The complete about-face was ignited after Gold visited her brother in the Bay Area, who happened to be the co-CEO of 1-800-Got-Junk for San Francisco and the Peninsula. Gold, a Canadian from Saskatchewan, thought her brother's junk-collecting job was nuts, until she decided to go out with him on some calls and see what the business was about.

To the Willow Glen resident's surprise, she loved going to people's homes and helping them get rid of the useless items they didn't need anymore. Some customers even told her that removing the extraneous items had a therapeutic effect. Gold was also surprised by the customers' positive reaction each time the truck arrived to haul the excess away. Customers liked the company's shiny blue truck and the professional attitude of the movers.

After her experiences with her brother, Gold went back to Saskatchewan and fervently pitched the idea of starting a 1-800-Got-Junk franchise to Durling. At first, Durling thought Gold was a little crazy. But he decided to give the business a try, so they packed their belongings and left their secure jobs, native country and families for the opportunity to begin a franchise in Oakland.

Gold says she was never known to perform physical labor, saying that she didn't even move her own stuff to Oakland. So the first month on the hauling and lifting end of the job was tough. But doing a 360-degree career shift from marketing consultant to junk hauler turned out to be surprisingly satisfying. She loves the unpredictability of the business and likes the responsibility that comes with being your own boss, saying, "With this job, you definitely get out of it what you put into it."

After two years with the business, Gold has some colorful stories.

One man had a wife who had recently died, leaving nearly 60 cats in the home. After her death, the man called 1-800-Got-Junk because he wanted to sell the home and get rid of excess garbage. Gold recalls showing up to find that he had spread layers of kitty litter all over the home. She says most of the furniture was ruined, and she disposed of 3 ¹/2 truckloads of the kitty litter and damaged household items.

No job has proven to be too large for this dynamic moving duo. And, 50 percent of all the stuff that is hauled from homes is salvaged for organizations like the Salvation Army or recycled.

The Willow Glen franchise has only been in the South Bay since April. After spending more than a year in Oakland, the pair decided to relocate from the East to the South Bay, with an operations manager running the Oakland operation, but Gold says that business is booming. And some local customers, such as Richard Hawker, say they are more than pleased with the service they received.

Hawker enlisted Gold and Durling's business last month to pick up his junk. He says in one day the pair came to his home and hauled away his old icemaker, freezer and air-conditioning fan for a cost of $110. It was a reasonable price for having it all quickly removed, he says.

The maintenance supervisor at Achiever Christian School in Willow Glen was also impressed with the quick service and nice demeanor of the two movers. He appreciated the free magnets and discount coupons for any future needed pickups.

Unlike other service providers, Gold says customers can count on 1-800-Got-Junk to arrive within two hours of the time the company provides.

For more information, call 1-800-Got-Junk. Calls are taken by a call center, which relays all pertinent information from each caller's request to the closest franchise. More information can also be found on http://www.1800gotjunk.com.