STARTING OVER: Waste Farmers

DENVER - In our last story of our Starting Over series we decided to revisit a young entrepreneur who truly puts his passion to the test. He is a dumpster diver with a love for compost.

Running your own business can be a lot like running a marathon.

"You anticipate it being hard," John Paul Maxfield said, "but you don't realize how hard it is until you get to the 23rd mile."

Maxfield is practically running on empty these days. He started collecting trash for cash about twelve months ago and has not stopped to smell the roses.

"My heads been down too long that I have not had a chance to look back at how far we have come," Maxfield said.

He has added more interns, more recycling bins and more customers who are all willing to let him dig through their dumpster to see just how much waste was being wasted.

"You don't realize how much you're throwing away because it's so easy and convenient to you," Maxfield said.

It is a labor of love for Maxfield who cashed in his life savings to buy a truck and plenty of recycling bins in order to start his own company called Waste Farmers.

Maxfield says it has been both rewarding and unpredictable being his own boss.

"What you write your business plan on you will not do," Maxfield said, "and what you raise money to do you won't do."

Maxfield's original plan was to collect compost from trash bins outside local restaurants and retailers. That plan did not pay the bills. So he added another element, a waste analysis in which he dives in the dumpsters and picks through the trash in order to show restaurant owners how much recyclable material they are trashing and how much compost they are wasting.

Maxfield's new business plan is finally taking shape.

"We have a long way to go but we just have to continue working hard," Maxfield said.

It is the hard work that keeps him busy but it is his support group that keeps him in the race.

"It is kind of like running that marathon, people are on the sidelines cheering and you don't realize how much you appreciate it when you are running," Maxfield said.

For more information on how to start your own business click on the following Web sites:

Denver Metro Small Business Development Center - http://www.denversbdc.org/

SBA - Small Business Administration - http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

The Denver Office of Economic Development: Business Assistance Center -
http://www.milehigh.com/business/business-assistance-center/Start-Your-Business/nine-steps

SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business - http://www.scoredenver.org/index.htm