subject: Two Young Black Inner City Men with a Big Green Idea [print this page] Earl Mensah and Jide Lawal had a vision to create a new recycling service, which aimed is to divert as much waste sent to landfill as possible. This was the challenge they set themselves amidst the deepest recession in decades. With their vision and nothing else, Earl and Jide gave up full-time employment to follow their passion to create a positive environmental service.
Imagine two young black inner city men with a big green idea, but no funding and no chance of a loan from the bank. Earl Mensah and Jide Lawal (CEOs of KwikSweep) had a vision to create a recycling service, which aimed is to divert as much waste sent to landfill as possible. This was the challenge they set themselves amidst the deepest recession in decades. With their vision and nothing else, Earl and Jide gave up full-time employment to follow their passion to create a positive environmental service. They began by using what little savings they had to buy their first van. They would use this to collect unwanted junk from houses and office premises, of which as much as possible would be reused and recycled. They built up relationships with local traders, charities and community centres where they could offload reusable items, and KwikSweep was born.
Jide recalls his first few weeks at the office "we had just launched our website (http://www.KwikSweep.com ), and for 3 weeks the phone didn't ring. At the back of my mind I thought that maybe I should not have left my stable job and that I'd made a very big mistake. But by this point there was no going back." But then the phone rang, they got their first customer and from then it didn't stop. KwikSweep became inundated with calls from customers wanting to use the service. "Our customers loved the idea that their old goods could be found a new home, and our service was a big factor. We would email them confirmation of their booking, ring customers before we arrived, and ask how they found our service after the job." says Earl. Since then, KwikSweep have cleared hundreds of premises, offering rubbish clearances, garden clearances and waste disposal throughout London. They now have major clients including the NHS, local authorities and housing trusts to name just a few.
Coming from low income
families, the idea of owning a business or even working in business, was new to theses young black guys. They had to learn fast in all areas including VAT and tax returns, bookkeeping, environmental legations, invoicing, health and safety, commercial contracts and much more. "I recall my friends telling me how crazy I was by leaving a well paid job in the media to collect junk" recalls Earl. "Our passion for the environment and sustainability spurred me on to work hard and make our vision a reality" Jide explained. "It's something I've always wanted to do. For me it's not about the money, it's about creating a fair and sustainable future for us all". In our throwaway society, we are often throwing away items including toys, furniture and electricals that could be reused or recycled. KwikSweep's ethos is to be "Aggressive on waste for a sustainable future". This means taking your waste seriously. KwikSweep believes that waste does not have to mean waste. Your waste could be someone else's treasure.
Two Young Black Inner City Men with a Big Green Idea
