DeKALB | Alumnus Alex Broches hit rock bottom as a 22-year-old fresh out of college and struggled for the next four years; three startup business attempts took losses, and he found himself $10,000 in debt and barely making rent.

Broches’ fourth business attempt, The Junk Removal Dudes, removes unwanted items from homes and buildings; it landed by accident — and in success.

Broches got the idea when his mother, Betty Deligiannis , founder and owner of Betty’s House Cleaning, began coming to him for help with heavy lifting.

“She kept asking me all the time,” Broches said. “‘Hey, these customers need some stuff moved out of the garage or basement.’ And I said, ‘okay, let me see what I can do.’”

Broches decided to take on another risk and create the business after he was inspired by physical activity, finding things he normally didn’t see among the rubble and helping others.

“Primarily, we try to focus on bigger jobs like hoarder clean-outs, basement clean-outs and full-house clean-outs,” Broches said.

The Junk Removal Dudes serves DeKalb, Kane, Elgin, Aurora and Naperville. It also serves the buildings on NIU’s campus such as Stevenson Residence Hall, Davis Hall and fraternity houses.

“We were getting our [fraternity] house renovated, so [Broches] was hired to just clean it out and get everything out of there,” said sophomore physical therapy major Mike Mullan from Delta Chi Fraternity. “It was really messy when I got there, and he did a good job cleaning it out.”

From pieces of history to Chicago Blackhawks jerseys, photos of the removal projects the business takes on and what they find can be viewed on the business’ Facebook page.

“As we were taking out the first layer of stuff like newspapers and cups [at a woman’s house we cleaned in North Aurora], she found her grandbaby’s pictures she was looking for and a brand new box of shoes she bought a couple years ago,” Broches said.

About 70 to 80 percent of salvageable belongings are recycled or donated to the Salvation Army, Goodwill and schools and daycares in the DeKalb and Sycamore area if there is no one at the site to claim them, Broches said. The other 20 to 30 percent he keeps for himself or gives to acquaintances, family, friends or to his crew of five.

“I’ve given my workers a lot of stuff,” Broches said. “My neighbors, I’ll give them stuff too. I just try to save it all. If I can avoid going to the dump yard, I try to pass it on so someone else can use it.”

In addition to giving his workers any salvageable belongings from the job, Broches treats his workers to dinner, Rockford Ice Hogs hockey games and in the future, perhaps the opportunity to franchise the business.

“I was thinking if my [auto restoration business] falls through, I can just say ‘hey Alex, mind if I start a business here,’” said Ryan Burns, The Junk Removal Dudes employee.

Broches said he wants to keep his business focused on Illinois but will consider turning it into a franchise in a year.

“I could have a guy in Milwaukee, a guy in Los Angeles and I could have somebody in New York,” Broches said. “They [could] just pay me a residential fee to use our name and our philosophy.”

With three failed business attempts to one successful, Broches said overcoming fear is what got him to where he is today and will take his business to the heights it may one day reach.

“The main thing [is] to overcome fear and keep trying new things,” Broches said. “Keep trying; keep trying; keep trying, because eventually you’re [going to] hit a home run.”