do something that gross. I volunteered, and about halfway through the first can, I had the initial idea of making a business out of it.”
So, she reached out to neighbors and others through conversations and social media and got a few takers for her new business Bright’n’Shiny. She found more customers in her neighborhood, a few in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch as well.
Ally charges $15 per outdoor trash can, $10 per indoor trash can, but she has a deal for monthly/semi-monthly appointments for outdoor cans: $25 for two trash cans and $40 for three.
“It’s nice because some people will choose to give me a tip, but they don’t need to, and I never ask,” shared Ally.
She has had some doozies to clean which included slime, dog poop and old milk, to name a few.
“I’ve gotten used to it. I grew up in Florida where my grandparents own a ranch, and I’d help with cleaning out horse pens and spreading manure, so even when I started cleaning trash cans, I didn’t mind,” shared Ally.
The Rock Canyon High School junior is an entrepreneur at heart. “As a little kid, I had my own little thing called ‘Ally. Co.’ Then it went away, but sixth or seventh grade rolled around, and I sold dog toys under ‘Ally. Co.’ Then Bright’n’Shiny was created last year,” added Ally.
Currently, Ally is nursing a broken finger back to health, but she hopes to be back on the job come springtime.
Ally is not sure she will major in business when she gets to college, but she does know she is pretty good at coming up with ways to make money when she needs to and hopes other kids realize that no idea is a bad one if you put some effort into it.
For more information, email bright.n.shiny.cleaning.company@gmail.com.
By Karen Leigh; photos courtesy of Linda Kelly
