The Idea:
One day not too long ago, Ben Weissenstein, a senior in high school at the time, was helping his mom set up her yard sale. Although he had been to numerous yard sales over the years, he had never been involved in the set up process before. As he was helping her, he had an idea. Why not do this kind of thing on a much bigger scale?Grand Slam Garage Sales - A Teenager's Vision:
With a dream, drive and determination, Ben brought his idea to fruition. Today, he is founder and CEO of the successful Grand Slam Garage Sales, GSGS, based out of Houston, Texas.The premise of the company is quite simple. GSGS sets up the garage sales from start to finish. The preparation, actual sale and cleanup process is done by the company - the homeowners don’t lift a finger. Besides Ben, several adult managers and 30 part-time high school and college students make up the GSGS work force.
Many of us accumulate things we no longer need or use. And putting a garage or yard sale together is a time consuming process that requires a lot of hard work and elbow grease. But with a full-service garage sale operation like GSGS, the friendly uniformed staff does all the work for you, from start to finish. Why not clean out that messy garage, attic or crawl space and make some extra money without doing a thing? And the things that do not sell are packed up and donated to Goodwill to help others.
The Name:
In an online interview, Ben explained how he came up with the name. “I had a list of over 200 names I came up with, and with some help from my mom and brother, I decided on Grand Slam Garage Sales. I love baseball, it’s catchy and it’s easy to remember. It’s fun, memorable, and is a name that we can go to the next level with!”How it Works:
- GSGS provides an Inventory Check prior to the sale to ensure the sale will be successful.
- Although several different plans are offered, the base fee is $450 for sales up to $1099.
- A date is selected and scheduled for the sale.
- GSGS provides all tables, clothes racks, signs, boxes, change, fanny packs and cleaning supplies.
- Advertising includes Craigslist, TagSellIt, GSGS website, email notifications and various newspapers listings.
The Grand Slam Garage Sale Process:
- On Friday prior to the sale, employees set up the sale, cover and secure all items.
- At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, several uniformed GSGS employees arrive and prepare the sale.
- No early bird shoppers are allowed.
- Only cash is allowed at sales.
- Since no items are priced, all pricing is done verbally and GSGS encourages haggling. After all, that is part of the fun!
- Hours of the sale are normally 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- When the sale is complete, employees sweep out the garage and add a touch of air freshener.
- Items that are not sold are transported to the Goodwill for an additional fee.
- The homeowner is paid.
CEO Ben Weissenstein:
It is pretty obvious that Ben thoroughly enjoys his career. “When it comes to the actual garage sales, it is fun when we have repeat customers that we talk to. It’s also fun bargaining with customers and making jokes at the sale.”Ben’s goals include expanding his business to every city in the United States and eventually, internationally. As long as he keeps working towards those goals and hires great people, he is certain he can reach those goals.
Due to the struggling economy, Ben has seen an increase in sales and attendees and expects business to boom. Ben says, “Our goal is for you to be able to relax while knowing that your garage sale is in good hands.”
“I hope my story is inspirational and as the business succeeds, I hope it will touch more people and get them to realize that anything is possible. I’ve never thought that I’m special by any means; I just feel that I’m driven and determined and I have the want to succeed. I feel that that’s the real formula to succeed.“
Ben says, “Our goal is for you to be able to relax while knowing that your garage sale is in good hands.”
Ben Weissenstein's inspirational story proves that as long as you have a dream, drive and determination, you can do whatever you put your mind to, no matter how old, or young, you are.